Motorhome, caravan or trailer from the Netherlands: import rules in Norway

A motorhome (bobil) is imported like a car: customs clearance at Tolletaten with 25% VAT on the value plus freight and insurance, approval by Statens vegvesen, the one-off registration tax (engangsavgift) and the vehicle scrap deposit tax at Skatteetaten, and registration at a trafikkstasjon with Norwegian traffic insurance. Like any car, a motorhome does not qualify for a moving exemption. The full sequence is on our page about importing a vehicle into Norway.

In the Norwegian tax rules a motorhome is called a campingbil and falls in tax group C (avgiftsgruppe C). For this group, CO2 emissions are not used to calculate the engangsavgift. Since 1 January 2021 the tax has been based on engine displacement (slagvolum), with a separate table. Whether your motorhome counts as a campingbil depends on its approval and papers, so check this before you buy.

For the vehicle scrap deposit tax, a campingbil sits in the same group as cars and vans. Skatteetaten's calculator gives the amounts for your vehicle; we do not calculate them.

If your motorhome weighs over 3.5 tonnes, the speed limit on Norwegian motorways is 80 km/h; below 3.5 tonnes you follow the posted limit. Statens vegvesen says a category C1 driving licence covers vehicles from 3,500 to 7,500 kg, although that page does not mention motorhomes specifically. Check your licence before you drive a heavy motorhome north.

In Norway, trailers (tilhenger) too are subject to registration, with certain exceptions. Since 1 January 2019 the vehicle scrap deposit tax also applies to caravans (campingvogn). Heavy trailers in category O3 (permitted total weight over 3,500 kg up to 10,000 kg) and O4 (over 10,000 kg) fall under the approval process for heavy vehicles.

A light Dutch trailer up to 750 kg has no registration number of its own: it carries the number of the towing vehicle. How Statens vegvesen approves such a trailer, when customs and registration ask for the original foreign registration document, is not clear from the official sources. Ask Statens vegvesen before you set off.

Statens vegvesen sets these driving licence limits:

• Category B: a trailer up to 750 kg maximum permitted mass, or a heavier one if car and trailer together weigh no more than 3,500 kg.
• Code 96: a combination up to 4,250 kg.
• Category BE: a trailer up to 3,500 kg.

With a trailer or caravan you may drive at up to 80 km/h where that is allowed, including on motorways. Some trailers may be towed at 100 km/h after a separate Tempo 100 approval. It requires, among other things, a trailer built for at least 100 km/h, tyres less than six years old with a speed rating of at least 120 km/h, and a towing car with ABS and a maximum permitted mass of no more than 3,500 kg; trailers four years or older also need a technical inspection. Whether a foreign-registered trailer can get Tempo 100 is unclear.

On the Dutch side, each vehicle is handled according to its type:

• Motorhome: export document, export insurance and two white plates. It needs a valid APK (the Dutch periodic roadworthiness test) for the drive. Above 2,500 kg the price is on request.
• Caravan or trailer up to 750 kg: export insurance on the chassis number, with one white plate carrying the registration number of the towing vehicle.
• Caravan or trailer over 750 kg: its own registration number on one white export plate, with its own export insurance. An APK is only required above 3,500 kg.

For export, a caravan or trailer always gets its own export insurance. More about plates and cover on Dutch export plates and export insurance for Norway. Because Norway is outside the EU, a motorhome also needs an EX-A export declaration, just like a car. Bringing a commercial vehicle as well? See vans and trucks for Norway.