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Norway
Tourist guide

Driving in Norway

Complete guide for tourists and expats. Learn the road rules, speed limits, and essential information before you drive in Norway.

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110km/hMax highway speed
112 (police), 113 (ambulance), 110 (fire)Emergency number

Briefing

Norway's driving rules are shaped by three things foreign visitors consistently underestimate: the density of the AutoPASS toll network, the 0.2 promille (0.02% BAC) limit set in September 2000, and a road system that depends on tunnels and ferries to function. The E6 is the spine, running 2,500 km from Svinesund on the Swedish border to Kirkenes near Russia; the E18 carries the Oslo–Gothenburg–Sweden traffic; the E16 between Oslo and Bergen now stays open year-round only because of the 24.51 km Lærdalstunnelen, the world's longest road tunnel.

Standard motorway limit is 110 km/h on the upgraded sections — raised from 100 km/h on 13 June 2014 — but there are no 120 km/h roads anywhere in Norway. The default rural limit is 80 km/h; built-up areas are 50 km/h.

The toll network is one of the densest in Europe — around 190 automated stations plus three city cordons. Fjellinjen in Oslo runs 83 toll points across three rings; a petrol car pays NOK 47 inbound during rush hour (06:30–09:00, 15:00–17:00 weekdays) and NOK 38 off-peak, with a small surcharge for diesel.

Electric cars are no longer exempt — they pay NOK 26 rush / NOK 21 off-peak in 2026, after the blanket EV exemption that ran from 1997 to 2017 was progressively unwound. Rush-hour pricing is suspended on weekends, public holidays and throughout July.

Bergen and Trondheim run smaller cordons on the same model. Ferries on the riksveg network — including coastal links along the Atlantic Road corridor (Rv64) and crossings on the E39 west-coast route — are billed through AutoPASS for Ferry on the same tag, with a 10% discount tag-only and 40–50% with a prepaid ferry account.

The trap for tourists: rentals are camera-billed via Epass24 and rental companies pass each passage through with an admin fee weeks after you've flown home, the same delayed-invoice problem as Italian ZTL fines. Studded tyres are allowed 1 Nov to the first Sunday after Easter Monday (16 Oct – 30 Apr in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark) but if you use them inside Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger or Kristiansand you need an electronic studded-tyre permit — NOK 35/day, NOK 1,400/season in Oslo for 2026–27.

Trollstigen (Rv63) and most high mountain crossings close for winter; Trollstigen reopened 27 April 2026 after extended rockfall closures.

Can you drive in Norway?

Accepted licenses from

EUEEASwitzerlandUKUSACanadaAustraliaJapan
Validity period

EU/EEA licences valid for tourist driving and permanent residence. Non-EU/EEA licences valid for tourist use up to 3 months from entry; once you become resident in Norway and register with Folkeregisteret, a non-EEA licence is valid for 3 months from registration (extendable to 1 year on application). After that, only licences from specific exchange-agreement countries can be swapped — others must retake the Norwegian theory and practical test.

Important note

IDP recommended for non-EEA visitors whose licence is not in a Latin-script European language. Dipped headlights must be on at all times day and night under Vegtrafikkloven — Norway has had a mandatory daytime running lights rule since 1988. Foreign-language licences in non-Roman scripts should be accompanied by a 1949 or 1968 Convention International Driving Permit.

What to carry in your car

Mandatory items

  • Valid driving licence
  • Vehicle registration document (vognkort del 1)
  • Proof of motor third-party insurance (ansvarsforsikring)
  • Warning triangle (varseltrekant) — must be displayed at least 100 m behind the vehicle on motorways in case of breakdown
  • High-visibility reflective vest (refleksvest) — must be worn before leaving the vehicle on any roadway
  • Dipped headlights on at all times, day and night (mandatory since 1988)
  • Studded tyres or non-studded winter tyres with minimum 3 mm tread when winter road conditions exist between 1 Nov and the first Sunday after Easter Monday (16 Oct – 30 Apr in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark)

Recommended items

  • Snow chains for winter mountain driving — required equipment for many vehicles on closed mountain crossings, and the only way through when fjell-pass kjettingpåbud (chains compulsory) signs are active
  • First aid kit and ice scraper / snow brush — practical winter necessities
  • Tow rope and jump cables
  • AutoPASS tag (bompengebrikke) — saves 20% at all toll points and is mandatory if you want the environmental-tariff EV/hydrogen discounts in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger or Kristiansand cordons
  • Spare warm clothing, water and a torch — long inland stretches in Finnmark and Nordland have minimal mobile coverage and 80–120 km between fuel stops in winter
  • Studded-tyre permit (registered electronically to the licence plate) if entering Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger or Kristiansand on studs

Speed limits

Urban areas

km/h

Rural roads

km/h

Highways/motorways

km/h
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Toll roads

Payment methods

  • AutoPASS tag and agreement — physical 5.8 GHz DSRC transponder; gives 20% off all toll passages, plus environmental-rate access (30–100% discount for zero-emission vehicles depending on the project)
  • Epass24 — online pre-registration for foreign-registered vehicles without a tag; pays standard ANPR rate, no discount, but avoids lookup fees added to country-of-origin invoicing
  • ANPR camera billing without registration — invoice sent to the registered owner abroad via the country’s vehicle register, with a per-vehicle lookup fee added (EUR 5.10 Germany up to EUR 14.00 Austria)
  • AutoPASS for Ferry — same tag works on most national-route ferries (10% discount tag-only; 40–50% discount with a prepaid ferry account)
Average cost

Roughly 190 automated toll stations nationwide. Oslo cordon (Fjellinjen): petrol NOK 47 rush hour / NOK 38 off-peak; diesel NOK 50 / NOK 42; EV NOK 26 / NOK 21 (2026). Rush hours weekdays 06:30–09:00 and 15:00–17:00. Bergen and Trondheim cordons use similar tariff bands at slightly lower amounts. Charges only apply on the way into the cordon. Single ferry crossings range NOK 60–400 depending on length and route.

AutoPASS holders benefit from a monthly cap per cordon — NOK 2,000/month in Oslo, after which further passages that month are free. Rush-hour rates are suspended on weekends, public holidays and throughout July. The blanket EV exemption that existed 1997–2017 has been fully phased out — zero-emission vehicles now pay 50% of the petrol rate in Oslo as of 2026. Foreign-vehicle invoices arrive 2–8 weeks after travel; rental companies pass each passage through with an admin fee, so the bill lands long after the trip. There are no manned booths except at the Svinesundsbron crossing on the E6 between Sweden and Norway.

Parking

Line colors

White P on blue square

Permitted parking — always check stacked sub-signs for time, day, fee zone and parking-disc requirement

Yellow stripe on kerb

No parking / no stopping (reserved for buses, taxis or service)

Blue P-skive zone

Time-limited parking — must display a parking disc set to arrival time

Avgiftsparkering

Paid parking — pay at the machine, the EasyPark / Aimo Park / Apcoa Flow / Q-Park app, or by SMS to the displayed code

Parking tips

  • EasyPark and Aimo Park are the dominant payment apps — most blue P-signs display a zone code for both
  • Stacked parking signs read top to bottom: the top sign sets the rule, every sub-sign modifies it (time, day, charge, disabled-only, electric only)
  • Datumparkering (date-based street parking) is rare in Norway — most regulation is via posted signs, not even/odd dates
  • Studded-tyre permit is electronic per plate — no visible sticker needed, but enforcement runs ANPR sweeps in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and Kristiansand from November to April
  • Disabled-bay misuse and obstructing emergency-vehicle access attract the highest parking fines
Average cost

NOK 30–60 per hour in central Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger; NOK 15–25 per hour in mid-sized cities. Park-and-ride (innfartsparkering) lots near suburban transit stations are typically free with a valid public-transport ticket. Indoor garages run NOK 200–400 per day in central Oslo.

Common mistakes tourists make

  1. Driving without dipped headlights — mandatory at all times day and night since 1988; automatic DRLs alone do not satisfy the rule on older cars where they don’t activate rear lights
  2. Drinking even one beer — the 0.2 promille (0.02% BAC) limit is among the strictest in Europe, set in September 2000, and police roadside breath-testing at random stops is routine
  3. Ignoring the toll cordon because there’s no booth — Epass24 will bill the rental company weeks later and the admin fee per passage often exceeds the toll itself
  4. Underestimating speeding fines — going 21–25 km/h over a 50 km/h limit costs NOK 13,450 plus three penalty points; going 26+ km/h over loses you the licence
  5. Driving on studded tyres inside Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger or Kristiansand without paying the electronic studded-tyre permit
  6. Underestimating mountain-road distances — narrow Rv-routes with hairpin turns and single-lane tunnels mean average speeds of 40–50 km/h, not the posted 80
  7. Not checking ferry timetables on the E39 west-coast route or Rv64 Atlantic Road corridor — some crossings run hourly, others two-hourly or seasonal only
  8. Driving without winter tyres in winter conditions between 1 Nov and the first Sunday after Easter Monday — police impose mandatory equipment checks and on-the-spot detention until compliant

Traffic fines

Speeding
Effective 15 February 2026. In ≤60 km/h zones: NOK 1,250 (1–5 over), NOK 3,350 (6–10), NOK 5,950 (11–15) +2 points, NOK 8,650 (16–20) +3, NOK 13,450 (21–25) +3, court proceedings + likely licence loss above. In ≥70 km/h zones: NOK 1,250 (1–5), NOK 3,350 (6–10), NOK 5,350 (11–15) +2, NOK 7,450 (16–20) +2, NOK 10,100 (21–25) +3, NOK 13,450 (26–30) +3, NOK 16,050 (31–35), NOK 16,700 (36–40 on motorway). Court proceedings and licence loss kick in at 26+ km/h over in lower-speed zones and 36+ over on rural roads.
No seatbelt
NOK 1,500 for the driver or any passenger aged 15+ not belted. NOK 3,100 + 2 penalty points if the driver fails to ensure a passenger under 15 is in a proper seat or restraint.
Phone use
NOK 10,750 + 3 penalty points (effective 1 January 2026, up from NOK 10,450). Supreme Court has ruled that stopping at a red light or sitting in traffic still counts as "driving" — handheld use is illegal in both. A phone must be in a properly mounted, fixed holder near the steering wheel within normal field of vision.
Red light
NOK 10,750 + 3 penalty points (effective 1 January 2026, up from NOK 10,450). Same fine schedule applies to failing to give way.
Illegal parking
Felparkeringsavgift NOK 600–900 typical; up to NOK 1,300 for serious obstruction, disabled-bay misuse, or fire-lane parking. Studded-tyre permit violation NOK 750 in Oslo.

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Emergency contacts

Police112(general emergency) / 02800 (non-urgent police)
Ambulance113
Fire110
Roadside assistanceNAF Veihjelp: 08505 (via SOS International). Viking Redningstjeneste: 06000. Falck/REDGO Redning: +47 21 42 33 00. Many rentals bundle 24/7 breakdown via the rental app.

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Sources

Every numeric and regulatory claim on this page is checked against the official Norway source listed below. Fines and fees in particular drift year to year — if a figure has changed since our last verification date, the linked source will reflect the current value.

Speed limitsStatens vegvesen — Speed limits and motorway maximum 110 km/h (raised 13 June 2014)Alcohol limitNorway Driving — BAC 0.2 promille set September 2000 (Vegtrafikkloven)FinesTryggeVeier — 2026 Norwegian speeding fine schedule (Lovdata / Statens vegvesen / Politiet, effective 15 Feb 2026)Fines2026IncreaseProve.no — 1 Jan 2026 fine increase (2.9%): mobile NOK 10,750, red light NOK 10,750TollsFjellinjen — Oslo cordon tariffs 2026 (petrol NOK 47/38 rush/off-peak; EV NOK 26/21)Tolls ForeignAutoPASS — Foreign-registered vehicles: AutoPASS agreement or Epass24 registrationTolls RatesAutoPASS — Rates and EV discounts (30–100% by project)In-car equipmentStatens vegvesen — Tyre requirements (3mm winter, studded dates by region)Foreign licenceStatens vegvesen — Foreign driving licences in NorwayEmergency contactsNorwegian Government — Emergency numbers 110 fire / 112 police / 113 medicalFuelGlobalPetrolPrices — Norway pump prices May 2026 (petrol NOK 22.68/L, diesel NOK 19.94/L)ParkingCity of Oslo — Studded tyre fee 2026–27 seasonLaerdals TunnelLærdal Tunnel — 24.51 km, world’s longest road tunnel (Wikipedia primary references)TrollstigenVisit Northwest — Trollstigen 2026 reopening 27 April after extended rockfall closure

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