Norwegian citizenship is a precondition for the acquisition of a Norwegian passport. Questions regarding citizenship should be directed to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI).
A child born after 1 September 2006 with a Norwegian mother or father acquires Norwegian citizenship by birth. This applies regardless of where the child is born, and if the parents were married or not. However, a personal number must be obtained before a Norwegian passport can be applied for.
A child born before 1 September 2006, with a Norwegian mother or father, where the parents were not married, must apply to UDI for Norwegian citizenship before a personal number and passport can be applied for. For more information see UDI’s webpages.
For a child born before 1 September 2006 to parents who were married, and where at least one parent was a Norwegian citizen at the time of birth, the parents will not have to send a notification of Norwegian citizenship for the child. The child is Norwegian by birth. It is necessary to apply for a personal number and passport.
A child with a Norwegian mother or father cannot apply for a visa to Norway. The child must have a Norwegian passport and should therefore apply for a personal number and a Norwegian passport.
Applications for personal numbers for minors under the age of 12 must be lodged together with an application for passport.
For persons aged 12 years and older, personal numbers must be obtained before a passport application can be lodged.
Applications for a personal number for the purpose of acquiring a passport must be lodged in person (the child) with one or both parents at the Embassy or Consulate.
Please note that in some cases both parents must be present when applying for a personal number. If the Norwegian parent is registered in Norway as unmarried, a paternity declaration (acknowledgement of paternity) must be signed. Signing of the form must be done in present of a foreign service officer at the Embassy in Hanoi.
Applications must be submitted at the Embassy in Hanoi during the Consular Section's opening hours, by appointment only. For an appointment, please send an email to the Embassy‘s Consular Section: consular.hanoi@mfa.no. See opening hours for the Consular Section here.
Applications are received at the Norwegian Honorary Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City by appointment only. Appointments can be made by email to the Consulate. Please find the contact information for the Consulate here.
The handling time may take 6 - 8 weeks. The application for a personal number should include the following documents:
- A covering letter requesting a personal number for passport purposes signed by both parents. A consent from the one parent that could not be there in person must be presented with a valid copy of passport or ID. The consent cannot be older than 3 months.
- Birth certificate, translated into English and verified by the relevant authority in Vietnam (the Consular Department of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi or the Foreign Relations Office in Ho Chi Minh city); and then legalised by the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi or by the Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City (fee applies). Legalising documents
- Marriage certificate of the child’s parents if parents are married, translated into English, verified by the relevant authority in Vietnam; and then legalised by the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi or by the Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
- If the child’s parents were not married at the time of the child’s birth, confirmation of the mother’s civil status, translated into English and verified by the relevant authority in Vietnam; and then legalised by the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi or by the Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
- Copy of passports of both parents, or ID card of the Vietnamese parent if she/he does not possess a passport.
- The child’s Vietnamese/foreign passport (if the child possesses this).
- Confirmation on the acquisition of Norwegian citizenship from UDI (only for children born before 01.09.2006) if the parents are not married.
- If the Norwegian parent (either the mother and/or the father) does not reside in Norway, the case will be handled by NAV. This may lead to extended processing time.
- 2 passport photos.
The application for a personal number will be forwarded to Skatteetaten in Oslo, Norway, for handling. Applicants from Vietnam will be asked for a DNA test. DNA samples are taken at the Embassy or Consulate and will be sent to Oslo Universitetssykehus HF, Avdeling for rettsmedisinske fag in Oslo for analysis.
Routines for DNA test are as follows:
- Skatteetaten in Oslo receives the application for a personal number from the Embassy. Skatteetaten will inform the applicant and Embassy about the requirement for the DNA test and give instructions regarding payment for the test.
- After having received the payment from the applicant, Skatteetaten will send the DNA test kit to the Embassy.
- The Embassy will request the applicant to come to the Embassy/Consulate to have the DNA samples taken. The samples will be sent to Norway for analysis.
- Skatteetaten will inform the applicant and Embassy on the decision. It takes about 6 weeks from the date when DNA samples are sent from the Embassy until a decision on personal number is made.
Please be aware that applications for personal numbers and passports will not be decided on the basis of analysis of DNA samples done by any other institution than Oslo Universitetssykehus HF, Avdeling for rettsmedisinske fag, in Oslo.
The Embassy recommends you contact the Vietnamese Immigration Authorities for information on regulations concerning entering/departing Vietnam.