Norwegian 94.4% (includes Sami, about 60,000), other European 3.6%, other 2%

Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1%

The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector, through large-scale state enterprises.

Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard (Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV)

Norway is a party to the Schengen agreement.  As such, U.S. citizens may enter Norway for up to 90 days for tourist or business purposes without a visa.  The passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the period of stay.  For further details about travel into and within Schengen countries, please see our fact sheet.

 For the most current visa information, contact the Royal Norwegian Embassy at 2720 34th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008-2714, Tel: 1-202-333-6000, or the nearest Norwegian Consulate.   Consulates are located in Houston, Minneapolis, New York City, and San Francisco.  Information can also be obtained from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration website.

The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Norway.

Information about dual nationality or the prevention of international child abduction can be found on our website. For further information about customs regulations, please read our Customs Information page.

Airports:  98;  Airports w/paved runways:  67

Norway remains largely free of terrorist incidents.  However, like other countries in the Schengen area, Norway’s open borders with its European neighbors allow the possibility of terrorist groups entering/exiting the country with anonymity.  The U.S. government remains deeply concerned about the heightened threat of terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and interests abroad.
Norway has a relatively low crime rate.  Most crimes involve the theft of personal property.  Residential burglaries, auto theft, and vandalism to parked cars also occur.  Most high-end value vehicles, especially in Oslo, have visible alarm system indicators to discourage joy riders or thieves.  Persons who appear affluent or disoriented may become targets of pick-pockets and purse-snatchers, especially during the peak tourist season (May-September).  Thieves frequently target tourists in airports, train stations, and hotels, particularly lobby/reception and restaurant areas.  Often such thieves work in pairs and use distraction as a method to steal purses or briefcases.  While passports are frequently stolen in the course of these thefts, money, credit cards, and jewelry are the actual objects of interest.  In some cases stolen passports are recovered.  Violent crime, although rare, occurs and appears to be increasing.  Some thieves or burglars may have weapons.

Infant MR total: 3.61/1,00 live births
Life expectancy at birth:  TOTAL 79.81 years (male 77.16/female 82.6)

Required:  None
Recommended:  Hep B
Boosters:  DPT, MMR as needed

Tickborne encephalitis (TBE) occurs in warmer months of the southern part of the nontropcial forested regions of Europe. 

Leishmaniasis (cutaneous and visceral) is found, especially in countries bordering the Mediterranean, with the highest number of cases from Spain, where it is an important opportunistic infection in HIV-infected persons.

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob cases have been reported primarily from the United Kingdom, although a few cases have been reported from other countries in Western Europe. Large outbreaks of trichinosis have occurred; outbreaks in France have been linked to horse meat.

Risk of hepatitis A is low, although sporadic outbreaks have occurred in developed countries.

Medical facilities are widely available and of high quality, but may be limited outside the larger urban areas.  The remote and sparse populations in northern Norway, and the dependency on ferries to cross fjords of western Norway, may affect transportation and ready access to medical facilities.  The U.S. Embassy in Oslo maintains a list of emergency clinics in major cities.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 has been documented in wild birds or other avian species in several of the countries in Europe. For a current list of countries reporting outbreaks of H5N1 among poultry and/or wild birds, view updates from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Measles outbreaks occurred in several European countries in 2006.

Country Calling Code:  +47
Internet Country Code:  .no