Restricted items

What the border does with it

• Alcohol and tobacco are the obvious ones. Norway restricts both tightly and they are not treated as ordinary household effects. Bringing them in a removal load is a different question from bringing them in your luggage, and the answer is frequently that they should not be in the load at all.

• Food, plants and certain animal products are controlled for biosecurity reasons rather than revenue ones. Seeds, soil, houseplants, cured meats and dairy all sit in this area, and the rules are specific enough that guessing is a poor strategy.

• Medicines are controlled by quantity and by what they are. Prescription medication for your own use is a normal thing to travel with; a cupboard cleared into a removal box is not, and controlled drugs are a different matter entirely.

• Some goods need a licence, a certificate or a permit rather than simply a declaration — certain animal products, some protected materials, and a small number of items you would not expect. Where that applies, it is arranged before the load leaves rather than at the border.

What we do

• Go through your list with you and separate anything restricted before it is packed

• Tell you plainly when we think something should travel with you, be declared separately, or be left behind

• Decline to carry restricted goods that have not been properly declared, however small the quantity

• Point you at the Norwegian customs authority for the current rules rather than guessing on your behalf