Complaints and appeals concerning your personal data

If you have been refused access to documents in a criminal case and want to complain, the Criminal Procedure Act's rules apply. Norway's Director of Public Prosecutions has overall responsibility for how the prosecuting authorities handle criminal cases.

Deadline for appeals

If you disagree with a decision we have made about data access or the correcting, blocking or deleting of your personal data, compensation or a criminal record check, you must submit your appeal no later than three weeks after you were notified of the decision.

If you want to complain about a breach of confidentiality, the duty to provide information or the use of blocked data, you must submit your complaint no later than one year after the event you are complaining about took place.

How to appeal/complain

You must write a letter giving details of the decision you are appealing against or the action you are complaining about. You must state why you think the decision/action was wrong and how you want it corrected. You must sign your letter before sending it.

Where to send your appeal/complaint

You must send your appeal/complaint to the organisation that made the decision or took the action.

Who to appeal/complain to

• Was the decision made by the police? You can appeal to the National Police Directorate.
• Was the decision made by a prosecuting authority? You can appeal to the next level prosecuting authority (police -> regional public prosecutors office -> the Director of Public Prosecutions).
• Was the decision made by the National Police Directorate? You can appeal to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

Decisions made about appeals cannot themselves be appealed. This also applies to decisions made by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority checks how personal data are processed

If you have been recorded in a police register or database, or believe that you may be, you can contact the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. You can ask them to check that your personal data are being processed correctly. You can also ask them to check that the rules on access to personal data have been followed.

You may ask for the Norwegian Data Protection Authority's help whether you submit a complaint or not. However, it is best if you do complain first.

Complaints relating to data access – what the law says

The rules concerning complaints are set out in section 55 of the Police Register Act and Chapter 18 of the Police Register Regulations. You will find more rules in the Public Administration Act.