Planning a fresh start in Norway, or elsewhere in Scandinavia? AMC makes moving to Norway (and the wider Nordic region) straightforward.
We export-pack your goods in Ireland, handle Norwegian customs on arrival, and deliver safely to any address, from city apartments in Oslo to remote cabins above the Arctic Circle.
Norway is a long country, roughly 1,750 km from the southern tip to the North Cape. The cities are geographically spread out and professionally distinct. Where you land shapes everything from your industry access to how much darkness you're willing to live with in winter.
The obvious starting point for most Irish people. Oslo is Norway's capital and economic centre, with a strong tech sector, finance industry, and growing startup ecosystem. It's genuinely international, the city has a large expat community and English is functional in virtually every professional environment. Direct flights from Dublin run frequently.
Oslo is expensive. It's one of the priciest capital cities in Europe by most measures. A one-bedroom apartment in a central neighbourhood (Grünerløkka, Frogner, St. Hanshaugen) runs NOK 15,000-22,000/month. Norwegian salaries are high by Irish standards, but the cost of living consumes a larger proportion than people typically plan for. Budget carefully for the first 2-3 months before your first full Norwegian payslip arrives.
The second city, and in many ways Norway's most distinctive one. Bergen sits on the western coast surrounded by mountains and fjords. It's beautiful and it rains almost constantly (around 240 rainy days a year, by some measures). The city's economy is built around oil and gas (offshore operations in the North Sea), maritime industries, fisheries, and an increasingly active tech sector. The University of Bergen makes it younger and more culturally active than its size alone would suggest.
For Irish people working in oil and gas, Bergen and Stavanger are where the industry is. If you're arriving for an office or tech role and the weather doesn't bother you, Bergen is cheaper than Oslo and more genuinely Norwegian in feel.
Norway's oil capital. EQUINOR (formerly Statoil), along with Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Schlumberger, and most other major oil services companies, have significant operations based here. Stavanger has the most established international expat community outside Oslo, built over decades by the oil industry, with international schools, English-speaking services, and a support network for people arriving without Norwegian language skills. If your move is driven by an oil and gas role, Stavanger is likely where you're going.
Norway's third city and its main university town. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is one of the country's most important institutions and anchors a cluster of research, engineering, and tech activity. Trondheim is noticeably cheaper than Oslo, has a strong quality of life, and is popular with people arriving in research, academic, or tech roles. It sits in the middle of the country and gets proper Norwegian winters.
For a specific kind of person. Tromsø is 350 km north of the Arctic Circle. It has the University of Tromsø (UiT: Norway's Arctic University), a growing tourism sector around northern lights and Arctic experiences, and a fishing and maritime industry. The polar night (November to January, no sun above the horizon) and midnight sun (May to July, continuous daylight) are not metaphors, they're the reality of life at that latitude. Irish people who go to Tromsø tend to go specifically for it. Those who arrive expecting a conventional city experience typically don't stay.
There's no direct passenger ferry from Ireland to Norway. AMC's road freight route goes via the UK, across to continental Europe (typically via ferry to France or through the Channel Tunnel), then north through Germany and Denmark, and into Norway via the land border or the short Helsingør-Helsingborg crossing into Sweden, then continuing north.
It's a long haul. Oslo is roughly 1,900 km from Dublin by road. Bergen adds another 500 km west. Trondheim is further still.
Your belongings share a truck with other customers' shipments heading in the same direction. Collected in Ireland, consolidated, and driven to your Norwegian door. For studio flats, one or two-bedroom apartments, or anyone not moving an entire house, groupage is the right call.
Timeline: 10-16 days from collection. Norway is one of AMC's less frequent routes, groupage depends on enough volume heading the same direction to justify a full departure. Factor this into your planning.
Your own vehicle, your own schedule. For larger moves or fixed delivery dates. Typically 7-10 days door-to-door to Oslo; add a day or two for Bergen or Trondheim. More expensive, but you control the timing.
Every shipment entering Norway clears customs. AMC's freight team manages the documentation process with you. Budget an extra day for customs clearance in your timeline. It's routine when the paperwork is correct, but it is a step that doesn't exist on intra-EU moves.
Request a survey: in-person in Leinster, video call anywhere else. Confirm your booking once you have a written quote. Norway is a longer, less frequent route. Don't assume slots are available at short notice.
Start the declutter. Norwegian apartment buildings in Oslo vary: newer builds have adequate lifts and access; older city buildings and Bergen's hilly terrain can have tight staircase access. Less volume is always easier.
Confirm collection date. Notify Revenue Commissioners you are leaving Ireland. Cancel or redirect utilities, subscriptions, and direct debits.
Pack the rest. Gather your documents: passport, birth certificate, PPS records, employment contract, medical records, proof of Irish address for the last 12 months. Your Norwegian employer may already be initiating some registration steps. Confirm with your HR department what they are handling.
Final rooms, meter readings, post redirect. Confirm the delivery slot with AMC and flag any access issues at your Norwegian address.
Norway is not in the EU customs union. All goods entering Norway from Ireland require customs clearance at the Norwegian border. The good news: there's a clear exemption for people genuinely relocating their primary residence.
Used personal belongings and household goods you've owned for at least 12 months are exempt from Norwegian customs duties and VAT when you're moving your primary residence to Norway. Note that Norway's ownership requirement (12 months) is longer than the EU standard (6 months). If you've bought furniture recently, check the acquisition dates before assuming everything qualifies.
What you'll need:
New items, commercially purchased goods, or items in original packaging are not covered by the exemption. Declare them separately; Norwegian VAT (MVA) is 25%.
This is the thing that surprises most people. Norway has a one-time vehicle registration tax called the engangsavgift. It's calculated based on CO2 emissions, NOx emissions, engine weight, and vehicle weight. For a typical petrol family car, it can run into tens of thousands of Norwegian krone, sometimes more than the car is worth.
Electric vehicles were fully exempt from engangsavgift for many years, which is a big reason Norway became one of the world's leading EV markets. Policy has been tightening, with partial taxes introduced on higher-end EVs. But even with recent changes, EVs still attract substantially lower registration costs than petrol or diesel equivalents.
If you're bringing a petrol or diesel car, get a proper engangsavgift assessment before committing to the shipping cost. Use the Norwegian Tax Administration calculator at toll.no (or ask a Norwegian customs agent) and put your car's specs in. For many cars, especially newer or larger petrol vehicles, the engangsavgift alone makes selling in Ireland and buying an EV locally the financially sensible choice.
If you're bringing an EV, the costs are much more manageable. Still go through the assessment to confirm.
You can drive on Irish plates for a short period after establishing Norwegian residency. Don't leave this running too long. The rules are enforced, and Norwegian traffic police are methodical.
Norway is in the EEA but not the EU, and its pet import rules are more detailed than the standard EU process. Follow this precisely. Border control takes pet documentation seriously.
Your pet needs:
This is specific to Norway (and Finland and some other countries) and catches people out. Dogs entering Norway must be treated for Echinococcus tapeworm between 1 and 5 days before arriving at the Norwegian border. This means a vet visit timed to the actual border crossing date, not the collection date. Get your vet to record the treatment date and product in the EU pet passport.
Cats and ferrets don't require tapeworm treatment for Norway.
Norway has no national breed-specific legislation banning particular breeds, but some municipalities have local rules. If you have a dog that's sometimes subject to restrictions elsewhere, check with the destination municipality.
AMC doesn't transport live animals. We can point you toward specialist pet relocation services we've worked alongside on Norway moves.
The Norwegian Tax Administration manages the population register. Registering your address and getting your national ID number (fødselsnummer) is the cornerstone of Norwegian life. Everything else flows from it: your tax card, your fastlege (GP), your bank account, your driving licence exchange.
If you're arriving with an employment contract from a Norwegian employer, your employer often initiates the registration process. If you're arriving independently, go to your local tax office (Skatteetaten) with your passport and proof of Norwegian address.
If you arrive before your full national ID is processed (which can take several weeks), you'll get a D-number, a temporary identification number for foreign nationals. Banks and some services accept a D-number. Your national ID number (fødselsnummer) comes once Skatteetaten has fully processed your registration. Keep both documents.
Norway uses a tax deduction card system. Your employer is legally required to deduct the correct tax from your salary, but they need your skattekort to know your tax rate. Get this from Skatteetaten after your registration. If your employer doesn't have your skattekort, they default to deducting 50%, which is legal but more than most people owe. Sort it quickly.
Norway operates a GP list system (fastlegeordningen). Every Norwegian resident is entitled to a named GP who acts as your primary care contact and refers you onward to specialists. Register at helsenorge.no once you have your national ID number. GPs in major cities can have waitlists, register as soon as possible, even before you need the service.
You need one for salary payments and daily life. DNB, Nordea, SpareBank 1, and Handelsbanken are the main options. Most require your national ID number (some accept D-number) and proof of Norwegian address. Skandiabanken (now Sbanken) and neobank options can bridge the gap while you're waiting for your full registration.
Irish driving licences are EEA licences and are valid in Norway. Once you establish Norwegian residency, you have up to 12 months to exchange your Irish licence for a Norwegian one, done at the Statens vegvesen office without retesting for EU/EEA licence holders.
Norway is one of AMC's longer European routes, and the customs clearance step adds process compared to intra-EU moves. These figures are a guide; your quote depends on a survey.
Prices are for collection in Ireland, road freight through the UK and continental Europe, Norwegian customs clearance, and delivery to your Norwegian address. Packing service, vehicle transport, customs documentation support, and specialist items quoted separately.
Delivery to Bergen, Trondheim, or Stavanger adds to the cost relative to Oslo, reflecting the additional distance from the main route.
A. Groupage: 10-16 days from collection. Dedicated truck: 7-10 days to Oslo, add a day or two for Bergen or Trondheim. Budget an additional day for customs clearance at the Norwegian border.
A. No. As an Irish citizen, you have EEA free movement rights to live and work in Norway. You don't need a visa or immigration permit. You do need to register with the Norwegian Tax Administration and Police Immigration Service once you arrive.
A. Yes. Oslo in particular is consistently among the most expensive cities in Europe. Groceries, eating out, alcohol (heavily taxed), housing, and most services cost significantly more than their Irish equivalents. Norwegian salaries in professional sectors are high, which partially offsets this, but plan your first few months carefully before your full Norwegian income is established.
A. Run the engangsavgift numbers before deciding. For petrol and diesel cars, the one-time registration tax can easily exceed the car's value. For electric vehicles, the calculation is far more favourable. The Norwegian Tax Administration has a calculator at toll.no. Worth using before you commit to shipping costs.
A. This one catches people out. Dogs entering Norway must be treated for Echinococcus tapeworm between 1 and 5 days before crossing the Norwegian border, not before the truck collects your belongings, but before the dog physically enters Norway. Coordinate the vet visit to the border crossing date and get it recorded in the EU pet passport.
A. AMC has storage in Ireland. We hold your shipment and deliver when you have a confirmed address. Tell us at booking.
A. Yes, or someone you trust. We won't leave goods unattended at an unoccupied property.
A. Book a survey: in-person in Leinster, video call from anywhere else. We'll assess the volume, go through your options, and send a written quote within 48 hours.
Instant Online Booking. Choose your size, book in minutes & move in the same day.
.png)
.jpg)
