Yes. Norway has allowed dual citizenship since 1 January 2020, so you can be Norwegian and American, Canadian, British or Australian at the same time. Becoming a citizen of another country on or after that date no longer costs a Norwegian their citizenship. But if you were born with Norwegian and another citizenship and haven’t lived in Norway, the age-22 rule applies: you lose Norwegian citizenship at 22 unless you apply to keep it. The application is free, and for most people the bar is six months’ total time in Norway.
The short answer
- Norwegian and US citizen from birth, under 22, never lived in Norway: apply to UDI to keep Norwegian citizenship before your 22nd birthday.
- Lived in Norway for two years (or the Nordic countries for seven) before 22: nothing to apply for; you keep it.
- Norwegian who became American on or after 1 January 2020: still Norwegian.
- Norwegian who became American before 2020: usually lost Norwegian citizenship, but can often get it back by notification.
- Grandchild of a Norwegian: no claim by descent. Citizenship passes only from a parent.
Who the age-22 rule applies to
Under section 24 of the Citizenship Act, as UDI explains it, you lose Norwegian citizenship on your 22nd birthday if all of these are true:
- you became Norwegian at birth;
- you also hold another citizenship; and
- by 22 you have not lived in Norway for at least two years in total, or in Norway and the other Nordic countries for at least seven years.
UDI says you do not need to apply to keep your citizenship if:
- you met the two-year (Norway) or seven-year (Nordic) residence requirement before 22;
- you received Norwegian citizenship after birth rather than at birth;
- you regained Norwegian citizenship through the notification scheme after dual citizenship was allowed (unless you had lost it because you were a citizen of another Nordic country and lived in Norway).
If Norwegian is your only citizenship, the rule doesn’t apply. People in these groups only need to apply for a new passport.
Applying to keep Norwegian citizenship
UDI’s conditions for a retention application are:
- You became Norwegian at birth. If the National Population Register doesn’t show it, you must document it.
- You haven’t already lost it by becoming a citizen of another country under the pre-2020 rules.
- You have stayed in Norway for six months in total. Several short stays or holidays can add up to this.
If you haven’t reached six months, UDI can still approve the application where you have a strong connection to Norway. It gives weight to whether you live in Norway now, and to whether you were mistakenly issued a Norwegian passport valid beyond your 22nd birthday.
- Deadline: before you turn 22. UDI may still consider a late application if you can’t reasonably be blamed for missing the deadline, or if losing citizenship would be unreasonable.
- Fee: none. UDI’s fee list shows the application to keep Norwegian citizenship as free.
- Children: parents can apply on a child’s behalf. Both parents must sign unless one has sole parental responsibility, and a child over 12 must consent.
- Older cases: if you turned 22 before 1 September 2006, different rules applied, and UDI has a separate page on them.
If you lost Norwegian citizenship by naturalising abroad
Before 2020, a Norwegian who applied for or consented to another citizenship generally lost Norwegian citizenship. UDI’s notification route lets many of those people come back. You can use it if:
- you lost Norwegian citizenship by becoming a citizen of another country before 1 January 2020 (or by not giving up a previous citizenship by UDI’s deadline after becoming Norwegian);
- you did not lose it under the age-22 rule;
- if you were Norwegian from birth, you stayed in Norway for six months in total before turning 22;
- if you are over 15, you have no charges or convictions for certain offences since losing citizenship, shown by a police certificate.
There is a fee; check UDI’s fee list for the current amount. People who lost citizenship under the age-22 rule can’t use this route.
What descendants claiming by descent need to know
Norway passes citizenship from parent to child at birth, wherever the child is born. There is no route through a grandparent. For descendants, the dual-citizenship history matters because it decides whether your parent was still Norwegian when you were born:
- Did your parent naturalise abroad before you were born, and before 2020? If so, they had probably lost Norwegian citizenship, and nothing passed to you. Their regaining it later through the notification route doesn’t make you Norwegian retroactively.
- Was it your father, and were your parents married? Since 1 September 2006, either parent passes on citizenship. Before that, a Norwegian father generally passed it on only if he was married to the mother (or they married before the child turned 18), and from 1925 until 30 June 1979 a Norwegian mother married to a foreign father did not automatically pass it on. UDI’s “Am I a Norwegian citizen?” guide sets out each period.
- If you were Norwegian at birth, did you keep it at 22? Born abroad with another citizenship and never lived in Norway? Check whether you applied in time.
More on passports, registration and records is in the Norwegian citizenship by descent guide. Without a Norwegian parent, the route is naturalisation, which since October 2022 generally requires eight years’ residence, oral Norwegian at B1 level and a citizenship test.
Your other citizenship
Norway’s rules don’t bind other countries. UDI points out that if your current country doesn’t allow dual citizenship, you could lose that citizenship by becoming Norwegian. For Americans this isn’t a problem: the State Department says US law does not require a US citizen to choose between US citizenship and another nationality. You must use your US passport to enter and leave the United States.
Practical steps
- Register the birth with the Norwegian population register through the embassy, so you have a national identity number.
- Count your days in Norway. Keep travel dates, school records and anything else that shows stays. Six months in total is the usual threshold for retention.
- Apply to UDI before your 22nd birthday if you won’t have lived in Norway for two years (or the Nordic countries for seven) by then. It is free.
- Keep UDI’s decision with your passport.
To check whether you have a claim at all, use our free citizenship by descent checker. For how Norway compares with other countries, see dual citizenship by descent, country by country, and the Nordic neighbours’ rules on Danish dual citizenship and Finnish dual citizenship.
Frequently asked questions
Does Norway allow dual citizenship with the USA?
Yes. Since 1 January 2020, a Norwegian who becomes a US citizen keeps Norwegian citizenship, and an American who becomes Norwegian doesn't have to give up US citizenship. US law doesn't make you choose either. If you were born with both citizenships and grew up outside Norway, though, the age-22 rule decides whether you stay Norwegian.
Will I lose my Norwegian citizenship at 22?
Only if you became Norwegian at birth, also hold another citizenship, and haven't lived in Norway for at least two years, or in the Nordic countries for at least seven, by your 22nd birthday. In that case you lose it unless you apply to keep it before you turn 22. If Norwegian is your only citizenship, the rule doesn't apply.
How do I keep Norwegian citizenship if I've never lived in Norway?
Apply to UDI to retain it before your 22nd birthday. You must have been Norwegian from birth and have stayed in Norway for a total of six months, and several short stays or holidays can add up to that. If you fall short, UDI can still approve the application where you have a strong connection to Norway. The application is free.
My parent lost Norwegian citizenship by becoming American. Can they get it back?
Usually, yes. People who lost Norwegian citizenship by acquiring another citizenship before 1 January 2020 can use UDI's notification route. If they were Norwegian from birth, they must have stayed in Norway for six months in total before turning 22. Applicants over 15 need a police certificate, and there is a fee.
Can I get Norwegian citizenship through my grandparents?
No. Norway passes citizenship from a parent at birth, so a Norwegian grandparent gives no claim unless your parent was Norwegian when you were born. If your parent had lost Norwegian citizenship before your birth, nothing passed to you, and the remaining route is naturalisation after living in Norway.
I turned 22 without applying. Is it too late?
Possibly not. UDI says it may still consider a late application if you can't reasonably be blamed for missing the deadline, or if losing citizenship would be unreasonable. If citizenship has already been lost under the age-22 rule, the notification route for former citizens isn't available to you, so contact UDI about your options.
Do I need to apply if I lived in Norway as a child?
Not if you lived in Norway for at least two years in total, or in the Nordic countries for at least seven, before turning 22. You keep Norwegian citizenship automatically and only need to apply for a new passport. You also don't need to apply if you became Norwegian after birth rather than at birth.
Official sources
- UDI: Keeping your Norwegian citizenship (retention of citizenship) (who must apply, the six-month requirement, deadline, children)
- UDI: Am I a Norwegian citizen? (citizenship at birth by period, loss by acquiring another citizenship, loss at 22)
- UDI: Notification of citizenship for those who were previously Norwegian citizens
- UDI: Fees (application to keep Norwegian citizenship: free)
- US Department of State: Dual nationality
Checked against these sources on 29 October 2026. The UDI pages were read directly; the State Department page could not be opened that day, so its position is as its published wording states it. Only UDI can decide your case; confirm with it or a Norwegian embassy before your 22nd birthday.