Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility is your duty and right to make decisions on behalf of your child in personal matters. Persons with joint parental responsibility must both agree on important decisions concerning the child. The parental responsibility ceases when the child turns 18.

Changing parental responsibility

Online

The fastest way to change parental responsibility is online.

You must be registered as a parent with parental responsibility for the child in the National Population Register to change parental responsibility online. If you do not have parental responsibility, you can ask the person with parental responsibility to create an online application that you can sign.

On paper

If you’re unable to change parental responsibility online, you can use the paper form:

Download the paper form Agreement for parental responsibility (regjeringen.no)

For us to be able to register the agreement for parental responsibility, the following conditions must be met:

  • the child must be resident in Norway
  • both parents must sign the same agreement
  • both parents must be registered as parents in the National Population Register
  • the original agreement must be submitted (not a copy)
  • you must attach a copy of valid identification from both parents

 

Download the paper form Notification about sole parental responsibility to mother (PDF)

For us to be able to register parental responsibility, the following conditions must be met:

  • the child must be born and resident in Norway
  • paternity must have been declared less than a year ago
  • mother or father must have signed the notification
  • the original agreement must be submitted (not a copy)
  • you must attach a copy of valid identification from both parents

 

This is what you can do when you have parental responsibility

When you have parental responsibility, you can make decisions on behalf of your child on, for example

  • moving within the country and abroad
  • changing their name
  • ordering a passport
  • opening a bank account and ordering a bank card for the child
  • medical treatment (planned treatments, not emergency treatments)
  • choice of school (other than state schools)
  • joining or leaving a religious community

When you have parental responsibility for your child, you can order certificates and printouts for the child.

If you’re a parent, but you do not have parental responsibility

If you do not have parental responsibility, but you are the child’s parent, you can order a certificate and/or information about the child by sending a substantiated, written request to the Tax Administration. We’re not allowed to tell you who has parental responsibility for the child.

If you’re not sure whether you’re registered with parental responsibility in the National Population Register, you can check by logging in to My page.

How parental responsibility is registered

As a rule, parents are registered with joint parental responsibility for all children born from and including 1 January 2020. This applies to children with married parents, cohabiting parents, and with parents who do not live together.

If the mother wants sole parental responsibility 

Parents who are not married or do not live together can, within one year after the paternity has been declared, notify the National Population Register that the mother wants sole parental responsibility. To do so, use the form Notification about sole parental responsibility to mother (PDF).

If the father subsequently wants joint parental responsibility, he can take the case to court. The court will conclude what’s best for the child based on an individual assessment. You can find more information about the rules on the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir). This page is only available in Norwegian.

Parents who separate

Parents who separate will still be registered with joint parental responsibility. They can change the parental responsibility to sole parental responsibility for one parent by entering into an agreement for parental responsibility. Parental responsibility can also be changed by a court order.

Married parents

Parents who are married when the child is born are automatically registered with joint parental responsibility.

Cohabiting parents

Parents registered with the same address in the National Population Register when the father signs the paternity declaration are automatically registered with joint parental responsibility if the child was born after 1 January 2006.

Non-cohabiting parents

When the parents do not live together, the mother has sole parental responsibility. The decisive factor for this is the address the parents have at the time the paternity declaration was signed.

Other rules apply for children born abroad.

See parental responsibility for children born abroad.