The majority of Norway’s coast is remote with few inhabitants and only small settlements. One is not usually far from basic provisions, but don’t expect much variety of provisions and marine supply and services outside the main towns.

Customs & Immigration

Vessels arriving from outside Schengen need to report their arrival on the Safe Sea Net Reporting System. Register your arrival in advance here:

https://shiprep.no/ShipRepWebUI/SignIn.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fShipRepWebUI

The police (Politiet) handle Norway’s immigration control.

Depending on nationality, crew and passengers may need to present themselves physically at the appropriate office.

The list of ports of entry, is provided in geographical order starting from the Swedish border and heading north:

Fredrikstad
Oslo
Toensberg
Kristiansand
Stavanger
Bergen
Aalesund
Trondheim
Bodo
Tromso
Kirkenes

Find contact information for these police district headquarters here:

https://shiprep.no/ShipRepWebUI/SignIn.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fShipRepWebUI

Arrival outside these ports of entry may be possible upon request from the nearest district headquarters.

Customs should also be alerted to your arrival, but may not require any paperwork if you have nothing to declare for import. Police and customs should both be notified prior to departure and bear in mind to bring invoices to your outbound customs office for any VAT refunds desired. The complete list of Norwegian customs offices and associated contact information can be found here:

https://www.toll.no/no/om-tolletaten/kontakt-oss/ekspedisjonssteder/

Marinas

Generally, visiting yachts berth on a publicly owned waterfront in the city center. Even very small towns will have a so-called Gjestehavn or guest harbor. Depending on the town, this can mean tying up to a concrete quay with tires or a float dock. Mooring fees are generally quite cheap compared to southern Europe and the USA. Fees are often paid through the GoMarina App. There is often no service associated with these berths aside from toilet facilities ashore. Hooking up to 3 phase shore power is also unlikely in Norway. Larger yachts that would like 3 phase shore power and want to reserve space, should contact the local harbor master. In some towns, there is 3 phase service available on a commercial pier that may be utilized by visiting yachts. Otherwise, luxury marinas catering to superyachts do not exist in Norway.

Haul Out Facilities

Norway is without a doubt a maritime culture. As a result of the fishing and oil industries, one will notice a great deal of large commercial vessels along the coast. There is also an abundance of pleasure boats in Norway. Generally, Norwegians own relatively modest sized vessels, and one does not usually see superyachts in the country aside from those visiting from afar. Facilities providing dry docking services to commercial ships can be found all along the Norwegian coast. In addition, small scale boat yards and boating associations providing basic haul out service with the use of forklifts and cranes are also very common. This leaves larger yachts without many good options for haul out. Certainly, arrangements are possible at one of the many dry docks, but availability and their commercial nature may make them impractical. For the purposes of this guide, we will solely be focusing on haul out facilities with travel lifts. Lift capacities in metric tons provided after each entry.

News

Cruising the Norwegian Coast from Tonsberg to Bergen on a Wooden Classic

June 2, 2022

In the summer of 2020, my girlfriend and I had the pleasure of sailing the beautiful S&S yawl, MARETEA, from Oslofjord to Bergen. The route takes you through many charming communities and spectacular scenery. And as is often the case in Norway, there is ample opportunity to sail within the protection of barrier islands and skerries, providing a tenable route in a variety of weather conditions. This trip does however contain a couple stretches of exposed coast and care should be taken to undertake them in favorable conditions.

Tonsberg