Which documents must the Norwegian seller hand over?
The Norwegian registration certificate, the vognkort, is issued in two parts: del 1 (kept in the vehicle) and del 2 (kept by the owner, needed for changes). Both originals must be handed to you; without them, registration abroad becomes complicated. Insist on the invoice or the kjøpekontrakt with the VIN, and check in the register of charges (Løsøreregisteret, Brønnøysundregistrene) that no lien (heftelse) is recorded against the vehicle.
The export is declared to Statens vegvesen: the Norwegian plates are handed in and the vehicle is de-registered for export. The seller can then apply to the tax administration for a partial refund of the engangsavgift, the Norwegian registration tax, which explains why they will ask you for proof of the new registration.
Do I need a certificate of conformity for a Norwegian car?
Norway applies European type approval through the EEA agreement: every vehicle sold new in the country matches an EC type-approved type and its certificate of conformity is available from the manufacturer, from the VIN, as for a German or Swedish vehicle. Check entries D.2 and K of the vognkort; complete and referring to an EC type approval, your registration authority may be satisfied with them, but as the file is handled as a third-country import (customs), the COC is often requested in practice.
The Norwegian fleet is dominated by electric vehicles: Tesla, Volkswagen ID, Polestar, Hyundai and Kia. Connectors and approvals are European; “winter pack” equipment changes nothing about the approval. The VIN indicates the factory and therefore the file to retrieve. See Tesla and Polestar.
VAT and customs: a vehicle from Norway is an import from outside the Union
Norway belongs to the European Economic Area but not to the customs union. The vehicle must therefore be declared to customs when it enters the Union. You pay import VAT at the standard rate of the country of entry, calculated on the value of the vehicle plus transport, and possibly customs duty depending on where the vehicle was manufactured (goods originating in the EEA are exempt on proof of origin; customs decides).
In return, customs issues the import clearance document that your registration authority will ask for in place of intra-EU tax clearance (certificate 846A in France, an import declaration elsewhere). Unlike an intra-EU purchase, a used vehicle bought from a Norwegian private seller is subject to import VAT. Check the customs website of your country for the exact procedure.
A used vehicle from Norway is subject to import VAT in your country even when bought from a private individual, unlike an intra-EU purchase. Customs duty depends on the origin of the vehicle (goods originating in the EEA are exempt on proof; a vehicle built in Asia is taxed unless a special regime applies). The refund of the engangsavgift to the seller has no effect on your file.
Roadworthiness test: what your registration authority accepts
Most authorities ask for a valid roadworthiness certificate for a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing (four years in most countries). A test passed in a centre approved in your own country is the safe route; a test passed in another Member State must be recognised as long as it is still valid under the frequency rules of Directive 2014/45/EU, but tests from outside the Union (British MOT, Swiss cantonal inspection) are not. Some countries, Belgium and the Netherlands among them, add a specific import inspection that checks the vehicle against its approval data.
A roadworthiness test checks the condition of the vehicle, not its conformity with the approved type: it replaces neither the certificate of conformity nor entries D.2 and K of the foreign registration certificate.
The Norwegian EU-kontroll follows the European directive through the EEA agreement, but not every authority treats it like a test from a Member State: ask yours, or plan a recent test in your own country for a vehicle old enough to be subject to periodic testing.
How to bring the car home from Norway?
Once de-registered for export, the vehicle no longer has Norwegian plates. The prøveskilt (daily trade plates) are designed for Norway, not for a journey across Europe. The usual solution is transport by ferry and lorry to the customs office of your country, the transport document also serving as proof of export for the seller. In your country, apply for the temporary registration your authority offers as soon as the customs document is obtained.
Once the vehicle has been de-registered in its country of origin, its old plates no longer cover it. Most countries offer a temporary registration while the file is being completed (the WW provisional certificate in France, transit or temporary plates elsewhere) or expect you to trailer the vehicle until the definitive certificate is issued. Ask your registration authority what exists and how long it lasts: temporary registrations are short and rarely extended, so gather the certificate of conformity and the roadworthiness test first.
Documents usually requested: proof of ownership (invoice or contract), ID, proof of address, the foreign registration certificate or the official document that replaces it, and proof of insurance. The vehicle must be insured from the first kilometre, including for the journey home on the export plates of the country of origin.
Registration taxes: what you pay when you file
Most countries levy one or more taxes at first registration on their territory, paid when the application is filed:
- a one-off registration tax based on CO₂ emissions, engine capacity, power or list price, with an age-related reduction for a used vehicle already registered abroad (VRT in Ireland, BPM in the Netherlands, the malus in France, the tax on entry into service in Belgium);
- an administrative fee for the certificate and the plates, and sometimes a postage charge;
- in some countries a weight-based component, or a regional tax proportional to fiscal horsepower;
- then the annual road tax, which starts with the registration.
The certificate of conformity supplies precisely the values that serve as the tax base: WLTP CO₂, masses, power. An NEDC figure read from an old document can distort your estimate. Our calculators give an order of magnitude; the taxable value is set by the administration. Car taxes across the Union, on Your Europe.
How do I file the registration application?
The application is filed with the registration authority of the country where you live: online in France (ANTS), through your insurer’s WebDIV access in Belgium, at the SNCA in Luxembourg, at an RDW inspection station in the Netherlands, at an NCTS centre in Ireland, at the local Zulassungsstelle in Germany. You present or upload the documents, pay the taxes, and receive a provisional or definitive registration certificate that lets you have plates made.
Our step-by-step guide details the documents, the order of the formalities and the Belgian, Luxembourg, Swiss, German and Dutch variants.