Apostille or Legalisation for Norway From Australia

Australian documents for Norway need a DFAT apostille, not embassy legalisation: as of our last check, the Convention has been in force for Norway since 29 July 1983. Check the HCCH status table on the day. English documents usually need no translation. The catches come from Norway's Tax Administration: originals only, recent documents, and recognition of an Australian divorce.

Key takeaways

• A DFAT apostille is the Australian step. No Norwegian embassy legalisation follows.
• The Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) runs the population register and checks the right to marry. It wants originals sent by post, not notarised copies or scans.
• Supporting documents for a marriage must be recent. Time your Certificate of No Impediment so it is still within the limit when assessed.
• An Australian divorce must be recognised in Norway before you can remarry there.
• Documents in English or a Nordic language usually need no translation.

Is Norway an apostille country?

Yes. The HCCH status table records Norway's signature and ratification on 30 May 1983. The Convention has been in force since 29 July 1983. Membership is a live fact, so confirm it on the table the day you start.

An apostille is a certificate from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It confirms the signature and seal on an Australian public document, such as a registry certificate or a notary's certificate. It says nothing about the contents. Only DFAT issues apostilles in Australia; a notary cannot. See how the Hague Apostille Convention works.

The usual chain

1. Notarise in Australia, only if the document is private, such as a power of attorney or an affidavit.
2. DFAT apostille on the original public document or the notary's certificate.
3. Post the original to the Norwegian body, as it directs.

Australian public documents, such as birth certificates, divorce orders and national police checks, usually go to DFAT directly without a notary. DFAT's page on documents it can legalise lists them. For Norway's civil status purposes, the Tax Administration asks for originals. A notarised copy of a birth certificate is therefore generally not what it wants. That is a rare case where a notary adds nothing: send the registry certificate to DFAT and then to Norway.

What do you need to marry in Norway?

Before a wedding in Norway, the Tax Administration checks that both of you meet the legal requirements and issues a marriage licence (prøvingsattest). Its guidance for foreign citizens, as we last saw it, asked for the documents below.

• A certificate of no impediment to marriage from your home country, in the original. For an Australian, that is the Certificate of No Impediment issued by DFAT or an Australian mission. The Australian Embassy in Copenhagen, which covers Norway, issues them and has noted that you may also need to legalise the certificate. Ask the Tax Administration whether yours needs an apostille.
• Recent documents. The Tax Administration set a maximum age for original supporting documents such as this certificate, which it gave as four months when we last checked. Check the current limit, and apply late enough that the certificate is still within it when your application is assessed.
• Proof of name, age and citizenship, if you have no Norwegian national identity number. A colour copy of the passport was accepted; a birth certificate had to be the original, with an apostille.
• Originals by post. It said it does not accept electronic certificates.
• A second country's evidence. If you live in a country other than your country of citizenship, it also asked for proof of civil status from the country where you live.

The licence, once issued, is itself valid only for a limited period, so the order of events matters.

Why must an Australian divorce be recognised first?

This is the point people miss. If you were divorced under foreign law, which includes an Australian divorce, the Tax Administration says the divorce must be recognised by the County Governor (Statsforvalteren) before the marriage can proceed. There is an exception only for certain divorces within the Nordic countries.

So an Australian divorcee planning to marry in Norway has an extra step, and time to allow for it. Ask the County Governor what it needs to see. Expect the answer to include the divorce order itself, and very possibly an apostille on it. An Australian divorce order is a court document. It can generally go to DFAT for an apostille without a notary; confirm with DFAT.

If you have been married before, the Tax Administration also asked for a declaration about the division of property from the earlier marriage. When we checked, that form was in Norwegian only. If you do not read Norwegian, have it explained before you sign.

Does it need translating into Norwegian?

Usually not. The Tax Administration says certificates must be in English or a Nordic language. Australian documents in English therefore usually need no translation for this purpose.

If a document is in another language, it must be translated by a certified translator. A translation made outside Norway must itself be apostilled or legalised. For Australians holding documents from a third country, such as a birth certificate issued elsewhere, that is worth knowing before ordering a translation here. A NAATI translation made in Australia can be apostilled by DFAT; our document translation page covers that. Ask the receiving body first whether it would rather have a Norwegian translation.

Powers of attorney, property and inheritance

For property, inheritance or company matters in Norway, ask the Norwegian lawyer, bank or registry for the wording, and for how the signature must be authenticated. An Australian notary can witness your signature, check your identity and attach a notarial certificate. DFAT then apostilles the notary's certificate. Whether that is what the Norwegian side wants, or whether it will accept something simpler, is its decision.

If the document is in Norwegian and you do not read it, tell the notary in advance. The notary must be satisfied you understand what you are signing. The Australian notary does not advise on Norwegian law, and for an Australian estate involved as well, see an Australian solicitor. Our power of attorney and declarations page explains the witnessing side.

Documents commonly needed

Document	Typical use in Norway	Australian route
Certificate of No Impediment	Marriage licence	From DFAT or an Australian mission; ask whether to apostille it
Birth certificate	Population register, marriage	Original registry certificate to DFAT; no translation
Divorce order	Recognition by the County Governor	Court document to DFAT directly
Power of attorney	Property, inheritance, companies	Norwegian wording, notary, then DFAT apostille
Degree and transcript	Work and recognition of qualifications	University verification, then DFAT apostille

What if you are already in Norway?

The Australian Embassy in Copenhagen handles notarial services for Norway. Some services need you to attend in Copenhagen; others can be done by mail. If it asks you for a certified copy of a document, it has said certified copies (rett kopi) can be made in Norway at a district court, a local police station or the municipality. It has also accepted domestically recognised certified copies from Norwegian copy shops that use an official stamp or seal. For an Australian public document, the apostille still comes from DFAT or the embassy, not a Norwegian office.

Moving to Norway: the population register

If you move to Norway, you will usually register with the Tax Administration for the population register, the Folkeregisteret. People registering a spouse or children commonly need to show the family relationship, often with a marriage or birth certificate carrying an apostille. The same rules apply: originals, recent where the Tax Administration says so, and in English or a Nordic language. Ask which documents it wants before you leave Australia, because ordering a registry certificate and getting it apostilled from Norway takes longer.

What does not work for Norway

• A Justice of the Peace copy. A JP certification is not accepted overseas and cannot be apostilled.
• A notarised copy where the Tax Administration wants the original.
• Scans or electronic certificates for original supporting documents.
• A Certificate of No Impediment ordered months early, which may be too old when assessed.
• A ceremonial or laminated certificate. DFAT will not apostille it.

Coming the other way

A Norwegian document for use in Australia is apostilled in Norway, not by DFAT, and an Australian notary cannot vouch for what a Norwegian office issued. For an Australian visa, Home Affairs usually wants a certified copy. A document not in English needs a translation by a NAATI-credentialled translator in Australia, or one made overseas showing the translator's full name, address, telephone number and qualifications. See documents from overseas for use in Australia.

Here is an illustration, not a real case

A divorced Adelaide man plans to marry his Norwegian partner in Bergen. He sends his Australian divorce order to DFAT for an apostille and then to the County Governor for recognition. Only once recognition is granted does he apply for his Certificate of No Impediment, so it is still recent when the Tax Administration assesses the application. He posts the originals. No notary and no translation are involved, and the licence arrives in time for the wedding.

In short

Norway takes an apostille, on our last check, and English documents usually need no translation. Send originals, time the Certificate of No Impediment to the Tax Administration's limit, and have an Australian divorce recognised first. More on the Australian steps is at apostille and authentication.

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Sending documents to Norway? Send us what the Norwegian office asked for, and we will explain each step before you book.