I want to travel to Norway with my Russian-registered passenger car. What are the rules or restrictions I should know about?

As of 2 October 2023 at 24:00 it will no longer be possible to temporarily import Russian-registered passenger cars with nine or fewer seats into Norway, with some exceptions.

You can find more information about the rules on the government's website (external website).

Norway and the EU countries have already introduced bans on the import of, among other things, Russian-registered passenger cars with nine or fewer seats. From midnight on 2 October there will be stricter rules for temporary imports. This means that if you are going to drive to Norway and your car is Russian-registered, you will not be able to bring the car into Norway.

Exceptions

In Norway, four types of exceptions apply.

  • Norwegian citizens or EEA citizens or their immediate family, who live in Russia and own a Russian-registered car, can travel to Norway with the car.
  • Exceptions have also been made for vehicles that are necessary for humanitarian reasons, such as acute illness, death or a funeral in the family. You must be able to document at the border that you must bring the car into Norway for humanitarian reasons. If you can achieve the purpose of the visit by other means of transport, for example a bus, the use of your own Russian-registered car will not be considered "necessary".
  • There are also exceptions for diplomatic vehicles or vehicles belonging to international organisations or a state's courier service.
  • In addition, you can apply for an exception from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In special cases in which foreign policy considerations warrant it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may grant an exception.

Please note that the ban does not apply to vehicles with ten or more seats. It will still be possible to cross the border with, for example, minibuses and buses via Storskog border station.

Who can I contact if I have further questions about these rules and exceptions?

UDI does not have the authority to answer questions about the rules for importing or temporarily importing Russian-registered passenger cars.

If you have questions about how to interpret the rules and exceptions, you can send an e-mail to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For more information, there is a Q&A available (in Norwegian only) (external website) on the government website.

How does this affect me?

The rules are related to the import of goods and does not change the conditions for entry that applies to individuals. Even if a vehicle is covered by an exception, this does not mean that the persons traveling in the vehicle are automatically allowed to enter Norway.