General Enquiries
Moving to Norway
- Work & residence permits
- Taxation
- Criminal Record Certificate
- Study in Norway
- Housing
- Pets
- Suggested reading
Travelling to NorwayVisa to enter Norway
Official Norway
Business
Import/Export
General
Finding an address or telephone number in Norway
Try the International Directory Enquiries or go to the Norwegian on-line telephone directory here. Bear in mind that the letters 'æ', 'ø' and 'å' appear at the end of the alphabet.
The international dialing code for Norway is +47. Norwegian telephone numbers have eight digits. Dial all eight, whether you are ringing within Norway or from abroad.
Mobile Telephone systems available in Norway and areas they cover
GSM is the most widely used system, with two service providers covering 80 per cent of the populated areas, all major cities and trunk roads. For further details contact:
Telenor Mobil
Tel: + 47 22 785000
Fax: + 47 22 785500
Internet: www.telenor.com
or
NetCom
Tel: + 47 22 888200
Fax: + 47 22 888050
Internet: www.netcom.no
Voltage of the power supply in Norway
The electricity supply in Norway is 230 V, but appliances up to 240 V (used in Australia) will work. Plugs have two round pins, and adapters are available.
General information on Norway and Norwegian institutions
A wide range of general information on Norway is available here on this website.
Useful information and news from the public sector can be found here.
Statistical information is available from Statistics Norway.
You can also look up the Norwegian government's news and information pages here.
Driving and driving licences in Norway
For information about driving in Norway and how to obtain a Norwegian driving licence, please click here
How to trace ancestors in Norway?
The Embassy recommend the Norwegian National Archives' website for further research (http://www.arkivverket.no/english/news.html) where you can find a brochure called "How to trace your ancestors in Norway". This brochure is targeted to the research of family history. On the same website you can also find scanned copies of old parish records which may be helpful in your search. Unfortunately the Embassy is unable to assist private people in the search for relatives.
Moving to Norway
General information about moving to Norway
General information about Norway can be found here and information about getting to Norway is available at the Visit Norway website.
Information on a wide range of subjects within the public sector can be found here. Information about how to obtain a personal number can be found here.
Please click here for information on how to find work in Norway.
See also the website of NAV, the Norwegian Labour & Welfare Organisation.
In Norway income tax ("inntektsskatt") and wealth tax ("formuesskatt") are direct taxes ("direkte skatter"). Income tax is paid directly as a percentage of income, whereas wealth tax is a tax on things you own, such as a house, bank deposits etc. Taxes are paid both to the state and the local municipality. In addition, a premium is paid to the social security system to finance public hospitals, medical treatment and various social benefits.
The most important indirect tax ("indirekte skatt") is value added tax, VAT, which is a general tax levied on sales within the country and on import. VAT is levied on most goods and some services, and applies to all stages in the chain of production and distribution. Any person engaged in trade or business is required to register and to charge and pay VAT on goods he/she supplies. VAT on inputs purchased by the registrants is deductible in the VAT accounts. VAT is thus not a tax on the registrants but a tax on final consumption.
VAT is presently calculated at a rate of 12 to 24 per cent of net price.
All self-employed persons are obliged to add this tax to sales of goods and services; it is a punishable offence not paying this tax in Norway. Further information on value added tax is available from the Chief County Tax Inspector ("Fylkesskattesjefen").
Your employer in Norway is obliged to deduct tax from you wages before you are paid. Once you have found employment in Norway you must obtain a tax card from you local taxation office as soon as possible. Your employer and the taxation office will provide all necessary information on how to apply and what you must enclose with your application. The tax card states what percentage of your income your employer must deduct in tax. If you start work without a tax card, your employer is obliged to deduce 50 % tax. This is generally more than would be deducted from you wages if you had a tax card, but if you have paid too much tax, you will receive a refund in the spring or autumn of the following year when the tax assessments are completed.
If you live in Norway for a period less than six months, special tax regulations apply. Your local taxation office ("ligningskontor") in Norway will provide more information.
A detailed overview of the Taxes in Norway is offered on the web pages of the Ministry of Finance. A guide to the Norwegian tax system is available here.
For companies and persons not resident in Norway but engaged in tax activities in Norway the tax affairs will be dealt with by:
Central Office - Foreign Tax Affairs
(Sentralskattekontoret for utenlandssaker)
Prinsens vei 1
4300 Sandnes
Telephone: +47 51 67 80 88
Fax: +47 51 67 85 59
See also the Central Office's Guide for foreign employers and employees.
A filled in and signed form of the application for criminal record certificate must be sent to the Police District in Norway where the applicant last resided together with a certified copy of their passport. The form can be found here, and contact details for the police can be found here. The certificate may on request be issued in English if no criminal offence is registered.
Please see our website about study in Norway or refer to Study in Norway.
Information on the Norwegian educational system is available from the website of the Ministry of Education & Research, here.
Information about getting to Norway is available at the Visit Norway website.
An electronic property search can be made on www.finn.no/eiendom (in Norwegian only). Most newspapers, e.g. the Oslo-based Aftenposten as well as local papers, have a property column (‘Eiendommer’/ ‘Eiendomsmarkedet’). Click here for a comprehensive list of Norwegian newspapers available on the web.
Please refer to Mattilsynet for regulations on bringing pets into Norway.
General guidebooks are available from libraries and bookshops.
You might also try these:
Brady & Drabble: LIVING IN NORWAY, published by Palameder Press
Su-Dale: NORWAY, A Guide to Customs and Etiquette, Culture Shock series by Kuperard Travelling to Norway
Travelling to Norway
Visa to enter Norway
Australia & New Zealand
Australian and New Zealand citizens travelling on Australian or New Zealand passports do not need a visa to visit Norway or any of the other Schengen countries for up to 90 days during a period of 180 days. This means that after a 90-day stay, they cannot return to the Schengen area until a further 90 days have passed. It is their responsibility to comply with this requirement.
The Schengen area compromises the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, German, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
For more information, please refer to Visa and other permits and UDI.
Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Cook Islands
Citizens of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu or the Cook Islands will need a visa to enter Norway. Please refer to Visa and other permits and UDI.
Return ticket when travelling to Norway
Norwegian immigration authorities do not require visitors under the visa waiver exemption to hold a return ticket to their home country in order to grant entry into Norway.
It is however required that you are able to document that you have the financial means to return to your home country.
Please be advised that entry into the Schengen area including Norway is at the discretion of the immigration authorities.
Please find information regarding requirements for entering Norway here.
Please be aware that certain airlines require you to have a return ticket. Please contact your airline regarding information about their rules and regulations.
Bringing food and alcohol into Norway
For updated information on quantities and duty-free allowances, please refer to customs and regulations.
If you cannot find the information you need on this website, there is an e-mail contact address available (tad@toll.no) to which you can address specific questions.
The Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights
Both of these two natural phenomena are visible north of the Arctic Circle, one in the summer, the other in the winter.
The Midnight Sun:
North Cape: 14 May - 29 July
Hammerfest: 16 May - 27 July
Tromsø: 20 May - 22 July
Narvik: 25 May - 18 July
Bodø: 4 June - 8 July
Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen): 20 April - 20 August.
The Northern Lights:
The best chance of seeing the northern lights, or aurora borealis, is north of the Arctic Circle between early November and the end of February.
Please also see Northern Lights.
Travel information and maps of various cities in Norway
Please see the website of the Norwegian Tourist Board's Head Office at VisitNorway.
Weather in Norway
Norwegian weather is unpredictable. Check reports in one of the major national newspapers before leaving home.
Read about the climate in Norway here. Please keep in mind that the seasons are opposite from Australia.
Official Norway
Norwegian law texts available in English
Some Norwegian Acts of Parliament are available in English translation from the Faculty of Law library, University of Oslo and at Lovdata.
For laws relating to business and industry, you can also contact the following publisher: Næringslivets Forlag A/S, PO Box 5145 Majorstua, N-0302 Oslo, NORWAY. Tel: + 47 22 965429. Fax: + 47 22 698210.
Business
Finding a particular company in Norway
Please refer to Innovation Norway and NorTrade, the official Norwegian trade portal.
Starting a business in Norway
Please refer to Bedin.
Contacting oil and gas companies in Norway
Please refer to Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners.
Information about trade fairs and exhibitions in Norway
Please refer to Norway trade fairs.
Obtaining information on Norwegian companies
Please refer to Brønnøysund registeret.
Import / Export
Importing products from Norway, and finding out who the main exporters are
Please refer to Innovation Norway.
Importing seafood from Norway
Please find information about Norwegian seafood here.
How do I export to Norway?
Please find information on export to Norway here.