Pregnancy check up

When you are pregnant, as part of routine prenatal care in Norway, you will be given appointments for regular antenatal checks and tests, called ”svangerskapskontroll”. You decide whether you want to see a midwife, doctor or go to the public health clinic. 

Parental responsibility

Children born as of 1 January 2020 bacically have parents with joint parental responsibility. This applies both children with married parents, children with cohabiting parents and children with parents who do not live together.

Married parents have joint parental responsibility for the children they have together. As from 1 January 2006, cohabiting parents automatically have joint parental responsibility for children they have together born after this date.

For children born out of cohabitation before 2020, the mother has sole parental responsibility.

See separate rules about parental responsibility, custody and access in cross-border cases.

Birth certificate, identification number and naming a baby

When a child is born, the hospital reports the birth to the Norwegian Tax Administration. The Norwegian Tax Administration assigns the child a Norwegian identification number and sends a request to the mother to choose a name for the child. After the child’s name has been registered, you’ll receive the confirmation in your Altinn inbox. In most cases, you no longer need a birth certificate with a stamp and signature.

Children born abroad

If you are Norwegian parents who have had children abroad, you must report to a tax office together with the child when you return to Norway. This is required for the child to be registered as being resident in Norway.

A child is a Norwegian citizen by birth if one of the parents is a Norwegian citizen at the time of the birth.

From 1 January 2020, it will be allowed to have one or more citizenships in addition to a Norwegian citizenship.

Parental benefit 

Parental benefit is financial assistance intended to ensure parents an income in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. You are entitled to parental benefit if you have been employed and have received a pensionable income for at least six of the ten months prior to the start of the benefit period. 

If you are employed, the parental benefit basis is normally calculated on the basis of your income at the start of the leave period. You can use Nav’s benefit calculator to calculate how much you will receive in parental benefit payments.

The total benefit period for parental benefit in connection with a birth is 49 weeks at 100 percent coverage, and 59 weeks at 80 percent coverage. Read more about the maternal quota and the paternal quota on Nav.no.

Apply for parental benefit or lump-sum payment digitally.

Lump-sum payment for a birth or adoption

If you are expecting a baby and you have had no income teh last year, you can receive a lump-sum payment. Use this wizard to find out if you are have the right to parental benefit or a lump-sum payment.

Kindergarten care

The entitlement to a place in a kindergarten applies to children who turn one year old no later than the end of November in the year that they apply for a place. Children born after November will be entitled to a place in the following year. 

You can find information and application form on the municipal authority’s website (municipalityname.kommune.no).

Child benefit and cash benefit for parents of infants

Most people do not need to apply for child benefit. If the child was born in Norway, the mother is automatically granted entitlement to child benefit from NAV roughly two months after the child is born. You can find information about child benefit and cash-for-care benefit on Nav’s web site.

You can read about adoption on the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs' websites and about involuntary childlessness and assisted reproduction on Helsenorge.no.