I looked up most of the previous posts but some of them go back to 6 years ago about importing, therefore I figured that I should ask here to get it straight.

Note that I've read the information on https://www.skatteetaten.no/ but my situation is as follows:

I just accepted a position and will be a permanent resident in Norway, thus importing the car will be a very costly endeavor or I could only use it for a maximum of 14 days then store it (according to the law)

An option would be, to use my mother's older SUV, she can legally empower me (on the insurance plan) to be allowed to drive the car from Romania to Norway. The idea being that her being a non-resident will allow me to use the car up to 1 year.

Note that this is not to circumvent any tax laws, I would prefer to travel with the car to be able to bring my spouse and cat and some the bare minimum living essentials. It is about a 30 hour drive from east-EU.

My unknowns are:

  1. Will I be able to apply this approach ?
  2. I don't really understand the customs office requirements ( Importing cars and other vehicles – Norwegian Customs (toll.no), do I need to pay any tax/duties if I will use the car temporarily ?
  3. On the topic of "Declaration for the procedure for release for free circulation" it says that I should pay 25% VAT of the value of the vehicle, does that apply in case of a temporary residence (temporary as in from the car's POV)?

I know the best option would be to sell the car, but honestly I don't mind sending my car back after 1 year if I can apply this method, for us honestly right now traveling by car would be the best approach since we're worried about the animal (long flight with multiple layovers) among other aspects such as how difficult would be to commute.

by Robswoddenduck

3 comments

  1. The only way you can legally drive for a year in Norway is with a car that is registered in Norway. You can either buy a car here, or import a car. Importing a car involves paying taxes.

    You can use your mothers car for a maximum of 25 days per year, and you have to register that usage before you start using the car: [https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/duties/cars-and-other-vehicles/foreign-registered-vehicle/skjemaer/use-of-a-foreign-registered-loan-vehicle/](https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/person/duties/cars-and-other-vehicles/foreign-registered-vehicle/skjemaer/use-of-a-foreign-registered-loan-vehicle/) You can also store the car for up to 182 days, which must also be registered in advance: [https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/forms/private-storage-of-foreign-registered-vehicle-in-norway/](https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/forms/private-storage-of-foreign-registered-vehicle-in-norway/)

  2. It does not matter who owns the car. The law says ‘foreign registered’.

    https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/1991-06-20-381

    You can stick it in a translator, but basically it says that you can use a foreign registered vehicle for up to 14 days if you are moving to Norway & notify the tax office in advance.

    When I moved here, the cheapest way for me to get my cats here was to fly to Norway, hire a car & drive it (18ish hours in my case), pick up my family, cats & luggage, then drive back & return the hire car.

    If you ask the company you will be working for, they may be willing to help cover the costs of doing this. Paying for all moving costs is not normal in Norway, but some companies will cover some costs, provide temporary housing, and/or or give a few thousand kr towards the costs of moving.

  3. It’s probably not worth it to go through the process of legally importing your car to Norway, so you will be better off selling your car and buying another one in Norway. Also you will probably get a better price if you sell it in your home country. I’m not even sure if you could sell it in Norway without registering it first – and at that point you might as well keep it yourself.

    I see the point about needing the car to get here though. You could always see if it would be possible to pay a friend or relative to come to Norway with you, and then they would drive the car back home after you’ve unpacked all your stuff here. Then you could empower a friend or family member to sell it for you. It would probably be cheaper this way than having the car shipped back home.

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