Norway Tourist Visa Requirements for UK Citizens
Last checked: 20 March 2026
Planning a holiday to Norway with a full British citizen passport?
This guide explains the current tourist entry rules for UK travellers, including whether you need a visa, how long you can stay, passport validity rules, what Norwegian border officers may ask to see, electronic systems now in use or coming soon, costs, and the official government links to check before travel.
This article is restricted to tourist entry for UK citizens. It does not cover work, study, residence permits, or long-stay immigration routes except where needed to explain what does not apply to a normal holiday.
Norway is part of the Schengen area and uses the Norwegian krone (NOK).
Index
- 1. Quick answer
- 2. Passport and stay rules
- 3. What Norwegian border control may ask for
- 4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
- 5. Costs for UK tourist entry
- 6. Official UK and Norwegian government links
- 7. Frequently asked questions
1. Quick answer
No tourist visa is required for a UK citizen visiting Norway for a short holiday.
For most British tourists, the key points are:
- You can visit Norway without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- Norway is in the Schengen area, so time spent in other Schengen countries counts towards the same 90-day limit.
- Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years.
- Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- Until EES is fully rolled out, you should make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.
- There is no Norway-only tourist eVisa or Norway-only tourist ETA identified in the official sources reviewed for a normal visa-free UK tourist trip.
In simple terms, most UK holidaymakers can travel to Norway without applying for a tourist visa, provided the trip stays within the Schengen short-stay limit and the passport rules are met.
2. Passport and stay rules
If you are travelling to Norway as a tourist on a full British citizen passport, your passport should meet these conditions:
- It must have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive.
- It must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- You can be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or if you try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
UK citizens can stay in Norway for tourism for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
This is a Schengen-wide allowance, not a Norway-only allowance. If you also travel to Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Croatia, or any other Schengen country, those days count towards the same limit.
If you overstay the 90-day visa-free limit, you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years.
If you want to stay longer than 90 days, you must meet the Norwegian government’s longer-stay entry requirements and should check with the Norwegian Embassy in the UK or UDI before travel.
3. What Norwegian border control may ask for
Even though UK tourists do not need a visa for a short holiday, Norwegian border officers may still ask for supporting documents.
- Proof of accommodation, for example a hotel booking confirmation or proof of address for a second home
- Proof of travel insurance
- A return or onward ticket
- Proof that you have enough money for your stay
The UK Government says the amount of money you may need to show varies depending on your accommodation.
Norway’s official visa guidance for applicants who do need a visa gives a useful reference amount of NOK 500 per person per day. This is helpful as official guidance on what the authorities consider to be sufficient means, even though a normal British tourist usually does not need to apply for a visa in advance.
For visa applicants, Norway’s official guidance also requires a travel health insurance policy with cover of at least €30,000 across the Schengen area, including repatriation and emergency treatment.
Until EES is fully rolled out, you should also make sure your passport is stamped on both entry and exit. If a stamp is missing, keep evidence such as boarding passes or tickets and ask border officials to add the date and location to your passport.
4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
Norway does not currently require a separate Norway-only tourist eVisa or a Norway-only tourist ETA for a visa-free UK holiday visit.
However, there are three systems or processes worth knowing about:
Norway’s online Schengen visa application route
Norway has an official online application route for travellers who need a visitor’s visa. Applicants register the application online, pay the fee online, then print the application form and submit it with their documents through the visa process.
Digital sponsorship and invitation form
From 13 January 2025, Norway’s official UK visa guidance says a sponsor can complete a digital sponsorship and invitation form using electronic ID. This is only relevant when a visa applicant needs sponsorship support. A normal visa-free UK tourist would not usually need to use it.
Entry-Exit System (EES)
The European Union’s Entry-Exit System (EES) is being rolled out in phases, with full operation expected from 10 April 2026.
For short-stay UK travellers, EES means you may need to register biometric details such as fingerprints and a photo when entering the Schengen area. You do not need to take any action before arriving at the border, and there is no fee for EES registration.
Until EES is fully rolled out, your passport should still be stamped on entry and exit. Once EES is fully in place, it will replace the current manual passport-stamping system for most affected travellers.
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
ETIAS is not live yet. The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
When ETIAS starts, UK passport holders travelling visa-free to Norway and other participating Schengen countries will generally need to apply online before travel unless exempt. The official ETIAS fee is €20, shown below as an approximate Norwegian krone and pound equivalent.
So the current position for UK tourists is:
- No Norway-only tourist eVisa requirement identified
- No Norway-only tourist ETA requirement identified right now
- Norway does have an official online visa application and payment route for travellers who need a visa
- Norway also has a digital sponsorship and invitation form for certain visa applications
- EES is being phased in now
- ETIAS is expected later, in the last quarter of 2026
5. Costs for UK tourist entry
Norway uses the Norwegian krone (NOK). For a normal UK tourist visit, the official entry costs are simple because no tourist visa is required.
Approximate Norwegian krone and pound conversions below use the European Central Bank reference rates for 6 March 2026 of €1 = NOK 11.1725 and €1 = £0.86693.
| Item | Does it apply to a normal UK tourist? | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Norway tourist visa | No | NOK 0 (£0) |
| Norway-only tourist eVisa | No official system identified for UK tourists | NOK 0 (£0) |
| Norway-only tourist ETA / pre-travel authorisation | No official system identified at present | NOK 0 (£0) |
| EES registration | Yes, this may apply at the Schengen border during rollout | NOK 0 (£0) |
| ETIAS, once launched | Not in force yet, but expected later in 2026 | About NOK 223.45 (£17.34) |
| Reference funds in Norwegian visa guidance | Financial evidence, not a fee | NOK 500 per person per day (about £38.79) |
Only if you fall outside the normal visa-free UK tourist route, the current standard Schengen visa fee is €90, which is about NOK 1,005.53 (£78.02).
Important: that short-stay visa fee is not part of the normal short tourist route for a full British citizen passport holder. For most UK holidaymakers, the tourist visa cost remains NOK 0 (£0).
6. Official UK and Norwegian government links
Use these official pages before booking, before travel, and again shortly before departure:
- UK Government travel advice for Norway
- UK Government Norway entry requirements
- UK Government foreign travel checklist
- UK Government Entry-Exit System guidance
- Norway in the United Kingdom, visitor’s visa and residence permit
- Norway in the United Kingdom, visitor’s visa
- UDI, travel insurance for visitor visa applicants
- Official EU ETIAS information
- European Central Bank exchange rates
If your circumstances are unusual, for example dual nationality, a passport close to expiry, a UK travel document rather than a standard British citizen passport, or an intended stay longer than 90 days, rely on the official pages above rather than third-party websites.
7. Frequently asked questions
Do UK citizens need a visa for Norway?
No. UK citizens travelling on a full British citizen passport do not need a tourist visa for short visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
How long can a British tourist stay in Norway without a visa?
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.
How long must my passport be valid for Norway?
Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before arrival and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
Can Norwegian border officers ask for proof of money or onward travel?
Yes. UK Government guidance says border officers may ask for accommodation details, travel insurance, a return or onward ticket, and proof that you have enough money for your stay.
How much money might I need to show for a Norway trip?
The official Norwegian visa guidance for applicants who need a visa gives a reference amount of NOK 500 per person per day.
Does Norway have a tourist eVisa for UK citizens?
I did not identify a separate Norway-only tourist eVisa system for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.
Does Norway have a tourist ETA right now?
I did not identify a Norway-only tourist ETA or other pre-travel online authorisation for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.
Does Norway have any online visa system?
Yes. Norway has an official online visa registration and payment route for people who need a visitor’s visa, and sponsors can also use a digital sponsorship and invitation form in certain cases.
What is EES and does it affect Norway travel?
EES is the EU’s Entry-Exit System for short-stay travellers entering the Schengen area. It affects Norway travel because Norway follows Schengen entry rules. During rollout, you may need to register fingerprints and a photo at the border.
When is ETIAS expected to start?
The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
How much will ETIAS cost?
The official ETIAS fee is €20, which is about NOK 223.45 and about £17.34 using the exchange rates used in this article.
Final check before travel
For most UK holidaymakers, Norway is straightforward: no tourist visa is required for a short stay. The main things to get right are your Schengen day count, your passport issue date and expiry date, your supporting documents at the border, and keeping an eye on the continuing Entry-Exit System rollout and the future ETIAS launch.
