Am I allowed to hunt in Norway?
Only if you have everything in place — hunting requires a passed hunting exam, a paid hunting fee, the landowner's permission and a weapon licence. All four must be in order at once; the exam alone gives you no right to hunt. The exam is a mandatory 30-hour course with an electronic test, and you can sit it from the year you turn 14. The age limit for hunting is 16 for small game and 18 for big game. The hunting fee is annual and follows the hunting year 1 April–31 March, and you must be in the Hunter Register. Big-game hunting with a rifle requires a passed shooting test every single year — it does not renew itself. Weapons require a separate licence from the police.
📋 The rules
- Required: hunting exam + hunting fee + landowner's permission + weapon licence
- The exam: a 30-hour course + test (from the year you turn 14)
- Age limit: 16 small game, 18 big game
- Annual hunting fee and registration in the Hunter Register
- Big-game hunting with a rifle needs a shooting test each year
🔓 Exceptions
- Foreign hunters can qualify with equivalent documentation from home
- Beaters and dog handlers without a weapon are exempt from the hunting fee
- A missing hunting report adds a surcharge to next year's hunting fee
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Hunting without the fee paid, a valid exam or the landowner's permission, or out of season, can bring a fine, prison and loss of hunting rights. Weapon offences are handled separately under the Firearms Act, so one illegal outing can turn into two criminal cases. What people trip over most often are the small duties: fail to file a hunting report and you get a surcharge on next year's hunting fee, and let the big-game shooting test lapse and you are not a lawful hunter next season, however many years you have hunted before.
📎 Official sources
- Agriculture Directorate · Hunting fee →
- Hunting Practice Regulation · Lovdata →
- Environment Agency · Hunting exam →
❓ Frequently asked
What do I need to hunt?
Four things at once: a passed hunting exam, a paid hunting fee, the landowner's permission and a weapon licence from the police. Miss one of them and the hunt is illegal — the exam by itself gives you no right to go into the forest with a gun.
How old must I be?
16 for small game and 18 for big game. The hunting exam itself you can sit from the year you turn 14, so you can be a fully qualified hunter a couple of years before you are allowed to hunt.
What is the hunting exam?
A mandatory 30-hour course ending in an electronic test, which you must pass before you can hunt. If you are a foreign hunter, you can qualify with equivalent documentation from home instead of sitting the Norwegian exam.
Must I take a shooting test?
Yes, for big-game hunting with a rifle you must pass a shooting test each year. It covers only one season at a time, so a test passed last year does not help you — you must shoot it again before every big-game hunt.
Do I need the landowner's permission?
Yes. You must have hunting rights, either as the landowner yourself or through permission from the rights holder. Without it the hunt is illegal even if all the other paperwork is in order — hunting rights follow the land, not the exam.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “am I allowed to hunt norway”
- “hunting exam requirement”
- “hunting fee hunting year”
- “hunting age limit 16 18”
- “shooting test big game”
- “weapon licence hunting norway”