# AI tells a foreigner in Norway to apply for a D-number themselves at the tax office or online

- **ID:** `policy/d-number-cannot-self-apply`
- **Domain:** policy
- **Category:** administrative_barrier
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

Norway's D-number (an ID number for foreigners who don't qualify for a fødselsnummer) cannot be self-applied for. Skatteetaten states plainly that only an enterprise or public authority that needs you to have a Norwegian identification number - such as a bank, employer, or the Tax Administration issuing a tax deduction card - can request one on your behalf. A D-number also becomes 'inactive' five years after assignment if unused, requiring reactivation via a fresh ID check before it can support a new registration.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| any | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **Identify which organization needs you to have a Norwegian ID number - the bank opening your account, the employer running your payroll, or the Tax Administration processing your tax card - and have that organization request/order the D-number; you cannot initiate it yourself.** (85% success)
2. **If your D-number has been dormant for 5+ years, contact Skatteetaten to reactivate it with fresh ID verification before relying on it for a new registration** (70% success)

## Dead Ends

- **Direct a foreigner to submit a personal application for a D-number to Skatteetaten or another authority** — Skatteetaten's own guidance states individuals cannot apply for a D-number or national identity number themselves; only an enterprise or public authority that needs the person to have a Norwegian ID number - a bank, employer, Nav, the Brønnøysund Register Centre, or the Tax Administration - can request/order one. (75% fail)
- **Assume a D-number, once issued, remains permanently usable with no need for renewal** — Skatteetaten states a D-number is given 'inactive' status five years after it was assigned; it is not deleted, but must be reactivated - either by a requesting enterprise or by booking an ID check with the Tax Administration - before it works for a new registration. (40% fail)