Norway Citizenship Test Study Guide 2026

The citizenship test (statsborgerprøven)

To apply for Norwegian citizenship, you must have passed a test of your knowledge of Norwegian society. You can do this with the citizenship test (statsborgerprøven) or with the social studies test (samfunnskunnskapsprøven), but the test must be taken in Norwegian. The Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) is responsible for both tests. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) explains the other rules for citizenship on udi.no.

The social studies test

The social studies test can also be used, for example, when you apply for permanent residence. It has 38 questions (34 count) and you need 26 correct answers. It is offered in 23 languages, but only a test taken in Norwegian counts for citizenship. If you passed it in another language, you must take the citizenship test. Both tests have the same syllabus, and the citizenship test uses slightly easier Norwegian.

Registering and the test day

• You register in HK-dir's online portal and choose a test centre in your county. The municipality decides the test dates and the price; HK-dir says it is between 300 and 1,800 kroner. Registration is binding.
• Bring valid physical ID, such as a passport, a residence card or an original Norwegian driving licence. A digital driving licence is not accepted.
• Phones, smart watches and other electronic devices are not allowed. Cheating can mean no certificate and a one-year wait before you may try again.
• If you need special arrangements, contact your test centre no later than three days after you register.

Other citizenship rules, such as how long you must have lived in Norway and the Norwegian language requirement, can change. UDI explains them on udi.no, so check there before you apply.

Norway and its people

About 5.6 million people live in Norway. Statistics Norway (SSB) counted 5,636,904 in mid-2026. Norway has two written forms of Norwegian, Bokmål and Nynorsk, and since 2014 the Constitution has had two equal versions, one in each.

The Sámi

The Sámi are Norway's indigenous people. Norway's Sámi policy builds on Article 108 of the Constitution, the Sami Act and ILO Convention 169 on indigenous and tribal peoples. Article 108 says the state must create conditions for the Sámi to keep and develop their language, culture and way of life.

• The Sámi Parliament (Sámediggi) has 39 representatives elected from seven constituencies that cover the whole country.
• Sámi Parliament elections are held every four years, on the same day as the Storting election.
• Every Sámi person on the Sámi Parliament's electoral register can vote.
• The Sami Act says the state, counties and municipalities must consult the Sámi Parliament on matters that affect the Sámi.

National minorities

National minorities are groups with a long-standing attachment to Norway. They are the Kvens/Norwegian Finns, Jews, Forest Finns, Roma and Romani people/Taters. The Sámi are not a national minority; they have the special status of an indigenous people.

History: from the unions to independence

Norway has a long legal tradition. In 1274 King Magnus Lagabøte's national law (Landsloven) became the first law code for a whole country in Europe that was actually used.

From 1380 until 1905, Norway was the junior partner in unions, first with Denmark and then with Sweden. The year 1814 changed everything. Norway got its own Constitution, and in the autumn it joined a union with Sweden as an independent kingdom, with its own constitution under one shared king.

The union with Sweden lasted 91 years. In 1905 Norway chose a new king: Danish Prince Carl, who took the name Haakon VII. He landed in Norway on 25 November 1905, and Sweden recognised Norway's independence on 26 October that year.

War, oil and modern Norway

German troops invaded Norway on 9 April 1940. They occupied the Storting building, and the King and the Royal Family went into exile for five years. At Elverum the Storting gave the Government power to protect the country's interests until the Storting could meet again (Elverumsfullmakten). King Haakon VII returned to a free Norway on 7 June 1945, and the Storting met again on 14 June 1945.

In 1949 Norway was one of the 12 founding members of NATO, when the Washington Treaty was signed on 4 April.

Oil and the oil fund

• A law from 1963 says the natural resources on the continental shelf belong to the Norwegian state.
• The Ekofisk field was found in 1969, and production started on 15 June 1971. Statoil (now Equinor) was set up in 1972 with the state as sole owner.
• The Government Pension Fund Global (often called the oil fund) was created by law in 1990. It is managed by Norges Bank and invests only abroad. The Government may spend about the expected return, around 3% a year.

Norway and Europe

Norway is not a member of the EU. It is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) together with the EU countries and two other EFTA countries, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The EEA gives the four freedoms of the single market: free movement of goods, persons, services and capital. Norway does not take part in EU decisions.

The Constitution and human rights

The Constitution of 17 May 1814 is the second oldest written constitution still in use. It is based on the separation of powers and the idea that power comes from the people.

Human rights

On 13 May 2014 a set of human rights articles was added. Some of the most important:

• Article 93: everyone has the right to life, and no one may be sentenced to death. Torture and slavery are banned.
• Article 98: all people are equal under the law.
• Article 100: freedom of expression and access to state documents.
• Article 101: the right to form, join and leave associations, including trade unions and political parties, and to hold peaceful demonstrations.
• Article 102: respect for privacy, family life and the home. A home may only be searched in criminal cases.
• Article 104: children have the right to be heard, and the child's best interests must be a fundamental consideration.
• Article 109: the right to education. Education must promote respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
• Article 112: the right to a healthy environment, with resources managed for future generations.

How Norway is governed

Power is divided between three branches: the Storting makes laws, the Government carries them out, and the courts judge.

The King

The King is head of state, but his duties are mainly representative and ceremonial. Real power lies with the elected bodies. The King formally opens the Storting and presides over the Council of State (statsråd), where he approves the Government's formal decisions. The Constitution sets the order of succession.

The Storting

• The Storting is Norway's parliament, with 169 members.
• It makes laws, decides the state budget and taxes, and supervises the Government.
• It cannot be dissolved between elections, so it always sits for the full four years. There are no by-elections.

The Government and parliamentarism

Norway has parliamentarism (parlamentarisme): the Government is formed from the make-up of the Storting and must have the Storting's confidence to stay in power. This broke through in 1884, when Johan Sverdrup formed a government based on the Storting majority, and it was written into the Constitution in 2007. A government can be a majority or minority government, from one party or a coalition.

The courts

The courts base their decisions on the law. They can check whether a law agrees with the Constitution. Neither the Storting nor the Government may interfere in a court ruling. The Supreme Court is the highest court.

Elections and local democracy

The seats are shared out by proportional representation. The 19 seats at large make the result fairer for parties that won fewer seats than their share of the national vote.

Municipalities and counties

The municipal council (kommunestyre) is the highest body in a municipality. It decides on kindergartens, primary and lower secondary schools, child welfare, health and care services, planning, culture and refuse collection.

The county council (fylkesting) is the highest body in a county. It decides on upper secondary schools, county roads, ferry routes, local public transport and culture. Oslo has a municipal council but no county council election. The next municipal and county council elections are in September 2027.

Work, welfare and equal rights

Working life

Workers who turn 60 during the holiday year get one extra week of holiday.

Welfare

NAV is the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration. It was set up in 2006, and central government and the municipalities run the local NAV offices together. NAV's main goal is to get more people into work and fewer people on benefits.

Equality and free choice

Norwegian law protects people against discrimination. Protected grounds include sex, pregnancy, ethnicity, religion and belief, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and age, as well as parental leave and caring responsibilities. The Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud gives guidance on the law against discrimination.

A marriage is only valid in Norway if it is entered into voluntarily. Help with forced marriage is available from the Red Cross helpline and Bufdir's Expert Team (Kompetanseteamet).