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Entry quarantine upon arrival in Norway from red and yellow countries/regions
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The quarantine regulations will be updated as new information becomes available and can change quickly. Familiarise yourself with which regulations apply when you return to Norway. Below you will find the maps of red and yellow countries in Europe.

The quarantine regulations will be updated as new information becomes available and can change quickly. Familiarise yourself with which regulations apply when you return to Norway. Below you will find the maps of red and yellow countries in Europe.
Rules and requirements when entering Norway
Rules for quarantine and testing on arrival are updated continuously and can change quickly. The following requirements apply upon entry:
- Registration obligation for arrivals in Norway: Everyone who crosses the border into Norway from areas with a quarantine duty ("red countries / areas"), including Norwegian citizens, must fill in a travel registration form before arriving in the country.
- Assistance with registration form - Information hotline (several languages) - (regjeringen.no)
- Requirement for negative test before arrival in Norway: Anyone who arrives in Norway from areas with a quarantine duty must present a certificate of a negative COVID-19 test taken during the 72 hours before entry. If they do not present a certificate, they may be refused entry. The requirement does not apply to Norwegian citizens, residents in Norway, people in transit or people who frequently cross the border into Norway from Sweden and Finland to work. However, it is recommended that they are tested.
- Test upon arrival: From 2 January, there is an obligation to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival in Norway. The obligation applies to everyone who has stayed in an area with quarantine duty during the last 14 days before arrival in Norway. This also applies to Norwegian citizens. The test should be taken as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours after arrival in Norway.
Familiarise yourself with the rules that apply when entering Norway. Additional information about entry rules:
- Information about entry to Norway (helsenorge.no)
- Information for travellers arriving in Norway - several languages (Directorate of Health)
There are separate rules on quarantine and testing for people arriving from the UK
- Stricter infection control measures for travellers from the UK (government.no)
Entry quarantine upon arrival in Norway
Everyone arriving in Norway from abroad shall be in quarantine for 10 days, with the exception of specified countries in Europe with sufficiently low transmission (yellow areas and countries).
People who come to Norway from abroad can be released from quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 twice after arrival. The first test must be taken within 24 hours of arrival, the second no earlier than seven days after arrival. The second test must have been done by RT-PCR method (not rapid test). The possibility of shortening the entry quarantine during testing depends on whether there is capacity to carry out the tests, or that the employer arranges the tests. If the second test is not taken, the person must be in the entry quarantine for 10 days.
Vaccination does not currently affect quarantine requirements or test recommendations.
People who shall be in quarantine after entering Norway shall stay at a quarantine hotel. There are some exceptions to the rules for quarantine hotels, described here: § 5. Krav til de som skal være i innreisekarantene (Lovdata) (Requirements for people who shall be in entry quarantine - COVID-19 regulations). There are special requirements for places of quarantine when it is not carried out in a quarantine hotel.
- Information about entry to Norway and quarantine hotels (helsenorge.no)
Map of Nordic region/ Europe with status for entry quarantine
From the new year, the UK is no longer a member of the EU, and as a result will no longer be included in this assessment and will be required to have quarantine duty as for other countries outside EU/EEA/Schengen (known as third countries).
The map below shows the areas with quarantine duty that apply for travellers arriving in Norway from 11 January 2021:
To clarify the recommendation to avoid all non-essential travel abroad, the Government has decided that the countries and regions that were marked with green on the map should now be marked as yellow (regjeringen.no). Currently, no countries are classed as green.
If you arrive in Norway from:
- a "yellow area", you are exempt from quarantine.
- a "red area", you must go into quarantine for 10 days.
- a "striped area", you must go into quarantine for 10 days.
In "yellow areas," transmission is considered to be so low that there are no requirements for quarantine, even though these areas also have an increased risk. In "red areas" transmission is higher. "Striped areas" are not evaluated or there are insufficient data about transmission.
When you arrive in Norway from a "red" or "striped area", you should travel directly to an appropriate place to stay during quarantine, preferably by private transport. If you must be in a public place or use public transport, you must use a face mask throughout the journey until you arrive at your destination. Try to avoid departures where you cannot maintain a distance of 1 metre from others.
Countries and areas with sufficiently low transmission
There is no quarantine duty from countries in the EU/EEA/Schengen, and Nordic regions with sufficiently low transmission. These areas are marked in yellow in the map below and will be updated once a week.
NIPH makes a weekly assessment of the infection situation in the EU/EEA/Schengen. In even-numbered weeks, an assessment is made of countries / regions where it is relevant to change from yellow to red and from red to yellow. In odd-numbered weeks, only assessments are made of countries / regions where it is relevant to change from yellow to red.
The Government decides which countries require ten days travel quarantine. At the earliest, any updated travel advice will apply the day after the new decision.
- COVID-19 regulations (Lovdata).
Criteria for evaluating transmission
From 10th November, the threshold values will be changed. There are now exemptions from entry quarantine for travellers from EEA countries and Switzerland where there are fewer than 25 confirmed cases per 100 000 inhabitants during the last two weeks (evaluated on a national level), and fewer than 4 per cent positive tests on average per week over the last two weeks.
In addition there is a comprehensive assessment of the countries, based on trends in infection rate and other relevant information.
Assessments are made on a regional level when it is possible for health authorities to make assessments based on evaluations of the infection burden in each region. Currently, this only applies for the Nordic countries.
Due to two consecutive odd-numbered weeks at the end of 2020, from the first week in 2021, the assessment of countries/regions where it is appropriate to change from yellow to red and from red to yellow will happen in odd-numbered weeks. Only assessments of countries/regions where it is appropriate to change from yellow to red will happen in even-numbered weeks (the opposite of 2020).
Overseas regions and countries outside EU/ EEA/ Schengen
The overseas regions, including Gibraltar, are not covered by the travel advice linked to countries in the EU / EEA / Schengen area. These overseas regions are subject to the same entry restrictions and quarantine rules as the other third countries (countries outside the EU / EEA / Schengen area). Examples of overseas regions are land areas in the Caribbean and North Africa that are governed by a Schengen country, but are not included in the Schengen area.
If you arrive in Norway from overseas regions and countries outside EU / EEA / Schengen (so-called third countries), you must go in quarantine for 10 days.
Exemption from quarantine duty
Employees in the healthcare service
Healthcare professionals who, during the last 10 days, have been in regions and countries outside Norway that do not require quarantine duty ("yellow countries") should inform their employer before returning to work. These employees should be tested once for SARS-CoV-2 as soon as possible and that they should not have patient contact until a negative test result is available.
Employees with household members who have symptoms, but who are not probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases, can go to work but should follow the advice given here:
Other sources of information about entry quarantine
- Find chat for personal questions: Travel advice - helsenorge.no/ Ministry of Health
- Service telephone for the public - (Norway) 815 55 015, open 08:00-15:30 workdays
- Travel advice and entry rules by country - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Travel advice for EU/EEA citizens who are currently not in Norway - Norwegian Directorate of Immigration
Infection control advice for travel