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New in Norway

Your national identity number in Norway

The national identity number (fødselsnummer) and the D-number are your identification numbers in Norway. Tax, health care, banking and BankID all depend on them. Who gets which number, when to report a move, where to go, what to bring and what comes next.

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Updated 5 November 2026

Key facts

Resident if you stay

6+ months

A lawful stay of at least six months. If you need a residence permit, it must be granted for at least six months.

Deadline

8 days

Report a move in person within 8 days of arrival; 3 months and 8 days for EU/EEA citizens. Most UDI permits register you automatically.

Without a tax card

50%

Your employer must deduct 50 percent tax until it has your tax deduction card.

Regular GP

Residents

A regular GP (fastlege) requires registration as resident; people with only a D-number normally have no right to one.

How to register

  1. Secure your right to stay first

    If you need a residence permit, you cannot be registered as resident until UDI has granted a permit of at least six months. EU/EEA citizens staying more than three months register with the police and get a free registration certificate.

  2. Check whether registration is automatic

    With most UDI permits you do not report the move: after your police appointment, UDI informs the Tax Administration and your number arrives by post, usually within a few weeks. Other permit types give a D-number first, and you report the move within 30 days with form RF-1401.

  3. Book an ID check

    If you must report the move in person, book an ID check at one of the 42 tax offices that carry them out. At a Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA), EU/EEA citizens can report the move during their police visit without a separate appointment.

  4. Bring your documents

    Passport or national ID card, form RF-1401, proof of a right of residence of at least six months (such as an employment contract or the police registration certificate) and proof that you will live in Norway at least six months, such as a lease. Documents older than three months need confirmation that they are still valid.

  5. Get your number

    If the National Population Register approves the move, your national identity number (fødselsnummer) arrives by post; Skatteetaten expects 2 to 25 weeks. Then get BankID, a bank account and a regular GP.

Your situation

I will stay less than six months

You are not registered as resident. If you work, you need a tax deduction card: without a Norwegian identity number, you attend an ID check and get a D-number through the tax card application.

I am an EU/EEA citizen

Register with the police within three months of arrival; the certificate is free. If you will stay more than six months, report the move in person to Skatteetaten within three months and eight days. If you are approved as resident, your national identity number arrives by post; if not, you keep any D-number you have.

I have a residence permit from UDI

For most permits you do not report the move yourself: after your police appointment, UDI informs Skatteetaten and your number arrives by post. With some permit types you get a D-number first and must report the move within 30 days.

I am a Nordic citizen

The Inter-Nordic agreement on population registration applies, and you report the move in person. At the ID check you may show a valid driving licence with a dated, signed and stamped printout from your home population register, no older than three months.

After registration

  • BankID: ask your bank. You need a national identity number or D-number and must attend in person with your passport.
  • MinID: order an activation letter, which is posted to your address in the National Population Register.
  • Bank account: banks ask you to be resident, show valid ID and have a Norwegian identity number. A bank may not refuse payment services on ordinary terms without an objective reason.
  • Regular GP: once you are registered as resident, choose your GP on helsenorge.no; you can change up to twice a calendar year.
  • National ID card: since 1 April 2025, EU/EEA/EFTA citizens with a national identity number can apply for a Norwegian national ID card, which is not valid for travel.

Questions about the identity number

What does a Norwegian identity number look like?
Eleven digits: your date of birth (DDMMYY), three individual digits and two check digits. The third individual digit is even for women and odd for men. In a D-number, the first digit is increased by 4.
Can I apply for a D-number myself?
No. The authority or business that needs you to have a Norwegian identification number requests it, for example the Tax Administration when you apply for a tax deduction card, NAV, your bank or UDI. The requester decides whether you must attend an ID check.
Does a D-number expire?
Five years after it was assigned, a D-number is given the status inactive. It is not deleted and can still be used for many purposes; you only need a new ID check if a user of the register requires active status.
Can I work before I have a number?
Yes, if you have the right to work in Norway. Until your employer has your tax deduction card, it must deduct 50 percent tax, and without a Norwegian identity number you first attend an ID check.
Is the national identity number for life?
Yes. A Norwegian identification number is unique to you and stays with you for your whole life.

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Want us to prepare it with you?

We check your documents, help you book the police appointment or ID check, and follow up until you have your identity number, tax deduction card and BankID.

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Official sources

Last reviewed and updated: . Rules and waiting times change often. Always check the current rules with the authority concerned, such as the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) for the National Population Register (Folkeregisteret).