Currency in Norway: euro or kroner, cards, cash, ATMs and tipping

Updated 26.09.2026. Facts checked against Norges Bank, the Norwegian Consumer Authority, Norwegian Customs, the Norwegian Consumer Council and Visit Norway.

Short answer: In Norway you pay in Norwegian kroner (NOK). Euro and other foreign currencies are rarely accepted. Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere, and many people pay with their phone. Still carry a little cash: in shops you have a right to pay cash, but not at vending machines, in unstaffed shops or on the bus. Tipping is not required; if you tip, 5–15 % is usual (Visit Norway).

Key facts

What applies to you?

• Tourist with Visa or Mastercard: your card works almost everywhere. Take out a little cash at an ATM, and always choose NOK – see the currency trap.
• You only have euro or dollars in cash: exchange them into kroner – see where to exchange.
• You come from Sweden, Denmark or Finland: you can pay with Vipps or MobilePay at many Norwegian businesses – see Vipps.
• You carry a lot of cash: more than 25 000 kr must be declared to customs – see cash across the border.

What currency does Norway use – can I pay in euro?

Norway has its own currency, the Norwegian krone (NOK), and is not part of the eurozone. Legal tender is the notes and coins issued by Norges Bank: notes of 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 kroner and coins of 1, 5, 10 and 20 kroner.

Euro, dollars and other foreign currencies are rarely accepted, so you need kroner or a card (Visit Norway, checked 26.09.2026). The best "currency" to bring is therefore a bank card that works abroad, plus a little cash in kroner.

How to recognise genuine Norwegian banknotes

In this video Norges Bank shows how to check the security features of the 100 and 200 krone notes (in Norwegian, 2 minutes).

Can I pay by card everywhere in Norway?

Almost. Visa and Mastercard are the most widely used cards; far fewer places take Amex or Diners (Visit Norway). Cards are the most common way to pay: in Norges Bank's 2026 survey, payment cards accounted for 59 % of point-of-sale payments, and in 2025, 27 % of payments at terminals were made with a phone.

Contactless payment is common. Still, remember your PIN: some terminals and machines may ask for it. Before you travel, check what your bank charges for card payments and cash withdrawals abroad – it varies from bank to bank.

More on cards, fees and how to pay less: bank cards and fees.

Do I need cash in Norway? Your right to pay cash

Cash is rarely used – in the spring 2026 survey it accounted for 3 % of all payments (Norges Bank). Even so, it is a good idea to carry a little cash for small purchases (Visit Norway).

Since 1 October 2024 you have the right to pay cash when you buy goods or services in a physical shop. Since 1 May 2025, shops that refuse can be fined. The right does not apply:

• at vending machines and in unstaffed shops;
• at temporary outlets such as food trucks, festivals, flea markets and pop-up shops;
• in places with restricted access, such as closed events and canteens;
• on buses, metros and other means of transport;
• for public services;
• when the amount is above 20 000 kroner.

The shop must give change if it has change available. However, no one has to accept more than 25 coins of each denomination in one payment.

Sources: Norwegian Consumer Authority and Norges Bank, checked 26.09.2026.

Vipps and mobile payments: can tourists use Vipps?

Most instant payments in Norway start in Vipps (Norges Bank). To use Vipps, you need a Norwegian phone number, BankID or a Norwegian national identity number or D-number, a Norwegian bank card and a Norwegian bank account (Vipps MobilePay, checked 26.09.2026). Most tourists therefore cannot use Norwegian Vipps.

Exception: since February 2025, tourists from Sweden can pay with Vipps, and tourists from Denmark and Finland with MobilePay, at Norwegian businesses that have integrated Vipps solutions (Vipps, 05.02.2025). Otherwise, pay by card.

Read more: Vipps for tourists – how to pay instead.

ATMs: where can I withdraw money?

ATMs are getting fewer: at the end of 2025 there were 1 028 in the whole of Norway, down from 1 129 the year before (Norges Bank). Most are in the cities. In rural areas there is usually at least one place where you can withdraw money, such as a kiosk, a grocery shop or a petrol station (Visit Norway).

ATMs in our directory: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Tromsø. Ask your bank what a withdrawal abroad costs, and always withdraw in NOK.

The currency trap: always choose NOK

A card terminal or ATM may ask whether you want to pay in your own currency instead of kroner. Say no. Then the shop or ATM sets the exchange rate, and it is usually worse. The Norwegian Consumer Council's advice is "always choose the local currency" – in Norway that is NOK. The mark-up on such conversion normally equals six to seven per cent, almost four times as expensive as the standard rate of payment cards (Norwegian Consumer Council, 27.06.2024).

Where can I exchange currency in Norway?

You will find exchange offices in the centre of the largest cities, for example by Oslo Central Station. At the largest ones you can exchange around 80 currencies and order currency online for pick-up, ready within two days (checked 26.09.2026). If you need euro for the next leg of your trip, you can exchange there too. Addresses and opening hours: see the cards below.

In our directory: FOREX, Oslo and finance and currency exchange in Oslo.

Do you tip in Norway?

No, tipping is not required. If you are happy with the service at a restaurant or bar, you can tip; tips usually stay within 5–15 % of the bill (Visit Norway, checked 26.09.2026).

How much cash can I bring to or from Norway?

If you carry currency worth more than 25 000 Norwegian kroner to or from Norway, you must declare it to Norwegian Customs. This covers Norwegian and foreign notes and coins, anonymous payment cards such as gift cards, and other means of payment. If you do not declare it, you risk a fee of 20 % of the full amount or being reported to the police (Norwegian Customs, updated 03.08.2026).

How expensive is Norway?

Prices for food, cafés and beer are in our guide to food prices in Norway. If you shop a lot, you can get the VAT back as a tourist – see tax free in Norway.

Photos: cards, cash and ATMs

People also ask

• Can you use the euro in Norway?
• What currency is used in Norway?
• What is the best currency to take to Norway?
• What do genuine Norwegian banknotes look like?
• Can I pay by card everywhere?
• Is Amex accepted in Norway?
• Do I need a PIN in Norway?
• Do you need cash in Norway?
• Can a shop refuse cash?
• Can I pay cash on the bus?
• Can tourists use Vipps?
• Can I use MobilePay in Norway?
• Where is the nearest ATM?
• Where can I get euro in Oslo?
• Where is the best place to exchange currency?
• Should I pay in NOK or in my own currency?
• Do you tip in Norway?
• How much do you tip in a restaurant?
• How much cash can I take to Norway?
• Is Norway expensive for tourists?

Sources

All links checked 26.09.2026.

• Norges Bank: legal tender notes and coins
• Norges Bank: the right to pay cash
• Norges Bank: Retail payment services 2025
• Norwegian Consumer Authority: new rules on cash payment (03.10.2024)
• Norwegian Consumer Authority: the duty to accept cash
• Visit Norway: currency and prices
• Vipps MobilePay: what do I need to use Vipps?
• Vipps: easier for tourists to pay in Norway (05.02.2025)
• Norwegian Consumer Council: avoid the currency trap (27.06.2024)
• Norwegian Customs: currency
• Forex Bank: currency exchange
• Norges Bank on YouTube: new banknotes – new security features

Readers' experiences

Were you asked to pay by card where you wanted to pay cash? Did you find an ATM that charged a fee, or a place that took euro? Tell us in the comments at the bottom of the page. We use your experiences when we update this guide.