Norway: visa and entry rules

Norway's borders: every crossing point

With Russia there is a single crossing, Borisoglebsk — Storskog in Murmansk region. It works, but since May 2024 Russian tourists have not been let through it: a valid reason is needed.

The borders with Sweden and Finland are open and lie inside the Schengen area. The main routes are Svinesund on the Swedish side and Kilpisjarvi on the Finnish one.

By sea there are ferries to Denmark, Germany and Sweden — Oslo is linked with Copenhagen and Kiel, Larvik and Kristiansand with Hirtshals.

Svalbard is a special case. The archipelago lives under the Svalbard Treaty and formally needs no visa, but the only way to get there is through mainland Norway, which means a Schengen visa is needed anyway.

The practical conclusion: the overland route from Russia is closed to tourists, leaving arrival by air through other countries of the area.

Driving to Norway

Cars on Russian plates are not admitted — Norway is one of the twelve countries where this rule applies.

The practical option is to rent a car in Europe.

A Green Card is compulsory.

There are many toll roads and tunnels, usually charged automatically by number plate, with the bill going to the rental company.

Travelling to Norway with a pet

The rules are the same across the whole EU.

An ISO-standard microchip is compulsory, and it is fitted BEFORE the rabies vaccination — otherwise the vaccination does not count.

A rabies vaccination — not before 12 weeks of age, and 21 days must pass between the vaccination and entry.

A rabies antibody titre test is required only for pets from a country not on the EU's approved list. The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK are on the list, so this does not apply to pets travelling from those countries; Russia is one of the countries it does apply to. The blood is taken no earlier than 30 days after the vaccination, then there is a three-month wait before entry.

An EU veterinary certificate is required, issued by the state veterinary service.

No more than five animals per person without commercial paperwork.

Overstaying your visa in Norway

The breach is recorded across the whole Schengen area, not by individual country.

The main consequence is a refusal of your next visa. The record stays in the system, and getting a Schengen visa afterwards is substantially harder.

An entry ban for a significant overstay covers the entire area at once.

Days are counted across the whole of Schengen. The typical mistake is to count the stay in each country separately.