← Back to the regulatory map
Love Norway

The Public Administration Act (1967)

Valid in Norway

Last peer-reviewed July 16, 2026

Brief overview

The Public Administration Act of 1967 is still the current general procedural law for public administration. It regulates, among other things, disqualification, guidance, case processing time, duty of confidentiality, investigation of the case, party access to documents, justification, notification, and appeals.

The Act applies to state and municipal administrative agencies. Private legal entities are also included when they make individual decisions or issue regulations.

When AI, machine translation, speech-to-text, summarization, or other language tools are used in case processing, the tool does not alter the responsibility of the administrative agency. The case must still be sufficiently investigated, confidential information must be protected, the party must receive necessary guidance and the opportunity to safeguard their interests, and decisions must meet the requirements for form, reasoning, notification, and appeal information.

The Public Administration Act of 1967 does not contain the specific provisions on automated decision-making that were adopted in the Public Administration Act of 2025. The new act has not yet entered into force. This profile therefore applies to the 1967 Act. The Public Administration Act of 2025 is covered in a separate profile.

What regulates this

The Act establishes general rules on how administrative bodies shall process cases and make individual decisions. It regulates disqualification, the duty to provide guidance, case processing time, the duty of confidentiality, advance notice, the duty to investigate, a party's right of access, requirements for written form, statement of reasons, notification, appeals, and reversal of decisions.

The requirements must be viewed in conjunction with the specific legislation in the relevant area. For AI- and language-related work processes, the law is particularly relevant when a tool is used to retrieve or structure information, translate documents, summarize material, draft guidance or justifications, or support the preparation of a decision.

Who is affected

Public sector supplier

Public sector

Why it has practical significance

Errors in translations, summaries, databases, or generated text can affect a party's ability to understand the case, correct information, safeguard their interests, or appeal. An AI tool can assist the case officer, but cannot reduce the agency's responsibility for ensuring that the case is adequately investigated, that confidentiality is maintained, and that the decision can be explained and verified.

In fully or partially automated work processes, the business must still ensure that the duty to provide guidance and conduct investigations is actually fulfilled. The Parliamentary Ombudsman has emphasized this, among other things, in a case concerning the automated processing of sickness benefit applications at Nav.

Key Requirements and Obligations

  • Provide necessary guidance within the agency's area of responsibility and adapt the guidance to the party's needs, cf. Section 11.
  • Process the case without undue delay and provide a preliminary response when the conditions in Section 11 a are met.
  • Protect confidential information regarding personal affairs and competition-sensitive operational and business matters, cf. Sections 13 et seq.
  • Give prior notice to the party and provide an opportunity to comment when the rules concerning this apply, cf. section 16.
  • Ensure that the case is as well investigated as possible before an individual decision is made, cf. Section 17.
  • Grant the parties access to the case documents within the framework of the law, cf. sections 18 et seq.
  • Ensure that individual decisions as a general rule are in writing, and that they are reasoned with relevant rules, factual circumstances, and main considerations, cf. sections 23–25.
  • Notify the party of the decision and provide necessary information regarding the right of appeal, the appeal deadline, the appellate body, and access to documents, cf. Section 27.
  • Process complaints and assess reversal in accordance with the rules in Chapter VI.
  • Ensure that the use of AI, language, and professional systems does not weaken the requirements for guidance, investigation, contradiction, justification, and traceability.

What the business may consider documenting

  • Identify work processes in which AI, translation, transcription, summarization, or text generation affect case handling or communication with parties.
  • Determine which tools can be used for public information, internal information, personal data, special categories of personal data, and confidential content.
  • Ensure that human review is conducted before AI-generated translations, summaries, guidance texts, or justifications are used in a specific case.
  • Document the source material, key fact checks, corrections, and who approved the final text.
  • Ensure that incomplete or unclear inquiries trigger the necessary guidance and investigation, and are not automatically rejected due to system limitations.
  • Verify that language and translations are understandable and do not alter the content of rights, obligations, deadlines, or appeal information.
  • Limit access to case information and ensure that supplier agreements protect confidentiality, privacy, and information security.
  • Ensure that party access, document access, and archiving can be carried out even when content is produced or processed using an AI tool.
  • Prepare for the transition to the Public Administration Act of 2025, especially the upcoming rules on automated case processing and documentation of automated systems.

See also the regulatory map

Sources and Further Reading

The links point to external sources. Check the current text and status before using them in your own work.

The information is general information and not legal advice. The applicable requirements must be assessed based on the enterprise's sector, role, information, and specific use of technology.