In December 2011 the Norwegian majority government delivered a law proposition on revisions and changes to the Norwegian Citizenship Law. The background of the proposition is an aim of the government to clarify the language of certain paragraphs, streamline certain conditions for attaining nationality, and harmonize the language of the Citizenship Law with the recent revision of the Foreigner Law on access and residence for non-citizens. The government did not propose any changes to the main principles of the Citizenship Law such as citizenship acquisition through ius sanguinis, prohibition of dual nationality, and a residence requirement of seven years.

Concretely the proposition aims, for instance, to clarify which identity papers are required for naturalisation applications; to streamline time of suspension for applicants with a criminal record (all prison penalty to be fully served); to allow applications also from persons who have not had residence permits exceeding one year; to make it easier to reapply for citizenship for previous citizens below the age of majority; to open the law for naturalisation of children under the age of two with no residence requirements (in cases where one parent is a Norwegian citizen); to treat applicants who applied as minors as that and not as adults if they turn 18 during the processing of the application; and to replace the formula that naturalisation can be denied in cases involving the ‘security of the realm’ with a reference to ‘basic national interests’.

The proposition was debated in the Standing Committee on Municipalities and Public Service and passed through without revisions. The majority of the committee especially cited the revisions to rules on acquisition of citizenship for children as important for Norwegian citizenship politics; granting children born and belonging in Norway citizenship is, according to the committee, important both for the children and Norwegian society.

The proposition is scheduled for debate in the Storting Plenary on March 19, 2012.