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EXPLAINED: Why number plates in Norway have the Norwegian flag

Number plates in Norway display the country the car was registered in, along with the flag of that country. This is due to an international convention.

Published: 12 July 2024 15:57 CEST
Pictured is a car on the road in Norway.
Norwegian number plates have the Norwegian flag on them. Pictured is a car on the road in Norway. Photo by Alexandr Bormotin on Unsplash

Having a sticker or some marker which identifies where a car was registered is a law in Norway.

Many other countries also have this requirement. This obligation stems from the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic passed in 1968. The treaty ensures that other countries integrate a distinctive sign of nationality onto the car.

Nowadays, pretty much all number plates in Norway have the nationality mark integrated into them to comply with this rule.

For integrated Norwegian numberplates, the law requires a nationality mark to be placed on the far left of the number plate. This will need to be supplied by a manufacturer used by the Norwegian Road Administration.

The mark will need to consist of the letter “N” painted white and supplemented by the Norwegian flag. This must be on a blue reflective background, and the letter must be 20 millimetres tall for a large number plate and 15 millimetres tall for a small number plate.

When buying a new or relatively modern car, you will not need to worry about sorting this yourself – you’ll need to check that the number plate complies with the law.

A few years ago, it was trendy for people to use different colours on the identifier than what is currently permitted, and in some cases, motorists taped over the nationality mark for aesthetic purposes. However, you can no longer buy a sticker to cover the national identifier.

Furthermore, having incorrect national identifiers can result in a fine from the police. You can be fined 3,000 kroner for having incorrect national identifiers in Norway. Despite these fines, incorrect ones are still available on the shelves of some auto shops.

READ MORE: The punishments for Norway’s most common traffic offences

If you need to purchase a new set of plates with the proper national identifiers, then you order them from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, and a set of signs costs 120 kroner. Ordering a new set of number plates is down online, and you will need to pick them up from a traffic centre. The plates will take two to five working days to arrive at the traffic centre.

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DRIVING

How to tell if a parking ticket in Norway is valid

Getting a parking is something which can derail even the best of days. However, not all tickets issued in Norway will be valid, meaning you won't have to pay in some cases.

Published: 15 July 2024 14:56 CEST
How to tell if a parking ticket in Norway is valid

A bright yellow menace found attached to the wipers of cars all over Norway, parking tickets can be pretty hefty.

Not all parking tickets issued in Norway are valid, meaning that in some cases, you won’t need to pay them. To avoid rogue providers exploiting motorists with bogus tickets, the Norwegian government introduced universal parking regulations in 2017.

In short, the measures laid out by the Ministry of Transport and Communications ensure that the public has clear knowledge of when a parking ticket is valid and must be paid and when it can be appealed.

Car parks and parking areas where anyone can park for payment, within a time limit, or under other conditions must be registered in the national parking register. If the area isn’t registered, the vehicle owner can’t be issued a ticket.

If you do get a ticket and wish to check whether the area can be used for parking, you can check on the Norwegian Public Roads Administration’s website.

READ ALSO: The punishments for Norway’s most common traffic offences

Furthermore, there are rules on what a parking ticket must contain for it to be valid. The fine must have information about how to contact the company, what you have done to get a ticket, how you can complain and your deadline for complaining.

Any parking fines must also allow the recipient to go through the appeal process before payment is collected, provided the ticket holder applies within the appeal deadline.

If the fine doesn’t contain all the above information, or the car park isn’t in the national register, it isn’t valid.

Tickets are also considered invalid if the parking area is not signposted correctly or if the signs are difficult to understand.

There’s also some good news for those who struggle with punctuality. A fine should be waived if the ticket was issued within five minutes of the parking expiring. Tickets can also be scrubbed if there is no payment machine in a car park.

Appealing fines

If you receive a ticket that you feel was invalid, you will need to first appeal to the parking company. If the appeal is rebuffed, or you do not receive an answer from the parking firm, you must raise your complaint with the Norwegian Parking Appeal Tribunal. Information on the Norwegian Parking Appeal Tribunal can be found in English.

Why you’ll receive a fine

Tickets are issued for breaking the parking area’s terms and conditions. Sometimes, honest mistakes can also result in tickets. For example, you can be fined at car parks with car reg systems if you enter a single letter or number incorrectly.

You’ll also receive a yellow slip if your parking breaks general traffic regulations.

“If you have parked in violation of the Road Traffic Act, the traffic rules or the sign regulations, you can also receive a parking fine. Such a violation can be, for example, if you park where public signs prohibit parking or stopping, you park at intersections, on sidewalks, too close or on footpaths or in cycle lanes. It is mainly the municipality that issues this type of fine, and in these cases, the parking regulations do not apply,” Halgeir Jansen from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration said in a press release, issuing driver advice.

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