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How to get a driving licence in Norway

Getting a car licence from scratch, country by country.

Car licence, category B

Getting your licence in Norway

Theory questions45
Pass mark (38 correct)≤7 mistakes
Time for the theory test90 min
Theory test feeNOK 480
Driving test fee (booked online)NOK 1,490
Driving test length, incl. vehicle check~65 min

Prices from 1 February 2026. The licence itself costs NOK 160 online, plus NOK 100 for the photo.

Before you start driving

2
Learner permitNo separate permit card. After the basic traffic course you can practise with a supervisor who is 25 or older and has held a licence for 5 years in a row.
Medical checkA health self-declaration with your application. A doctor's certificate only if your health or eyesight needs it.

Required lessons

4
Basic traffic course17 hours (trafikalt grunnkurs), including first aid. Needed before you start practising. Drivers over 25 only take the first aid and night driving parts.
Night drivingA darkness course, needed before practising between 1 November and 15 March.
Safety course on a track4 lessons on a slippery training track, near the end of stage 3.
Safety course on the road13 lessons in 4 parts in the final stage, including a long drive.

Good to know

8
Minimum age18 for a full category B licence. You can practise from 16 with a supervisor, and take the theory test up to 6 months before you turn 18.
Licence validity15 years for category B. From 80, renewal needs a health certificate.
Exam languagesTheory in Norwegian, English and several other languages. Ask about the driving test language when you book.
If you failTheory: wait 2 weeks before retaking, and pay again. Driving: book and pay for a new test.
Automatic or manualPassing in an automatic limits your licence to automatic cars. Switching to manual later means a new driving test.
New driversA 2-year probation period. Penalty points count double, and reaching the limit means losing the licence.
Already have a licence from abroad?EU and EEA licences stay valid. Licences from Japan and Switzerland are exchanged without tests, and from the US, Canada, Australia, South Korea and a few others after a driving test. Everyone else starts as a new driver. See the Abroad tab.
Also worth knowing
  • Book the night driving course early in autumn: without it you can't practise between 1 November and 15 March.

Step by step

  1. Basic traffic courseTake the 17-hour course (trafikalt grunnkurs), including first aid. Then you can start practising.
  2. Practice and driving schoolPractise with a supervisor and at a driving school. Stage assessments at the end of stages 2 and 3.
  3. Mandatory safety coursesNight driving, a 4-lesson track course and the 13-lesson road course.
  4. Theory testAt a traffic station: 45 questions in 90 minutes, at most 7 mistakes.
  5. Driving testVehicle safety check, then 55–60 minutes of driving on a pre-set route. You get the result right after.

Tips From driving schools and examiners

  • The examiner judges the drive as a whole, not single mistakes: are you safe enough to keep developing as a driver on your own?
  • Before driving, you get a safety check task: check items such as lights, brakes or warning lamps, and explain what a fault could lead to.
  • Directions usually point you to places on road signs. Turning, parking and reversing are done on your own, without step-by-step help.
  • Drive clearly and plan ahead: keep traffic flowing, cooperate with other road users and drive economically.
  • Practise a lot. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration suggests several thousand kilometres before the test if you can.

Based on: Statens vegvesen: Car licence (B), the road to your licence (Norwegian) ↗

Official links

Statens vegvesen: Category B ↗Lovdata: Driving licence regulations (førerkortforskriften) ↗Last checked 20 Oct 2026
Wrong information? Help us fix itTell us what's incorrect and we'll check it against the official sources.

About: This page

Frequently asked questionsCoverage, sources and how RoadVisa works.

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RoadVisa is still growing. It covers 42 countries and all 50 US states plus Washington, D.C. so far, and more are added step by step. Each country is checked against its own official sources, in its own language, before it goes live.

Why isn't Africa covered?

Many African licensing authorities publish little detail about their driving rules online, so we can't yet check the answers against official sources. We'll add African countries as official information becomes available.

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Visiting covers short stays such as holidays and business trips, when you keep your home licence. Moving covers becoming a resident, when most countries want you to exchange your licence or take tests by a deadline.

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A translation of your licence in a standard format. It's only valid together with your own licence, and you get it in the country that issued your licence, usually from a motoring club or the licensing authority. RoadVisa tells you when a country expects one.

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