Using a driving licence from a non-EU/EEA country in Norway
You can normally use your driving licence for three months from when you arrive in Norway.
This applies to most countries outside the EEA/EU, with the exception of driving licences from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, and Ukraine.
Your driving licence must be valid and you need to meet the Norwegian age requirements in order to use it in Norway. You can see the age requirements on the page for each individual driving licence category.
In some cases, you need to have an international driving licence in addition to your regular licence.
Temporary residence in Norway
You can use your driving licence for three months if you are staying in Norway temporarily.
You can use your driving licence for up to six months if you have a residence permit and an employment contract in Norway for a duration of more than three months. You need to carry with you your residence permit as well as your employment contract when you are driving.
Normal residence in Norway
If you have normal residence in Norway, you can use your driving licence for three months from the date when you were registered in the National Population Register as a having normal residence. This applies regardless of whether you stayed temporarily in Norway before taking up normal residence.
Exeptions for driving licences from the UK, Switzerland, Japan and Ukraine
- Driving licences from the UK and Switzerland entitles the holder to the same rights as if the licence was issued in an EEA country.
- Driving licenses from Japan can be used for all vehicle categories in Norway for three months. Passenger car (category B) is valid for one year.
- Driving licences from Ukraine are valid for driving in Norway as long as Norway is offering temporary collective protection to Ukrainians. The driving entitlement must be documented by a valid physical driving licence. Read more about driving licences from Ukraine.
You need an international driving licence if
- your driving licence does not have a photo
- the information on your driving licence is written in an alphabet other than the Latin alphabet, such as Arabic, Cyrillic or Japanese
- the categories on your driving licence are different from the international categories pursuant to the Geneva or Vienna Convention
Driving licence requirements
Norway is bound by two international agreements on road traffic. Each of these agreements has a model for national driving licences and a model for international driving licences.
If one of the points below is correct, you can drive with your driving licence in Norway for up to three months – or for six months if you have a residence permit and an employment contract:
- It was issued by a country that is party to the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949, and issued pursuant to this driving licence model.
- It was issued by a country that is party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968, and issued pursuant to this driving licence model.
- It was issued by a country that is party to the Geneva or Vienna Convention, but not issued pursuant to either of these driving licence models. In this case, you need a certified translation of your driving licence, such as an international driving licence issued pursuant to the Geneva or Vienna Convention. It may also be an original translation from the driving licence authorities in the issuing country, from an authorised translator in Norway, a translator from the Norwegian local government Interpreter Service, or from a person who teaches at a government-authorised institution.
- It was issued by a country that is not party to the Geneva or Vienna Convention, but it follows the model of one of the conventions, or the EEA model, and the text of the driving licence is in English, French or German. In addition, if the text is in a different language, you need an international driving licence pursuant to the Geneva or Vienna Convention.