The Notable Appeal Norway’s New Dual Citizenship Law

By; Jasmine Shafquat

Norway is one of the latest countries of western and northern Europe to allow dual citizenship.[1] The country’s amended rules on dual citizenship allow Norwegians to keep their Norwegian citizenship if they actively apply for citizenship in another country.[2] Additionally, the rules allow an applicant for Norwegian citizenship to keep their prior citizenship.[3] Within the first few months of this law taking effect, 26,000 individuals applied for Norwegian citizenship, which increased the country’s citizenship wait list from 14,000 to 40,000.[4]

This exponential surge in applications is likely the result of the following factors. First, the requirements for obtaining dual citizenship in Norway are reasonably attainable for a wide array of foreigners.[5] An applicant only needs to demonstrate that he or she has citizenship from a country that allows dual citizenship, valid residency, fluency in the Norwegian language, and pass an exam on Norwegian society, laws, and history.[6] Second, there are many benefits to obtaining dual citizenship in Norway.[7] As a general matter, dual citizenship is often desired because dual citizens can live and work freely in two countries, own property in both countries, and travel between the countries with relative ease.[8] Norwegian dual citizenship specifically allows an individual to vote and run as a candidate in the country’s parliamentary elections.[9] Additionally, Norwegian dual citizenship also allows an individual to have a Norwegian passport and have access to consular assistance abroad.[10] Furthermore, dual citizenship is a desirable option for those who want to represent Norway in a sporting event or receive funding for education from the State Educational Loan Fund (Statens lånekasse) because Norwegian citizenship is generally required for both.[11] In addition to these perks, many people are seeking dual citizenship in Norway for symbolic reasons as well.[12] For example, Åsmund Kvithammer, a Norwegian-American, strongly feels that obtaining dual citizenship in the United States and Norway would help “fill a gap he has felt for most of his life.”[13]

Additionally, the enactment of Norway’s new dual citizenship law has been long awaited and anticipated.[14] Norway was the last Nordic country to adopt the principle of dual nationality.[15] In fact, dual citizenship had been recognized in Sweden, Finland, and Iceland for almost two decades prior to Norway’s enactment.[16] Nevertheless, on December 6, 2018, the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget) amended the Citizenship Act to permit dual citizenship.[17] In advocation for this change, Minister of Education and Integration Jan Tore Sanner stated, “[b]y allowing dual citizenship, we are ensuring that Norwegian law is keeping up with developments in a more globalized world where increasing numbers of people have a connection to more than one country.”[18] Thereafter, in May of 2019, Norwegians Worldwide (Nordmanns-Forbundet) held a series of seminars promoting and informing the public about the new laws on dual citizenship in primary cities such as San Francisco, Austin, Houston, and Seattle.[19] Following this tour, Norwegians Worldwide’s acting Secretary General, Linn Helene Løken. remarked that “there will definitely be a surge of applications to reclaim Norwegian citizenship” given the interest she observed in the United States.[20] After over a year in anticipation for this change, the ability to apply for dual citizenship went into effect on January 1, 2020.[21] It thus comes as no surprise that applications for citizenship in Norway skyrocketed in the months after the implementation of dual citizenship.[22]

Norway is now one of numerous countries that implemented dual citizenship in an effort to keep up with the realities of globalization.[23] The situation in Norway clearly demonstrates that dual citizenship is an attractive option for a plethora of people.[24] What is more, there is growing evidence that dual citizenship benefits a country’s political relations and economic productivity.[25] Peter J. Spiro, who is the Co-Director of the Institute for International Law and Public Policy at Temple University Beasley School of Law, even goes as far as advocating that dual citizenship should be considered a human right.[26] Yet, some of the most powerful and connected countries in the world still refuse to recognize dual citizenship.[27] While one can only speculate as to whether countries, like China and India, will ever permit dual citizenship, these countries should certainly consider following the current legal trend.

#Shafquat #Norway #Dual #Citizenship #International #Law

[1] David Nikel, Norway's New Dual Citizenship Law Attracts 26,000 Applicants, Forbes (July 31, 2020) https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2020/07/31/norways-new-dual-citizenship-law-attracts-26000-applicants/#22297811138c.

[2] Elin Hofverberg, Norway: Parliament Votes in Favor of Dual Citizenship, Global Legal Monitor (Feb. 6, 2019) https://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/norway-parliament-votes-in-favor-of-dual-citizenship/.

[3] Id.

[4] Norway's New Dual Citizenship Law Attracts 26,000 Applicants, supra note 1.

[5] See David Nikel, Norwegian Citizenship, Life in Norway (Oct 15, 2017) https://www.lifeinnorway.net/norwegian-citizenship/.

[6] Lori Ann Reinhall, Is Dual Citizenship an Option for You?, The Norwegian American (July 24, 2019) https://www.norwegianamerican.com/dual-citizenship-norway/.

[7] See id.

[8] Jean Folger, Dual Citizenship: Advantages and Disadvantages, Investopedia (July 3, 2020)

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/031315/advantages-disadvantages-dual-citizenship.asp.

[9] Norwegian Citizenship, The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/norwegian-citizenship#:~:text=Rights%20and%20obligations%20associated%20with,number%20of%20rights%20and%20obligations.&text=Norwegian%20citizens%20can%20be%20called,entitled%20to%20consular%20assistance%20abroad (last visited Aug 27, 2020).

[10] Id.

[11] Id. Along with the benefits, it should also be noted that there are obligations imposed on individuals who obtain dual citizenship in Norway and another country. Id.

[12] Lori Ann Reinhall, supra note 6.

[13] Id.

[14] Elin Hofverberg, supra note 2.

[15] Id.

[16] Id.

[17] Id.

[18] David Nikel, Dual Citizenship Adopted in Norway, Life in Norway (Dec. 6, 2018) https://www.lifeinnorway.net/dual-citizenship-to-be-debated/.

[19] Lori Ann Reinhall, supra note 6.

[20] Id.

[21] Norway's New Dual Citizenship Law Attracts 26,000 Applicants, supra note 1.

[22] See id.

[23] Dual Citizenship Adopted in Norway, supra note 18.

[24] Norway's New Dual Citizenship Law Attracts 26,000 Applicants, supra note 1.

[25] Peter J. Spiro, Dual Citizenship as a Human Right, 8 Int’l l J Const. L. 111, 111 (Jan. 1, 2010)

[26] Id.

[27] What is Dual Citizenship and Why is it Valuable?, Flagtheory (Feb. 12, 2020) https://flagtheory.com/dual-citizenship/.