Going through nothing to declare at customs can be expensive
Be sure not to buy Christmas gifts for more than 6000 kroner abroad, otherwise you may get an unpleasant surprise at customs.
The rules, of course, apply not only to Christmas presents, but to all other purchases as well.
For example, if you buy a new mobile phone for over 6000 kroner, it must be declared.
Clear rules
If you are out of the country for over 24 hours, you can buy up to NOK 6,000 worth of goods without declaring them.
However, if you are out of the country for less than a day, you can only shop for 3000 kroner’s worth before you need customs clearance.
And it’s not so expensive to do things right as we believe, said Roy Vetaas from Tryg Forsikring.
‘If you go into the red, and pay Norwegian VAT, it’s possible you will be entitled to reclaim the VAT in the country you have made the purchase,’ explained Vetaas.
He added that if the uncollected goods are stolen, you can look to getting the sum covered by the insurance company.
The goods can be seized
‘We have daily cases where people have not declared goods correctly, and are simplifying the submission, or being notified of bringing more through the green zone than they are allowed,’ said Geir Nielssen, Head of Division at Sandefjord Customs Office.
He said that in connection with new iPhones, they see people getting eager and buying a phone abroad, then going to the green zone when they return to Norway.
‘The goods are routinely seized. Later, they will be auctioned’, said Nielssen.
© NRK.no / Norway Today
