Duty payment in Norway

[ropomo]

We will be on Viking Homelands, Bergen to Stockholm.  Investigating duty free limits for Norway, I have found them to be a bit strange, especially compared to the rest of Europe.  Where most European countries allow 50 cigars (please no cigar bashing, this is a duty question and I promise to respect your rights to clean air), whereas Norway counts cigars as "loose tobacco" and sets limits by weight (250 grams per person).  That is not that many cigars for a 3+ week planned trip including extensions, etc.  I am not comfortable not declaring the excess if asked.  Two questions: are Norway customs agents likely to just waive you through for a small overage for personal use and leaving on a cruise ship; and if required to pay Norwegian duty (most likely about $25 US), what forms of payment are acceptable  (credit cards since I will not have gotten through customs to and ATM?).  

[Peregrina651]

Honestly, I don't have an answer for you. I do have some thoughts on your question  that might help you get an answer.

 

First, have you googled to see if there is a website for Norwegian customs? At lot of European website have language options and with any luck, they will tell you what your payment options are.

 

Second, this is not a great forum to be asking this particular question. There just isn't enough traffic here to be lucky enough to find the very few people who have actually paid duty upon entering Norway (let alone anyone who has declared cigars). If you haven't already, I would ask this question at least in two other places: 1) the Ports of Call forum here and 2) Trip Advisor, because your question is not a cruise question per se. The more people that see your question, the better your chance of getting an answer.

 

Third, if all else fails, what about asking the Norwegian embassy or consulate?

 

Thinking about your limits, you get to bring a half kilo of loose tobacco between the two of you. That's just over a pound. How many cigars is that for you? I tried looking it up but there was no straight answer to be found and now I'm simply curious.

 

[ropomo]

I have done extensive internet research for both Norwegian and other duty related sites.  The suggestion for the other forums is probably my best bet.  To address your curiosity, I weighed one of my cigars the other day and unwrapped (don't know if customs official would allow unwrapping) it weighed about 25 grams, just under an ounce.  For two of us that is only about 20 cigars for our planned trip of over 3 weeks or less than one a day.  Also, thank you for not bashing my cigars, I am truly respectful of others disdain of them (including my wife) and generally find a secluded spot off the ship to smoke them.

[Peregrina651]

Is buying the difference along the way a possibility? Kind of like sampling the local potables. You might even be able to get Cuban cigars, if that is an interest.

 

Unwrapping them, even twenty of them, might not even be worth the hassle unless it would buy you another cigar.

 

As for not bashing, I'm not your mother. I'm not your wife. I'm not your doctor. I won't be traveling with you. And, Viking has enough rules and restrictions in place to make your life miserable without my help. Besides, the best defense is a good offense and you already made that play.

 

Moving on, if you do get answers to your questions, I hope that you will share them. Good luck.