International transport, cabotage and penalties

Carrying out international transport by road is in principle only allowed for goods by lorry or passenger transport by bus.

Four main types of international transport

What right you have to carry out international transport by road depends on what permits or licences you have, which in turn depends on which country or countries you are driving to, from and through. There are four main types of international transport.

Bilateral transport

Transport starting in the transport operator’s country of establishment and ending in a different country.

Transit transport

Transport starting and ending in two different countries, passing through other countries without dropping off or picking up cargo or passengers.

Third-country transport

Transport between a country other than the transport operator’s country of establishment and a third country.

Cabotage

Transport where the transport operator performs carries out transport between two locations within a country that is not the transport operator’s country of establishment.

Rules for international road transport

What rules apply to international road transport depends on what countries the transport is destined for, starting from and passing through.

Community licence

Within the EEA, the transport market is quite open. A community licence is required for both goods transport and passenger transport. Such a licence (or permit) entitles the holder to carry out bilateral road transport, transit transport, third country transport and temporary cabotage.

Community licences issued after 1 January 2015 entitle the driver to carry out domestic and international transport using a motor vehicle or motor vehicle and trailer combination with a maximum authorised mass of more than 3,500 kg. As from 1 November 2022, a community licence is also required in order to carry out international transport of goods using a motor vehicle or motor vehicle and trailer combination with a maximum authorised mass between 2,500 and 3,500 kg. For international regular (scheduled) bus services, a separate licence is required.

ECMT permit

For transport between countries that are part of the quota system within the International Transport Forum (formerly ECMT), goods may be transported in accordance with an ECMT permit. This permit entitles the holder to carry out bilateral road transport, transit transport, and third country transport. Cabotage is not permitted on the basis of an ECMT permit.

Single trip permit

For countries with which Norway has entered into bilateral or multilateral agreements, transport may be carried out in accordance with the provisions of these agreements. Usually, a separate permit is required for each round trip (single trip permit), but some agreements do not require a permit for ordinary entry and exit.

If you need to apply for a single trip permit or an ECMT permit, you can contact us at

Read more about ECMT permits

When driving a coach abroad, a separate control document / journey form is required. Please note that this does not apply within the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland). If you need to order a book of journey forms, you can contact us at

Cabotage in Norway

Cabotage involves transport between two locations in a country other than the transport operator’s country of establishment. Cabotage is in principle not allowed.

Foreign transport operators may only transport goods between two locations in Norway if there are special reasons for doing so. However, EEA transport operators may engage in cabotage in Norway in accordance with EEA rules. Read more about the EEA rules below.

Cabotage of goods

For the transport of goods, cabotage is permitted in connection with an international transport. This means that the transport operator must in principle drive a cross-border transport into Norway if they want to carry out transport within Norway. In other words, it is not permitted for a transport operator to come to Norway without cargo, and then engage in domestic goods transport (cabotage) in Norway. Cabotage is only allowed for a limited period of time, and it cannot be a permanent or continuous activity.

Transport operators with a community licence from another EEA member state will be able to carry out up to 3 domestic transports, using the same vehicle, within a period of 7 days. The period of 7 days is counted from the time when the international cargo was unloaded in Norway. After this, the operator must take the vehicle out of the country, and cannot return until after 4 days (so-called "cooling-off’”period). In addition, it is possible to drive one of the three cabotage operations as a transit transport in another country without bringing international cargo into this country.

Performing cabotage operations requires documentation. The transport operator must document both the international incoming transport and each cabotage operation that has been carried out in Norway.

Cabotage of passengers

For occasional (non-regular) passenger transport services, cabotage may be carried out temporarily in Norway.

Temporary cabotage of passengers by road is only permitted in periods of no more than 20 continuous days, and no more than 30 days in total per calendar year.
The start of the cabotage period is counted from the day the transport operator starts the first cabotage operation in Norway. The period ends when the bus or coach used for the cabotage operation is physically out of the country.

For regular-service passenger transport, cabotage is limited to domestic routes that are part of an international route.

If foreign operators wish to run permanent or continuous transport services in Norway, they must establish themselves here in accordance with current rules and apply for an operator’ licence for domestic transport. If you need to apply for an operator's licence you can contact us at

Penalties for violations of the rules for professional transport

As from 1 March 2024, a fine will be issued for not carrying a driver attestation and an operator’s licence document during transport. In cases where the transport enterprise does not have a licence document or driver attestation, a fine of NOK 60,000 may be issued. You will find the penalties listed in the regulations at lovdata.no (Norwegian only).

The following violations of the rules on cabotage of goods will result in fines:

• Incoming international transport cannot be documented.
• Cabotage has been performed more than seven days after the last international transport ended.
• More than three cabotage operations have been carried out on the basis of the community licence after the cross-border transport.
• More than one transit cabotage operation has been performed.
• Transit cabotage has been performed more than three days after arrival in Norway.
• The consignment note is incomplete or has incomplete documentation.
• The consignment note/documentation for domestic transport is not carried in the vehicle.
• A cabotage operation is started before the incoming international transport has ben unloaded.