EXPLAINED: What changes about life in Norway in November 2021
November in Norway will usher in the beginning of the ski season, the opening of ice rinks, and potentially significant changes to the proposed state budget for 2022.
Amended state budget for 2022
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will have until November 10th to submit any amendments to the state budget that his new government wishes to make.
The outgoing government presented the initial proposed budget in the first half of October, and among the key changes are petrol price hikes, changes to wealth tax and more taxes on new cars.
The current government is a minority one and has floated the idea of seeking parliamentary support for any amendments from the Socialist Left Party to help get changes to the bill pushed through the Storting.
READ MORE: How Norway’s proposed state budget for 2022 could affect your finances
Winter sports season begins
For those who love nothing more than a day on the slopes, then the year will only just begin in November when resorts up and down Norway open up to skiers and snowboarders.
This season should be a return to normal business for those visiting resorts across Norway, especially compared to the past two pandemic disrupted seasons.
Fully vaccinated can travel to US
Fully vaccinated travellers from Europe will be able to travel to the United States from November 8th if they undergo testing and contact tracing.
US nationals living in Europe and their close family members were able to travel home across the Atlantic despite the outgoing ban, but the strict rules caused difficulty for many.
READ ALSO: US to lift travel ban for vaccinated Europeans on November 8th
Winter tyre season
Motorists in the south will be expected to have made the switch to their winter treads by November 1st if they haven’t already.
The season for winter treads began on October 16th in the north due to the chillier climate and snow settling sooner.
In some more remote parts of the country with lots of snowfall and not much road maintenance coverage, you can opt to use studded tyres for more traction.
While changing your tyres may seem like a tedious chore, it could save you a small fortune as you can be charged up to 750 kroner per tyre if they aren’t up to scratch.
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about winter tyres in Norway
Extra housing support for households struggling to pay for electricity
The government will provide almost 3,000 kroner in additional housing support for those hit hard by rising energy expenses.
The support will come in the form of an extra payment in November to help low-income households cope with the costs.
Around four out of five housing benefit recipients will receive the payments. This equates to approximately 66,000 households.
Ice rinks open
From the turn of the month, ice rinks in Norway will begin to open, so best start digging out your skates so you can practice your pirouettes.
Valle Hovin in Oslo will open from the beginning of the month. For those who might be new to Norway, most ice rinks in the country are free to use with reasonable rental prices, making it a budget-friendly activity to get in the mood for the coming winter.
Travel rule changes (potentially)
We will qualify this as being speculative, but November could see changes to Norway’s travel rules.
The country could decide to take the next step in its plan to open the country for restriction-free travel. That plan was unveiled in September, when it was announced that all restrictions on who could enter the country would be dropped for those within the EEA (EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway).
However, it has yet to announce when it will loosen the rules for those outside the EEA, and the new government hasn’t said much of anything on the topic.
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Amended state budget for 2022
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will have until November 10th to submit any amendments to the state budget that his new government wishes to make.
The outgoing government presented the initial proposed budget in the first half of October, and among the key changes are petrol price hikes, changes to wealth tax and more taxes on new cars.
The current government is a minority one and has floated the idea of seeking parliamentary support for any amendments from the Socialist Left Party to help get changes to the bill pushed through the Storting.
READ MORE: How Norway’s proposed state budget for 2022 could affect your finances
Winter sports season begins
For those who love nothing more than a day on the slopes, then the year will only just begin in November when resorts up and down Norway open up to skiers and snowboarders.
This season should be a return to normal business for those visiting resorts across Norway, especially compared to the past two pandemic disrupted seasons.
Fully vaccinated can travel to US
Fully vaccinated travellers from Europe will be able to travel to the United States from November 8th if they undergo testing and contact tracing.
US nationals living in Europe and their close family members were able to travel home across the Atlantic despite the outgoing ban, but the strict rules caused difficulty for many.
READ ALSO: US to lift travel ban for vaccinated Europeans on November 8th
Winter tyre season
Motorists in the south will be expected to have made the switch to their winter treads by November 1st if they haven’t already.
The season for winter treads began on October 16th in the north due to the chillier climate and snow settling sooner.
In some more remote parts of the country with lots of snowfall and not much road maintenance coverage, you can opt to use studded tyres for more traction.
While changing your tyres may seem like a tedious chore, it could save you a small fortune as you can be charged up to 750 kroner per tyre if they aren’t up to scratch.
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about winter tyres in Norway
Extra housing support for households struggling to pay for electricity
The government will provide almost 3,000 kroner in additional housing support for those hit hard by rising energy expenses.
The support will come in the form of an extra payment in November to help low-income households cope with the costs.
Around four out of five housing benefit recipients will receive the payments. This equates to approximately 66,000 households.
Ice rinks open
From the turn of the month, ice rinks in Norway will begin to open, so best start digging out your skates so you can practice your pirouettes.
Valle Hovin in Oslo will open from the beginning of the month. For those who might be new to Norway, most ice rinks in the country are free to use with reasonable rental prices, making it a budget-friendly activity to get in the mood for the coming winter.
Travel rule changes (potentially)
We will qualify this as being speculative, but November could see changes to Norway’s travel rules.
The country could decide to take the next step in its plan to open the country for restriction-free travel. That plan was unveiled in September, when it was announced that all restrictions on who could enter the country would be dropped for those within the EEA (EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway).
However, it has yet to announce when it will loosen the rules for those outside the EEA, and the new government hasn’t said much of anything on the topic.
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