Foreign Driving Licence in Norway: How Long Does It Stay Valid?

If you arrive in Norway with a foreign driving licence, three things decide how long you can keep driving on it: where the licence was issued, whether you are visiting or have taken up residence, and whether you have a work contract or a foreign-registered vehicle. This calculator applies the rules in chapters 8 and 9 of the Driving Licence Regulations (førerkortforskriften) and the guidance from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) and shows the date your right to drive on the foreign licence ends.

The main rules

• EEA, United Kingdom and Switzerland: the licence is valid according to its content, with no separate time limit in Norway. Norwegian health requirements apply.
• Other countries: 3 months. The licence must follow one of the recognised models and be in a language Statens vegvesen accepts, or be combined with an international driving licence.
• With a job: 6 months if you have a residence permit for more than three months and a current employment contract. Carry both documents when you drive.
• Foreign-registered vehicle: one year for the driver of a foreign-registered vehicle that is only temporarily in Norway, as long as the driver does not live in Norway.
• Taking up residence: 3 months from the day you took up residence. After that you need a Norwegian licence.

Worked example

You arrive in Norway on 1 October 2026 with a licence from a country outside the EEA. As a visitor the three-month period ends on 1 January 2027, and the last safe day to drive is 31 December 2026. With a residence permit and an employment contract you get 6 months, until 1 April 2027. If you drive a foreign-registered vehicle that is temporarily in Norway, the limit is one year, until 1 October 2027. If you instead take up residence on 15 November 2026, the three months end on 15 February 2027. The calculator counts months the way Norwegian deadlines are usually counted: the same date some months later, or the last day of the month if that date does not exist. An arrival on 30 November 2026 therefore ends on 28 February 2027.

*Sections of the Driving Licence Regulations (førerkortforskriften).

Exchanging your licence for a Norwegian one

Licences from Australia, Canada, Israel, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, South Korea and the USA can be exchanged for a Norwegian licence, but not automatically: for category B (cars) you must pass a theory test and a practical test, and you get two attempts at the practical test. If you apply within three months of taking up residence, you can get a temporary driving permit that lasts until three months after you took up residence. After a positive decision you have 2 years to complete the exchange. Licences from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan and Greenland are exchanged under separate rules, and licences from all other countries outside the EEA cannot be exchanged. EEA licences are exchanged without new tests. The exchange rules in chapter 10 are being amended from 1 January 2027, while the rules on how long a foreign licence can be used (chapters 8 and 9) are not affected, so check the latest rules with Statens vegvesen before you apply.

International driving licence

Statens vegvesen says you need an international driving licence in addition to your national licence if the national licence has no photo, is written in a non-Latin alphabet (for example Arabic, Cyrillic or Japanese), or has categories that differ from the international ones. It is only valid together with your national licence.

If you have just moved to Norway

Do not wait until the last week. Work out your deadline from the day you took up residence, not the day you first visited, and start the exchange early if your country is on the list. If your licence cannot be exchanged, you have to obtain a Norwegian licence the normal way, including the training and tests. While you settle in, you may also be importing a car. See the import car to Norway cost calculator, the car registration tax calculator and the re-registration fee calculator.

What this calculator does not cover

It only works out the time limit. You must also meet the age requirement for the category, the health requirements, and the rules for the driver and the vehicle. It does not cover Svalbard, which has its own rules, or heavy vehicle and professional driver rules. Whether a licence from your specific country is accepted depends on its format and language, which Statens vegvesen decides.