The father is

• The man who is married to the child's mother when the child is born.
  • This does not apply if the spouses are formally separated when the child is born.
• The man who has acknowledged paternity.
  • A Norwegian man can acknowledge paternity by appearing in person at e.g. the Population Register, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration's (NAV) county office or a Norwegian embassy or general consulate.
• The man who has been declared by a court of law to be the father.
• The man who is the father as a direct consequence of the law in the country where the child was born.
  • Normally, the mother's husband is automatically considered to be the child's legal father. If you believe the paternity follows directly from the law of this country, you must submit documentation to this effect from the authorities of the country in question.
• The man who is the father pursuant to foreign legislation.
  • Normally, this takes place by paternity being established through acknowledgement, by administrative decision or by a court of law. Paternity established in Denmark, Finland, Iceland or Sweden applies in Norway. Decisions by a court of law, administrative decisions, acknowledgement of paternity etc. from other countries must be approved by NAV International in order to apply in Norway.

Paternity and co-maternity have equal status

A co-mother is the mother's female spouse or cohabitant if the co-maternity follows from marriage, acknowledgement of co-maternity or decisions by a court of law. Co-maternity is only relevant for children born as a result of assisted fertilisation, and the mother's female cohabitant or spouse must have given her consent to the fertilisation.