Customs
Travelers are not required to pay duty on an appropriate amount of items for their personal use during their visit. In addition, the following duty-free allowances apply: no more than 1 liter of alcohol and 1 liter of wine; and 400 cigarettes or 500 grams of tobacco and 200 leaves of cigarette paper.
Currency Exchange
Note that the Norwegian krone (plural kroner) is a currency distinct from the Danish, Icelandic and Swedish kroner, and those currencies are not accepted in Norway as payment for goods and services. Banks are typically open from 8:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays (8 to 3:30 in winter, and until 5 on Thursdays year-round). Outside banking hours, travelers checks and foreign currency may be changed at airports, post offices, rail and ship terminals. ATM’s are also widely available throughout this Nordic country and major credit cards will be accepted by most shops, restaurants and hotels, for your convenience.
Tipping
A 10-12 percent service charge is automatically added to most hotel and restaurant bills, so a tip is not routinely expected, although it's certainly acceptable for exceptional services. Taxi drivers and bellhops may be given a few kroner for handling heavy luggage. Doormen do not expect tips unless they hail you a cab, in which case NOK 5 is fine.
General Business Hours
Business: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Museums: 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Post offices: Weekdays, post offices in the major cities open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. (6 p.m. on Thursdays and 8 p.m. weekdays in Oslo). Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to between 1 and 3 p.m. Shopping: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (often until 7 on Thursdays) and until 1-3 p.m. Saturdays.
Value Added Tax
24%
