Norway
Travel restrictions
Currently, most people residing in the EU/EEA/Schengen or the United Kingdom may visit Norway.
All travelers to Norway are subject to mandatory testing for COVID-19. The test must be done as soon as possible and within 24 hours after arrival at the latest.
Effective December 21st, 2020, all arriving travelers to Norway must complete a registration form confirming that they have suitable accommodation for quarantine purposes. The form must be presented to the border control authorities upon arrival.
The government has decided to introduce a travel registration system, in which anyone wanting to cross Norwegian borders must register information including their name, contact details, quarantine location and employer if applicable. The aim is to have the travel registration system up and running from January 2021.
Effective May 9th, 2021, everyone who has been on a trip to a country outside the EEA/Schengen area must spend the entry quarantine at a quarantine hotel.
The travel quarantine period is 10 days if you arrive in Norway after having visited a red area/country. Travelers from abroad may complete quarantine as early as day seven if they receive two negative tests, the first taken upon arrival and the second is a PCR test taken no earlier than day seven.
Those that are fully vaccinated, have had COVID-19 and travelers from a handful of countries or areas referred to as yellow countries are exempt from travel quarantine. You must be able to document this via the COVID-19 certificate at helsenorge.no
An up-to-date list of countries the Norwegian authorities consider “red” or “yellow” can be found at the following link: https://www.fhi.no/en/op/novel-coronavirus-facts-advice/facts-and-general-advice/travel-advice-COVID19/
Anyone arriving from "red" countries must present a certificate of negative COVID-19 test when they arrive in Norway. The test must be taken less than 72 hours before entry. If they do not present a certificate, they may be refused entry.
Measures taken by the government
On May 7th 2020, the Norwegian government announced plans for further reopening of Norwegian society and easing COVID-19 restrictions.
NIPH has created a detailed information sheet regarding social distancing and quarantine procedures in Norway. Please find it here: https://no.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/221/engelsk-english_litt-mye-eller-helt-avstand.pdf
In municipalities with high infection rates (including Oslo) masks are required on public transport, in indoor public spaces where 1 meter distance cannot be maintained (e.g. grocery stores, shopping malls) and restaurants (when not seated).
Testing
“Fit for flight” tests have been offered at private clinics in Norway since summer 2020. Private clinics should be used prior to travel and paid for by the traveler, as the public test centers are for symptomatic patients and contact tracing. If a person is symptomatic or is classified as a close-contact, the test may be carried out at a public lab, free of charge, however results may not be available within 72 hours.
Private clinics are usually able to carry out the test the same day, or next day. It usually takes an average of 24-48 hours, but in some cases can take up to 72 hours, depending on the number of tests being processed.
The test costs approximately 1,000 – 1,500 NOK at most private clinics, but can cost up to 3,100 NOK at some locations for same-day results.
Test result delivery methods vary. Most clinics appear to offer electronic delivery, but please contact the medical provider directly for information regarding test result delivery.
Here are some examples of private clinics that provide COVID testing: Legevakt Vest (Oslo), Volvat (Oslo, Bergen, Drammen, Fredrikstad), Aleris (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim, Tromsø, and Strømmen) & Dr. Dropin at Oslo Airport Gardermoen.
Emergency number (related to COVID-19) while visiting the country
If you are currently traveling in Norway and have questions about the coronavirus (COVID-19), you can call the national information line at +47 815 55 015.
Source:
US Embassy in Norway https://no.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
Published on September 16th 2021 (checked on September 22nd 2021)
For more information please visit our COVID-19 Updates page at https://www.hiddentrails.com/article/covid19update.aspx