In English

Norwegian citizenship requirements in 2026

Residence, income, tests and the police appointment. Every figure here comes from UDI or the law, and we say where we stopped.

What this page covers, and what it does not

Norwegian citizenship by application has several requirements, and the tests are only one of them. This page gives the ones we could check against an official source on 29 September 2026, and it says plainly which ones we did not check. We run a practice service, not an immigration service, so treat this as a map, not as legal advice. The decision is UDI's.

Two things change over time: the rules and the way UDI describes them. Always confirm with UDI before you act. The links are at the bottom of the page.

The residence requirement

For an adult applying after the ordinary rules, the law says the applicant must have «til sammen åtte års opphold i riket i løpet av de siste elleve årene, med oppholdstillatelser av minst ett års varighet». In English: a total of eight years of residence in Norway during the last eleven years, on residence permits of at least one year's duration.

UDI gives the same figures for people who have used the EU/EEA registration scheme: eight years within the last eleven.

The shorter route: sufficient income

There is a shorter period if your income is high enough. UDI writes: «Dersom inntekten din er tilstrekkelig, er det krav om opphold i seks av de siste ti årene.» That is six of the last ten years.

What counts as sufficient? UDI defines it as income that appears in your tax settlement and equals at least three times the National Insurance basic amount for the year of the settlement. For a tax settlement from 2025, UDI states that the amount is 384 348 kroner or higher. Two details from UDI are worth knowing:

• UDI fetches the figure directly from the Tax Administration, so you do not send in proof of income yourself.
• Loans and grants do not count as income.

The threshold moves each year with the basic amount, so the number above will be out of date sooner than the rule. It applies to a settlement from 2025, as UDI states it on the page we checked.

Other periods

The law and UDI also give shorter periods for particular groups, such as people who arrived in Norway before the age of 18 (five years within the last seven) and stateless people. We do not cover the details here. If you might belong to one of these groups, read UDI's pages rather than ours.

The tests, in one paragraph

Residence is only half of the picture. Adults between 18 and 67 also need oral Norwegian at level B1 and either the citizenship test or the social studies test taken in Norwegian, and both must be passed before you hand your documents to the police. Because that part has its own page, with the exceptions and the exact UDI wording, we keep it there: the test requirements for Norwegian citizenship. If you are still preparing, see our study plan, and if a test goes wrong, what happens if you fail.

Dual citizenship

Since 1 January 2020, Norway has allowed you to hold one or more citizenships in addition to the Norwegian one, and UDI says you do not have to notify the Norwegian authorities that you want to keep your previous citizenship. That is Norway's side only. Your other country may have different rules, and you may lose that citizenship when you become Norwegian. Find out before you apply.

What we did not verify

We deliberately do not give figures for these, because we could not confirm them from an official source in a way we are willing to stand behind:

• The application fee. UDI sets it. Check UDI's site for the current amount.
• The waiting time. UDI shows it in a calculator that gives a figure for your own case, not one fixed number.
• Conduct and criminal record. There are rules about waiting periods after certain convictions. We do not describe them.
• Identity documentation. UDI decides what counts.
• Your specific situation. Whether your permit forms a basis for citizenship, and whether you are in a special group, depends on your case.

We would rather leave a gap than print a wrong number: a wrong figure for residence can cost you an application.

Practising for the tests

The tests are in Norwegian, and our practice is too. 20 questions a day are free, with no account and no card. Full access costs 199 kroner, paid once, which is less than the lowest citizenship test fee HK-dir lists (300 kroner). We are an independent practice service. We are not UDI, HK-dir or IMDi.

What we could not confirm

• Whether the residence figures will change during 2026. The rules have changed several times in recent years. We checked on 29 September 2026. The newest change we saw on UDI's citizenship pages was the income notice, last amended on 5 December 2025, but that is not a guarantee about what comes next.
• How the income threshold will be updated in 2027. UDI ties it to the basic amount, which changes on 1 May each year.