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What to know if you are travelling in and out of Norway this Christmas 

The holiday season is here, meaning many will be migrating in and out of Norway to visit or spend time with friends and family this Christmas and New Year. 

Published: 18 December 2023 16:03 CET
Updated: 20 December 2023 09:51 CET
Pictured is a Norwegian train.
Here's what you need to know if you will be travelling in Norway this winter. Pictured is a Norwegian train. Photo by Hongbin on Unsplash

Airports 

All airlines advise passengers to arrive at least two hours before their flight and, in special cases, may ask passengers to arrive even earlier. 

If there is a day when you should maybe consider arriving in good time, it’ll be December 21st and December 22nd. These are the two busiest departure days of the year, according to figures obtained by the newspaper Dagbaldet. 

On December 21st, 113,000 passengers will depart from Norway’s airports. On Friday, 111,000 travellers are expected. 

In comparison, Christmas Eve will see just 30,000 passengers. What makes the two days before Christmas Eve even busier is that many will bring extra luggage

As Oslo Gardermoen is one of Europe’s most punctual airports, many travelling from the capital can expect a smooth experience as the airport doesn’t have a reputation for chaos. 

What you can bring in your suitcase 

Many will want to bring food in or out of Norway to give to their friends and families. Others may have received gifts that they wonder whether they can bring in their luggage. 

When arriving from or travelling outside the EU/EEA, you can’t bring meat, meat products, milk and milk products in your luggage. 

When travelling within the EU, you can bring these products. Double-check the rules of the country you are travelling to. 

You also aren’t allowed to bring drugs, medicines and poisons without permission. A doctor’s prescription for medication counts as permission. Meanwhile, you can bring small quantities of medicines for personal use. 

Alcohol over 60 percent is also banned, as are weapons, fireworks, potatoes, animals and plants. 

The Norwegian Customs Authority has more information on its website. Airlines have their own rules too, for example lithium batteries aren’t allowed in the hold. 

Many travel experts recommend bringing the most important items in your hand luggage so you can ensure safe handling and to avoid being separated from your luggage in the event that your bag gets diverted.  

What’s open and what’s closed 

Opening hours for shops, bars and restaurants are quite prohibited. Saturday, December 23rd, will be the last chance to purchase alcohol until December 26th.

State-owned wine monopolies will stop selling alcohol at 4pm, and supermarkets will stop at 6pm on the Saturday before Christmas. 

Bars and restaurants will be able to serve alcohol. When it comes to finding a restaurant in Norway on Christmas Eve, many will be closed, and the ones that are open may require a booking. 

This means you should research your options when eating out in Norway over Christmas. 

Other restaurants choose to close or have infrequent hours between Christmas and New Year’s to give staff time off.  

Travel within Norway 

If taking a train or bus within Norway over Christmas, you will need to check your timetables and book in advance if you haven’t already. 

Most tickets work on a supply and demand model, so any remaining spaces in the lead-up to Christmas will come at a premium. 

The 22nd is likely to be a busy day for transport across all over Norway. 

Over Christmas, trains run fewer departures too. There are typically fewer services on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and every day afterwards until January 2nd. 

Public transport in the bigger cities will still run, but there will also be reduced services. 

When it comes to driving, the 21st and 22nd are the busiest days of the year on the road. Depending on the weather, there could be difficult driving conditions, such as icy roads. Wind and snow can also close roads and mountain passes. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has an overview of road closures. 

Residence permits 

When travelling in and out of Norway, one of the most important things to remember is your residence card. The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) recommends travellers remember their residence cards when re-entering Norway. 

This is because the residence card is your only way of proving that you have the legal right to enter and proof that you haven’t overstayed in the EEA/EA as a third-country national.

Border control may still choose to allow you to enter Norway, but you can expect a stern telling off or a lecture in return. 

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EES PASSPORT CHECKS

EES border checks could undergo ‘soft launch’, UK says as app concerns mount

The UK government is preparing for a "soft launch" of the new EU border system – the Entry/Exit (EES) system - in October but authorities are still waiting for European Commission to confirm the start date, amid concerns over the delay of a new app.

Published: 4 May 2024 09:30 CEST
EES border checks could undergo 'soft launch', UK says as app concerns mount

The government is working on the assumption that the system will go live on October 6th, ministers told a hearing at the House of Commons European scrutiny committee this week.

But the European Commission is expected to confirm the exact launch date of the new biometric checks for non-EU travellers entering the Schengen area at some point this summer, they added.

“We are very much working on a basis whereby this policy will go live on the 6th of October. It is important that we plan for that eventuality. We are expecting to hear definitively from the European Union that ‘go live’ arrangement in the summer,” Tom Pursglove, UK Minister for Legal Migration and the Border told the committee.

The parliamentary committee is conducting an inquiry on the disruptions the system will cause in the UK.

Pursglove also said that “precautionary measures” have been agreed by the EU, that will be put in place in certain circumstances after the start of EES, for example if delays at the borders exceeded a certain length of time.

Guy Opperman, Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said that in practice this meant a “soft launch” of EES for 6 months before “a full go live”. During that soft launch EU member states and the UK could deploy flexibility measures should problems occur.

“The likelihood is, after multiple delays, that the 6th of October will proceed” and the implementation looks “very different” compared to previous scenarios considering the flexibility allowed in the first 6 months, he argued.

No details were given on what these “flexible” measures would involve however. 

READ ALSO: Your questions answered about Europe’s EES passport checks

He conceded that “a lot of work” still needs to be done but the UK “should be as ready as everybody” and “better be at front of the queue”.

App not ready

During the meeting, it also emerged that a much-anticipated app that would allow remote pre-registration of non-EU citizens subject to the checks will not be available for testing until August “at best”, prompting concerns about the EES launch date.

“You don’t need to be a sceptic about future projects to think that the provision of the app in August for going live in October is optimistic,” Opperman said.

Ministers confirmed that the app will not be ready in time for October and the committee previously stated it might be delayed until summer 2025.

The app will facilitate pre-registration, but photo and fingerprints will still have to be taken at the border in front of a guard, the committee heard.

READ ALSO: How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

Several MPs asked whether the entry into operation of the EES should be delayed again if technology is not ready. But Under-Secretary Opperman said the app “is not going to be a panacea to fix all problems”.

The main aim of EES is to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area for a short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

The entry into operation of the system has already been delayed several times and there have been calls from certain travel companies and national authorities to delay it again.

Under the new scheme, non-EU/EFTA travellers who do not need a visa will have to register their biometric data (finger prints and facial images) in a database that will also record each time they enter and exit the Schengen area.

Instead of having passports manually stamped, travellers will have to scan them at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are concerns the extra time needed will generate long queues, especially in Dover, Folkestone and St. Pancras station in London, where there are juxtaposed French and UK border checks.

Progress in preparations

Minister Pursglove also updated MPs on ongoing preparations. He said some testing of the system will take place within days, 5 kiosks have been installed at St. Pancras station and are available for testing. “You are beginning to see the physical infrastructure appear,” he said.

Kiosks and extra lanes are also being created at the port Dover and it was agreed with the EU passengers travelling by coach will be checked away from the Eastern dock, where controls usually take place, allowing to gain space. The vehicles will then sealed and drive on the ferries.

MPs also discussed the infrastructure cost linked to the introduction of the EES. Opperman said all EU countries will have to make “huge investments” in their ports. In the UK, he argued, this will help “address problems that have existed for some time”. Because of this “massive investment”, in a few years time “Dover will be totally transformed,” he said.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

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