On 1 April 2020 a temporary customs declaration exemption was introduced for shipments with a value below NOK 350 that are arriving from online shops or other sellers that should have been registered in the VOEC scheme. In practice, this means that the NOK 350 limit remains in effect, and you do not have to pay import duty on such shipments.
From 1 April 2020, online shops and online marketplaces are obligated to collect Norwegian value-added tax under the VOEC scheme. Since not all businesses were registered in the VOEC scheme from 1 April 2020, Posten (Norwegian Post) and other transporters have experienced considerable pressure, since they have had to clear these shipments, which were previously exempt.
A temporary customs declaration exemption was therefore introduced from 1 April 2020 for shipments with a value between NOK 0 and NOK 350 that are arriving from online shops, online marketplaces or other sellers that are not registered in the VOEC scheme. This means that the NOK 350 limit remains in effect for such shipments until the Norwegian Ministry of Finance decides to abolish it entirely.
The following goods are exempt, and you must pay import duty, regardless of the value of the shipment:
- foodstuffs (including food, beverages, supplements and vitamins),
- goods subject to import restrictions (including pharmaceutical products, weapons, alcohol, tobacco)
- goods subject to excise taxes (including sugar, beverage packaging, lubricating oils, major appliances that cause greenhouse gas emissions)