Getting a driver's license in Norway

If you have a driver’s license got not in the European Union state, or in the US, you have an opportunity to use it on Norwegian roads. But only for three months. After that, you will have to pass the procedure for getting a driver’s license (this time Norwegian) again, both in theoretical and practical parts. In this article we will tell you how to do this.

Algorithm for obtaining a driving license in Norway

It is extremely comfortable to have a driving license in Norway, as there are many small towns where it is very inconvenient and expensive without a car. But the procedure for obtaining a DL in Norway is cumbersome, long and expensive (all together cost more than three thousand euros, or 150 thousand rubles). A Norwegian driver’s license holder is almost a divine being, because he suffered so many difficulties while getting the license! By the way, Norwegian DL was previously issued up to the age of 100. Now it is limited to 75 years. That is, the driver’s license isn’t changed every 10 years, as, for example, in Russia. According to statistics, in Norway, 50,000 people out of 5 million (one percent) are trained every year, and about 80% of them get a driving license. Usually Norwegians pass the exam successfully on the second or third attempt.

For getting a driving license in Norway, certain conditions are necessary:

A foreigner has the right to register for passing the obtaining a driver’s license procedure no earlier than after six months of having the status of “residence permit”.

High school students begin to take driving lessons at the age of 16, but they are allowed to drive only at 18. They, as well as those who haven’t reached the age of 25 and have never had a driving license received in other countries, attend the main (introductory) course. In Norway, parents spend a lot of money on teaching a child how to drive a car, because the rest of the education (including higher one) is free in the country.

Start with theory

Every student of Norwegian driving school (and there are about 600 of them in the country) can gain theoretical knowledge independently, taking the manual for motorists in the library or using special sites. Usually it takes about a month, with the greatest difficulties experienced by those who are poorly fluent in Norwegian or English (you can pass exam in any of these languages). The theoretical exam requires registration on a special website; the time and place of exam are selected, then the computer is asked to answer various questions, often the same, but paraphrased. There are in total 45 questions in theory. You can make no more than 7 mistakes. That is, 85% of answers must be correct, otherwise the theoretical examination will be considered not passed. You are given an hour and a half to answer all 45 questions. The exam costs about 300 euros. But if it is passed on the first try, no fee is charged. Each follow-up try will devastate the applicant’s budget by the defined amount.

If the theoretical examination is passed, its results are valid for three years. But during this time it is necessary to pass the practical one. If you didn’t succeed in it, you pass the theory again, as a beginner.

Practical lessons

Their number depends on the results of each previous stage. The student won’t be allowed to attend the next lesson if the previous one wasn’t successfully passed. The instructor watches closely the training quality. There are about 1,500 instructors working in driving schools in Norway, and each of them is an extra-class specialist who completed a special two-year university course in training instructors for driving a car and got a license. “Agreement” with the instructor won’t work, you will have to study better and finish the necessary skills with automatism.

Students train on new cars with manual transmission. Automatic one is also possible, but in this case there will be a special mark in your driver’s license, and you will be allowed to drive only a car with automatic gearbox.

A practice consists of four stages, and each is paid separately.

The first aid course costs 85 euros. It takes about 3.5 hours of theory. In passing, instructors create various situations that require demonstrating the skills needed in real life. For example, there is an accident. What does the Russian driver do when he sees a broken car? He runs out of the car and runs to the victims, at the same time trying to call an ambulance on his cell phone. The Norwegian driver must get the vest and put it on, then pull out the emergency triangle and indicate the place of the accident, then examine the injured and dial 113. Then he should answer three questions: what his name is, where he is and how many injured are (if they are conscious, then say what they complain about). He can provide first aid himself only in the most extreme case. It is believed that it is possible to do more harm than help. Especially since the ambulance comes very quickly. All traffic jams instantly ease off to let emergency services pass. It is impossible to drive by a car accident – this will entail a license deprivation and may result in imprisonment. But nevertheless, everyone will gain elementary skills of first aid: they will learn to fix the head correctly, if the victim is unconscious, they will forbid giving water if there is a suspicion of internal bleeding, etc.

Night driving is taught only from autumn to spring. The rest of the time this course can’t be completed in Norway because of the polar day (the “white nights” period comes). Mannequins are put on retro-reflectors or dark clothes; there are braking exercises at different speed and in different situations. The instructor can specifically distract the student by talking, and then unexpectedly for the latter to show the moose model running across the road, or a pedestrian, through the control panel. The reaction of the DL candidate is worked off with automatism. After this, the night driving course is considered passed.

Safe driving requires practical training on a slippery road. There are practice grounds with equipped sites, where the road surface is covered with oil or metal sheets simulating ice areas. Various obstacles, where the car can skid, lose control, etc, are passed at different speeds. The instructor is nearby, but the student must act himself. Slippery surfaces are practiced both on backfalls and rises. They can give the old car and deactivate all supporting systems.

In Norway, much attention is paid to the care of the environment and the amount of exhaust fumes. Accordingly, you must be able to drive at the correct speed, not to depress the clutch without need, use the right speed, not to brake or step on gas hard. Instructors remember it and constantly remind of that.

Safe driving course costs 660 euros.

The final stage of training is approximately 13 hours of theory and practice (this amount of time can be increased or reduced, depending on the student’s individual success). This includes two long-distance (for 4-6 hours) trips with two students, when “there” the car is driven by one, and “back” – by the other; there are driving in busy urban areas, exercises with overtaking on the motorway, etc. Each hour of driving costs 73 euros.

As a result of the full training course, the instructor calls a specialist from the Norwegian State Road Administration (not a police officer!), who asks several questions about car structure, and then watches an hour-long driving around the city, the ability to park, reverse, etc. The exam costs 115 euros. This sum is added to the cost of renting a car from a driving school (230 euros). If everything is fine, a DL form (30 euros) is paid and comes by mail one day after the final exam.

When Norwegian license is already obtained, you can think about international one that will allow you to travel outside the EU countries (although Norway is not part of the EU). Registration of such rights is made by our site. We invite you to issue an International Driving License in Norway without formalities, easily and quickly!