In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, Norway has introduced strict entry restrictions for foreigners. As a rule, only foreigners residing in Norway can enter the country. Norwegian citizens always have the right to enter. To limit the import of the virus, we will continue to apply strict entry restrictions. This applies to those who will travel to Norway after May 27 until 12:00, when we are entering the second stage of the re-opening of Norway.
If you are one of the people who may travel to Norway now, please find out about the regulations in force by reading the text below. If you are one of the few people who has access to Norway, you can then move on to registration of arrival.
These people are not allowed to enter Norway (applies to nationals of all countries, including EU / EEA nationals and Nordic nationals):
- tourists
- extended family members such as grandparents
- partner or fiancé
- foreigners (including Nordic nationals) who are to work or study in Norway and who are not subject to any of the exceptions below
- persons who have obtained a residence permit in order to work or study in Norway and who are not yet residents
- business travelers
- a foreigner who has been granted a Schengen visa but who is not subject to any of the exceptions below
- people who own a recreational property in Norway but do not live here
Here is a summary of the exceptions:
- foreigners living in Norway
- foreigners coming from countries / areas not subject to quarantine ("yellow" countries / areas)
- foreigners who have obtained a family reunification permit
- people who are going to visit or live with close family members in Norway
- foreigners who are to carry out agreed contacts with children
- foreigners who have specific reasons which indicate that the person concerned has the right to enter, such as special caring responsibilities for people in Norway or other important social considerations
- asylum seekers and displaced refugees
- specific professional groups
- journalists
- seamen and flight personnel
- freight and passenger transport
- diplomats and military personnel
- Saami people during reindeer breeding
- scientists and crew members on a research sea voyage
- foreigners invited by the Norwegian authorities and employees of international organizations
- foreigners who have a stopover at an airport in Norway (both in international transit and within the Schengen area)
- foreigners performing critical social roles
- medical personnel from Sweden and Finland who work in the Norwegian health and care system
- foreigners who are permanent residents of Svalbard or who must travel through the mainland territory of Norway on their way to / from work or stay in Svalbard
Mandatory tests, registration of arrival, quarantine and quarantine hotel will, in principle, continue to apply to the few who are not subject to entry restrictions.
As a starting point for what are considered critical social roles, reference can be made to the following list:
List of Critical Social Roles (updated April 28, 2021)
- Leadership and crisis management
- Armed forces
- Law and order
- Health and healthcare, including pharmacies and cleaning
- Emergency services
- Cybersecurity in the civil sector
- Nature and the environment
- Security of energy supply
- Water and sewage
- Financial services
- Energy supply
- Electronic communication
- Transport
- Satellite services
These changes are a consequence of the current epidemiological situation with outbreaks of the mutated version of the virus. These are to be temporary restrictions to gain control over the epidemiological situation.
Arrival registration
To ensure better infection control, all travelers from the "red countries" must register before crossing the border. This also applies to Norwegian citizens.
Travelers must register before arrival in Norway, and the journey can be registered no earlier than 72 hours before the time of arrival.
You need to register online. After completing the registration, you will receive a confirmation to be presented to the police at the border control.
Travelers are asked to register only the information necessary for these purposes. The data is securely stored and deleted after 20 days. Only the authorities have access to this data.
If you have questions or need help with registration, you can call +47 33 41 28 70.
Register by phone +47 33 41 28 70
Entry quarantine and quarantine hotel
All travelers to Norway must be quarantined in the appropriate facility or in a quarantine hotel. Quarantine exceptions for people who have only been in low infection countries / areas in the EEA / Schengen and UK ("yellow" countries / areas).
People arriving from countries / areas of the EEA / Schengen and Great Britain with a high number of infections must stay in quarantine hotels, but may leave the quarantine hotel after testing negative at the earliest 3 or 7 days, depending on the number of infections in the country / the area in which they stayed.
All non-EEA / Schengen and UK travelers must spend the entire period of quarantine in quarantine hotels.
- General rules for entry quarantine and quarantine hotels
- More information about the entry quarantine
- Visit the FHI websites for information on the epidemiological situation in Europe
A quarantine facility for employees must be approved in advance
Employees who are allowed to enter Norway must comply with very strict quarantine laws. The main rule is that this group is to be quarantined in a hotel.
Exceptions are employees and contractors who come to Norway, for whom the employer or client provides a suitable place of residence, which has been approved by the Norwegian State Labor Inspectorate (Arbeidstilsynet) prior to their arrival. Documentation of such approval must be submitted upon entry into the country.
- Application form at arbeidstilsynet.no
- More information for employers and employees at arbeidstilsynet.no
Rules for entering Norway. Obligation to test
If you have been in a country or area with compulsory quarantine in the last 14 days, you must undergo a coronavirus test upon arrival in Norway. This also applies to Norwegian citizens, and from April 19 also to children under the age of 12.
People who fail the test without just cause may voluntarily leave the country or be fined.
Travelers must additionally present a negative SARS-CoV-2 test upon entry. The test is to be done within 24 hours prior to arrival in Norway. This also applies to Norwegian citizens and foreigners living in Norway. For those arriving in Norway, the test can be done up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure time of the first leg of the flight.
The requirement of a negative test result does not apply if obtaining such a certification was impossible or disproportionately demanding.
List of open border crossings
Hotline for Arrival, Testing and Quarantine:
- In Norway: 815 55 015
- From abroad: +47 21 89 80 42
