Identity check

• Request a proof of identity. What makes an ID document sufficient depends on the circumstances of the ID check and must be decided by the person carrying out the check. Documents deemed to be reliable ID documents include passports and ID cards.
• Check the document for damages. If damaged, you should consider whether or not to accept it as a proof of identity. 
• Check the information from the ID document:
  • Check the expiry date. 
  • Compare and check all photos for resemblance. 
  • Name and date of birth.

When you have checked the ID document, make sure that the document belongs to the person presenting the document.

• Check the person presenting the document:
  • Compare the photo in the document to the person in front of you. Is this the same person?
  • Check the height listed in the document. Does it match the person’s height?
  • Question the person about the information in the document, for instance the date of birth.
• If you have reason to suspect that the document does not belong to the person presenting the document, you should ask someone for a second opinion. 

If you lend valuables to someone it is wise to ask for a copy of his or her ID document. Preserve the copy in compliance with the applicable rules.

ID document control guides

Control guides for how to check Norwegian passports and ID cards are provided on this website. The guides describe the security features of these documents and how to check them.

The police ID service (app) is an secure and efficient app which can be used for identity checks when a person is presenting a physical passport or national identity card. The app supports all Norwegian passports and national ID cards as well as several foreign passports and ID cards (primarily EEA documents).

The app is a tool that will improve the conditions for everyone to carry out a more secure and appropriate ID check. The police ID service will also help to ensure that one person has one identity in Norway. It provides two services for document control of passports and national ID cards:

• Status of loss for Norwegian passports and national ID cards.

• Verification of electronic chip.

The app also contains useful tips and guides for identity verification and other relevant links and tools for ID verification.

The app can be downloaded by anyone who wants it on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

About the service

The service is intended to better enable public and private actors to carry out appropriate ID checks.

• The service is intended to support overall ID management and help ensure that every person only has one identity in Norway.
• The service is part of the efforts to support document control of electronic passports and national ID cards, but cannot alone determine whether such documents are genuine and correct.

The police offer a masterlist containing certificates for all Norwegian electronic passports and national ID cards. The list also contains certificates for a series of foreign passports and national ID cards.

By reading the chip in an electronic passport or national ID card, the masterlist certificates can confirm whether the document's certificate is genuine and original.

How to use the service

Public agencies, private companies and private individuals, both in Norway and abroad, can use the masterlist. The masterlist must be integrated in your computer system before you can use it. The masterlist also requires that you use a chip-enabled passport reader/NFC reader.

If you are currently using a commercial ID services supplier, you can ask them to integrate the service in their system, provided you have a chip-enabled passport reader/NFC reader.

• Read the terms of use for the masterlist (197 kB pdf) (240 kB pdf)
• Download masterlist
  • The service returns standard HTTP response headers like ETag and Last-Modified, that can be used to find out whether there is a new version.
  • When using automatic downloads, we recommend using a conditional GET request, ensuring that the masterlist is only downloaded if there are any changes to the file.

It is also possible to use a HEAD request to retrieve these metadata without downloading the file.

About the service

The service shall enable public and private sector actors to carry out appropriate identity checks.

The service is intended to support consistent identity management and help ensure that each person has one single identity in Norway. The status service is a digital service that lets users check whether passports or national ID cards issued by Norwegian authorities have been registered as lost or stolen.

Note that the response from this service does not make an adequate ID control. Results of queries may be misleading for multiple reasons: a passport or a national ID card may in fact be stolen or lost without being registered as such with the Police, it may be forged, or may be used by an imposter.

Similar services for foreign passports or national ID cards can be found here: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/prado/en/check-document-numbers/check-document-numbers.pdf

How to use the service

The service lets users check whether Norwegian passports or national ID cards have been registered lost or stolen, by entering the document number.

The service may be used through either manual queries or integration with your IT system.

If you are currently using a commercial identity service supplier, you can ask your supplier to integrate the service into their system, provided you have a passport reader/NFC reader for reading the MRZ or chip.

Please read the Terms of use for the Status service. (252 kB pdf)

API documentation for integration of Status service into your IT system.

Check passport and national ID card status.

Technical support

In case of technical problems, please email us at id@politiet.no. Please take care to protect personal data when contacting us.

Please do not send sensitive data or confidential information by email. Such information must be given over the phone, in physical meetings or logged-in services.