In Norwegian administrative law, reasons are not optional. A decision that affects your rights or obligations (an enkeltvedtak) must normally be accompanied by a written explanation. This is one of the most important safeguards against arbitrary decision-making.
On Do Better Norge, we call this the “show-your-work rule”: the authorities must show what facts they accepted, what legal rules they applied, and how they weighed key considerations—especially in family- and child-related matters.
Legal framework
The main rules are in Forvaltningsloven:
- § 24: when an individual decision must be justified (main rule: it must).
- § 25: what the justification must contain (rules applied, factual basis, and key considerations in discretionary assessments).
What a proper begrunnelse should include
- Legal basis: the relevant statutory provisions (and, where applicable, regulations and binding guidance).
- Facts: what the authority believes happened, based on which documents/observations.
- Assessment: the “bridge” between facts and conclusion—why those facts meet (or do not meet) the legal threshold.
- Key considerations: especially where discretion is used (what mattered most, and why).
Do Better Norge red flags
- Copy-paste text with no case-specific facts.
- “Best interests” mentioned, but not actually analyzed (no balancing, no alternatives considered).
- References to documents you have never seen (often a partsinnsyn issue).
- Conclusory statements (“we find…”) without reasoning.
What you can do if the reasons are missing or weak
- Request a complete begrunnelse in writing (and ask them to log the request in the case file).
- Request partsinnsyn if the reasoning relies on unseen documents.
- Use the weakness in your appeal: inadequate reasoning can be a procedural error and may support reversal or remittal.
Template: Request for full begrunnelse
Subject: Request for full written reasoning – Forvaltningsloven §§ 24–25
To [Agency],
I request a complete written begrunnelse for decision [reference/date]. Please specify (1) the legal provisions applied, (2) the factual basis relied upon (with document references), and (3) the key considerations in the assessment/discretion.
If any documents are referenced that I have not received, please treat this as a partsinnsyn request as well.
Sincerely,
[Name]
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