MinID is a type of electronic ID that allows you to log in to public services tied to the Norwegian government, and most people living in Norway will want to get MinID. Some of its uses is to check digital letters from the government, register for exams at universities, or applying for a bank account.
You will use MinID a lot if you live in Norway for a certain time period, so I advise anyone who moves to Norway to get a MinID sooner rather than later. It’s a bit of a hassle to set up, so it’s advised to set it up prior to needing it, since it will take at least 3 – 5 days to get it working. Let’s take a closer look at how to get MinID.
To register for MinID, go to this website at Digitaliseringsdirektoratet. Click on “Språk” in the top left corner and click on English. Now choose MinID and select “Register as a new user” to begin the registration process. Click on “Order PIN Codes” and wait a few days until they arrive in your mail.
When you get your PIN codes (these will be sent to your registered address), open up the same website. Now click on the option that says you have your PIN codes, and finish the registration for MinID.
When that’s done, choose a passord and activate your new MinID account. And that’s it! After this is done, you have MinID for as long as you stay in Norway, and can simply log in with your password the next time.
As you probably guessed, the hassle of setting up MinID comes from the fact that you will need to get PIN codes in the mail. This is to verify that you actually live in Norway and on your registered address, and the PIN codes will be used when you register the account.
Luckily you only need to get PIN codes in the mail a single time when setting up your account. But since it takes up to 5 days, you should do it as soon as possible, and not wait until you need it. I think most of us find it super annoying trying to apply for university only to finding out that you need to wait 5 days for PIN codes to arrive before you can finish your application..
Can anyone in Norway get MinID?
To be able to get MinID in Norway, you do need either a D number or a personnummer, a registered address in Norway, as well as either a phone number or an e-mail address.
In other words, you need to live in Norway to get your D number, and MinID is not available to tourists or anyone who visit Norway for a short time. However, anyone with an address and a D number will be able to get it, and you do not need to be a permanent resident or anything like that to get MinID.
Some government documents might require more security than just MinID
While MinID goes a long way to allow you to communicate with the Norwegian government digitally, it is not considered safe enough for sensitive documents. This is because MinID is only protected by a password, and does not have 2-factor security. MinID is what Digitaliseringsdirektoratet (a government branch) considered a level 3 security measure.
In order to be able to digitally interact with more secure documents, you will typically be required to get BankID. This is much of the same, but it is issued by your banking company, and requires you to confirm your logins with either your fingerprint, a second password on your cell phone, or using a small code chip issued by your bank.
BankID is considered a level 5 security measure, and will allow you to do pretty much anything you want online, including signing contracts digitally, applying for a loan or signing a marriage license.
Most Norwegians use both MinID and BankID, and you will pretty much be required to have both of these if you want to live in Norway for more than just a few months.