Relocating from Norway to the United States means clearing two very different bureaucracies back to back: the Norwegian export and deregistration side handled by Tolletaten (Norwegian Customs) and Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration), and the U.S. import side run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This guide covers both halves in the order you will actually need them — leaving Norway, crossing the Atlantic, and clearing U.S. customs — plus pets, vehicles, money rules, and a short note on the reverse move. It is written for a Norwegian resident (citizen or foreign national) making a genuine, long-term move to the U.S. on a work, study, or immigrant visa.

Key takeaways

• If your household goods are worth more than NOK 5,000, you must lodge an export declaration with Tolletaten and carry an inventory list.
• You must notify Skatteetaten of your move if you will be abroad for at least six months, and no more than 31 days before departure; moves outside the Nordic countries must always be reported in Norway (Skatteetaten).
• Deregistering from the population register does not automatically end your Norwegian tax residence — that can take up to three income years if you lived in Norway 10+ years (Skatteetaten tax emigration).
• Goods shipped ahead of you into the U.S. require CBP Form 3299, "Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles" (CBP Form 3299).
• Household effects used abroad for at least one year can generally enter the U.S. free of duty (CBP).
• Every dog entering the U.S. needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, a microchip, and must be at least six months old (CDC).
• Carrying more than US$10,000 in or out of the U.S. must be reported on FinCEN Form 105 (USAGov).
• Importing a car means meeting EPA and DOT/NHTSA standards and filing form HS-7 (NHTSA).

1. Your U.S. visa status determines the customs treatment

Before you touch a shipping quote, understand that CBP treats your belongings differently depending on why you are entering. The core U.S. rule is generous: household effects — furniture, carpets, artwork, books, tableware and similar furnishings — may enter free of duty if they were used abroad for at least one year, whether by a resident or a nonresident (CBP: Shopping Abroad — Household Items).

If you are emigrating to the U.S. (an immigrant visa or green card), you may additionally bring the professional books, instruments and tools of your trade duty-free, provided they are not for sale or for another person. Nonresidents arriving on long-term work or study visas can also import used household effects duty-free. Note that some categories CBP defines as personal effects — clothing, jewelry, cameras, electronics and vehicles — are treated separately, though duty is usually waived on personal effects more than a year old (CBP). The governing regulations are in 19 CFR Part 148. Keep your visa and passport aligned with the entry documents, because your status is what the CBP officer maps onto the tariff exemptions.

2. The Norway export side — Tolletaten, deregistration and tax exit

Customs / export declaration. Norway’s customs authority is Tolletaten. When you move your household goods out of the country and their total value exceeds NOK 5,000, you must declare them for export (Tolletaten). Prepare an inventory list (it need not be highly detailed) and carry photo ID. How you declare depends on transport: if you drive the goods out yourself by road, you declare at the border customs office during opening hours and present the list; if they leave by ferry, you must make the declaration in advance at a local customs office and present it before boarding (Tolletaten). In practice, if you use a moving company, your forwarder files the electronic export declaration through Tolletaten’s system on your behalf (Tolletaten: Export declaration). Weapons and ammunition need an export permit from the police in advance (Tolletaten).

Deregistration. You must tell Skatteetaten, which runs the Folkeregisteret (National Population Register), when you intend to stay abroad for at least six months. Report the move no earlier than 31 days before you leave, and note that a move to a country outside the Nordic region must always be registered in Norway (Skatteetaten). Deregistering signals that you are no longer resident for register purposes, but it does not by itself close your tax file.

Tax residency exit. Ending your Norwegian tax residence has its own test. If you lived in Norway less than 10 years, your tax liability ends in the year you settle permanently abroad, provided you spend no more than 61 days per year in Norway and neither you nor close family have a dwelling available to you there. If you were tax resident for 10 years or more, residence only ceases after three full income years abroad, with the same 61-day and no-dwelling conditions applying in each of those years (Skatteetaten: Tax emigration). The "dwelling" test is strict — access to a home you own, rent or borrow can be enough to keep you resident — so plan property arrangements accordingly.

3. Ports and transit — the realistic picture

Norway’s principal cargo gateways include the Port of Oslo, Port of Bergen and Port of Stavanger, and most transatlantic household shipments consolidate through Oslo by sea or air. There is no direct-call container liner network to every U.S. coast from Norway, so ocean freight is typically transshipped through a larger hub in Northern Europe (for example Bremerhaven, Rotterdam or Hamburg) before crossing to U.S. East Coast ports such as New York/New Jersey.

The following transit times are freight-industry estimates, not official government figures, and vary with season, routing and consolidation:

• Sea freight (FCL/LCL), Oslo → U.S. East Coast: roughly 4–7 weeks door-to-port, longer for LCL and West Coast destinations.
• Air freight, Oslo → major U.S. airport: roughly 1–2 weeks door-to-door once documentation is ready.

Treat any quote as a planning range and confirm actual sailings with your forwarder.

4. The U.S. import side — CBP Form 3299

Most people ship their goods separately from their own flight, which makes them "unaccompanied articles." For these you file CBP Form 3299, "Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles," the form that supports a duty-free claim for used household and personal effects (CBP Form 3299 PDF). You provide your name, date of birth, U.S. address, port and date of arrival, and the name of the arriving vessel or carrier. To qualify for duty-free entry the items must be used, owned and used for at least 12 months, and not for sale (CBP: Article 1392).

In practice your U.S. customs broker or destination agent submits Form 3299 with your inventory (a valued packing list) and a copy of your passport/visa to CBP at the port of entry. Because clearance is tied to your own arrival, it is best to be in the U.S. — or have your entry documented — when the shipment lands, to avoid storage and demurrage. New items, anything bought for resale, and restricted goods (certain foods, plants, alcohol above allowances) fall outside the duty-free household exemption and must be declared separately.

5. Pets — official rules on both ends

Dogs (CDC). Under the CDC rule in force since 1 August 2024, every dog entering the U.S. must appear healthy on arrival, be at least six months old, be microchipped, and be accompanied by a valid CDC Dog Import Form online-submission receipt (CDC: Bringing a Dog into the U.S.; CDC rule announcement). Because Norway is a dog-rabies-free / low-risk country, a dog that has only been in such countries in the six months before entry needs no additional rabies paperwork beyond the import-form receipt, though CDC still recommends rabies vaccination (CDC). Complete the form and keep the receipt ready at the port of entry (CDC form instructions).

Cats. Cats are not subject to CDC dog rules, and there is no CDC vaccination requirement for cats, but individual airlines and U.S. states may impose health-certificate conditions (USDA APHIS: Bring a Pet Cat into the U.S.; U.S. State Department). For any pet, check your carrier’s rules well ahead — a healthy-animal veterinary certificate is commonly requested even when the government does not strictly require one.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles. A car imported permanently and less than 25 years old must comply with all applicable DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and EPA emission standards; you file form HS-7 at import and generally need a manufacturer’s conformity letter, and a DOT bond of 1.5× the vehicle’s dutiable value may be required (NHTSA importation FAQs; CBP: Importing a Motor Vehicle). Vehicles at least 25 years old are exempt from FMVSS (CBP Article 1396). Because most European-market cars are not U.S.-certified, shipping your Norwegian car is often impractical — verify eligibility before you commit.

Money. There is no limit on how much you may bring, but carrying, mailing or shipping more than US$10,000 in currency or monetary instruments into (or out of) the U.S. must be reported on FinCEN Form 105; the threshold is aggregate for a family, and failure to report can mean seizure (USAGov: Travel money).

Frequently forgotten items. Firearms need Norwegian police export permission and separate U.S. federal/state rules; certain foods, plants and wooden items are restricted at U.S. entry; and alcohol beyond personal allowances is dutiable. Keep receipts and a valued inventory for insurance and for CBP.

How Flyto handles your Norway to the USA move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — so the Norwegian collection, export handling and consolidation are managed directly by people we employ. For the Atlantic leg and the U.S. side we combine a carefully chosen partner and subcontractor network with trusted local partners in the United States for port clearance and final delivery. We do not claim to do everything ourselves; we own the parts we do best and partner deliberately for the rest.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to declare my belongings when leaving Norway?
Yes, if their value exceeds NOK 5,000 you must lodge an export declaration with Tolletaten and carry an inventory list (Tolletaten).

Will my used furniture be taxed on U.S. entry?
Generally no — household effects used abroad for at least a year can enter duty-free on CBP Form 3299, if they are not for sale (CBP).

Does deregistering in Norway end my tax obligations?
No. Population-register deregistration is separate from tax emigration, which can take up to three income years for long-term residents (Skatteetaten).

What does my dog need to enter the U.S.?
A microchip, a minimum age of six months, a healthy appearance, and a CDC Dog Import Form receipt; from low-risk Norway no extra rabies paperwork is required (CDC).

Can I ship my Norwegian car?
Only if it meets U.S. EPA and DOT/NHTSA standards (or is 25+ years old); you file form HS-7 and may post a DOT bond (NHTSA).

What about moving back — USA to Norway?
Reverse the process: Tolletaten lets returning movers import household goods duty-free if you were abroad continuously for at least one year, owned and used the items abroad, and import them within a year, declaring on form RD0030 with an item list (Tolletaten).

Sources

• Tolletaten — Moving out of Norway
• Tolletaten — Export declaration
• Tolletaten — Household goods, import when moving to Norway
• Skatteetaten — Moving from Norway
• Skatteetaten — Tax emigration (cessation of tax liability)
• Skatteetaten — You must notify us when you move
• CBP — Shopping Abroad: Duty Free, Gifts, Household Items
• CBP — Process to move used household goods into the U.S. (Article 1392)
• CBP Form 3299 (PDF)
• CBP — Importing a Motor Vehicle
• CBP — Requirements for importing a personal vehicle (Article 1396)
• NHTSA — Importation and Certification FAQs
• eCFR — 19 CFR Part 148 (Personal Declarations and Exemptions)
• USAGov — How much money can you bring into and out of the U.S.
• CDC — Bringing a Dog into the U.S.
• CDC — Dog Import Form and Instructions
• CDC — Updated Dog Importation Regulation (effective 1 August 2024)
• USDA APHIS — Bring a Pet Cat (Domestic) into the United States
• U.S. Department of State — Pets and International Travel