NorgeStart
Driving in Norway
A driving licence from an EU/EEA country stays valid in Norway for as long as it is valid at home, and exchanging it is optional. A licence from anywhere else lets you drive for up to three months after you move here; after that it depends on which country issued it — only licences from certain listed countries can be exchanged at all, and everyone else has to take the full Norwegian licence from scratch. Check your own country on vegvesen.no before you assume you can swap it.
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What a driving licence costs in Norway
- Official fees are small; the lessons are what cost. From 1 February 2026 Statens vegvesen charges 480 kr for the theory test, 1 490 kr for the practical test paid online (1 540 kr at the office), 160 kr to issue the licence online (270 kr at the office) and 100 kr for the photo.
- The driving school is the real bill. A category B licence from scratch typically lands between 25 000 and 40 000 kr depending on the city and how many lessons you need — Oslo is dearest. The mandatory parts alone (trafikalt grunnkurs, night driving, safety courses on track and on road) run to several thousand kroner before a single ordinary lesson.
- Exchanging a foreign licence is far cheaper — if yours can be exchanged at all. An EU/EEA licence stays valid as long as it is valid at home, and exchange is optional. A licence from outside the EU/EEA may normally be used for three months from the date you are registered in the National Population Register as having normal residence.
- Only some non-EU/EEA licences can be exchanged: Australia, Canada, Greenland, Israel, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA. The conditions, the tests required and any deadline are set per country — check yours at vegvesen.no rather than assuming a general rule.
- If your licence is not on that list you start over — full driving school, both tests, full price, as a first-time applicant. This is the most expensive surprise newcomers meet with driving here.
- Fees are charged per attempt: failing the practical test means paying the 1 490 kr again, plus more lessons.
Book the theory test early — waiting times at trafikkstasjonen run to several weeks in the big cities, and the three months you may drive on a non-EU/EEA licence do not pause while you wait for an appointment.
Your foreign licence
- EU/EEA licence: valid as long as it's valid at home; exchange optional.
- Non-EU licence: you may drive for 3 months from the date you are registered as having normal residence here. Exchange is possible only from Australia, Canada, Greenland, Israel, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK and the USA — usually with tests, and on conditions that differ by country. A licence from anywhere else cannot be exchanged: you take the full Norwegian licence as a first-time applicant (theory + practical + courses — often NOK 30–40k with lessons). Check your country: vegvesen.no.
Rules that surprise foreigners
- Alcohol limit 0.02% — one beer is too much. Penalties: fine of ~1.5 monthly salaries, licence loss, prison for higher levels. Morning-after driving counts too.
- Headlights on always, 24/7, all year.
- Default speed limits: 50 in built-up areas, 80 outside, 100–110 motorway. Fines are brutal (NOK 8 000+ for 15 over) and speed cameras (including average-speed pairs) are everywhere.
- Right-hand priority (høyreregelen): on unmarked residential roads, cars from the right have priority — surprises almost every foreigner.
- Pedestrian crossings: you MUST stop for anyone waiting, not just walking.
Winter driving
- Tyres must suit conditions — winter tyres (min 3 mm tread) on snow/ice; studded tyres allowed ~1 Nov to Easter (longer in the north); Oslo/Bergen/Trondheim charge a studded-tyre fee (~NOK 1 400/season).
- Mountain passes close or run convoys in storms — check vegvesen.no/175 before crossing in winter.
- Keep in the car: ice scraper, snow brush, jumper cables, blanket. An engine heater or EV preheat makes -15° mornings civilised.
Tolls, parking & EVs
- Tolls (bompenger) are charged by cameras — get an AutoPASS tag (20% discount); foreign-plated cars get invoices via Epass24. Oslo ring tolls: ~NOK 20–60 per pass depending on time/fuel.
- Parking: read the signs (Norwegian only) and pay by app (EasyPark). Fines NOK 660–990 are routine; private wardens are diligent.
- Norway is the EV country — used EVs are cheap, tolls/parking often discounted, chargers everywhere (apps: Elton, Recharge, Tesla).
Resident parking (beboerparkering)
- Central districts of the bigger cities reserve street parking for residents: beboerparkering. The streets are signed and divided into numbered zones — a permit is only valid in your own zone.
- Introduced across most of inner Oslo, with variants in Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Drammen and Kristiansand.
- The permit requires that your car is registered at your address inside the zone — one more reason to register your move correctly. Cost: roughly a few thousand kroner per year (EVs usually pay less); visitors pay by the hour in the parking apps.
- Parking in a resident zone without a permit or visitor ticket = the standard NOK 660 fine — and it can be repeated every day the car stands there.
Charging an electric car
- Public city chargers (normal AC posts): pay via the operator's app; you may usually only park there while actually charging, and time limits apply — read the sign. The free-charging era is over in most cities.
- Fast chargers (DC): networks like Tesla (open to most car brands), Recharge, Mer, Eviny, Kople, Ionity. Price per kWh roughly 4–8 kr — several times the home price. Etiquette is enforced: move the car once charged — idle fees kick in, and occupying a charger without charging can mean a fine or towing.
- At home in a borettslag/sameie: you have a legal right to install a charger at your parking spot (the board can only refuse with a valid reason). Use a proper wallbox — long-term charging from an ordinary outdoor socket is a fire risk and often voids insurance.
- Winter: EV range drops 20–30% in the cold — plan long trips in the charging apps and precondition the battery while plugged in.
Bringing or buying a car
- Importing your car = customs + weight/CO₂ taxes — often NOT worth it for ordinary cars; calculate first at Skatteetaten.
- Buying used: check on finn.no; verify EU-kontroll (inspection) status and that no debt (heftelser) is registered on the car — debts follow the car in Norway!
- Yearly costs: insurance (NOK 6–15k), traffic insurance fee, EU-kontroll every 2 years.
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