Everything we get asked

Norway operates a relief for goods accompanying somebody taking up residence — removal goods, or flyttegods. It exists precisely so that people moving their lives do not pay import duty on possessions they already owned and used.

Whether you qualify depends on your circumstances rather than on your furniture, and the conditions are set by the Norwegian customs authority. We are not customs agents and we will not tell you that you qualify. What we will do is prepare the documentation to the standard the process needs and point you at Tolletaten or an adviser for the rules themselves.

Overwhelmingly: a vague inventory, and restricted items that were not declared. Those two account for most of the difficulty on this route.

A list that says "box of kitchen" is a removals note rather than a customs entry, and an undeclared bottle of spirits in carton forty-one is a problem for the whole consignment rather than for the bottle.

No, and we would be cautious of a removals firm that said yes without being one. We prepare the inventory and the packing to the standard a declaration needs, and we work directly with your customs agent or freight forwarder.

If you do not have one, we can put you in touch with agents who handle this route.

Worth flagging early. The general shape of a removal-goods relief is that it covers things you owned and used before you moved, so recently purchased items — particularly still-boxed ones — tend to attract a question.

That does not necessarily mean a problem. It means it should be on the declaration correctly rather than hidden in the middle of a list, and you should ask your agent about it before the load goes.

Not in a removal load as ordinary household effects, and this is the one we get asked most. Norway restricts alcohol tightly and it is not treated as part of your furniture.

What you may bring with you personally is a separate question governed by allowances, and it is one for the customs authority rather than for us. If alcohol turns up in a box on loading day, we will take it out.

Controlled, for biosecurity reasons rather than revenue ones — and the rules are specific enough that guessing is a bad idea. Soil, seeds, houseplants, cured meats and dairy all sit in this area.

Tell us what you have at the survey and we will separate it. Some of it will be fine declared properly, some of it should travel with you, and some of it is better left behind.

Fuels, gas bottles, solvents, thinners, paint in quantity, aerosols beyond ordinary personal amounts, fireworks and anything else flammable, corrosive or pressurised. Weapons and ammunition. Controlled drugs. Cash, bullion and negotiable instruments. Perishable food. Living animals.

This list is not negotiable and quantity is not the test for most of it. A single gas canister can stop a whole consignment.

A vehicle is a separate import process with its own declaration, its own registration and its own charges. It is not part of a household removal and we cannot fold it into one.

It is also worth doing the arithmetic early. Norway is well known for making vehicle import expensive, and a good many people conclude that selling in the UK is the better answer. That calculation is one for you and an adviser rather than for us.

Across the UK — London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Sheffield, Nottingham and Cardiff among others.

If your belongings are in more than one place, we will consolidate them into a single consignment rather than treating them as separate jobs.

Yes. The south-east is the most straightforward, the west coast takes longer than the map suggests because the road follows fjords and takes ferries, and the north is a different kind of job that sometimes uses coastal shipping for part of the way.

All of it is routine. What changes is how the leg is planned, which is why we ask where in Norway at the first conversation rather than the last.

Mountain passes close, ferries adjust and northern legs slow down. None of that stops a move — it means the route is chosen with the conditions in mind and the plan is given some give.

We will tell you honestly if the conditions mean a delivery window needs to be looser than you were hoping.

Yes. Commonly the Norwegian address is not ready, or you are flying out before the load leaves. Goods are sealed once, listed, and delivered when there is somewhere to deliver them to.

Yes, and on this route export packing is standard rather than an upgrade. The load has to survive a long journey and possibly an inspection, and ordinary domestic packing does neither of those well.

You can pack yourself, but be aware that owner-packed cartons are harder to inventory precisely and are treated differently by insurers.

Yes, and for most people moving to Norway it is the sensible option. A shared consignment costs less than a dedicated vehicle and runs on a scheduled basis rather than on demand.

More than a domestic move, because the documentation has to be right before anything leaves and because scheduled consignments run to a plan.

The parts that genuinely take time are the inventory, anything restricted, and a vehicle if you are moving one. Start with those.