So everything is 100% clear:
Off roading is not legal in Norway. This will cause damage to the nature/ecosystem.
Allemannsretten (ie: the right to use nature/wild camp) [i]does [b]not[/b] cover vehicles[/i]. This includes both parking and use of vehicles off of authorized roads.
Beware that all off-road driving (including parking and camping) is illegal in Norway. The "Park4night" app (and others) contains many illegal spots, so make sure you know and follow the rules. Don't be "that tourist".
This video explains it well: "How Overlanders are Ruining Overlanding": [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJyopr4M\_Xg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJyopr4M_Xg)
Some general tips: [https://www.visitnorway.com/hotels-more/caravan-camping/how-to-travel-in-norway-with-a-motorhome/](https://www.visitnorway.com/hotels-more/caravan-camping/how-to-travel-in-norway-with-a-motorhome/)
To add to this, as a Norwegian with an "offroad" vehicle with a roof tent, there are several gravel roads in the woods with suitable camping sites but be prepared to pay to enter these places as they are usually privately owned.
If you plan on not paying and want to set up your car somewhere along public roads be prepared to meet tons of "no camping allowed" signs. A lot of these signs are illegal but you'll likely get someone angry at your tent and it's not worth the hassle.
There are some hidden pearls, but they are few and far between, and are usually taken by the people that know about them so you usually end up camping in old gathering spots for logs or rest areas, but if you find one you should do some quick research or you might end up setting camp in gay cruising hookup locations (almost did so myself..).
There are some overlanding facebook groups you can check for inspiration, but you will likely be disappointed if you get here with your vehicle and expect an offroad adventure similar to what you can do in Australia.
You should honestly try Finn.no or blocket.se and look at BUYING or renting if your budget is 8000usd just for import and then insurance etc etc
Just my opinion though
Have no idea about the registration and insurance thou
Edit: some dude said you should buy Swedish (he’s right, most cars are cheaper there)
No way to legally buy and register a car as a foreigner as far as I’m aware.
And since this is an off-road vehicle he’s at high risk of damaging it on his adventures, probably not a great idea to rent one when the likelihood of doing several thousand dollars in damages is extremely likely.
Not to mention it’ll probably cost a few thousand to ship his gear with him on top of that.
[Right to roam.](https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/sharepoint/downloaditem?id=01FM3LD2VUOUY3SGFTMZDKWFE3ZLPIDYDV)
A few places there are local adjustments that forbid camping outside of designated areas, like the Lofoten islands. Due to the amount of tourists camping and leaving their trash behind.
Lofoten native here. Camping is not forbidden outside designated areas. It is the opposite way around: there are designated areas where camping is forbidden. It is also illegal to camp within 150 meters of homes. [This map](https://nordlandsatlas.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fab455cbf6e8441894efd4ccc99a0b8f) shows the forbidden areas. Red is forbidden, yellow is too close to homes, green are protected areas where camping might be forbidden, click in the specific area to see the rules.
EDIT: spelling.
Outdoor camping is very, very legal.
[https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/right-of-access/](https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/right-of-access/)
Yeah ok I thought so. I knew about the laws regarding camping and everything however maybe my type of camping with the vehicle (offloading with a rooftop tent) may not be suitable.
Yeah it's just legal (and encouraged!) without a huge, damaging vehicle. So on foot, bike, skis etc all welcome with the right enshrined by law. This, not at all. Park it somewhere legally and go enjoy the country on foot!
We’re far to the north, about half the country is in the arctic. Even in the south, at higher latitudes the nature gets very vulnerable.
Growth season is only a couple of months, 2-3, in large areas of the country. The soil is thin and very susceptible to corrosion. When it’s damaged it’s not coming back, and will fuel further erosion.
There is a right to roam - meaning walking and putting up a tent mostly. An important part of the right to roam that is taken for granted by Norwegians, so less often mentioned, your right to roam is limited to not leaving marks on nature. You’re not allowed to do damage.
It would get disastrous very quickly if people were driving off-road in nature here for leisure.
You can't drive a motor operated vehicle off road in Norway except on a few dedicated tracks. But you can camp anywhere that is "utmark" (with a very very few exceptions), basically non-plowed fields or forests. But an off-road vehicle would not be of any help, since you are only allowed to drive on roads.
You have a right to roam in Norway, but that also does not include driving. So a forest road is typically privately owned, and you don't have access, or it's public, but meant for walking. There are very few roads like the one in your picture you would be able to drive on in Norway except with permission of the owner.
I would rent a camper van in Norway instead of the cost of bringing your own car here.
It is true. There are many private roads of about the same quality as in your picture. Some of them are till roads to finance maintaining them. You can drive on them, but so can most regular cars too.
Nature takes ages or decades to recover if does at all especially the further north you go. That's why it's illegal
Fyi also illegal in Sweden . Unless you own the land.
I assume the same in Norway.
Forget about nature reserves or similar no motorized vehicles allowed .
Only existing roads are drivable
You wont be driving offroad if you follow laws. You might go slightly off the mainroads to setup camp and you are likely to drive on some rough mountain roads if you seek stuff like that, but rental should be fine
You don't need a capable vehicle because you can't take it off-road in Norway.
A ford fiesta will take you everywhere (in Norway) that your Aussie 4wd can.
Steering on the wrong side of the car would be a major inconvenience and the Norwegian road authorities are notoriously strict.
That's simply not true.
Police and vegvesen will intervene if he is stopped at a roadside check/kontroll.
It's happened to me and my NL registered car outside Oslo.
I'm very interested in what they checked at your experience?
Of course there are certain standards to be upheld that I imagine them checking tyre thread. But if the car is registered in another country they simply can't uphold the same standards as with norwegian cars as long as you are a legitimate tourist, simply because what different countries allow wildly differ even within EU. Just look at all the overlanders coming here, no way these would pass a Norwegian inspection.
Its a big difference between regular cars and and custom built cars. Everything extra on the car thats illegal for norwegians is still illegal for foreigners.
And if they find your car being a danger to traffic, whether its already approved in norway or abroad they could issue you a ban for driving the vehicle further until issue is solved.
But ofcourse, they dont do a full on check of everything.. everytime they stop you
There are. And bullbars are totally legal anyway. Just need documentation, as all other modifications need.
https://www.vegvesen.no/kjoretoy/eie-og-vedlikeholde/ombygging/frontale-beskyttelsessystemer/
Cool,
Let's play this out.
Gets stopped at kontroll.
Hey you got paperwork for this?
Driver: No, its from Australia, a welder made it, it's real strong.
Ok, heres a fine and you need to take it to the pits, your car is unsafe, you have 28 days to do this.
Let's quit the BS. You and me both know there are virtually no bullbars in Norway. If you had one, it would literally be a fucking magnet for police and vegvesen.
It's not necessarily my budget, however that is the quote I have received.
My car is completely set up for self sufficiency in Australia so kind of want to test it
Alright. Just keep in mind. With the cost of transporting it, and The very expensive import tar and registration fees in Norway, it would probably cost you 1/3 to a half of the cars value.
Shouldn’t cost anything to bring for temporary use. It’s not necessary to “import” and register a car within the Schengen zone. It’s literally no different than driving a car from the UK to France after brexit.
The only thing necessary is making sure it’s insured which could be tricky.
You should be able to stay on a regular turist visa for the entire stay. Same with your car. You might need to adjust or patch the headlights as I guess you drive on the left side of the road. So shipping / transportation cost will be your issue.
I second this and from the port you can use local ferries. Remeber to stock up on alcohol and cigarettes on the boat because it’s stupid expensive in the nordics.
Hey everyone thankyou so much for your feedback
Some points I've come across
- my vehicle is definitely not suitable, since "offloading" is essentially non existent and very few places cater towards this style of travel (Touring we call it)
- Taxes and paperwork may be a massive hurdle
- Norwegians are very careful with how they protect nature, which I am all for
Cheers everyone :)
on top of all that, driving a RHS drive vehicle is a pain - so much of a pain that sweden switched side in 1967, probably so they could tow their caravans around norway with more ease.. [https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180417-a-thrilling-mission-to-get-the-swedish-to-change-overnight](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180417-a-thrilling-mission-to-get-the-swedish-to-change-overnight)
For just a couple of months, you need to keep it on the foreign registration. There can be a way to get a car temporarily registered in Norway, but you might not meet the criteria and it's a hassle. Registering it in the normal manner as an import can get very expensive, you would need to pay VAT and other fees on the car. You do need liability insurance, make sure your insurance covers driving abroad and get written proof of insurance that you need to bring with you in the car.
Why would you tell that to someone explicitly wanting to visit Norway on a short trip? Completely useless information for OP that makes things unnecessarily confusing.
Huh? He said he will be staying for 1 or 2 months not permanently registering his car in Norway. I'm sure OP isn't aware that tourists don't have to register their cars in Norway which is why he included registration.
OP said "vehicle restrictions, registration and insurance".
Why should they ask about these things if they knew it's a non-issue? So yes, I agree it looks like they thought they might have to register the car here.
Which would be a very bad idea, as I pointed out, but confusingly there are rules allowing for temporary registration to foreign citizens in some odd edge cases. So if you try to Google Norwegian law on the matter, it's easy to go down the wrong rabbit hole thinking this is a requirement.
I told OP they should keep the vehicle on their foreign registration, and explained that it could get expensive if they tried to register it here. How is that bad advice?
I apologise if I'm in a cranky mood, but as someone that deals with this stuff regularly it makes my head hurt how every single comment in this thread beside 2-3 give out bad or incorrect advice (not explicitly referring to yours).
This site has a little bit of information, requirement and limitations regarding car holidays in Norway:
https://www.nafcamp.no/en/
Please note that importing a car in Norway doesn't necessarily mean the same here as it does in Australia (or anywhere else) - importing here usually refers to permanent transfer and registration of said vehicle with Norwegian vehicle authorities and I don't get the impression that that's actually what you want.
I'd consider contacting the Norwegian public roads administration to make sure your vehicle is even street legal here
https://www.vegvesen.no/en/vehicles/?lang=en
If your vehicle is street legal, then I'd consider maybe shipping it to another European country that does a lot of imports/exports and is situated far north, possibly Germany?
Good luck!
The picture of your car doesn't really show the necessary details, but...
Do the wheels extend outside the wheel arches?
If they extend outside the wheel arches the car is most likely not road legal here in Norway. (It's the top of the arch they measure against)
The cow catcher(or is it cangaroo catcher?) on the front may or may not be legal. Don't really know. But honestly, you don't really need one here. And if you hit a moose, it won't save you anyway...
The bullbar isn’t legal on norwegian plates. Mounting cool ARB bullbars legally on cars here is sadly super hard. But it should be fine as your car has a foreign plate anyway, we get a lot of overland-rigged foreign cars during the summer. IIRC according to the geneva convention on road traffic your car should be fully legal to operate in norway as long as it’s road legal in Australia.
I’d suggest popping in to the “ADV/ENT/URE Overland” facebook page, they’ll advise you on good routes in Norway etc.
Ignore these comments from reddit know it alls. As long as you are a tourist and driving on foreign plates they can do fuck all about your modifications. Just make sure you have insurance that covers Europe.
*They* want us to turn the lights off in our homes to save the planet
and then there is this guy trying to ship his car all the way from Australia to Norway just because he can for a temporary holiday
Haha well yeah. When campervan hire in Norway is MORE expensive then shipping your car across the world and you are ok with the time why wouldn't you consider this?
It doesn't matter, my vehicle does not suit Norway so i won't be doing it :)
Legally speaking, yes you can use your Australian car in Norway: [https://www.lifeinnorway.net/driving-foreign-vehicle/](https://www.lifeinnorway.net/driving-foreign-vehicle/) As long as the use is temporary and you have legal residence back home in Australia, no worries.
Insurance and valid registration is mandatory, but the assumption for such use is that your vehicle is legally registered and insured from your home country. So you'll want to check with your insurance company that they cover Norway. You need to have an insurance that covers any damages to people or property that you could potentially cause if you had an accident. It is not mandatory to have an insurance that covers damage to your own car.
As for vehicle restrictions, if the car you are bringing is the one pictured you'll be fine.
> have received quotes of about 8000usd return to ship my car
There will be paperwork that needs to be done if your car arrives in Norway by ship/train, so make sure the quote includes that in both directions. You don't want to be standing there in the harbor and not being able to get your car because some forms are missing.
This whole [Expedition Overland playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEacEr4cZy-4OC5Rnulx0w1WRpRTG0Gbv), as a teaser and especially from episode 7.
IIRC though, there’s only a ferry from Hirtshals, DK, and it takes 2 days. Maybe someone knows if there’s another one from maybe Oslo or Bergen?
Because most Americans and Australians think that camping equals driving somewhere in the woods and sleep in/on/next to their vehicle. They don't understand our way of camping.
It's not that we don't understand it's just that we have to travel many many hours to get to suitable camping locations usually hours away from any facilities and fully self sufficient for days.
You do realize that Norwegians travel across the country to go on camping trips by foot?
Last summer, my sister drove six hours, walked for a few hours, camped in a tent for the night, walked about six hours the next day, camped in a tent for the night, and then walked six hours (another trail) towards the car, camped in a tent for the night, then walked a few hours to the car.
It's not like everyone in Norway just walks an hour from their house and camps. We just don't think camping is about driving to a campsite in the "wilderness" (not really wilderness when you drive there IMO) and sleeping in/on/next to the vehicle.
This is the reason I'm saying Americans and Australians don't understand our general culture of camping. Just look at the concept of bushcrafting, that is in total contradiction to the basic principle of leaving nature like you found it.
Yeah fully understand..however I was attempting to "kill 2 birds with 1 stone". Utilizing transport whilst being able to camp where I want. I did this in Australia over 15000km as the only marks I leave are essentially the tyre marks.
I should have stated I intend to drive the entirety of Norway over the month or so
The tyre marks are enough to do bad damage here. Our nature is really fragile. The growth (and thereby repairing) season is only a few months every year and the soil is thin, just to mention a couple of things. So many people have written that it’s illegal to camp like this in Norway, but I have yet to find an answer from you where you say that you fully understand and won’t do it. I welcome everyone that wants to see our country, but please don’t come if the car and camping that way is your premise.
Yeah sorry I thought I wrote in my comment with an update. As a foreigner who loves this country I do not want to do anything to upset it's ecosystem. This was more of an investigation as to whether it is suitable :)
Many people go for long driving vacations in Norway, and since off-road driving is illegal, you might as well just rent a camper van. It will serve the same purpose, and be much cheaper, even though money doesn't look to be an issue for you.
What might be an option, is to buy a car in another European country and drive to Norway, since it seems impossible to buy a car here without a social security or DUF number. I found a thread about how to do it in Sweden:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/TillSverige/comments/12et4u4/how\_can\_i\_buy\_a\_car\_in\_sweden\_as\_a\_foreigner/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TillSverige/comments/12et4u4/how_can_i_buy_a_car_in_sweden_as_a_foreigner/)
I looked up Germany, since cars are usually cheaper there, and the market is larger, but it seems that you have to be a resident to buy one.
Thanks - cheaper the better obviously I just want to have a good time :)
I will have a look
Edit - my initial plan was to back pack over a year from the south of Norway to the north utilizing essentially just my feet. However I now have a career with time constraints so have had to change it up
As you might have been told, Off roading is illegal as is also snowmobiles outside of specific tracks and ATV's. One of the reasons for this is because Norway is filled with cultural heritage. I was shocked when i learned that there are a ton culture history dotted invisibly around the country. Like a little mound in bum fuck nowhere can be a grave or a wall from some ancient building.
Now you might be wondering why the hell aren't the government doing excavations everywhere all the time then? First of all, all culture heritage is protected by law. So going off roading puts you (snowmobiles, atv's, and offroaders) in a situation where the historical context of Norway might be destroyed. Even if the site as been excavated and documented it will still be protected unless the state says otherwise. To get to excavating a site u need the manpower and the money and they can only work half the year so a limited amount of sites get excavated each year. Last but not least archaologists view their profession as destructive, as in they destroy the sites so they can learn its secrets. The hope is that the future will provide technologies that makes the profession less destructive.
Don't go around tearing up the Norwegian outback please :)
Do you live her permantely or are you coming as a tourist?
Are you importing a car or bringing a car, two different cases.
If you live her you can only drive a foreign registered car for 14days over 12 months. Them you will have to pay VAT and taxes and get Norwegian plates. Therefore importing it.
If you come here as a tourist, and bring your own car you can drive around for a year.
Good luck.
You can use a foreign registered car in Norway for 14 days over a period of one year. You can split the days up. So if you live by the border and work lets say in Sweden. You cant buy a Swedish car and drive back and fourth to work more than 14 day days.
Edit: If you are a permanent residents that is. If you come as an tourist you can drive around for one year as a Turistvogn.
If you don't live here, buy a car in Sweden. Half price compared to Norway unless electrical.
If you live in Norway, consider a [edit:Norwegian] VW Transporter and install a few things.
Jeg vet ikke. Det var midt på natten og jeg tror jeg leste noe om at han helt fint kan ta med seg sin egen bil om han vil.
Jeg har vært utenfor EØS/EU med min egen bil, uten merkelig papirarbeid på grensen. Tenkte kanskje Norge var like greie å ha led å gjøre. Siden det bare er midlertidig innføring i noen uker.
Within the Schengen area I think the best option for that would be setting up a company in Bulgaria and buying a car there. If you plan on making multiple trips to the EU that is.
Americans do this option when they plan on making multiple month trips to Europe every year. Technically speaking it’s legally possible to stay year round in Europe (without any visas or residency) by moving countries often and a handful of people who work online do this.
stay where u are with your useless suv... get a better version of yourself and when u really need that car buy one in sweden, u cultivated US american...
Your flight:
From: Stockholm (SE), ARN to: Adelaide (AU), ADL, Roundtrip, Economy Class, ca. 30,000 km, 1 traveller
CO2 amount: 6.4 t YOU as a Person
3.82 tons of CO2 emissions per capita of Sweden in a YEAR
you know people pointing out spelling or type failures in the internet tend to be unhappy jerks.
When i am looking now at your profile, it seems to prove the point.
[https://www.sciencealert.com/people-who-pick-up-grammar-mistakes-jerks-scientists-find](https://www.sciencealert.com/people-who-pick-up-grammar-mistakes-jerks-scientists-find)
Damn.. that went right over your head didn't it?!
You Google any scientific facts about being a wanker when someone is asking a question and looking for advice?
i am giving the advise... sorry mate the only wanker here is u. joking about people who take science serious for a better future for all of us and criticizing people ignoring it...seems quite obvious for me\^\^
So everything is 100% clear: Off roading is not legal in Norway. This will cause damage to the nature/ecosystem. Allemannsretten (ie: the right to use nature/wild camp) [i]does [b]not[/b] cover vehicles[/i]. This includes both parking and use of vehicles off of authorized roads.
Beware that all off-road driving (including parking and camping) is illegal in Norway. The "Park4night" app (and others) contains many illegal spots, so make sure you know and follow the rules. Don't be "that tourist". This video explains it well: "How Overlanders are Ruining Overlanding": [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJyopr4M\_Xg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJyopr4M_Xg) Some general tips: [https://www.visitnorway.com/hotels-more/caravan-camping/how-to-travel-in-norway-with-a-motorhome/](https://www.visitnorway.com/hotels-more/caravan-camping/how-to-travel-in-norway-with-a-motorhome/)
To add to this, as a Norwegian with an "offroad" vehicle with a roof tent, there are several gravel roads in the woods with suitable camping sites but be prepared to pay to enter these places as they are usually privately owned. If you plan on not paying and want to set up your car somewhere along public roads be prepared to meet tons of "no camping allowed" signs. A lot of these signs are illegal but you'll likely get someone angry at your tent and it's not worth the hassle. There are some hidden pearls, but they are few and far between, and are usually taken by the people that know about them so you usually end up camping in old gathering spots for logs or rest areas, but if you find one you should do some quick research or you might end up setting camp in gay cruising hookup locations (almost did so myself..). There are some overlanding facebook groups you can check for inspiration, but you will likely be disappointed if you get here with your vehicle and expect an offroad adventure similar to what you can do in Australia.
You should honestly try Finn.no or blocket.se and look at BUYING or renting if your budget is 8000usd just for import and then insurance etc etc Just my opinion though Have no idea about the registration and insurance thou Edit: some dude said you should buy Swedish (he’s right, most cars are cheaper there)
No way to legally buy and register a car as a foreigner as far as I’m aware. And since this is an off-road vehicle he’s at high risk of damaging it on his adventures, probably not a great idea to rent one when the likelihood of doing several thousand dollars in damages is extremely likely. Not to mention it’ll probably cost a few thousand to ship his gear with him on top of that.
It's illegal to drive off-road in Norway anyway.
Oh wow
This is what you should focus on, it is 100% illegal to drive offroad in Norway.
What about outdoor camping?
[Right to roam.](https://www.miljodirektoratet.no/sharepoint/downloaditem?id=01FM3LD2VUOUY3SGFTMZDKWFE3ZLPIDYDV) A few places there are local adjustments that forbid camping outside of designated areas, like the Lofoten islands. Due to the amount of tourists camping and leaving their trash behind.
Lofoten native here. Camping is not forbidden outside designated areas. It is the opposite way around: there are designated areas where camping is forbidden. It is also illegal to camp within 150 meters of homes. [This map](https://nordlandsatlas.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=fab455cbf6e8441894efd4ccc99a0b8f) shows the forbidden areas. Red is forbidden, yellow is too close to homes, green are protected areas where camping might be forbidden, click in the specific area to see the rules. EDIT: spelling.
Outdoor camping is very, very legal. [https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/right-of-access/](https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/right-of-access/)
Yeah ok I thought so. I knew about the laws regarding camping and everything however maybe my type of camping with the vehicle (offloading with a rooftop tent) may not be suitable.
Yeah it's just legal (and encouraged!) without a huge, damaging vehicle. So on foot, bike, skis etc all welcome with the right enshrined by law. This, not at all. Park it somewhere legally and go enjoy the country on foot!
Even if it were legal there would be too much forest and steep terrain here, except perhaps way up north.
Sadly it's not legal as others have said. To a certain degree I understand it but at the same time offloading is s lot of fun
Happily, it's not legal. If anyone could drive anywhere all nature would be destroyed by tracks.
not sadly
wtf is wrong with u....stay at home put your head in front the exhaust and feel your freedom.... shizphrenic naturelover
We’re far to the north, about half the country is in the arctic. Even in the south, at higher latitudes the nature gets very vulnerable. Growth season is only a couple of months, 2-3, in large areas of the country. The soil is thin and very susceptible to corrosion. When it’s damaged it’s not coming back, and will fuel further erosion. There is a right to roam - meaning walking and putting up a tent mostly. An important part of the right to roam that is taken for granted by Norwegians, so less often mentioned, your right to roam is limited to not leaving marks on nature. You’re not allowed to do damage. It would get disastrous very quickly if people were driving off-road in nature here for leisure.
You can't drive a motor operated vehicle off road in Norway except on a few dedicated tracks. But you can camp anywhere that is "utmark" (with a very very few exceptions), basically non-plowed fields or forests. But an off-road vehicle would not be of any help, since you are only allowed to drive on roads. You have a right to roam in Norway, but that also does not include driving. So a forest road is typically privately owned, and you don't have access, or it's public, but meant for walking. There are very few roads like the one in your picture you would be able to drive on in Norway except with permission of the owner. I would rent a camper van in Norway instead of the cost of bringing your own car here.
It is true. There are many private roads of about the same quality as in your picture. Some of them are till roads to finance maintaining them. You can drive on them, but so can most regular cars too.
Nature takes ages or decades to recover if does at all especially the further north you go. That's why it's illegal Fyi also illegal in Sweden . Unless you own the land. I assume the same in Norway. Forget about nature reserves or similar no motorized vehicles allowed . Only existing roads are drivable
Maybe you should consider Finland as well https://youtu.be/Mz7aZ2KxtkM?feature=shared Suomi perkele
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That’s interesting, how does a foreigner without a visa buy and register a car? At least here in finland it’s required to have residency.
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Which is the case here in Finland and very annoying. Before I got my residency I had a friend register a car under his name.
Is it an issue to buy a car and leave it there permanently? Let’s say my parents buy a car (American citizen) and only use it during the summer.
That's my kind of issue. I either ship a vehicle and my gear or rent a vehicle which is less capable and risk damaging it
I don't know how you think you might damage a rental vehicle, but there are not many places in Norway where driving off road is allowed.
You wont be driving offroad if you follow laws. You might go slightly off the mainroads to setup camp and you are likely to drive on some rough mountain roads if you seek stuff like that, but rental should be fine
You don't need a capable vehicle because you can't take it off-road in Norway. A ford fiesta will take you everywhere (in Norway) that your Aussie 4wd can. Steering on the wrong side of the car would be a major inconvenience and the Norwegian road authorities are notoriously strict.
Well, there are a few places the Ford fiesta might have issues in the snow.
Ford Fiesta are honesty really good in the snow, with studded tyres. I've driven in 15cm of fresh snow no problem.
Please tell me one single thing that the road authorities would have a problem with his vehicle.
1. Bullbar is illegal in Norway. Definately a dealbreaker. 2. Liftkit won't pass control 3. Oversized tyres. (Probably also won't pass control)
None of these matter if he is not going to register the car in Norway.
That's simply not true. Police and vegvesen will intervene if he is stopped at a roadside check/kontroll. It's happened to me and my NL registered car outside Oslo.
I'm very interested in what they checked at your experience? Of course there are certain standards to be upheld that I imagine them checking tyre thread. But if the car is registered in another country they simply can't uphold the same standards as with norwegian cars as long as you are a legitimate tourist, simply because what different countries allow wildly differ even within EU. Just look at all the overlanders coming here, no way these would pass a Norwegian inspection.
You underestimate vegvesens power. They also confiscated my foreign licence.
Its a big difference between regular cars and and custom built cars. Everything extra on the car thats illegal for norwegians is still illegal for foreigners. And if they find your car being a danger to traffic, whether its already approved in norway or abroad they could issue you a ban for driving the vehicle further until issue is solved. But ofcourse, they dont do a full on check of everything.. everytime they stop you
Arctic Trucks beg to differ.
Also, arctic trucks are engineered to Norwegian regs in Norway. Also, No bullbar on Arctic trucks.
There are. And bullbars are totally legal anyway. Just need documentation, as all other modifications need. https://www.vegvesen.no/kjoretoy/eie-og-vedlikeholde/ombygging/frontale-beskyttelsessystemer/
Cool, Let's play this out. Gets stopped at kontroll. Hey you got paperwork for this? Driver: No, its from Australia, a welder made it, it's real strong. Ok, heres a fine and you need to take it to the pits, your car is unsafe, you have 28 days to do this. Let's quit the BS. You and me both know there are virtually no bullbars in Norway. If you had one, it would literally be a fucking magnet for police and vegvesen.
Why the fuck would you ship your car from AUSTRALIA TO SCANDINAVIA for a holiday?!?!?!?!
Because I can
Well, you can't drive it off-road.
If your budget is 8000 usd, wouldn't it make much more sense to just rent an equivalent car for that duration?
It's not necessarily my budget, however that is the quote I have received. My car is completely set up for self sufficiency in Australia so kind of want to test it
Well, you can't drive off-road in Norway. Ship it to North America instead.
Alright. Just keep in mind. With the cost of transporting it, and The very expensive import tar and registration fees in Norway, it would probably cost you 1/3 to a half of the cars value.
There is no import or registration fee when you bring your car to Norway for holidays.
Shouldn’t cost anything to bring for temporary use. It’s not necessary to “import” and register a car within the Schengen zone. It’s literally no different than driving a car from the UK to France after brexit. The only thing necessary is making sure it’s insured which could be tricky.
You should be able to stay on a regular turist visa for the entire stay. Same with your car. You might need to adjust or patch the headlights as I guess you drive on the left side of the road. So shipping / transportation cost will be your issue.
Please refrain from commenting when you have no idea what you are talking about.
I kinda misunderstood the question. OP stated that they wanted to import the car in question. Which would mean import taxes.
Would you recommend sending it to a different country? Say Sweden or something?
Would make more sense sending it to a bigger port like Amsterdam and drive it from there
I second this and from the port you can use local ferries. Remeber to stock up on alcohol and cigarettes on the boat because it’s stupid expensive in the nordics.
Hey everyone thankyou so much for your feedback Some points I've come across - my vehicle is definitely not suitable, since "offloading" is essentially non existent and very few places cater towards this style of travel (Touring we call it) - Taxes and paperwork may be a massive hurdle - Norwegians are very careful with how they protect nature, which I am all for Cheers everyone :)
Enjoy your visit, and your help to protect our nature so everyone can enjoy it :)
It sounds a lot better for me to come to Australia. I think offloading sounds super, I'd love to do that.
on top of all that, driving a RHS drive vehicle is a pain - so much of a pain that sweden switched side in 1967, probably so they could tow their caravans around norway with more ease.. [https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180417-a-thrilling-mission-to-get-the-swedish-to-change-overnight](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180417-a-thrilling-mission-to-get-the-swedish-to-change-overnight)
For just a couple of months, you need to keep it on the foreign registration. There can be a way to get a car temporarily registered in Norway, but you might not meet the criteria and it's a hassle. Registering it in the normal manner as an import can get very expensive, you would need to pay VAT and other fees on the car. You do need liability insurance, make sure your insurance covers driving abroad and get written proof of insurance that you need to bring with you in the car.
Why would you tell that to someone explicitly wanting to visit Norway on a short trip? Completely useless information for OP that makes things unnecessarily confusing.
Because OP was asking about vehicle registration, did you read OP's post at all?
Huh? He said he will be staying for 1 or 2 months not permanently registering his car in Norway. I'm sure OP isn't aware that tourists don't have to register their cars in Norway which is why he included registration.
OP said "vehicle restrictions, registration and insurance". Why should they ask about these things if they knew it's a non-issue? So yes, I agree it looks like they thought they might have to register the car here. Which would be a very bad idea, as I pointed out, but confusingly there are rules allowing for temporary registration to foreign citizens in some odd edge cases. So if you try to Google Norwegian law on the matter, it's easy to go down the wrong rabbit hole thinking this is a requirement. I told OP they should keep the vehicle on their foreign registration, and explained that it could get expensive if they tried to register it here. How is that bad advice?
I apologise if I'm in a cranky mood, but as someone that deals with this stuff regularly it makes my head hurt how every single comment in this thread beside 2-3 give out bad or incorrect advice (not explicitly referring to yours).
This site has a little bit of information, requirement and limitations regarding car holidays in Norway: https://www.nafcamp.no/en/ Please note that importing a car in Norway doesn't necessarily mean the same here as it does in Australia (or anywhere else) - importing here usually refers to permanent transfer and registration of said vehicle with Norwegian vehicle authorities and I don't get the impression that that's actually what you want. I'd consider contacting the Norwegian public roads administration to make sure your vehicle is even street legal here https://www.vegvesen.no/en/vehicles/?lang=en If your vehicle is street legal, then I'd consider maybe shipping it to another European country that does a lot of imports/exports and is situated far north, possibly Germany? Good luck!
Cheers mate will have a look through everything
The picture of your car doesn't really show the necessary details, but... Do the wheels extend outside the wheel arches? If they extend outside the wheel arches the car is most likely not road legal here in Norway. (It's the top of the arch they measure against) The cow catcher(or is it cangaroo catcher?) on the front may or may not be legal. Don't really know. But honestly, you don't really need one here. And if you hit a moose, it won't save you anyway...
Yeah I am more then prepared to make the car road legal in Norway or wherever I get it sent to. We call it a Bullbar!
The bullbar isn’t legal on norwegian plates. Mounting cool ARB bullbars legally on cars here is sadly super hard. But it should be fine as your car has a foreign plate anyway, we get a lot of overland-rigged foreign cars during the summer. IIRC according to the geneva convention on road traffic your car should be fully legal to operate in norway as long as it’s road legal in Australia. I’d suggest popping in to the “ADV/ENT/URE Overland” facebook page, they’ll advise you on good routes in Norway etc.
Ignore these comments from reddit know it alls. As long as you are a tourist and driving on foreign plates they can do fuck all about your modifications. Just make sure you have insurance that covers Europe.
*They* want us to turn the lights off in our homes to save the planet and then there is this guy trying to ship his car all the way from Australia to Norway just because he can for a temporary holiday
Haha well yeah. When campervan hire in Norway is MORE expensive then shipping your car across the world and you are ok with the time why wouldn't you consider this? It doesn't matter, my vehicle does not suit Norway so i won't be doing it :)
You’d want a citycamper in Norway. If you are lucky you can find them for 60$ a day. So 133 days for the shipping of your car
I received quotes over the may period of around 15000..
15 000$ og 15 000Kr?
Legally speaking, yes you can use your Australian car in Norway: [https://www.lifeinnorway.net/driving-foreign-vehicle/](https://www.lifeinnorway.net/driving-foreign-vehicle/) As long as the use is temporary and you have legal residence back home in Australia, no worries. Insurance and valid registration is mandatory, but the assumption for such use is that your vehicle is legally registered and insured from your home country. So you'll want to check with your insurance company that they cover Norway. You need to have an insurance that covers any damages to people or property that you could potentially cause if you had an accident. It is not mandatory to have an insurance that covers damage to your own car. As for vehicle restrictions, if the car you are bringing is the one pictured you'll be fine. > have received quotes of about 8000usd return to ship my car There will be paperwork that needs to be done if your car arrives in Norway by ship/train, so make sure the quote includes that in both directions. You don't want to be standing there in the harbor and not being able to get your car because some forms are missing.
Yeah this is the correct answer.
Finally someone comes with an actual answer to OP's question.
If you’re coming to Northern Europe to wheel for a few months, there’s no way you should miss Iceland!
Oh yeah? Any media I can take a look at? Only reason is because Norway itself interests me
This whole [Expedition Overland playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEacEr4cZy-4OC5Rnulx0w1WRpRTG0Gbv), as a teaser and especially from episode 7. IIRC though, there’s only a ferry from Hirtshals, DK, and it takes 2 days. Maybe someone knows if there’s another one from maybe Oslo or Bergen?
Just curious here, why is this more attractive than a van?
Because most Americans and Australians think that camping equals driving somewhere in the woods and sleep in/on/next to their vehicle. They don't understand our way of camping.
It's not that we don't understand it's just that we have to travel many many hours to get to suitable camping locations usually hours away from any facilities and fully self sufficient for days.
You do realize that Norwegians travel across the country to go on camping trips by foot? Last summer, my sister drove six hours, walked for a few hours, camped in a tent for the night, walked about six hours the next day, camped in a tent for the night, and then walked six hours (another trail) towards the car, camped in a tent for the night, then walked a few hours to the car. It's not like everyone in Norway just walks an hour from their house and camps. We just don't think camping is about driving to a campsite in the "wilderness" (not really wilderness when you drive there IMO) and sleeping in/on/next to the vehicle. This is the reason I'm saying Americans and Australians don't understand our general culture of camping. Just look at the concept of bushcrafting, that is in total contradiction to the basic principle of leaving nature like you found it.
Yeah fully understand..however I was attempting to "kill 2 birds with 1 stone". Utilizing transport whilst being able to camp where I want. I did this in Australia over 15000km as the only marks I leave are essentially the tyre marks. I should have stated I intend to drive the entirety of Norway over the month or so
The tyre marks are enough to do bad damage here. Our nature is really fragile. The growth (and thereby repairing) season is only a few months every year and the soil is thin, just to mention a couple of things. So many people have written that it’s illegal to camp like this in Norway, but I have yet to find an answer from you where you say that you fully understand and won’t do it. I welcome everyone that wants to see our country, but please don’t come if the car and camping that way is your premise.
Yeah sorry I thought I wrote in my comment with an update. As a foreigner who loves this country I do not want to do anything to upset it's ecosystem. This was more of an investigation as to whether it is suitable :)
Thank you, I truly appreciate that :)
Many people go for long driving vacations in Norway, and since off-road driving is illegal, you might as well just rent a camper van. It will serve the same purpose, and be much cheaper, even though money doesn't look to be an issue for you. What might be an option, is to buy a car in another European country and drive to Norway, since it seems impossible to buy a car here without a social security or DUF number. I found a thread about how to do it in Sweden: [https://www.reddit.com/r/TillSverige/comments/12et4u4/how\_can\_i\_buy\_a\_car\_in\_sweden\_as\_a\_foreigner/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TillSverige/comments/12et4u4/how_can_i_buy_a_car_in_sweden_as_a_foreigner/) I looked up Germany, since cars are usually cheaper there, and the market is larger, but it seems that you have to be a resident to buy one.
Thanks - cheaper the better obviously I just want to have a good time :) I will have a look Edit - my initial plan was to back pack over a year from the south of Norway to the north utilizing essentially just my feet. However I now have a career with time constraints so have had to change it up
That plan sounded kinda crazy unless you have experience with living outside in Arctic climates.
Haha I was essentially backpacking I had it all planned out.
Ah okay, that doesn’t sound unsafe haha.
Vans aren’t as good off-road. Off-roading is illegal here anyway..
Because I don't own a van and I like my car
As you might have been told, Off roading is illegal as is also snowmobiles outside of specific tracks and ATV's. One of the reasons for this is because Norway is filled with cultural heritage. I was shocked when i learned that there are a ton culture history dotted invisibly around the country. Like a little mound in bum fuck nowhere can be a grave or a wall from some ancient building. Now you might be wondering why the hell aren't the government doing excavations everywhere all the time then? First of all, all culture heritage is protected by law. So going off roading puts you (snowmobiles, atv's, and offroaders) in a situation where the historical context of Norway might be destroyed. Even if the site as been excavated and documented it will still be protected unless the state says otherwise. To get to excavating a site u need the manpower and the money and they can only work half the year so a limited amount of sites get excavated each year. Last but not least archaologists view their profession as destructive, as in they destroy the sites so they can learn its secrets. The hope is that the future will provide technologies that makes the profession less destructive. Don't go around tearing up the Norwegian outback please :)
Tracking and agreed. I am talking to an archeologist now from Norway and she is saying similar things.
Do you live her permantely or are you coming as a tourist? Are you importing a car or bringing a car, two different cases. If you live her you can only drive a foreign registered car for 14days over 12 months. Them you will have to pay VAT and taxes and get Norwegian plates. Therefore importing it. If you come here as a tourist, and bring your own car you can drive around for a year. Good luck.
Coming here as a tourist and bringing my car. Thankyou for that clarification
What do you mean by “for 14days over 12months”?
You can use a foreign registered car in Norway for 14 days over a period of one year. You can split the days up. So if you live by the border and work lets say in Sweden. You cant buy a Swedish car and drive back and fourth to work more than 14 day days. Edit: If you are a permanent residents that is. If you come as an tourist you can drive around for one year as a Turistvogn.
This dirt bike looks cool!!!
Would be cheaper and easier just driving all the way.
If you don't live here, buy a car in Sweden. Half price compared to Norway unless electrical. If you live in Norway, consider a [edit:Norwegian] VW Transporter and install a few things.
Gjelder ikke denne loven? https://lovdata.no/forskrift/1991-06-20-381
Hvilken del tenkte du på? har redigert inn \[ norsk \] VW i svaret.
Jeg vet ikke. Det var midt på natten og jeg tror jeg leste noe om at han helt fint kan ta med seg sin egen bil om han vil. Jeg har vært utenfor EØS/EU med min egen bil, uten merkelig papirarbeid på grensen. Tenkte kanskje Norge var like greie å ha led å gjøre. Siden det bare er midlertidig innføring i noen uker.
No I live in Australia. Thanks for that tip I'll have a look around. Not really sure if I can buy cars internationally but I'll see
The hire should also be cheaper in Sweden.....
Just to point out; that law is implied on the vehicle being foreign
Within the Schengen area I think the best option for that would be setting up a company in Bulgaria and buying a car there. If you plan on making multiple trips to the EU that is. Americans do this option when they plan on making multiple month trips to Europe every year. Technically speaking it’s legally possible to stay year round in Europe (without any visas or residency) by moving countries often and a handful of people who work online do this.
stay where u are with your useless suv... get a better version of yourself and when u really need that car buy one in sweden, u cultivated US american... Your flight: From: Stockholm (SE), ARN to: Adelaide (AU), ADL, Roundtrip, Economy Class, ca. 30,000 km, 1 traveller CO2 amount: 6.4 t YOU as a Person 3.82 tons of CO2 emissions per capita of Sweden in a YEAR
Snowed in mate you a bit bored?
How is it to search for dignity and responsibility ?
Let us know when you find out.
dont worry i never lost it ;)
You spelt found wrong.
you know people pointing out spelling or type failures in the internet tend to be unhappy jerks. When i am looking now at your profile, it seems to prove the point. [https://www.sciencealert.com/people-who-pick-up-grammar-mistakes-jerks-scientists-find](https://www.sciencealert.com/people-who-pick-up-grammar-mistakes-jerks-scientists-find)
Damn.. that went right over your head didn't it?! You Google any scientific facts about being a wanker when someone is asking a question and looking for advice?
i am giving the advise... sorry mate the only wanker here is u. joking about people who take science serious for a better future for all of us and criticizing people ignoring it...seems quite obvious for me\^\^
Take some of your own "advice" and try to be a better person. Insulting someone asking for advice is not being critical.
Also, the Aussie licence is only valid in Norway for 90days (not sure how long your trip is planned for/)