New measures to apply to entry into Norway

Press release | No: 161 – 2021 | Date: 19/11/2021 | Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Ministry of Health and Care Services

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As a result of developments in the infection rate, the Norwegian Government has decided to reintroduce the requirement to produce a negative test taken before arrival and expand the current requirements regarding testing and entry registration in connection with arrival in Norway.

‘In order to limit imported cases of COVID-19, we are introducing stricter entry restrictions on 26 November. From that date, all people will need to complete registration prior to arrival in Norway. Following the advice of the health authorities, we are also reintroducing the requirement to produce a negative test taken before arrival. This applies to all people who cannot produce a COVID-19 certificate as documentation that they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 during the past 6 months. This will apply regardless of which country the person has travelled from,’ says Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Enger Mehl.

These are the main changes to the entry restrictions, applicable from 26 November:

In general, all travellers arriving in Norway are now required to complete entry registration. An exemption will be made for children under the age of 16 and selected groups. All arriving travellers are required to produce such confirmation and a COVID-19 certificate, if applicable, to the police at border control.
All foreigners who have the right to enter Norway under the Immigration Act may now enter the country.
The application programmes managed by the Norwegian Maritime Authority and the Norwegian Agriculture Agency will be shut down.
In certain circumstances, there may still be grounds to refuse entry to foreigners who do not comply with the rules regarding entry registration, travel quarantine, or testing in connection with entry into the country. Travellers who are unable to document compliance with these rules may also be refused entry. All travellers, including Norwegians, can be reported to the police and in some cases fined for a violation of the requirements associated with entry into the country.
We are reintroducing the requirement of documentation of a negative test taken less than 24 hours before arrival for people who cannot produce a verifiable COVID-19 certificate showing that they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 during the past 6 months. This will apply regardless of which country the person has travelled from, but will not apply to travellers under the age of 18.
In addition, the duty to get tested upon entry will be changed, so that there is a duty to get tested, regardless of which country you have travelled from. So far, the duty has only applied to people who have visited an area that triggers a duty to quarantine. This duty will apply to all people who cannot produce a COVID-19 certificate showing that they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 during the past 6 months. The other exemptions from the duty to get tested upon arrival in Norway continue to apply.
People with a duty to get tested can take a test at a test centre at the border, or take a test within 24 hours if there is no test centre at the border. All municipalities must be prepared to also test arriving travellers who are under an obligation to get tested.
We are also increasing staffing at the National Centre for Control of Travellers to Norway in order to resume control activities, giving the municipalities information about travellers that they may need to follow up.
The Norwegian Government is not making any changes to the travel quarantine rules. It is likely that the quarantine rules will apply throughout the winter.

The quarantine hotel programme will be kept for the present as a service for people without other suitable accommodation.