Personal ID Number

Norwegian citizens who wish to apply for a passport must first obtain a Norwegian personal number.

What are personal identification numbers:

Personal identification numbers consist of 11 digits, where the first six are your date of birth and the last five are your ID number.

For more information regarding personal identification numbers, please see the Norwegian National Population Register website.

Who can obtain a personal number:

Personal numbers are assigned to all people registered in the National Population Register as being residents of Norway. They can also be assigned to Norwegian citizens living abroad in connection with issuance of a Norwegian passport.

Before applying - registration of marriage or paternity

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

How to apply

How and where to lodge your application:

All applications for personal numbers for minors under the age of 18 must be lodged in person together with the child’s parents, by appointment only, at the Embassy in Pretoria. The Embassy will forward the enquiry to the National Register in Norway.

Applicants aged 18 and older may submit their applications directly to the UDI.

How to schedule an appointment

Required documentation

Required documentation to be presented at the time of application

When applying for a Norwegian personal number, it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide evidence that he/she is eligible to be issued a Norwegian personal number.

Please consult the documentation guide on Skatteetaten's website: Norwegian national identity number to get a passport - The Norwegian Tax Administration (skatteetaten.no)

Please provide the following documentation:

An application letter addressed to the Norwegian National Population Registry (Folkeregisteret), requesting a personal number for passport purposes. Signed by both parents.
Original Unabridged Birth Certificate with Apostille

Information about the parents:

Valid passport of both parents
Valid residence permit in the country of residence of the Norwegian parent
Documentation of other citizenship (if applicable)
Certificate of Norwegian citizenship or proof of retention of Norwegian citizenship (if applicable)
Documentation of release from previous citizenship (if applicable)

All relevant documentation must be provided at the time of appointment. The Embassy and/or the National Population Register may request further documentation, if deemed necessary, to confirm the applicant's nationality and/or parentage.

All forwarded documentation which is not original must be certified as true copies of the originals by the Embassy or a Norwegian Consulate.

Processing time

Consent

When applying for a passport for minors, both parents have to give consent. As of 1 November 2022 the following applies:

Both parents must meet in person to give consent to applications for passports for the child(ren). They do not have to come at the same time or to the same Embassy/Police station.
Consent can be given for a single application for passport, which is valid for 3 months. Alternatively lasting consent can be given which is valid until the child turns 18.