Good practices in nationality laws for the prevention of childhood statelessness
Measures to reduce statelessness
There are several safeguards against childhood statelessness in Norwegian law. Children
with at least one Norwegian national parent automatically acquire Norwegian citizenship,
whether born in Norway or elsewhere. There is a safeguard for adopted children, and
children whose parentage is unknown acquire Norwegian nationality automatically, with
no age limit.99
Stateless people born in Norway can apply (as children or adults) for Norwegian citizenship
after residing continuously (lawfully or unlawfully) in Norway for three years, pursuant to
a 2016 Government Instruction (G-08/2016). There is no requirement for these people to
prove they cannot acquire another nationality. This Instruction is not established in law,
but government officials are required to apply it.100
Stateless children not born in Norway who live in Norway may be able to acquire Norwegian
citizenship after three years of continuous residence with a qualifying residence permit.101
Stateless children born in Norway are also eligible to apply for Norwegian nationality
with no residence requirement in certain circumstances, e.g., if the child is entitled to
permanent residence without a residency requirement or if one of their parents meets
the requirements for permanent residence and the application to naturalize the child is
made before the child’s first birthday.
There is no fee for children to apply for Norwegian citizenship (whether born in Norway
or elsewhere), nor is there an income requirement for children (both of which also apply
to most adults). Furthermore, there are no reports of discrimination against minorities
or marginalized groups in nationality laws, rules, procedures, policies and practices.102
99 Statelessness Index Survey 2023: Norway, ENS, 2023, Section PRS.5.a., p. 24.
100 The instruction states that neither the instruction nor the relevant provision of the Nationality Act apply to
people “who, by their own actions or omissions, have chosen to be stateless, or who can easily become
citizens of another country.” See ENS, Statelessness Index Survey 2023: Norway, Section PRS.2.a., p. 21;
and Marek Linha, Important Victory for Stateless Children Born in Norway, ENS, 7 November 2016.
101 There is a lack of clarity about whether this or a longer, five-year period applies for stateless people who
have been granted international protection or a residence permit based on humanitarian grounds, but there
are indications that the three-year period applies in these cases. See ENS, Statelessness Index Survey 2023:
Norway, Section PRS.1.a., p. 20.
102 See Act on Norwegian Nationality, the Kingdom of Norway, LOV-2005-06-10-51, latest amendments up to
10 June 2006, Sections 4 and 16.
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