Everything that changes in Norway in April 2022
New travel routes, tax deadlines, rising building material costs, more expensive mortgage repayments and the Easter holidays are among the things happening in Norway this April that you need to know about.
Tax time!
Not many peoples’ favourite time of the year, but you’ll still need to know about a few key dates in April. April 4th will see the final tax returns for the year sent out. The end of the month will see the deadline for submitting your tax return or applying for an extended deadline to file your tax info.
READ MORE: Five things you need to know about tax returns in Norway
Ski seasons ends in most places
From Easter onwards, ski resorts up and down the country will begin closing their lifts for the season. Some in northern Norway may stay open further into May, but most resorts will begin closing towards the end of April.
If you haven’t already, it may be worth dusting off your ski boots sooner rather than later if you fancy skiing in the spring sun.
Public holidays galore
Public holidays can be feast or famine in Norway, with it feeling like there can be a public holiday draught between Christmas and Spring and then from the Spring to the festive season.
Luckily, we are entering the ‘feast’ stage of public holidays, meaning you should begin making plans for what you will be doing with all your extra free time.
READ MORE: Norwegian public holidays: How to maximise your annual leave in 2022
There are four public holidays, although one is a Sunday, in April. These are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. The dates for said holidays are the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th.
Mortgages become more expensive
Loans and mortgages repayments will become more expensive for those who aren't on fixed-rate deals.
This is because Norway's central bank, Norges Bank, raised the key interest rate in March.
Since then, several banks have followed suit and hiked their rates.
Påskeferie
Norway’s Easter holidays will run between April 11th and April 18th. Unlike other vacations, such as the winter holidays, all of the kids will be off at the same time.
Many in Norway pack up their cars and head to the mountains during the Easter holidays; if you’re new to Norway or haven’t had the opportunity to spend Easter here before, there are a lot of traditions to get into, whether its “easter crime” or stocking up on oranges and Kvikk Lunsj.
Flyr's Oslo Edinburgh route to take off
An Oslo to Edinburgh flight is among five new routes that Norwegian budget airline Flyr will launch in April. The other new destinations the airline is adding are Billund, Pisa, Prague and Stockholm.
READ MORE: Budget airline Flyr to launch Olso to Edinburgh route
The new route will make Edinburgh the airline’s first UK destination to which the airline will offer flights.
Time to take off the winter tyres
On the 25th, the winter tyre season will officially end unless there’s a cold snap or snowstorm between now and then.
This means you’ll need to switch to the summer set if you are using studded tyres. If you are caught driving studded tyres past this point, you’ll be fined 750 kroner per tyre.
If you are using regular winter tyres rather than studded ones, you won’t be required to change them, but you should probably should so that you don’t wear down the tread so that they no longer meet winter requirements.
New ferry route between Norway and the Netherlands opens
From April 8th Holland Norway Lines will run a new route between Kristiansand, southern Norway, and Eemshaven, Groningen, the Netherlands, three days a week.
READ MORE: New ferry route to connect Norway and Netherlands from 2022
The ferry will take 18 hours, departing from Kristiansand at 3pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. For trips into Norway, services leave the Netherlands at 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Building materials shoot up
From April 1st, some building firms will be putting up the prices of their materials by as much as 20 percent due to the war in Ukraine.
Optimera, Norway’s largest DIY materials player, which has around 140 Montér stores in Norway, has already announced that it will be raising prices.
Altibox customers will lose access to TV2
Altibox customers will likely lose access to TV2 after the two parties failed to agree to extend a deal that expires on March 31st.
There are around 530,000 Altibox customers, and one million viewers could lose access to TV2 as a result.
Norway’s domestic football league kicks off
Norway’s Eliteserien will kick off during the first weekend of April for sports lovers. The season will run until the end of November.
Going to games is one of the few things that is cheaper in Norway than in other countries, particularly the UK. All eyes will be on whether Bodø/Glimt will be able to clinch a 3rd successive title come November.
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Tax time!
Not many peoples’ favourite time of the year, but you’ll still need to know about a few key dates in April. April 4th will see the final tax returns for the year sent out. The end of the month will see the deadline for submitting your tax return or applying for an extended deadline to file your tax info.
READ MORE: Five things you need to know about tax returns in Norway
Ski seasons ends in most places
From Easter onwards, ski resorts up and down the country will begin closing their lifts for the season. Some in northern Norway may stay open further into May, but most resorts will begin closing towards the end of April.
If you haven’t already, it may be worth dusting off your ski boots sooner rather than later if you fancy skiing in the spring sun.
Public holidays galore
Public holidays can be feast or famine in Norway, with it feeling like there can be a public holiday draught between Christmas and Spring and then from the Spring to the festive season.
Luckily, we are entering the ‘feast’ stage of public holidays, meaning you should begin making plans for what you will be doing with all your extra free time.
READ MORE: Norwegian public holidays: How to maximise your annual leave in 2022
There are four public holidays, although one is a Sunday, in April. These are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. The dates for said holidays are the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th.
Mortgages become more expensive
Loans and mortgages repayments will become more expensive for those who aren't on fixed-rate deals.
This is because Norway's central bank, Norges Bank, raised the key interest rate in March.
Since then, several banks have followed suit and hiked their rates.
Påskeferie
Norway’s Easter holidays will run between April 11th and April 18th. Unlike other vacations, such as the winter holidays, all of the kids will be off at the same time.
Many in Norway pack up their cars and head to the mountains during the Easter holidays; if you’re new to Norway or haven’t had the opportunity to spend Easter here before, there are a lot of traditions to get into, whether its “easter crime” or stocking up on oranges and Kvikk Lunsj.
Flyr's Oslo Edinburgh route to take off
An Oslo to Edinburgh flight is among five new routes that Norwegian budget airline Flyr will launch in April. The other new destinations the airline is adding are Billund, Pisa, Prague and Stockholm.
READ MORE: Budget airline Flyr to launch Olso to Edinburgh route
The new route will make Edinburgh the airline’s first UK destination to which the airline will offer flights.
Time to take off the winter tyres
On the 25th, the winter tyre season will officially end unless there’s a cold snap or snowstorm between now and then.
This means you’ll need to switch to the summer set if you are using studded tyres. If you are caught driving studded tyres past this point, you’ll be fined 750 kroner per tyre.
If you are using regular winter tyres rather than studded ones, you won’t be required to change them, but you should probably should so that you don’t wear down the tread so that they no longer meet winter requirements.
New ferry route between Norway and the Netherlands opens
From April 8th Holland Norway Lines will run a new route between Kristiansand, southern Norway, and Eemshaven, Groningen, the Netherlands, three days a week.
READ MORE: New ferry route to connect Norway and Netherlands from 2022
The ferry will take 18 hours, departing from Kristiansand at 3pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. For trips into Norway, services leave the Netherlands at 3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Building materials shoot up
From April 1st, some building firms will be putting up the prices of their materials by as much as 20 percent due to the war in Ukraine.
Optimera, Norway’s largest DIY materials player, which has around 140 Montér stores in Norway, has already announced that it will be raising prices.
Altibox customers will lose access to TV2
Altibox customers will likely lose access to TV2 after the two parties failed to agree to extend a deal that expires on March 31st.
There are around 530,000 Altibox customers, and one million viewers could lose access to TV2 as a result.
Norway’s domestic football league kicks off
Norway’s Eliteserien will kick off during the first weekend of April for sports lovers. The season will run until the end of November.
Going to games is one of the few things that is cheaper in Norway than in other countries, particularly the UK. All eyes will be on whether Bodø/Glimt will be able to clinch a 3rd successive title come November.
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