Newcomers Information
Arriving to Norway
Sponsors
The first thing you should know is that almost everyone in the Stavanger area can speak English. With a robust international presence of oil companies coupled with the fact that Norwegian children are taught English in school at an early age, it is very easy to navigate the local environment.
Key Spouse
If you have a spouse they can email questions to 426ABSkeyspouse@gmail.com
Newcomers
The Meet & Greet with the Commander, mission brief, and newcomer Q&A sessions are scheduled individually with incoming service member and families in the 426 ABS conference room, on the second floor. Once you have arrived, your sponsor will assist in getting scheduled, spouses are highly encouraged to attend. The newcomers Q&A session will answer any questions or concerns about medical, child education/daycare, driving, force protection, TMO, and much more. Please ensure you review the digital newcomers briefing prior to attendance. Thank you.
Inbound Personnel:
426 Air Base Squadron In-processing/Newcomers Slides. Open and view in full presentation mode (audio enabled).
ID Numbers
All members of your household who are traveling to Norway will require a D-Number. The D Number is equivalent to the U.S. Social Security Number.
It is imperative that this is requested as soon as you have your orders.
Once the orders are received, immediately forward a copy to your sponsor together with a color photocopy of all family members’ passports (personal or No-Fee). D Numbers are necessary to open bank accounts, enable school enrollment, receive medical treatment, and take retrieve of your vehicle and household goods. You will need to begin the process as early as possible as processing time normally requires 8-10 weeks. Each family member will receive their own D numbers.
** If passports are not available immediately, the process can begin for Active Duty members by sending a copy of the orders along with a military ID and valid Driver License. Dependants can apply after passports are received.
No-Fee Passports
Post Office Box
Lodging Arrangements
All lodging arrangements are made off base. To reserve a room, you must submit a Hotel Request form to 426 ABS Housing no later than 55 days prior to your arrival. Your sponsor should supply you with this form. Please note, you do not need exact arrival dates to book a room, estimated itineraries are acceptable.
For more information contact the Housing office at DSN: 314.224.0577 COMM: +47.5195.0577.
On Base Shopping
In addition to AAFES, the JWC operates the Central Cellar which offers a more European variety, including wine, cheese, a small selection of fresh vegetables, and personal products.
Firearms
Norwegian weapons law requires that authorization must be obtained from the Host Nation Police Force in order to import weapons into Norway. This process must be initiated up to 60 days prior to your HHG pack out. There are No storage facilities on base. Contact 426 ABS TMO to obtain weapons pre-clearance forms.
Pets
All forms, import information and animal health requirements are explained. Rules for importation have recently been relaxed for certain countries of departure. If Norwegian import regulations are followed and your location qualifies, there are no requirements for quarantine. If your pet is not in compliance with host nation importation requirements upon arrival, the animal will be quarantined for up to six (6) months or refused entry into Norway at a significant cost to the member.
As of June 1, 2016, pets are not allowed to be checked into the Stavanger/Sola airport customs from certain countries, the USA being one of them. Your pet must first fly into Oslo Airport and be checked into their customs before arriving into Stavanger. The telephone number to call for arranging the incoming pet and to see if your country has to go through Oslo Airport is 22 77 79 00. That is the number for the Oslo Airport Veterinary Center. You need to make arrangements for the pet’s arrival at least 48 hours prior.
For additional information regarding pets, ensure you advise your sponsor that you will be PCSing with pets.
Arriving to Stavanger Area
At The Airport
Finance
We can EFT Norwegian Kroner (NOK) to your Norwegian Bank with your U.S. personal check at the Finance Office in the 426th ABS administration building. Your other option is to use your ATM card at the local ATM/Minibank to obtain NOK and deposit into your Norwegian bank account. When withdrawing a large quantity of NOK you may need to contact your financial institution to raise your withdrawal limit for the day. Most ATM/Minibanks have the option for English when using a foreign ATM card.
*** Your dependents are also permitted to write a check for EFT, however, you the military member will need to add them to your Check Cashing Agreement with us during in processing with Finance.
Banking
Once settled in the hotel or prior to signing a house lease, it is advisable that you open a bank account, with a local bank. This will help when establishing your deposit for your house and eventually when paying your local bills. Contact your sponsor with specific questions regarding banking options. Please note that a passport and D- Number is required to open a bank account. You can also get an ATM card that works with this account. You may receive a bill at some point that cannot be paid online and must be paid at the bank using the giro system; this is similar to a check in the US but you do not have a personal checkbook, it is all done at the bank. You must go to your bank and ask them to help you pay it using a giro. There is a small processing fee.
Being Stationed at Stavanger, Norway
Housing
All members assigned to Stavanger, Norway, reside off base in civilian houses. So the choice of home is yours! When you in-process you will be informed of what allowance the finance office entitles you to.
When working with a real estate agent, remember to be very clear about your price range and where you wish to live. Also, the agents in Norway tend not to be as forceful in working on your behalf as those in U.S. Stress the importance to your agent of looking at more than one or two houses in a day.
A lot of Norwegian houses have a basement apartment and rent these out as a separate unit – it should state on the house listings if the rental price is for the whole house or not. Most houses have good-sized yards and decks. The Norwegians take great pride in their yards, with lots of shrubs, bushes, fruit trees, and fruit bushes. While staying here, unless you have a private agreement with your landlord, you will be responsible for the upkeep of the yard. The property owner should provide you with the necessary gardening tools, lawn mower, etc. if he wishes you to upkeep the yard. This should be written in your rental agreement.
Please do not contact realtors directly, first, you will need to contact the Housing Office. Housing will provide you contact information when you first complete the housing realtor information sheet (page 21 of Housing Office Information packet ). Finn.no is the Norwegian version of cragslist.com
For more information, please visit the sites below
TMO
Our transportation office is responsible for POV’s Household Goods, unaccompanied baggage and passenger travel arrangements. Arrival for unaccompanied baggage is up to 30 days and household goods up to 60 days. Our transportation office will be notified prior to your shipment arrival. Our transportation office will contact you directly once your household goods and unaccompanied baggage arrives. All items shipped to Norway have to be handled with our transportation office. Do not contact the companies directly; let our TMO office handle this.
Once you have a local Norwegian address and phone number, please contact TMO so your items do not go into storage.
TMO: +47.5195.0573 – 314.224.0573 – 426abs.paxproperty@us.af.mil
Vehicles
You are entitled to import 2 POVs if on an accompanied tour or 1 if unaccompanied to Norway. One POV shipment will be at government expense but check your PCS orders for your POV shipping entitlement. Under the SOFA Agreement, you can drive your vehicle for 30 days when it first arrives in Norway on their foreign license plates. Your current registration must be up to date. In the past, US insurance companies have provided green cards to drive legally in Norway under the SOFA terms on their foreign plates.
USAA no longer provides insurance coverage in Norway. Now the US military community is finding it difficult to find a US company to provide this insurance coverage until you receive your Norwegian inspection and registration. There is a very good hassle-free option for incoming members. Just go to customs, pay 900 NOK and you will have basic liability insurance for a month with a green card. You might still want to keep your own insurance to cover your own liability etc. but you will be legally covered by your US tags and mobile.
You can also ship a second vehicle, but this will be at personal expense. Generally, the 2nd POV import will be consigned to Oslo. TMO will assist you with the customs clearance process also for this private import. There will be additional port and admin fees that the company you shipped with, did not tell you about, so do not be surprised. You will either need to travel to Oslo and drive your vehicle back to Stavanger or the importer can arrange delivery to the Stavanger area for a cost. If you have a warranty on your vehicle, read the warranty or check with the dealership to determine whether your warranty still protects you when you are in Norway. Many warranties only cover your vehicle if it is serviced in the US. If the warranty does not cover you while overseas, you may wish to consider purchasing an international warranty that will cover your car during your time in Stavanger. Please review the vehicle registration handbook link on this site and the POV notes in section 8 of the country instructions for Norway from the PPCIG link.