In English

Norwegian citizenship: the test requirements

Two requirements, not one – and a deadline that arrives earlier than most people expect.

The requirement, in one sentence

UDI states it like this:

Our translation: you must have passed the oral Norwegian test at level B1 and the citizenship test or the social studies test in Norwegian.

Read the word «og» again. This is not a choice between two tests. It is two separate requirements, and both must be met.

Where you do get a choice is inside the second one: statsborgerprøven, or samfunnskunnskapsprøven taken in Norwegian. Either satisfies it.

The deadline is earlier than people expect

Our translation: if you are between 18 and 67, you must have passed the tests when you hand in your application documents at the police.

Not when you register the application online. Not when UDI starts processing it. At the police counter.

That matters because two things stand between you and that counter, and both take weeks:

• Police appointments are often booked months ahead.
• Your test certificate arrives by post 2–4 weeks after you take the citizenship test. Results for the social studies test take 2–4 weeks in the first place.

Plan backwards from the police appointment, not forwards from today.

Where the B1 requirement came from

It is newer than many people realise:

Our translation: parliament decided that the requirement for spoken Norwegian is raised to level B1 for Norwegian citizenship. The change took effect on 1 October 2022.

Some groups still qualify at A2:

That relief applies to the Norwegian test, not to the knowledge test.

Which knowledge test should you take?

Both cover the same syllabus. The difference is language level and language rule.

If citizenship is the goal and your Norwegian is around A2, statsborgerprøven is usually the softer path. It was written to be readable at that level: «Prøven er på språknivå A2.» You can also have the questions read aloud from audio files.

If you need the social studies test anyway for permanent residence, and your Norwegian is stronger, taking it in Norwegian once covers both purposes and saves you a test.

Exemptions exist, and UDI decides them

There is a door, but it is UDI's:

You may have a right to an exemption if you can document, for example, that you took social studies at lower secondary school and received a grade of at least 2, or that you have studied social studies giving knowledge about Norway at university level equivalent to at least 10 credits.

You may also request an exemption on other grounds:

UDI names reading and writing difficulties, and little or no schooling from your home country, as examples of «personal circumstances». But the order matters:

Our translation: you should have attempted the citizenship test and the oral Norwegian test recently — that will matter for our assessment. Not trying is not a shortcut to an exemption. It is the opposite.

Can you keep your current citizenship?

From the Norwegian side, yes, and you do not need to apply for anything:

Our translation: from 1 January 2020 it is permitted to hold one or more citizenships in addition to the Norwegian one. That page is written in nynorsk, one of the two written forms of Norwegian.

But UDI adds the warning that matters:

Norway cannot bind other countries. Check with your own authorities before you file.

Practising for the knowledge test

The knowledge test is the one part of this process you fully control. The syllabus is public, finite, and the same for both tests.

Our practice is in Norwegian, because the test is. 20 questions a day are free, with no account and no card. Full access costs 199 kroner, paid once.

What we could not confirm

• How long a test certificate stays valid. No expiry date published by HK-dir, checked 22 September 2026.
• Whether a certificate can be sent to the police after your appointment. Not described by UDI or the police. Ask your police district first.
• Exactly which date the 18–67 bracket is measured on. UDI writes «between 18 and 67» without tying it to a specific date.