Norway bans child marriages
Historical archive
Published under: Solberg's Government
Publisher: Barne- og likestillingsdepartementet
News story | Date: 25/07/2018
Amendments to the Marriage Act to prevent minors to enter marriage came into force July 1st 2018. The amendments sends a clear message, nationally as well as internationally, that Norway does not accept people under the age of 18 years getting married in Norway.
Amendments to the Marriage Act that sets an absolute minimum marriage age in Norway to 18 years, came into force July 1st. The former access for persons between 16 and 18 to apply to the County Governor for permission to marry is repealled.
According to the amendments, if someone marries in Norway and one or both of the parties are under the age of 18, each of the spouses may demand that the marriage be dissolved. If neither of the spouses institutes proceedings, the County Governor shall institute proceedings for dissolution of the marriage.