Customs and regulations for travellers to and from Norway

When travelling to Norway

If you have currency or goods with you when you come to Norway, you are required to report this to the customs service. There are many exemptions from this requirement. The most important of them are described below.
Excise if you are in doubt.

Red or Green lane?

• the goods are for you or are a private gift and not intended for sale or commercial use,
• you bring the goods with you, either on your person or in your luggage, so that they can be presented when passing through customs control. It will not be possible to import goods duty free if they are sent, for example as luggage, unless you pick them up in person before passing through customs control.

If your luggage has gone missing and therefore arrives later, you must go through the red channel and explain what you have with you in your handluggage and what is in the rest of your luggage.

The customs service is entitled to search persons, luggage and means of transport. You must yourself unpack and repack items that the customs service wishes to examine , and you are obliged to answers the customs officers’ questions.

Rules for exemption from customs and excise duties (quota)

If you have been out of Norway for at least 24 hours, you can bring back goods worth a total of NOK 6,000 duty free. If you have been out of the country for less than 24 hours, you can, once in a 24-hour period, bring back goods worth a total of NOK 3,000 duty free. You cannot bring back alcohol or tobacco products unless you can document that the goods were purchased subject to taxes (not duty free) in an EEA country.

To import other foodstuffs than mineral- water, chocolate and confectionery duty free, you must be at least 12 years old.

Duty free quota

Within the limit of NOK 6,000/3,000, you can bring the following goods with you duty free (see the limitations that apply to absences of less than 24 hours as mentioned above):

• One litre of an alcoholic beverage containing more than 22% and up to 60% alcohol by volume and one and a half litres containing more than 2.5% up to 22% alcohol by volume, or three litres of beverages containing more than 2.5% and up to 22% alcohol by volume
• Two litres of beer containing more than 2.5% alcohol by volume, or other beverage containing more than 2.5% and up to 4.7% alcohol by volume. This means, for example, that you can import five litres of beer if you do not have other alcoholic beverages with you
• 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of other tobacco products, and
• 200 sheets of cigarette papers

You must be over 18 years old to import alcoholic beverages. To import alcoholic beverages containing more than 22% alcohol by volume, you must be over 20 years old.

You must be over 18 years old to import tobacco products.

Meat, meat products, milk and dairy products

Ten kilos in total of meat and meat products, cheese and feedstuffs. Dog and cat food is not included in the limit of 10 kilos.

It is prohibited to bring in meat, meat products, milk and dairy products in your luggage from countries outside the EEA area.

Such products must be imported via a veterinary border control point and the goods must be accompanied by a health certificate.

Maximum value

If the maximum value of NOK 6,000/3,000 is exceeded, you can choose which goods to pay customs and excise duties on. If the value of a product exceeds this value, customs and excise duties must be paid on the full value of the product. Goods in one piece cannot be divided up and imported by several people or be divided over several journeys. This applies even if the value of the individual part is less then NOK 6,000/3,000. If you are unable to document the value, for example by producing a receipt, the value will be stipulated by discretionary judgement by Norwegian Customs and Excise.

The repair of goods abroad, including repairs of vehicles, is included in the maximum value of NOK 6,000/3,000. If the value of a repair exceeds the maximum value, you are obliged to pay any customs and excise duties on the full cost of the repair.

Other goods for personal use

Simplified declaration

Goods the import of which is prohibited without special permission

• drugs, medicines and poisons (small amounts of medicine for personal use are permitted)
• alcoholic beverages containing more than 60 % alcohol per volume
• weapons and ammunition
• fireworks
• potatoes
• mammals, birds and exotic animals
• plants/parts thereof for cultivation
• meat, meat products, milk and dairy products from countries outside the EEA area.

Health/ plant sanitary requirements

The importation of agricultural products is subject to special provisions aimed at preventing the spread of plant and livestock diseases. Further information is available from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, www.mattilsynet.no . The list below shows what you are nonetheless allowed to bring with you. The list is not exhaustive and products may be withdrawn from the list at short notice if necessary. In your own luggage and for your own use, you may bring with you meat/meat products, milk/dairy products, eggs and other animal food-stuffs from EEA countries. Advance enquiries must be made in each individual case to establish whether it is permitted to import such goods from countries outside the EEA area (including Svalbard and Jan Mayen).

Travellers can bring with them the following fruit, berries, plants and plant parts for private use without a plant health certificate being required:

• up to 10 kilos of fruit, berries and vegetables, but not potatoes
• up to 25 cut flowers
• up to three kilos of flower bulbs and flower tubers
• up to five pot plants (house plants) from European countries
• up to 50 portion packets of seed

Importation of animals

Special rules apply to the importation of animals. See www.mattilsynet.no  for further information. 

Currency

On entry, you can bring with you means of payment for a total of NOK 25,000. If you have more than this with you, you must report it on this form: Declaration of means of payment (pdf).

Endangered animals and plants

 Pursuant to the Washington Convention (CITES) and national provisions, it is illegal to bring endangered animal and plant species and most products of them into Norway. Examples of such endangered species include elephants, leopards, tigers, wolves, wolverines, some species of crocodiles and snakes, some birds of prey, eggs of certain bird species and some orchids and cacti.

Further information is available from the Directorate for Nature Management (www.dirnat.no) or Norwegian Customs and Excise.

Foreign-registered motor vehicles

There are separate regulations governing the use of foreign-registered motor vehicles in Norway. Sanctions for violations are very strict.

See also: Use of foreign-registered vehicles in Norway.

When you depart from Norway

Currency

On departure you can take with you means of payment for a total of NOK 25,000. If you have more than this with you, you must report it on this form: Declaration of means of payment (pdf). The form must be given to the customs service on departure.

Endangered animals and plants

It is illegal to take endangered animal and plant species and most products of them out of Norway. Examples of endangered species covered by these rules in Norway are wolves, Arctic foxes, wolverines and some birds of prey. It is also prohibited to take eggs from endangered bird species out of the country.

Further information is available from the Directorate for Nature Management, www.dirnat.no .

Antiques/ cultural heritage

It is not permitted to take antiques and old objects that have artistic, cultural or historic value out of the country without a special permit.

Further information is available from the Norwegian Archive, Library and Museum Authority, www.abm-utvikling.no .

Export quota for fish and fish products

It is not permitted to export more than 15 kilos of fish or fish products per person. The export quota applies to catches from recreational marine fishing in Norwegian waters. Freshwater fish, salmon, trout and char are not covered by the export quota. The export quota does not preclude taking a whole fish (trophy fish) out of the country in addition to the quota.

Further information is available from the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, www.regjeringen.no .

Contact

Norwegian Customs Information Centre
Phone (+47) 0 30 12

Customs Region East Norway
Phone (+47) 69 36 22 00 ostnorge@toll.no

Customs Region Oslo and Akershus
Phone (+47) 22 86 03 00, oslo@toll.no

Customs Region South Norway
Phone (+47) 38 12 00 12, sornorge@toll.no

Customs Region West Norway
Phone (+47) 55 57 37 00, vestnorge@toll.no

Customs Region Central Norway
Phone (+47) 73 88 43 00, midtnorge@toll.no

Customs Region North Norway
Phone (+47) 77 62 55 00, nordnorge@toll.no