Declaration of paternity, co-motherhood and notification of birth

If you and the child's father are not married, but agree on paternity, it is recommended that you register a paternity declaration before the child is born. You can establish paternity after week 22 of your pregnancy. If you are married to a woman, you must apply for co-motherhood.

Mother with newborn child

Illustration: Peter Eriksson / Johnér Bildbyrå AB

Declaration of paternity

If you are married at the time of the child’s birth, the husband will automatically be considered to be the father of the child. If you are separated or unmarried, you must establish paternity. The normal procedure is for the mother to state the name of the father and for the father to then acknowledge paternity.

Paternity can be declared online before the birth of the child, around the time of the birth, or after the birth by logging in to Nav.no via ID-porten. Paternity can also be declared by attending in person.

When can paternity be declared online?

Before paternity can be declared, as the mother, you must state the name of the child’s father. You can state the name of the father from pregnancy week 22. Alternatively, you can wait until after the baby is born.

This means that you must start the declaration process by first stating the name of the child’s father. If the father logs in before you declare him to be the father, he will not be able to declare paternity.

In order for you to declare paternity online, the following conditions must be met:

  • The child must have been or is expected to be born in Norway
  • The mother must be unmarried and resident in Norway
  • You must both have a Norwegian national ID number
  • You must both be over 18 years of age
  • The pregnancy has reached week 22

How do we declare paternity online?

  • The mother states the name of the father

    • The mother logs into the paternity declaration service
    • The mother states the due date of the pregnancy
    • The mother states the father’s national ID number (11 digits)
    • The mother confirms that the person is the father of the child
    • The mother adds her signature in Posten’s signature solution

    The father declares paternity

    • The father receives a notification from the mother or NAV with a link to the service
    • The father logs in and checks the information
    • The father confirms he is aware of the legal consequences of declaring paternity
    • The father adds his signature in Posten’s signature solution

    NAV forwards the declaration to the National Population Register/Norwegian Tax Administration for registration and filing.

  • The mother states the name of the father

    • The mother logs into the paternity declaration service
    • The mother selects the child she wishes to state the father of
    • The mother states the father’s national ID number (11 digits)
    • The mother confirms that the person is the father of the child
    • The mother adds her signature in Posten’s signature solution

    The father declares paternity

    • The father receives a notification from the mother or NAV with a link to the service
    • The father logs in and checks the information
    • The father confirms he is aware of the legal consequences of declaring paternity
    • The father adds his signature in Posten’s signature solution

    NAV forwards the declaration to the National Population Register/Norwegian Tax Administration for registration and filing.

  • If you do not meet the conditions for declaring paternity online, you can also declare paternity in person using valid ID at one of the following locations:

    • At the tax office (skatteetaten.no)
    • At a NAV office or before a judge at a Norwegian court
    • Before a midwife or doctor in connection with a pregnancy checkup appointment
    • In the hospital at the time of birth
    • Before a foreign service official, if the father is abroad

Application for co-mother

If you are pregnant and cohabiting with or married to another woman, you must apply for co-motherhood. A co-mother is a woman who has been granted legal status as a parent of the biological child of her female spouse or cohabiting partner.

You must be married at the time of the child’s birth in order for your application for co-motherhood to be approved. In the case of women who are not married, the mother and cohabitant must be cohabiting at the time the assisted fertilization takes place.

In your application for co-motherhood, you must enclose documentation confirming that:

  • The child was conceived with the aid of assisted fertilization
  • A known sperm donor from an approved health institution was used
  • The co-mother has consented (in writing) to the fertilization

In order for your spouse or cohabiting partner to become a co-mother, you must both complete forms on the Norwegian Tax Administration's website.

Notification of birth

After your child is born, the hospital will send an electronic notification of the birth to the National Population Register. A national ID number will then automatically be generated for the child. Hospitals send birth notifications for all live births and stillbirths after at least 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Birth certificate

After the baby is born, you will receive an electronic letter from the National Population Register asking what your child is to be called. Once you have reported the child's name, you will receive confirmation that the child's national ID number and name have been registered. This replaces the birth certificate.

The confirmation contains information about the child’s name, date of birth, national ID number, gender, place of birth and the names of its parents if applicable. You will receive confirmation in Altinn.

In most cases, you will no longer need a stamped and signed birth certificate. If you would like to receive a stamped and signed birth certificate issued on paper, you can still order one.

Who can be issued with a birth certificate?

  • Persons born in Norway and registered in the National Population Register as resident in Norway after 2 December 1946
  • Persons born in Norway after 31 December 1982 (registered in the register of births)
  • Persons adopted in Norway
  • Persons adopted abroad after 1 July 1981 (subject to certain conditions)

Custody

Custody is the duty and right of parents to make decisions concerning personal matters regarding their child. The person or persons with custody are also the child's guardian(s).

All parents-to-be are given joint custody, even in the case of parents who have not been married or lived together.

The mother

If you are a mother who wishes to have sole custody, you can notify the National Population Register within one year.

The father

If you are a father who wishes to have custody, you can initiate legal proceedings through the courts. The court will reach a decision that will take into account the best interests of the child.
If you do not wish to have joint custody, you can notify the National Population Register within one year.

Zanzu

Information about pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period in Arabic, English, Farsi, French, Norwegian, Polish, Somali, Tigrinya and Turkish aimed at immigrants and others with a short period of residence.

Content provided by The Norwegian Directorate of Health

The Norwegian Directorate of Health. Declaration of paternity, co-motherhood and notification of birth. [Internet]. Oslo: The Norwegian Directorate of Health; updated Wednesday, September 29, 2021 [retrieved Sunday, April 27, 2025]. Available from: https://www.helsenorge.no/en/etter-fodsel/declaration-of-paternity-and-co-motherhood/

Last updated Wednesday, September 29, 2021