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Cars 4 Rental Information on Norway

General

Area: 323,759 sq km (125,004 sq miles).

Population: 4,503,436 (official estimate 2001).

Population Density: 14.7 per sq km.

Capital: Oslo. Population: 508,726 (2001).

GEOGRAPHY: Norway is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by Finland, the Russian Federation and Sweden, to the south by the Skagerrak (which separates it from Denmark) and to the west by the North Sea. The coastline is 2735km (1700 miles) long, its most outstanding feature being the fjords. Most of them are between 80 to 160km (50 to 100 miles) long, and are often very deep and surrounded by towering mountains. Much of northern Norway lies beyond the Arctic Circle and the landscape is stark. In the south, the landscape consists of forests with many lakes and rivers.

Government: Constitutional monarchy. Declared independence from Sweden in 1905. Head of State: King Harald V since 1991. Head of Government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik since 2001.

Language: Norwegian (Bokml and Nynorsk). Lappish is spoken by the Sami population in the north. English is widely spoken.

Religion: Approximately 86 per cent Evangelical Lutherans; plus other Christian denominations.

Time: Norway Mainland: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday before last Sunday in October). Jan Mayen Islands, Svalbard: GMT + 1.

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the European round two-pin type.

Communications:

Telephone

IDD is available. Country code: 47. Outgoing international code: 00.

Mobile telephone

Most major dual band networks work across Norway. Networks include Net Com GSM (website: www.netcom.no) and Telenor Mobil AS (website: www.telenor.no). Mobile phones cannot be hired.

Fax

This service is available at major hotels.

Internet

There are many Internet cafes throughout Norway and the Internet can also be accessed via public libraries.

Telegram

Telenor’s headquarters are at Teledirektoratet, Universitetsgt 2. It is easiest to send telegrams by telephone. The telephone directories give instructions in English on page 16.

Post

Hotel receptions, shops and kiosks selling postcards will sell stamps. Airmail within Europe takes 2 to 4 days. There are Poste Restante facilities at post offices in all major cities. Post office hours: These vary from place to place but are generally from Mon-Fri 0830-1600, Sat 0800-1300.

Press

The national newspapers published in Oslo are Aftenposten, Dagbladet and Verdens Gang. There are no English-language newspapers although English newspapers are readily available (1 day later than in the UK).

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

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Money

Currency: Norwegian Krone (NOK) = 100 re. Notes are in denominations of NOK1000, 500, 200, 100 and 50. Coins are in denominations of NOK20, 10, 5 and 1, and 50 re.

Currency exchange: Eurocheque cards allow encashment of personal cheques. ATMs are widely available.

Credit & debit cards: All major credit and debit cards are widely accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travellers cheques: Accepted in banks, hotels, shops and by airlines.

Currency restrictions: The import of local and foreign currency is unlimited. The export of local currency is limited to NOK5000. The export of foreign currency is unlimited, provided proof is shown that the currency was imported or obtained by conversion of other currencies.

Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Norwegian Krone against Sterling and the US Dollar:

Date Aug ’03 Nov ’03 Feb '04 May '04
£1.00= 11.81 11.98 12.76 12.16
$1.00= 7.41 7.16 7.01 6.80

Banking hours: Mon-Wed and Fri 0815-1530 (1500 in summer), Thurs 0815-1800.

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Health

Special Precautions Certificate Required
Yellow Fever No No
Cholera No No
Typhoid and Polio No N/A
Malaria No N/A

Other risks: Hepatitis C may be present. Rabies is only present on the islands of Svalbard.

Health care: There are reciprocal health agreements with most European countries. The agreement with the UK allows free hospital in-patient treatment and ambulance travel on presentation of a UK passport. The cost of other treatment (including tooth extractions) may be partially refunded under the Norwegian social insurance scheme. Before leaving Norway, receipts should be presented at the social insurance office (Trygdekasse) of the district where treatment was carried out. Chemists are called Apotek. Standards of health care are high.

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Climate

Coastal areas have a moderate climate owing to the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift. Inland temperatures are more extreme with hot summers and cold winters (November to March). In general, the lowlands of the south experience colder winters and warmer summers than the coastal areas. Rain is distributed throughout the year with frequent inland snowfalls during the winter. The northern part of the country inside the Arctic Circle has continuous daylight at midsummer, and twilight all day during winter.

Required clothing: European according to the season. Light- to mediumweights are worn in summer. Warmer weights are worn during the winter. Waterproofing is advisable throughout the year.

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Passport

Passport Required Visa Required Return Ticket Required
British Yes No No
Australian Yes No No
Canadian Yes No No
USA Yes No No
OtherEU Yes/1 No No
Japanese Yes No No

Note: From 25 March 2001, Norway became a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement. For further details about passport/visa regulations within the Schengen area see the introductory section How to Use this Guide.

PASSPORTS: Passport valid for at least 3 months beyond the intended period of stay required by all.

Note: In some circumstances, some nationals of EU or EEA countries may travel to Norway for touristic purposes with a valid national ID card issued in their home country only. There are also circumstances when nationals of EU or EEA countries, plus certain other nationals, may travel to Norway with a passport that only needs to be valid during the duration of their stay and not beyond this intended period. However, since regulations are constantly changing, it is advised that all nationals contact their nearest Embassy/Consulate for further details since this passport exemption is not guaranteed and entry may be refused.

VISAS: Required by all except the following for stays of up to 3 months:
(a) nationals shown in the chart above;
(b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bermuda (only holders of BDTC (Bermuda) passports), Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Israel, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Macau (SAR), Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela;
(c) nationals of Nordic countries (including rland, Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland).

Types of visa and cost: A uniform type of visa, the Schengen visa, is issued for tourist, business and private visits. A visa fee for up to 30 days costs between €15-25, whilst a visa granted for up to 90 days costs €30, regardless of exact duration of stay or whether single-, double- or multiple-entry. Prices are subject to frequent change against the exchange rate. Fee is payable when visa is issued. Enquire at the nearest Embassy for further details.

Note: Spouses and children of EU or EEA nationals (providing spouse’s/dependent's passport and the original marriage certificate are produced), and nationals of some other countries, receive their visas free of charge (enquire at Embassy for details).

Validity: Up to 3 months in any 6-month period. For renewal or extension, apply to Embassy.

Application to: Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section. If applying in the UK and living within the London area, all applications must be lodged in person at the Embassy. Travellers visiting just one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of that country; travellers visiting more than one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of the country chosen as the main destination or the country they will enter first (if they have no main destination).

Application requirements: (a) Valid passport with at least one blank page (this should not be submitted until the applicant is informed that a visa has been granted). (b) One completed application form. (c) Two recent passport-size photos. (d) Fee, payable in cash (exact money only), cheque supported by a cheque card or postal order (visa fees are non-refundable and payable on submission of the visa application). (e) Further documentation such as a letter of invitation, proof of accommodation or a letter from an employer explaining nature and duration of stay may be required, depending on purpose of visit. (f) Evidence of sufficient funds for stay (recent original bank statement, travellers cheques or credit card with credit limit statement; cash not accepted). (g) Parental consent for minors (under 18 years of age). (h) Evidence of occupation/student status. If unemployed, social security booklet must be submitted.

Working days required: Applicants should usually wait 2 weeks to receive a response to their application. The total length of processing time depends on individual circumstances. Applications should therefore be lodged several weeks before the proposed journey.

Temporary residence: Apply to Embassy for residence and work permit if the stay exceeds 3 months.

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