BankID in Norway – how to get an ID number, a bank account and a national ID card
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Your bank account, BankID and a Norwegian ID card all hang on one 11-digit number. Get the order right and your first weeks run smoothly. Here is how the ID number, the bank, electronic ID and the new 2026 ID card for foreign citizens fit together.
Much of daily life in Norway runs through a Norwegian identification number: a fødselsnummer (national identity number) or a D-number. You need one to open a bank account and to get BankID, which with MinID is one of the two most common electronic IDs, according to Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration). New this year: since 1 September 2026, citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA/EFTA who have a fødselsnummer can get a Norwegian national ID card.
IMDi (the Norwegian Directorate for Integration and Diversity) gives labour immigrants this order: the ID number first, then the police registration certificate for EU/EEA citizens, a skattekort (tax deduction card) if you will work, and finally an electronic ID. From outside the EU/EEA, the residence permit comes first.
Fødselsnummer or D-number – which one will you get?
Both numbers have 11 digits and start with your date of birth. If you will live in Norway for at least six months, you report your move to Skatteetaten, attend an ID check and document the six months. You are then registered in folkeregisteret (the National Population Register) and get a fødselsnummer – part 3 covers the process.
A D-number is for foreign citizens who do not qualify, for example if you work here for a few months. You cannot apply for one yourself: an authority or enterprise, such as NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) or a bank, requests it for you. If you will work and have no number yet, Skatteetaten issues one when you apply for a skattekort.
| Fødselsnummer | D-number | |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Report your move and attend an ID check | Requested for you, for example through a skattekort application |
| The first six digits | Your date of birth | Your date of birth with 4 added to the first digit – 1 January 1985 becomes 410185 |
| Access to services | All services in Norway | A majority of services, including an electronic ID |
| Norwegian national ID card | You can apply | You cannot apply |
Source: Skatteetaten, IMDi and Politiet, read 23 September 2026.
A D-number becomes 'inactive' five years after it was assigned; it still works for many things, and Skatteetaten can reactivate it. In folkeregisteret your identity is also marked 'checked' or 'not checked', depending on whether you have attended an ID check. Organisations that use the register can see the status, and it can decide your access to some services. Skatteetaten runs ID checks at 42 selected tax offices, by appointment only.
Can I open a bank account in Norway with a D-number?
Yes. According to IMDi, you must be resident in Norway, have valid proof of identity such as a passport or national ID card, and have a Norwegian identity number – a fødselsnummer or a D-number. Without a fødselsnummer you cannot get the Norwegian ID card, so bring your passport or home-country ID card. Banks, like NAV and UDI (the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration), use data from folkeregisteret, so check that your details and postal address are right.
Take Anna, an invented example: an EU citizen moving to Norway for a permanent job. She gets her fødselsnummer, opens an account with her passport, orders BankID and then books a police appointment for a national ID card.
How do I get BankID in Norway?
Any electronic ID requires a Norwegian identification number, and a D-number is enough. BankID comes from your bank, not from Skatteetaten: you order it by contacting the bank. If BankID later asks you to re-identify yourself, that too is a matter for your bank – you do not need to do anything with Skatteetaten. A second e-ID makes a useful back-up.
| Electronic ID | How you get it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| BankID | Contact your bank | Also used to sign digitally, for example with Lånekassen (the State Educational Loan Fund) |
| MinID | Order an activation letter, which arrives by post after a few days | Sent to your address in folkeregisteret, or abroad if you have a D-number and no Norwegian postal address |
| Buypass ID | An activated smart card | Recognised for public digital services |
| Commfides | A USB stick or smart card | Recognised for public digital services |
Source: Skatteetaten, IMDi and Lånekassen, read 23 September 2026.
To register as a jobseeker with NAV online you need BankID, Buypass or Commfides; without one, you must go to your local NAV office. With an e-ID you can also notify Skatteetaten of a move online and upload documents before your appointment.
How do I get a national ID card in Norway?
Politiet (the Norwegian Police) issues a nasjonalt ID-kort uten reiserett (national ID card without travel rights) to foreign citizens. It works as ID inside Norway, but not abroad or when you enter or leave the country. You need an 11-digit fødselsnummer – a D-number is not enough – plus an appointment and a fee. EU/EEA/EFTA citizens also need a valid machine-readable passport or ID card from home, and according to Politiet's Norwegian-language page they can apply in any police district.
From 1 September 2026, citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA/EFTA can apply too, but for the first months only at Politiets publikumssenter i Ski (the police public-service centre in Ski, Øst police district); more offices are due to follow by the end of 2026. You need a valid Norwegian oppholdskort (residence card), and with a temporary permit the ID card normally expires on the same date. Children can get one at any age, but under 13 the parents with parental responsibility must consent in person.
| Document | Age | Fee from 1 January 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| National ID card | 10 and over | NOK 840 |
| National ID card | Under 10 | NOK 510 |
| Passport (Norwegian citizens) | 16 and over | NOK 840 |
| Passport (Norwegian citizens) | Under 16 | NOK 510 |
| Passport and ID card at the same appointment | 16 and over | NOK 1,340 – a 20 per cent discount |
| Emergency passport | Any age | NOK 1,320 |
Source: Politiet, read 23 September 2026.
You pay at the appointment by bank or credit card, cash, Google Pay or Apple Pay – not by Vipps or invoice. To change or cancel an appointment, you log in with a one-time code sent by SMS.
Vipps, cash and paying before your bank card arrives
We could not confirm from an official source what the payment app Vipps requires of newcomers, so ask your bank when you open your account.
Until your bank card arrives, cash works. Since 1 October 2024 you have had a statutory right to pay cash in a physical shop that regularly sells to consumers, if it accepts other ways to pay – except at vending machines, unmanned shops and restricted-access premises, and for amounts above NOK 20,000. DSB (the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection) recommends keeping cash and payment cards in your emergency supplies, in case electronic payment systems fail.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get an ID number: report your move to Skatteetaten if staying six months or more, or apply for a skattekort | In your first weeks |
| 2 | Book the ID check if you are asked to attend – there is no walk-in service | Before you go |
| 3 | Open a bank account with your passport or ID card and your ID number | Once you have the number |
| 4 | Order BankID from your bank, with MinID as a back-up | Once the account is open |
| 5 | Apply for the national ID card – from outside the EU/EEA/EFTA, in Ski for now | Once you have a fødselsnummer |
| 6 | Questions: Skatteetaten on 800 80 000, or +47 22 07 70 00 from abroad | Weekdays 09:00–15:00 |
Source: Skatteetaten, IMDi and Politiet, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Skatteetaten (Norwegian Tax Administration) · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten · skatteetaten.no
- Skatteetaten · skatteetaten.no
- Politiet (Norwegian Police) · politiet.no
- Politiet · politiet.no
- Politiet · politiet.no
- Politiet · politiet.no
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.