• Children adopted after August 31st 2006 (The Act on Norwegian Nationality §5)
• Children who were adopted October 1st 1999 – August 31st 2006 (§1a in the Act on Norwegian Nationality of 1950, statutes in force § 37 first paragraph)
• Children adopted before October 1st 1999

1) Children adopted after August 31st 2006 (The Act on Norwegian Nationality §5)

Children adopted by a Norwegian citizen after August 31st 2006, will be granted a Norwegian citizenship if the child is under the age of 18 at the time of the adoption, and either:

• The advance approval for adoption is authorized by Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufetat), or
• The foreign adoption is valid in regards to the Norwegian Adoption Act (in cases where an advance approval has not been authorized)

What is required for a foreign adoption to be valid in Norway?

For a foreign adoption to be valid in Norway, on of the following conditions must be met:

• An advance approval is authorized by the National Office for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufetat), or by Bufdir if the child is not adopted through an accredited adoption organization
• The adoptive parents had at the time of adoption housing, or were citizens, in the country where the adoption took place. If the child was residing in Norway at the time of the adoption, an approval from Bufetat is required.
• Bufdir has later approved the adoption.

2) Children who were adopted October 1st 1999 – August 31st 2006 (§1a in the Act on Norwegian Nationality of 1950, statutes in force § 37 first paragraph)

The rules below apply to children adopted by a Norwegian citizen either by:

• Licence of Norwegian adoption authority, or
• Foreign adoption with an advance approval of Bufdir
• After the law of 1950, following rules for adopted children
• Children under the age of 12 acquired citizenship automatically
• Children between the ages of 12 and 18 were granted citizenship by notification

For the children who still haven’t automatically acquired/ been granted citizenship by notification, the current laws regarding citizenship by notification are valid. This implies that adoptive children between the ages of 12 and 18 are eligible for citizenship by notification.

You may find more information at “Citizenship by Notification” and “How Can I become a Norwegian citizen by notification?”

3) Children adopted before October 1st 1999

PChildren adopted before October 1st 1999, could be granted citizenship by application. For the children who haven’t applied or yet been granted citizenship, the current laws regarding citizenship by application applies. You may find more information at “How do I apply for citizenship?”

Applications for adopted children under the age of 12 were in general processed by the County General. In some cases the applications were processed by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (before 1988: the Ministry of Justice). If the application was approved, a separate document was issued - citizenship granted by license. If a person is unsure whether he/she has Norwegian citizenship, that person should inquire with their adoptive parent(s) if such an application has been submitted, or contact the County General, Department of Immigration or Ministry of Justice.

It may have happened that an adopted child who does not hold a Norwegian citizenship, by a mistake have been registered in ‘Folkeregisteret’ as a Norwegian citizen or have been issued a Norwegian passport. Such a registration or issue does not imply that the person is a Norwegian citizen.

You may also find relevant information about adoption at the ‘Bufdir webpages’.