Border entry regulations

03 Feb 2021 / Norway

Strict regulations for border entry are now being enforced in Norway. As a rule, entry from a “red” country by land, sea and air is not permitted, except for Norwegian citizens or persons that reside in the country. From 29 January, all countries outside of Norway are considered “red countries”.

There are, however, some exceptions, including:
- SEAFARERS: Crew can embark or disembark a vessel in a Norwegian port (SID is required)
- CRITICAL PUBLIC FUNCTIONS (KEY WORKERS): Persons that carry out critical work, service and inspections of a vessel.

On-signers who arrive in Norway from a “red” country or area must enter quarantine for ten days after arrival and prior to embarking.

Crew who are nationals of countries that have signed the ILO 108 or 185 treaty may can travel without Schengen visa via a non-Schengen country to/from Norway. When signing off, such crew are usually allowed to travel via a Schengen country also without a visa, but we as agents cannot guarantee this travel on behalf of border control and Immigration outside Norway. GAC Norway cannot assist on-signing crew our side with a travel via Schengen without a visa. For non ILO 108/185-nationality-crew, a Schengen visa can be applied for, but we cannot guarantee that the application will be granted by Immigration.

When embarking or disembarking at a Norwegian port, crew must travel straight to their planned destination and minimize close/physical contact with others. Travel must be in an infection control-responsible manner, according to guidelines from the Directorate of Health.

On-signing crew are subject to C19-test at the border crossing point, usually the airport. They are strongly recommended to have a test arranged by agent, even if that means testing twice within a short time after arrival to Norway. A ten day combined quarantine ashore and onboard for crew after arriving Norway applies with on-signers required to stay in full quarantine and not start working onboard until they receive a negative result of their first test. For practical purposes, on-signers have to arrive in Norway at least two days signing on the vessel if the owner requires PCR test, or 24 hours if the owner only requires an Antigen Rapid Test (ART). Planning crew changes with a shorter timeframe is considered a breach of the regulations.

For embarking crew, a C19-test prior to arriving Norway is not compulsory, but is recommended. This test should be taken within 24 hours before departure from the airport of origin.

Since 29 January, arriving crew that have been in the UK, Netherlands, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, South Africa and Brazil can only be tested by PCR (not ART). Although they are formally under the same regulations as other crew signing on, it is a strongly recommendation that this crew carry a PCR-test that is no older than 24 hours from time of departure flight or no older than 72 hours before arriving in Norway. It is also strongly recommenced that such crew have a negative test result before leaving their quarantine ashore and embarking their vessel.

Off-signers are subject to C19-testing within 24 hours of signing off, and prior to leaving Norway. They are not required to stay in Norway whilst awaiting the test result. Crew that have been in the UK, Netherlands, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, South Africa or Brazil in the last ten days must be tested by PCR.

For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in Norway, contact GAC Norway at [email protected]

If quoting any content from Hot Port News, please cite GAC Hot Port News as the source.