When goods are shipped from one location in Norway to another, via Sweden or Finland, we call it Norwegian goods in transit (NVIT). It’s an option we – and many others – often use, as it can make transport cheaper, faster, and simpler.
Stricter requirements for NVIT goods are coming
Because the goods are temporarily outside of Norway during transport, they must go through a transit procedure. That means customs authorities need information about the contents.
In 2025, the EU introduced stricter information requirements for goods transported within the EU customs area (NCTS 5). NVIT goods were temporarily exempt, which meant simplified data could be submitted. But this is about to change.
From March 31, we as the carrier must give Norwegian Customs more details about each item line. That means we may need more information from you.
What do you need to do?
First of all, you need to check whether your goods will be in transit.
You can do this by checking if you're shipping to any of the postal codes that receive goods via Sweden or Finland. This also applies to returns. Here’s the overview:
- Both ways: 0001–6999 to and from 8300–8599, 9300–9499, 9000–9159, 9170–9181, and 9188–9299
- Both ways: 0001–7999 to and from 9160–9169, 9182–9187, and 9500–9999
- Both ways: 8000–9769 to and from 9770–9991
- One way only: 9160–9169, 9182–9187, and 9500–9999 to 7000–7999
The new requirements apply to all shipments to and from these postal codes, regardless of where the sender is located. This means the requirements also apply to goods imported into Norway that, after customs clearance, will be forwarded to recipients within the relevant postal code areas in Northern Norway. In these cases, the goods are temporarily sent out of the country again, which is why we need the transit information. In other words: The requirements apply to both domestic shipments and international shipments with final delivery in Northern Norway.
Note: This does not apply to express services transported by air.
For shipments sent from other countries
For VOEC businesses
Are you a VOEC customer with us? For shipments where we submit VOEC data to Norwegian authorities on your behalf, we already have the necessary transit information. You therefore don’t need to provide it again.
However, if you use other customs agents as a VOEC business, you must provide transit information for all item lines in each shipment.
For businesses that aren’t VOEC registered
If you use us for export/import declarations on individual shipments, you don’t need to provide transit information. However, if you use consolidated/bulk declarations, you must provide transit information for all item lines in each shipment.
If you use other providers for import/export declarations, we also need the transit information for all item lines in each shipment.
What information do we need?
In addition to your normal transport booking, we’ll need the following for each item line:
- Quantity
- Value and currency code (incl. VAT)
- Tariff number (HS code), minimum 6 digits
- Description of goods
- Gross and net weight
When you book transportation, you have two options:
- Add the “transit information” to shipments to and from the selected postal codes.
- Add the “transit information” to all your shipments in Norway.
If you choose option two, you’ll be sharing more information with us than we need for the transit process. It’s important to remember that you are responsible for how you handle your customers’ personal data (GDPR). You must therefore assess for yourself whether sharing this information with us is in line with the applicable regulations.
We generally have strict processing requirements in our systems and are working on a solution that will delete any unnecessary information as soon as possible. This has high internal priority for us.
How do you send us the information?
You send the transit information through the booking solution you’re using today. We’re working to put a function in place for this as soon as possible, and we’ll share it with the TA providers and implement it in our own API solutions.
We’ll also continue improving our booking services so they’re even easier to use — while still meeting all regulatory requirements.
If you're planning to adjust your own systems to meet the new requirements, feel free to tell us. Then we can coordinate and help make the transition smoother.
What happens after March 31?
Norwegian Customs is fully aware that it won’t be possible to meet all the new requirements immediately when thousands of items are being transported. They’re currently looking at how we can submit information that is considered “good enough.”
In an excerpt from nholt.no, Customs says (translated from Norwegian):
In this context, “good enough” means that you must do your best to classify and provide the correct item number for as much of the cargo as possible.
An item number like 54.02.53 gives no indication of what type of goods are being transported, and is therefore of no value.
Businesses should aim to find solutions that ensure the goods are at least categorized correctly.
If you only have a few items to send, it will of course be easier to provide the correct information.
What if you don’t provide enough information?
For now, Customs is not out to “catch” anyone. They will carry out spot checks, and the focus will be on guidance to help ensure things are done correctly.
They also won’t stop the goods in transit if information is missing. Instead, they will request it afterwards. So it’s important that missing details can be obtained.
What’s important moving forward?
The best thing you can do is to start with new routines as soon as possible. The more information you can share about your goods, the better.
If Norwegian Customs eventually starts sanctioning missing information, it may mean that we’ll have to move the goods domestically. This could lead to increased costs for you, as well as delays and higher CO₂ emissions.
