Whether you want to get your first driver’s license or renew the one you already have, it’s important to have a good idea of the entire process and how much it will cost you.
A driving license is a government-issued permit to drive a vehicle in Norway. There are several classes of driving licenses, and you can obtain a driving license for one or more of these classes. The most common type of driving license is a category B driving license, which is a passenger car driver’s license.
A driving license is a personal card, available in both physical and digital form, that shows which vehicles you are allowed to drive in Norway. The driver’s license is issued by the National Road Administration after completing mandatory training, driving and a theory test. You must carry your driver’s license with you every time you drive, and you can choose whether to carry a physical card with you or download it digitally to your mobile phone.
Driving license categories in Norway
Below is a detailed overview of the different classes of driver’s licenses, as well as the rules and restrictions that apply to the different classes.[1]
Class AM – Moped
With a class AM driver’s license, you can drive a moped, moped, or quad registered as a moped.
To get a moped license, you must be at least 16 years old. You can ride a moped that has two, three or four wheels. The speed of the moped must not exceed 45 km/h. You cannot ride a moped or moped with a trailer. The type of moped you can ride depends on what codes are on your driver’s license and whether you have a moped driver’s license.
If you were born before 1985, you can obtain a driving license for AM145 without training and exams according to current regulations.
Class S – Snowmobile
With a class S driver’s license, you can drive a snowmobile with or without a trailer.
To be able to drive a snowmobile, you must be at least 16 years old. Snowmobiles are available in 2 classes B1 and B2, and this is stated in the vehicle passport. If you are under 18, you can only drive a class 1 snowmobile – this means that the power to weight ratio is a maximum of 0.20 kW/kg. With a driving license, you can drive a snowmobile in both Norway and Sweden, as well as with a trailer.
You are entitled to operate a snowmobile if you obtained a car, motorcycle or tractor driver’s license before July 1, 2006, even if you have not completed training and exams in accordance with current laws and regulations.
It is also possible to participate in organized group snowmobile trips without a driver’s license if the participants have a driver’s license of a different class.
Class T – Tractor
With a class T driver’s license, you can drive tractors.
You must be at least 16 years old to be able to drive a vehicle up to category T. You can drive a tractor with or without a trailer and can travel at a maximum of 40 km/h. The total weight of the tractor and trailer can be a maximum of 25,000 kg. The weight restriction disappears when you have held category T for two years or when you turn 21.
You may have different codes on your driver’s license that explain what rules apply to speed, gross vehicle weight, and the type of tractor you can drive.
You can also operate motorized equipment such as a forklift or wheel loader. It can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h and weigh up to 25,000 kg. Any codes on your driving license also apply to motorized equipment.
You can also drive ATVs that are registered as tractors and all types of three- or four-wheeled mopeds. If you obtained your driver’s license before July 1, 2006, you can also drive a snowmobile.
Class A1 – light motorcycle
With a class A1 driver’s license, you can drive a light motorcycle, with or without a sidecar.
You must be 16 years old to be able to ride a light motorcycle, and it can have a maximum displacement of 125 cm3 and a maximum power of 11 kW. You can ride a motorcycle with three wheels if its maximum power is 15 kW. You will find information about this in the vehicle card. You can also ride a moped with two, three or four wheels.
If you obtained class A1 before July 1, 2006, you can also drive a snowmobile.
Class A2 – medium-weight motorcycle
With a class A2 driver’s license, you can drive a medium-weight motorcycle, with or without a sidecar.
You must be at least 18 years old to be able to drive a car up to category A2. A motorcycle can have a maximum power of 35 kW and a power-to-weight ratio of a maximum of 0.2 kW/kg. You can also drive a three-wheeled motorcycle if its maximum power is 15 kW.
You can tow a trailer behind a motorcycle if it has a displacement of more than 125 cm3 and has a permit to tow a trailer (and this is stated in the vehicle passport). You can drive all types of mopeds (AM) and light motorcycles (A1) with an A2 class driving license.
Class A – heavy motorcycle
With a class A driver’s license, you can drive a heavy motorcycle, with or without a sidecar.
You must be at least 24 years old to be able to ride a heavy motorcycle. However, you can upgrade to Class A before you are 24 if you have had Class A2 for at least two years.
You can tow a trailer behind a motorcycle if it is permitted for this purpose.
You can also drive light motorcycles (A1), medium-heavy motorcycles (A2) and mopeds (AM) with a heavy motorcycle license (A). If you obtained your license before July 1, 2006, you can also drive a snowmobile.
Class B – Passenger car
With a class B driver’s license, you can drive a car with or without a trailer.
You must be at least 18 years old to be able to drive a car up to class B. You can drive a passenger car with a maximum gross weight of 3,500 kg and it can carry a maximum of 8 passengers – in addition to the driver.
You can tow a trailer behind your car if the maximum permissible gross vehicle weight of the trailer is 750 kg or less. You can tow a trailer heavier than this if the total weight of the car and trailer does not exceed 3500 kg. You can get a trailer label for class B if you want to tow a heavier trailer than described above.
With a class B driving license, you can drive all types of mopeds (AM), light four-wheeled motorcycles and quads registered as motorcycles. If you achieved class B before 19 January 2013, you can also drive a three-wheeled motorcycle.
You can also drive a tractor or motor vehicle with a maximum permissible weight of 3,500 kg – and with a trailer – a speed limit of 40 km/h. If you reached class B before 1 January 2005, you can drive a tractor without weight or speed restrictions.
If you achieved Class B before July 1, 2006, you can also operate a snowmobile.
Class E – Car trailer
If you have a class B, C, C1, D or D1 driving license, you can additionally drive to class E. This class of driving license applies to trailers and gives you the ability to drive heavier and larger trailers than previously allowed for the various classes.
Class C1 – light truck
With class C1 you can drive a light truck and tow a trailer up to 750 kg.
You must be at least 18 years old to be able to drive a vehicle up to class C1. You can drive a truck with a permissible gross weight of between 3,500 kg and 7,500 kg and can be approved to carry up to 8 passengers.
You can also drive tractors or motorized implements with a maximum permissible total weight of 7,500 kg and without speed restrictions. You can drive with a trailer if the tractor/motorized implement moves at a maximum speed of 40 km/h.
Class C – Truck
With a category C driver’s license, you can drive a truck without any gross weight restrictions.
You must be at least 21 years old and already have a class B driving license to drive a car up to class C. You can be younger than 21 if you have completed or started mandatory professional driver training.
A class C driving license covers all types of trucks, including light trucks (C1). The truck you drive can carry up to 8 passengers.
You can also drive a tractor or motor vehicle with or without a trailer. The trailer can have a maximum total weight of 750 kg or more if the tractor’s maximum speed is 40 km/h.
Class D1 – minibus
With a class D1 driver’s license, you can drive a minibus that can accommodate 16 passengers.
To obtain a class D1 driving license, you must be at least 21 years old and have previously held a class B driving license. You may be under 21 if you have completed or started mandatory professional driver training.
You can drive a minibus that is designed for 9-16 passengers and has a maximum length of 8 meters.
You can drive a minibus with a trailer if its maximum gross weight is 750 kg. If you want to tow a trailer that weighs more, you must obtain a minibus trailer driver’s license – class D1E.
Class D – bus
With a category D driver’s license, you can drive a bus designed to carry more than 8 passengers.
You must be at least 24 years old and have previously held a class B driving license to be able to drive a car up to class D. You can be younger than 24 years old if you have completed or started mandatory professional driver training.
The bus you drive may be over 8 meters long and be articulated.
You can drive a bus with a trailer if its maximum gross weight is 750 kg. If you want to tow a trailer heavier than this, you must obtain a bus trailer driver’s license – class DE.
If you obtained your bus driver’s license before January 1, 2005, you can also drive motor vehicles without speed and weight restrictions.
How to get a driving license in Norway?
Most driver’s license classes have many of the same steps you must go through to get an approved driver’s license.
The first thing you need to do is take a basic driving course . This is a mandatory theoretical course that everyone must take before being allowed to practice driving, and is common to all types of driving licenses. The course can be taken from the age of 15, but if you are over 25, you only need to take a first aid course and a night driving course. When you have completed the basic driving course, you will receive a certificate that will allow you to start practicing driving. There are also mandatory basic courses to be able to drive, for example, larger vehicles such as trucks, or separate theoretical courses for motorcycles. The courses cover, among other things, how to take your own weight and size into account when dealing with other vehicles, and what differences you should keep in mind when driving different vehicles.
You will also need to do a lot of driving practice . This is where you will first learn how the vehicle works and then the basic driving skills you need to have to operate it. This part of your training can be done either at a driving school or privately with someone who is old enough to practice driving with you (the person must be over 25 and have had a driver’s license for at least 5 consecutive years).
When you have completed all the mandatory training, you must pass a theoretical and practical exam and obtain a permit to drive.
The theory test is computer-based and you will receive your results immediately after you finish. If you fail the theory test, you will have to wait two weeks before you can try again.
Once you have passed the theory test, you can take the practical driving test, also known as the driving test. In this test, you will be assigned an examiner who will assess your general driving skills in traffic conditions and you will have to complete a series of technical driving tasks. Here you will also find out the result once the test is over.
Before taking these tests, you must first apply for a driving license . You can easily do this on the Norwegian Road Administration website: https://www.vegvesen.no/forerkort/ta-forerkort/sok-om-forerkort/
When you pass both the theory test and the driving test, you will be issued a separate driving license. This is physical proof that you are allowed to drive a current vehicle in Norway.
How much does it cost to get a driving license in Norway?
The cost of a driving license is between 25,000 and 40,000 Norwegian kroner, depending on the category of the driving license.
There are several factors that determine the cost of getting a driver’s license. The first thing you need to do is contact a driving school where they will help you with the mandatory training. How prepared you are to drive will determine the number of hours of driving practice, and therefore the total price. The driving school will usually charge a fee per hour of driving, which is usually between 700 and 1000 NOK, and can vary from school to school and depending on the vehicle you are practicing on. In addition, they charge their own prices for the mandatory training; a basic traffic course (including night driving and first aid courses) costs around 3700 NOK, a road safety course costs around 5000 NOK, and a road safety course costs around 8500 NOK. This is just an example of the price, and prices can vary from school to school. Therefore, it is worth checking what different driving schools in your area offer to get the best price within your budget.
You must also pass a theory test and a theory test before you can get an approved driving license. The National Road Administration website states that the theory test costs around 360 NOK and the driving test costs between 1,000 and 2,000 NOK, depending on the type of vehicle you are getting your license for. For example, a car (class B) costs 1,190 NOK, while a motorcycle (class A) costs 1,980 NOK. It costs around 200 NOK to get a driving license with a photo. You can read more about the different entry prices here: https://www.vegvesen.no/forerkort/ta-forerkort/priser/
Things to note about driving licenses in Norway
The rules for different classes of driving licences are constantly changing, so it is a good idea to keep up to date with what laws and regulations are in effect at any given time. As mentioned earlier, there are exceptions to the rules due to recent changes. These exceptions mean that people who have moved up to a driving licence category where multiple vehicles have been included in the class do not lose their licence as a result of the new rules.
It is also important to keep an eye on the expiration date of your driver’s license. As with many other things, you need to renew your photo and driver’s license from time to time. You can easily do this by making an appointment with the National Highway Administration, or you can renew it yourself online if you don’t need a new photo. In some cases, a health certificate is also required to renew your driver’s license. This applies in particular to seniors over 80 years of age or other people with health problems that may play a role in road safety.