Having a child

When having a child in Norway, you should be aware of your parental rights and duties. Below, you will find information and services relevant to pregnancy and having a child, including advice about parental responsibility, financial assistance, maternity and paternity leave and how to register the name of a baby.

Pregnancy check-up

When you are pregnant, as part of routine prenatal care in Norway, you will be given appointments for regular pregnancy health checkups, called ”svangerskapskontroll”. You decide whether you want to see a midwife, doctor or go to the public health clinic. You can find more information in the brochure Are you pregnant? Are you expecting a child? (pdf)

Fatherhood and motherhood

If a couple are married when their child is born, the man is automatically considered the father to the child. If a couple are separated or not married, the man may declare himself as the father at a pregnancy check-up or in connection with the birth of the child. You can read more about parenthood and parental responsibility on the Ministry of Children and Equality's website. 

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, the Norwegian Tax Administration sends a birth certificate to the child’s parents in the mail. 

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.

Parental responsibility

Married parents automatically share formal parental responsibility for their children. Cohabitants also have automatic joint responsibility for children born after 1 January 2006. When parents are not married and do not have the same registered residential address, the mother of the child is automatically given sole responsibility for the child.

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 parental benefit calculator (in Norwegian only) 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. The quota for paternity leave and maternity leave is 10 weeks each. From 1 Juli 2018 it will be extended to 15 weeks. 

Applications for parental benefit, maternity leave and paternity leave should be sent to NAV.

Lump-sum payment for a birth or adoption

A mother can receive a lump-sum payment in connection with a birth or adoption, if she does not have the right to parental benefit. If the father of the child has sole care of the child, he may have the right to receive 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 benefit for parents of infants on Nav’s web site.

 

Services

  • Lump-sum grant on birth or adoption

    Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV)
    The mother may receive a lump-sum grant at birth or adoption if she is not entitled to receive parental benefit. If the father has sole care he may be entitled to a lump-sum grant.

  • Claim for cash benefit for parents of young children

    Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV)
    You can receive cash-for-care benefits for children between the ages of one and two years of age or for adopted children who have not started school. If your child attends a government subsidised day care centre full-time, you will not receive cash-for-care benefits. If your child attends a government subsidised day-care centre part-time, you can receive partial support.

  • From registering a birth to choosing a name - step by step

    Norwegian Tax Administration
    Here you can see the process for registering your child in the National Registry and how you can give him or her a name.

  • Child benefit

    Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV)
    You may be entitled to child benefit if you have a child under the age of 18 in your care, who is living with you in Norway. Single parents are also entitled to extended child benefit and infant supplement. You do not usually need to apply for child benefit. If the child is born in Norway, the mother will automatically receive child benefit around 2 months after the child is born.

  • Confirmation of child custody

    Norwegian Tax Administration
    A confirmation of child custody states who is registered as having custody of a child. You may need such confirmation to support applications to a bank or insurance company for example.

  • Apply to get your patient travel costs reimbursed

    Helseforetakenes senter for pasientreiser ANS
    Hvis du reiser til eller fra offentlig godkjent behandling, kan du ha rett til å få dekket reiseutgiftene dine i etterkant. Som hovedregel får du dekket utgifter til din pasientreise med en standardsats per kilometer, uansett hvilket transportmiddel du bruker. Du må sende inn søknaden senest seks måneder etter behandlingen.​​ (In Norwegian only)

  • Medical Birth Registry

    Norwegian Institute of Public Health

    The Medical Birth Registry collects data about pregnancies and births for research and analysis. Read more on helsenorge.no (in Norwegian only).

  • Calculate you parental benefit.

    Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV)
    You can do a calculation of your benefit period and a simplified calculation of what you get in the parental benefit. (In Norwegian only)

  • Name search

    Statistics Norway
    Here you can search for firstnames and surnames and find out how many in Norway that has the name and how it has been used over time.

  • Approve or reject the child's name

    Norwegian Tax Administration
    If you are a father or co-mother and share custody with the mother, must approve the name choice mother has reported. You do this online. (In Norwegian only)

  • Report the name of your child

    Norwegian Tax Administration
    When the Tax Administration has sent you a request to select a name for your baby, you can report it online. This is only the first name choice.

  • Helsenorge.no

    Direktoratet for e-helse
    Helsenorge.no is a guide for citizens wanting to take care of their health, as well as learn about public health care in Norway. The web site includes links to online services and information about the treatment of illnesses and patients' rights.

  • Parental benefit

    Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service (NAV)
    Parental benefit is intended to ensure parents an income in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. 

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