If you want to get married on your next Norwegian vacation or plan to elope in Norway for the short term, please be aware of the following Norwegian marriage requirements and regulations.
If you are interested in eloping in a different Scandinavian country, take a look at the guides on how to get married in Iceland, Denmark, and Finland .
Marriage requirements
What runaway couples will need to do:
- Bring valid passports and birth certificates.
- A marriage license must be obtained from your home state or country to certify that there are no obstacles to the marriage.
- Contact the minister or judge of the county court in the area where you want to get married, to receive a Norwegian marriage authorization.
- Expect a two-week waiting period after contacting the county court judge or minister.
- The licensing costs are very low (if any).
If you are not residing in Norway at the time of your marriage application and you do not have a Norwegian personal identification number, the National Registrar’s Office ( Sentralkontor for folkeregistrering ) makes the applications in Oslo.
Procedures for civil marriage ceremonies in Norway are performed by a notary public. As a first step, contact the Office of the City Recorder (byfogdembete) or the District Court ( tingrett ) where you plan to get married, or contact one of the Norwegian embassies around the world for more details.
Gender Neutral Marriage
Norway is an open-minded country and has converted its ‘Registered Association Act’ legislation into gender neutral marriages as of January 2009. Therefore, the documentation required to make a same-sex marriage it is identical to the marriage requirements shown above.
Norwegian marriage customs
If you are getting hooked in Norway, here are some traditions and customs that you may want to incorporate into the ceremony.
- The traditional dress of Norwegian brides includes a silver crown or a silver and gold crown, adorned with small, spoon-shaped bangles.
- For a traditional Norwegian wedding procession, violinists will lead the way that led to the wedding party down the aisle.
- At the event, guests traditionally throw grains of rye and barley to the newlyweds. The more pimples a girlfriend can catch, the brighter the future the couple will have together.
- Norwegian weddings are generally very intimate, with only one attendant representing the bride and groom, respectively.
- It is customary for a groom to present his new bride with a jewel the morning after the wedding ceremony. The gift is known as “morgengave” (“morning gift”).
- The classic outfit for a groom is a handmade woolen suit, called bundas . The bundas are made up of a white shirt, a vest, a coat, shorts and socks that reach the calf.
- Norwegian weddings generally feature the couple walking down the aisle to the traditional Norwegian tune “Come to the wedding”.
- Newlywed couples often plant a single fir tree on each side of their driveway; Trees are believed to be symbols of the couple’s desire to start a family.