Before applying for a personal number for a child, the parental situation must be established with Norwegian authorities.
If parents are married, they must ensure that the marriage is registered in the Norwegian National Population Register (Folkeregisteret). To prevent unnecessary delays for the personal number application, marriages should be registered before the child is born. Read more here: Marriages in accordance with foreign law – step-by-step - The Norwegian Tax Administration (skatteetaten.no) and find their processing times here: Case processing time - The Norwegian Tax Administration (skatteetaten.no)
If parents are unmarried, paternity needs to be established by NAV, or NAV has to recognize paternity established abroad. Read more here: Vil registrere far eller mor - nav.no
Acknowledgement of paternity:
If one parent is registered in the National Register as resident in Norway, an Acknowledgement of Paternity form can be received by the Embassy in Pretoria, who will forward it to NAV. The form must be signed by both parents in the presence of assigned Embassy staff. Additionally the following documents are required: child’s birth certificate with apostille, proof that the mother was unmarried at the time of the child’s birth, and passports for both parents, passport of the child, if applicable.
Acknowledgement of paternity established abroad:
If paternity or co-maternity for your child has been established outside of the Nordic countries, you may apply for recognition of the foreign decision in Norway. Find more information on NAV's website: Paternity or co-maternity established abroad - nav.no
The following documents are required: NAV form (soknad-om-anerkjennelse-av-utenlandsk-avgjorelse-om-farskap-eller-medmorskap-2016 (6).pdf), Vault Copy (BI-24) of the birth certificate (one can apply for this at Home Affairs simultaneously as registering the birth. Please note that this has to be done at a Home Affairs branch and not at the hospital), proof that the mother was unmarried at the time of the child’s birth, passports for both parents, passport of the child, if applicable. More info on NAV’s websites: Farskap eller medmorskap fastsatt i utlandet - nav.no
Additional documents might be required for determining paternity based on your family situation.
Apostille:
The relevant Apostille authorities for every country are listed here
To apply for an Apostille for South African documents, please contact The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). You will find more information here: http://www.dirco.gov.za/consular/legalisation.htm