Norway
Travel restrictions
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises to avoid all unnecessary travel. The advice, which includes an entry ban for travelers that are not Norwegian citizens or residence permit holders to Norway, has been extended until June 1st, 2021.
Effective November 9th, 2020, persons who come to Norway must have a permanent residence in the country, or a guarantee of a suitable place of residence upon arrival in Norway from their employer. Persons arriving in Norway, including tourists and visitors, who do not have their own residence or employer in Norway must stay in quarantine hotels and test themselves during the quarantine period.
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.
Anyone arriving in Norway from abroad shall be in quarantine for 10 days. 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.
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.
On December 29th, 2020, the Norwegian Government introduced new quarantine rules to contribute to more people being tested and to improve compliance with the quarantine rules. Travellers arriving in Norway from abroad may, at the earliest, end quarantine on day seven if they test negative for Covid-19 twice after arrival. The first test must be taken within three days of arrival, and the second, at the earliest, seven days after arrival.
Effective January 29th, 2021, the Government of Norway is imposing new, stricter rules on foreign nationals who seek entry to Norway. In general, only foreign nationals who reside in Norway will be permitted to enter.
From March 12th, 2021, anyone undertaking unnecessary leisure travel abroad must stay at a quarantine hotel upon entry to Norway.
Measures taken by the government
On May 7th, 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
New national and local COVID-19 prevention measures took effect on October 28th:
- The maximum number of guests at social gatherings in private homes, gardens or cottages should not exceed five, in addition to the household members. If all the guests come from the same household, more than five guests are permitted. This means that two families with many children can still meet.
- The restriction limiting social gatherings to five guests does not apply to day care centre or primary school cohorts. Children who are in the same cohort at a day care centre or primary school are exempted from the requirement to maintain social distancing at events.
- In general, members of the public are advised to limit their social interaction to fewer people and to shorter periods of time, and to reduce the overall number of people they meet in the course of a week.
- The number of participants attending private events held in public places or in leased or borrowed venues may not exceed a maximum of 50.
- The current maximum of 600 attendees at outdoor events is limited to events where all attendees are seated in fixed seats.
- The Government has proposed a number of measures to make it easier for municipalities to monitor compliance with the rules that apply to events, establishments serving food and drink, and employees
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).
Updated national and local COVID-19 prevention measures went into effect on November 9th, 2020. More information can be found at the following link: https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/stay-at-home-have-as-little-social-contact-as-possible/id2783763/
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 April 22nd 2021 (checked on May 5th 2021)
For more information please visit our COVID-19 Updates page at https://www.hiddentrails.com/article/covid19update.aspx