Before you start

A registered address in Norway and an identity number
Your existing licence, valid
A Norwegian health declaration and eyesight check
For the full course, a mandatory basic traffic course before lessons

Step-by-step

1
Note the date you became resident, because the twelve months runs from it
The exchange window opens when you take up residence and closes twelve months later. Miss it and exchange is no longer available at all — you take the full Norwegian licence process from the beginning, which is expensive and slow.
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2
Find which group your issuing country is in
EEA licences remain valid and can be exchanged straightforwardly. A defined group of other countries — including several outside Europe — can exchange after passing a practical driving test. Everyone else must complete the full Norwegian training and testing. Statens vegvesen publishes the current grouping.
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3
Book the practical test early if one is required
Test capacity in the Oslo area is limited and waits run to months. The Norwegian practical test is exacting about observation, roundabout procedure and winter driving technique, and experienced drivers fail it regularly.
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4
Understand the toll ring before you commute by car
Oslo has an electronic toll system with multiple rings, charged automatically by camera at rates that vary by time of day, vehicle type and emissions. There are no booths. An AutoPASS tag gives a discount and is worth having from the first journey.
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5
Fit proper winter tyres and know what the studs cost
Winter tyres are required in winter conditions. Studded tyres give the best grip on ice but Oslo charges a fee for using them within the city because of the particulate pollution they create, payable per day or per season. Studless winter tyres avoid the charge and are what most Oslo residents now use.
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6
Sort out parking by district
Central Oslo residential streets operate resident permit schemes by district, and permits are tied to your registered address. Visitor parking is expensive and heavily enforced. Buildings with a garage space are priced accordingly.
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Documents you’ll need

Existing driving licence
Passport and Norwegian identity number
Health declaration and eyesight test result
Proof of address for a resident parking permit
AutoPASS agreement, for tolls

Things most newcomers don’t know

The twelve-month exchange window is absolute, and missing it is expensive rather than inconvenient.

A non-EEA licence can only be exchanged within twelve months of taking up residence in Norway. After that the option disappears entirely and you must complete the full Norwegian licence process — compulsory basic traffic course, mandatory night driving and skid-pan training, lessons at Oslo prices and both tests. The cost difference between exchanging in month eleven and starting over in month thirteen runs into tens of thousands of kroner.

Source: Statens vegvesen

Studded tyres are legal but Oslo charges you for them, and most residents no longer use them.

Studs are excellent on ice but grind road surface into fine particulates, which is a real air quality problem in a city that sits in a bowl and gets winter inversions. Oslo therefore levies a fee for driving on studs inside the city, per day or per season, on top of the tyres themselves. Modern studless winter tyres perform well enough that most people now choose them, and the fee is a genuine factor in that decision rather than a token.

Source: Oslo kommune

Toll charges are automatic, emissions-linked and time-varying, and they add up faster than newcomers expect.

Oslo's toll rings are camera-based with no barriers and no way to pay at the roadside. Rates depend on the time of day, the vehicle's fuel type and its emissions class, and crossing more than one ring on a single commute is common. An AutoPASS tag reduces the rate. People budget for fuel and parking and then find the tolls are the larger number.

Source: Fjellinjen / Statens vegvesen

Public transport reaches the wilderness, which removes most of the reason to own a car.

Ruter's zone 1 ticket covers metro, tram, bus, local trains and the fjord ferries, and the metro climbs 400 metres to the edge of the Nordmarka forest. Ski trails, hiking routes and swimming islands are all inside the ordinary fare. In most cities a car buys access to the outdoors; in Oslo the transport ticket already does, which is why car ownership among central residents is low despite the incomes.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Letting the twelve-month exchange window lapse and losing the option permanently.
Assuming your country is in the practical-test-only group without checking.
Driving on studded tyres inside Oslo without paying the charge.
Budgeting for fuel and parking while overlooking the toll rings.
Buying a car before checking whether your building or district has any parking at all.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.