Det nasjonale ID-kortet ligger på pass- og ID-kontoret.

Here det is part of the definite noun phrase and corresponds to the.

In Norwegian, det can mean different things in different contexts:

• it
• that
• part of the with a neuter noun in a definite phrase with an adjective

In det nasjonale ID-kortet, it is the last use. The noun kort is a neuter noun, so the phrase begins with det.

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things in structure:

• ID-kortet = the ID card
• det nasjonale ID-kortet = the national ID card

When you add an adjective like nasjonal, Norwegian usually uses what learners often call double definiteness:

• a separate definite word at the front: det
• and a definite ending on the noun: -et

So:

• et nasjonalt ID-kort = a national ID card
• det nasjonale ID-kortet = the national ID card

Because the adjective changes form depending on whether the noun phrase is indefinite or definite.

Compare:

• et nasjonalt ID-kort = a national ID card
• det nasjonale ID-kortet = the national ID card

In the indefinite neuter singular, the adjective is often -t:

• nasjonalt

In a definite phrase, adjectives usually take the -e form:

• nasjonale

So nasjonale is used because the whole phrase is definite: det ... ID-kortet.

It is a compound noun:

• ID = ID
• kort = card
• ID-kort = ID card
• ID-kortet = the ID card

The definite ending is added to the whole compound, not just the last English-style word separately.

Also, the gender of the compound is determined by the main noun at the end, which is kort. Since kort is neuter, the indefinite form is et ID-kort and the definite form is ID-kortet.

Norwegian often uses ligger for something that is physically located somewhere, especially an object that is resting or situated in a place.

So:

• ID-kortet ligger på pass- og ID-kontoret = the ID card is at / located at the passport and ID office

If you said er, it would not necessarily be wrong in every context, but ligger sounds more natural when talking about where a physical object currently is.

This is a very common difference between English and Norwegian:

• English often just uses is
• Norwegian often uses a more specific location verb like ligger, står, or sitter

Yes, literally it is related to lies / is lying, but in normal English translation you usually would not say lies here.

A natural English translation would usually be:

• The national ID card is at the passport and ID office
• The national ID card is located at the passport and ID office

So it is good to understand the literal meaning, but better not to translate it too mechanically every time.

Yes, på often means on, but it also has several other common uses. In Norwegian, på is often used for being at certain places, institutions, or workplaces.

So:

• på kontoret = at the office
• på skolen = at school
• på sykehuset = at the hospital

That is why på pass- og ID-kontoret means at the passport and ID office.

If you used i, it would more strongly suggest being physically inside the room or building. With på, the meaning is more like being there as a location or institution.

It means the passport and ID office.

The hyphen shows that the second part of a compound is being shared. In full, the idea is something like:

• passkontoret og ID-kontoret

But instead of repeating -kontoret, Norwegian can shorten it to:

• pass- og ID-kontoret

This is a very common pattern.

The hyphen is important because it shows that pass belongs together with the omitted second part. Without the hyphen, the phrase would be harder to read correctly.

Because kontor is a neuter noun:

• et kontor = an office
• kontoret = the office

The same pattern appears in:

• et kort → kortet

So both kort and kontor are neuter nouns, and both take -et in the definite singular.

No, this is standard Norwegian main-clause word order:

• Det nasjonale ID-kortet = subject
• ligger = verb
• på pass- og ID-kontoret = location phrase

So the pattern is basically:

subject + verb + place

A useful thing to know, though, is that Norwegian is a verb-second language. If you move the place phrase to the front, the verb still stays in second position:

• På pass- og ID-kontoret ligger det nasjonale ID-kortet.

That sounds more marked or literary in this case, but it is grammatically correct.

ID is an abbreviation, so it is written in capital letters.

nasjonale is an ordinary adjective, and ordinary adjectives are not capitalized in Norwegian unless they begin a sentence.

So:

• ID = abbreviation, capitalized
• nasjonale = normal adjective, lowercase

Yes, people would understand you, and in some situations it may sound fine.

But ligger is often more idiomatic because it refers to the physical location of the card as an object. So if you want the most natural Norwegian here, ligger is a very good choice.

A rough comparison is:

• er = is
• ligger = is lying / is located / is there physically

For many physical objects, Norwegian prefers ligger where English simply says is.