Polish car in Norway — when can you legally drive on Polish plates?

Do you work or live in Norway and want to drive a car registered in Poland? Mere Polish registration, a registered address or family remaining in Poland do not automatically give the right to use the car. The key factor is where you have your permanent place of residence and whether your stay in Norway is indeed temporary.

Steve JoobsPublished: 28 February 2020Reading time: 8 min

A car with Polish license plates driving on a road in Norway. — Our photo

In brief

There is no general rule: “a Polish car can be used for 12 months regardless of the situation”. The key factor is permanent or temporary place of residence. With documented residence for up to 1 year, you can generally use a foreign car without a separate permit. For a stay of up to 2 years, you can apply for a permit for the second year. Family or registered address in Poland do not automatically grant the right to indefinite use of a Polish car. A person permanently residing in Norway can rely only on specific exceptions. Short-term use: maximum 14 days / 12 months. Privately borrowed foreign car: maximum 25 days / 12 months. Foreign rental car: maximum 42 days / 12 months. Violation of the rules may result in obligations to pay taxes and fees, and an additional tax.

Polish car in Norway can be used legally, but there is no simple rule "everyone can drive for a year".

The most important question is:

whether your permanent place of residence is outside Norway, or whether Norway has already become your permanent place of residence?

Skatteetaten currently identifies three basic situations:

you have a permanent place of residence outside Norway,
you are staying in Norway temporarily,
you have a permanent place of residence in Norway – in that case using a foreign car is possible only in specified exceptions.

Check the rules for a foreign car – Skatteetaten

Did you come to Norway temporarily? Up to a year it may be simpler

If you can document that your stay in Norway will not last longer than a year from the moment of arrival, you can use a foreign car without applying for a special permit.

However, you must be able from the very start of your stay to show that it is indeed temporary.

Examples of documentation may include:

a temporary employment contract,
a document relating to studies,
a document confirming a return to work abroad,
other documents showing that your stay in Norway ends on a specified date.

A probationary employment contract alone is, according to Skatteetaten, not sufficient confirmation of temporary residence.

And what if you stay for up to two years?

Here an important possibility appears.

If the stay is to last longer than a year, but at most two years, you can apply to Skatteetaten for a permit to use a foreign car also in the second year.

The application must be submitted before the expiration of the first year from arrival in Norway.

The form in question is:

RF-1330 – Kjøretillatelse ved midlertidig opphold i Norge

Submit an application for a permit for the second year – Skatteetaten

This is an important correction compared to the old version of our article:

12 months does not always mean a definitive end.

In certain cases, legal use of a foreign car can be extended to two years.

Family in Poland does not automatically grant the right to a Polish car

This is one of the most important points.

In the earlier version of the article we wrote, simplistically:

"you work in Norway, your family lives in Poland – you can always drive a Polish car".

Such a statement should not be used today.

Family, housing and ties to Poland may be relevant when assessing your situation, but they do not automatically create an unlimited right to use a car with Polish plates.

Skatteetaten requires that you can demonstrate that you meet specific conditions concerning place of residence or one of the provided exceptions.

Therefore:

Polish registration of residence ≠ automatic permission

and

family in Poland ≠ automatic permission.

The whole situation and the regulations concerning the use of a foreign vehicle matter.

Do you live permanently in Norway? The rule is much stricter

If you have a permanent residence in Norway, you generally cannot simply use your own car registered in Poland on a daily basis.

However, there are certain exceptions.

One of them is the short-term use of a foreign car.

A person with permanent residence in Norway can register the use of a foreign vehicle for a maximum of:

14 days within 12 months.

The period can be divided into several parts. The use must be reported to Skatteetaten before bringing the car into Norway, and the confirmation must be kept in the vehicle.

Report short-term use of a foreign car

A car borrowed from Poland follows different rules

If the car does not belong to you but has been privately borrowed, a separate option applies.

A foreign privately borrowed car can be used in Norway for a maximum of:

25 days within a 12-month period.

The period can be divided.

But here too you must report the use of the car before bringing it into Norway and carry the confirmation with you.

Rules for a foreign car privately borrowed

This can apply, for example, to a car borrowed from a family member in Poland.

However, it does not mean you can bring such a car and use it indefinitely.

A foreign rental car – different rules again

If you live in Norway and rent a car abroad, that vehicle can, under certain conditions, be used in Norway for up to:

42 days within a 12-month period.

Also in this case, the vehicle must be reported to Skatteetaten in advance and you must carry the confirmation and the rental agreement.

And a company car with Polish plates?

Here the rule „the company is Polish, so I can drive” also does not apply.

There is a separate permit for foreign company cars.

Skatteetaten considers, among other things:

who provides the car,
where the employer or the client is located,
what the car is needed for,
how many days it is used in Norway,
how many kilometres it travels in Norway and abroad.

That's a separate topic, so we won't elaborate on it here.

“I'm registered in the Folkeregister — does that mean I can't?”

You should not base your decision solely on one piece of information from the Folkeregister.

Vehicle regulations use their own criteria for permanent and temporary residence.

At the same time, current regulations indicate that when assessing temporary residence, previous stay and registration in Norway also matter. A person who has stayed in Norway for more than 365 days within the two years before arrival or was registered in the Norwegian Folkeregister during that period does not meet the standard definition of temporary residence from § 4.

Therefore, with a longer history of residence in Norway you should not automatically assume:

“I just drove in with the car, so I have a new 12 months.”

It doesn't work that way.

What do you need to have in case of an inspection?

The most important thing is not to carry a random set of documents, but to be able to prove the legal basis you are using.

Depending on the situation, these may include, among others:

temporary employment contract,
documentation confirming the temporary nature of the stay,
decision from Skatteetaten,
short-term use notification,
document concerning a borrowed car,
rental agreement,
vehicle documents.

Skatteetaten explicitly states that the driver must be able to at any time document that they meet the conditions for using a foreign car in Norway.

What are the consequences of illegal use of a Polish car?

If you use a foreign vehicle contrary to the regulations, Skatteetaten may demand payment of due taxes and fees.

An additional tax may also be imposed – tilleggsskatt.

Therefore the argument:

“others have been driving on Polish plates for years”

is not any confirmation that this is legal.

The simplest way to check your situation

Skatteetaten has prepared a special wizard.

You answer a few questions about:

place of residence,
length of stay,
type of car,
ownership of the vehicle,

and the system indicates the rules appropriate for your situation.

Check whether you can use a foreign car – Skatteetaten

In short

Temporary arrival up to one year
→ a foreign car may be used without a separate permit if you can document the temporary nature of the stay.

Stay up to two years
→ you can apply for a permit for the second year.

Permanent place of residence in Norway
→ you cannot simply use your own Polish car without restrictions; only specific exceptions apply.

Borrowed car
→ up to 25 days within a 12-month period after prior notification.

Short-term use of a foreign car
→ up to 14 days within a 12-month period after prior notification.

Foreign rental car
→ up to 42 days within a 12-month period after prior notification.

What next if you want to keep the car in Norway?

If you have moved to Norway permanently and want to continue using your car from Poland, a completely different question arises:

how to import, pay for and register a Polish car in Norway?

We'll do that as a separate guide, because the following then apply:

import,
taxes and fees,
vehicle approval,
registration,
Norwegian plates.

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Editorial comment Your Norway

In the case of Polish cars the biggest danger is the “rules” that have been circulating among people for years: that a registration in Poland is enough, that having family abroad is sufficient, or driving the car once a year. During an inspection, however, the regulations and documents matter, not how long a friend drove without problems.