Permits must be of a certain duration in order to count towards residence requirements

The general rule is that your residence permits must have been of at least one year's duration for your stay in Norway to be included in the calculation of your residence period.

We can make exceptions and include stays based on shorter permits if you have held

• a family immigration permit that was valid for less than one year due to the duration of the permit of the person you were reunited with, or
• a residence permit to work that was valid for a shorter period due to the duration of the employment relationship, but that nevertheless formed a basis for a permanent residence permit (this will be stated in your decision)

How do we calculate the start of your residence period?

• If you were granted a permit before you came to Norway, your residence period begins the date you came to Norway. If you cannot document when you travelled into Norway, your residence period starts on the date you were registered by the police or in the National Population Register (Folkeregisteret).

• If you were granted a permit after entering Norway, your residence period will start on the date you applied for a permit.

What does not count as part of your residence period?

• the time between the expiration of your permit and your submission of a new application
• illegal stays in Norway
• stays abroad lasting for more than two months per calendar year

Staying abroad for two months or less during one calendar year will have no negative bearing on the calculation of your residence period. This means that you will be considered as having been resident in Norway during such stays abroad, and your time abroad will not be deducted. If you stay abroad for more than two months during a calendar year, however, the entire period abroad (not just the part that exceeds two months) will be deducted. This is also the case if you were working abroad.

Special rules for stateless applicants over the age of 18

If you are stateless and over the age of 18, you must have resided in Norway continuously for the past three years while holding permits of at least one year's duration. This means that you cannot have been

• abroad for more than two months per calendar year in the past three years or
• without a valid permit for more than two months in total during the past three years.

'The past three years' are calculated as beginning on the date we made a decision on your case.

Special rules for children over the age of 2 who have a Norwegian parent or who apply together with one of their parents

If you are over the age of 2 and under the age of 18 when you apply for Norwegian citizenship, and you have a Norwegian parent or you apply together with your mother or father, you must have stayed in Norway continuously for the past two years while holding permits of at least one year's duration. This means that you cannot have been

• abroad for more than two months per calendar year in the past two years or
• without a valid permit for more than two months in total during the past two years.

'The past two years' are calculated as beginning on the date we made a decision on your case.

If you have not yet turned two by the time you apply, there is no requirement for residence period, but you must have applied for, or have been granted, a residence permit before we can process your application for citizenship.