Act No. 82 of 19 June 1997 relating to passports (the Passport Act)

Section 1. Entitlement to a passport
Norwegian nationals are entitled, upon application, to a passport in accordance with rules laid down in or in pursuance of this Act.

With the exception of section 8, the Act shall not apply to diplomatic passports, special passports and foreign service passports issued in accordance with rules laid down in pursuance of section 2 of Act No. 1 of 18 July 1958 relating to the foreign service.

Section 2. Authority to issue passports
Passports shall be issued by the police.

In foreign countries passports shall be issued by the foreign service missions that have been authorized to do so.

Decisions pursuant to this Act may be appealed to the Ministry.

Section 3. Condition for a passport
Pursuant to this Act, it is a condition for entitlement to a passport that the applicant provides proof of his identity and his Norwegian nationality.

The Ministry may lay down regulations concerning requirements as regards photographs and fingerprints.

The applicant has a duty to give correct information. Unless there are special grounds, the applicant shall appear in person to sign his new passport and surrender his former passport for destruction before receiving a new one.

For issue and renewal of a passport, a sum shall be paid that is equivalent to half of the standard court fee as the latter is determined at any given time in section 1, second paragraph, of Act No. 86 of 17 December 1982 relating to court fees. One quarter of the standard court fee shall be paid for a passport for a child under 16 years of age.

Section 4. Passports for minors and other persons without legal capacity
No passport shall be issued to a child under 18 years of age without the consent of the person or persons who have parental responsibility. If the parents have joint parental responsibility, both of them must consent. A passport may nevertheless be issued to a child with the consent of only one of the parents in cases where the parent in question is permitted, pursuant to the Children Act, to take the child out of the country without the consent of the other parent. If the child welfare service has taken over care of the child pursuant to section 4-8 or 4-12 of the Child Welfare Act, consent shall only be obtained from the child welfare service.

No passport shall be issued to a person declared to be without legal capacity without the consent of his guardian.

In special cases passports may be issued without consent to minors or persons declared to be without legal capacity if there is clearly no objection to doing so.

Section 5. Restrictions on the issue of a passport
A passport shall not be issued

• a) if the applicant is wanted by the police, if a decision has been made to arrest or remand him in custody or if he has consented to surrender his passport pursuant to Chapter 14 of the Criminal Procedure Act;
• b) when the applicant is prohibited from leaving the realm pursuant to section 14-17 of the Enforcement Act or section 102 of the Bankruptcy Act;
• c) when a decision has been made by a public authority pursuant to statute which entails that leaving the realm will be unlawful.

The issue of a passport may be refused if the applicant may not leave the realm as a consequence of

• a) a judgment, ruling or other decision by a public authority pursuant to statute entailing deprivation of liberty;
• b) restrictions imposed pursuant to sections 28 a, 28 b, 28 c, 39 (cf. section 13 c of the Act relating to mental health care), 39 g, 53 or 54 of the Penal Code, section 38 of the Prison Act or section 69, third paragraph, of the Criminal Procedure Ac

The issue of a passport may also otherwise be refused if

• a) the applicant has previously forged a passport, used a false passport, unlawfully handed his passport over to a third party or has misused his passport in another manner;
• b) there is under the circumstances just cause to believe that the purpose of the journey is unlawful activity. The same applies if there is cause to believe that expenses will be incurred by the public authorities on account of the applicant's conduct and other circumstances;
• c) the applicant has been granted a loan secured against his passport by a Norwegian foreign service mission in order to return to Norway, and the loan has not been repaid;
  
• d) the applicant has a serious mental illness or is mentally handicapped and will be unable to look after himself abroad;
• e) the conditions for surrendering a previously issued passport pursuant to section 7, first paragraph, litra e, first alternative, are fulfilled.
  

A passport must not be refused unless weighty considerations so dictate. In making the decision, consideration shall be given to the importance of the passport for the applicant. Pursuant to the second paragraph, the question of whether the applicant will evade implementation of the statutory obligation shall be considered.

Section 6. Content, period of validity and safekeeping of the passport
A passport shall only contain information on one person. The Ministry may nonetheless lay down regulations regarding the issue of a passport for an organized party of travellers with a common tour leader (joint passport).

The passport shall be valid for ten years from the date of issue. The Ministry may lay down regulations concerning a limited or extended period of validity. The passport shall be valid for all states. The area of validity may however be limited for joint passports and in special cases where the conditions for restricting the issue of a passport are fulfilled.

The holder of a passport must not alter the appearance of the passport. It shall be safely kept. If it is lost, the passport holder shall notify the passport authorities immediately.

Section 7. Surrender and confiscation
The passport authorities may demand that the passport be surrendered if

• a)    the conditions pursuant to sections 3 and 4 are not fulfilled;
• b)    such circumstances as are specified in section 5 subsist;
• c)    the appearance or content of the passport has been altered;
• d)    the passport is damaged or worn or the information no longer fits the appearance of the holder;
• e)    the passport is not being safely kept by the passport holder or is in the possession of an unauthorized person.

If the possessor of a passport does not comply with the demand that it be surrendered, the police may confiscate the passport. The police may also confiscate for up to three weeks a passport which is presented to the passport control authority and the surrender of which it is presumed may be demanded pursuant to the first paragraph.

Section 8. Passport register
A central passport register may be established. Immigrants' passports and travel documents for refugees may also be entered in the register.

The register may contain information that is necessary for the implementation of this Act.

In the case of passport authorities which are not linked to the central passport register, similar registers may be kept.

Section 9. Regulations
The Ministry may lay down further regulations concerning the implementation of this Act, for instance concerning the shape and content of the passport and concerning a central computerized passport register.

Section 10. Relationship with international law
This Act shall be applied in accordance with international rules by which Norway is bound.

Section 11. Commencement
This Act shall come into force immediately.

Provisions laid down pursuant to the Passport Instructions of 4 April 1952 shall apply until further notice insofar as they are appropriate until they are amended or repealed pursuant to this Act.

Section 12. Amendments of other statutes
Section 26 of Act No. 86 of 17 December 1982 relating to standard court fees shall be repealed from the date that this Act comes into force.