Car Seat Laws in Norway: What Every Family Needs to Know
Updated: Aug 25
Norway has some of the strictest and most detailed child restraint rules in Europe — and some of the most specific recommendations layered on top of the legal minimums. Whether you're arriving at Oslo Gardermoen, picking up a rental car for a fjord road trip, or booking taxis through Bergen, the rules in Norway differ from most EU countries in a few important ways that are worth understanding before you arrive.
The Legal Requirement
Norway's child restraint rules are set out in the Vegtrafikkloven (Road Traffic Act of 18 June 1965 No. 4) and its implementing regulation, the Forskrift om bruk av personlig verneutstyr under kjøring med motorvogn (Regulation of 21 September 1979 No. 7), most recently amended in 2023. Under these rules, any child under 135 cm in height must use an approved child restraint system appropriate for their height and weight when travelling in a motor vehicle.
Children between 135 cm and 150 cm should use a child seat if one is available in the vehicle — this is a strong legal expectation, not merely advisory guidance. Children under 140 cm must not sit in the front seat if the passenger airbag cannot be deactivated. Rear-facing seats must never be placed in front of an active airbag.
Norwegian law goes further than many countries on rear-facing requirements. Children under 15 months must travel rear-facing by law. Statens vegvesen — the Norwegian Public Roads Administration — strongly recommends extending rear-facing use until the child is at least 4 years old, based on road safety research showing rear-facing seats provide significantly better protection in frontal collisions. All seats must be certified to ECE R44/04 or the newer i-Size (R129) standard. For full official guidance, see Statens vegvesen – child car safety pages. The full regulation text is published on Lovdata (Forskrift 1979 No. 7).
How It Applies to Taxis
Norwegian taxi law contains a specific exemption from the full child restraint requirement — but it works differently from the blanket exemptions in France, Italy, or the Czech Republic. In a Norwegian taxi, children over 3 years old may travel in the rear seat secured with a standard adult seatbelt if no child seat is available. Children under 3 years old may sit on an adult's lap in the rear seat without a restraint.
Critically, Norwegian law makes the driver responsible for ensuring passengers under 15 years old are correctly and legally secured. This means a Norwegian taxi driver has a legal duty of care toward your child that does not exist in the same form in many other countries. Standard Oslo or Bergen taxis do not carry child seats, and the legal minimum for the taxi context — an adult lap or an adult seatbelt — offers significantly less protection than a fitted seat.
For families transferring from Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL), Bergen Airport Flesland (BGO), or any other Norwegian airport with young children, pre-booking a transfer with a confirmed fitted seat is the only reliable way to ensure proper restraint. The taxi exemption permits minimal legal compliance — not the level of protection a rear-facing seat provides for an infant on a motorway transfer at 100 km/h.
How It Applies to Rental Cars
For rental cars, the taxi exemption does not apply. Full compliance with the Vegtrafikkloven and Forskrift No. 7 is mandatory from the moment you leave the rental lot. Any child under 135 cm must be in an approved child restraint, and rear-facing is legally required for children under 15 months.
Rental companies at Gardermoen and major Norwegian airports offer child seats as an add-on, but availability tightens during the peak summer season (late June through August) when domestic and international family travel overlaps. Always request the specific seat type in writing at booking, confirm it meets ECE R44/04 or i-Size R129, and check the installation before you drive away. For infants under 15 months, where a rear-facing seat is legally mandatory, bringing your own seat from home removes all uncertainty about what will be at the rental counter.
Fines and Penalties
Driving without a required child restraint in Norway is an offence under the Vegtrafikkloven. The driver is personally responsible for passengers under 15 being correctly secured — this is explicitly stated in Forskrift No. 7 — and Politiet (Norwegian Police) and Statens vegvesen enforce it at roadside checks.
Norway updated its traffic fine framework in 2021. For current fine amounts applicable to child restraint violations, refer directly to Statens vegvesen (the Norwegian Public Roads Administration) or Lovdata for the current regulatory text.
Quick Reference
• Under 135 cm → approved child restraint required in all vehicles including rental cars
• 135–150 cm → child seat should be used if one is available
• Under 15 months → rear-facing seat legally mandatory
• Under 4 years → rear-facing strongly recommended by Statens vegvesen (beyond legal minimum)
• Under 140 cm in front seat → front seat only if airbag can be deactivated; never place rear-facing seat in front of active airbag
• Taxis → modified exemption: over-3s may use adult seatbelt in rear; under-3s may sit on adult's lap in rear — driver is legally responsible for all passengers under 15 being correctly secured
• Rental cars → no exemption; full child restraint laws apply from moment of collection
• Accepted seat standards → ECE R44/04 or i-Size (R129)
FAQ
• Do I need a car seat for my child in a Norwegian taxi?
Norwegian taxis have a modified exemption: children over 3 may use a standard adult seatbelt in the rear seat, and children under 3 may sit on an adult's lap in the rear. This is the legal minimum for taxis, not a safety recommendation. Norwegian law also makes the driver legally responsible for ensuring passengers under 15 are correctly secured — which makes pre-booking a taxi with a confirmed fitted seat both the safer and legally cleaner option.
• Does Norway require a rear-facing seat for infants by law?
Yes. Children under 15 months must travel in a rear-facing seat by law under Forskrift No. 7. Statens vegvesen recommends rear-facing until at least 4 years old — well beyond the legal minimum — based on Norwegian road safety research.
• What height can my child stop using a car seat in Norway?
The mandatory requirement ends at 135 cm. Between 135 and 150 cm, a child seat should be used if available. Only once a child exceeds 150 cm is a standard seatbelt sufficient in all situations.
• Can I rent a child seat at Oslo Gardermoen Airport?
Yes — rental companies at OSL and other Norwegian airports offer child seats as an add-on. Book in writing, specify your child's height and weight for the correct category, and check the seat's certification on collection. During July and August, availability can run tight; booking early is important.
• Can I book a taxi with a rear-facing infant seat for a transfer from Oslo Airport?
Yes. Taxibambino.com lets you specify seat type — rear-facing infant seat, forward-facing seat, or booster — when booking your transfer from Gardermoen (OSL) or anywhere in Norway. The seat is confirmed and fitted before pickup, so you are not arriving with an infant and finding an unequipped taxi.
This page is reviewed and updated regularly. For the most current official rules, always check your destination country's government transport authority.
Norway has no documented blanket taxi exemption: Statens vegvesen requires approved equipment for every child under 135 cm, and the availability-based relief applies to the 135–150 cm band only. Independently of the law, the physics are unchanged: a seat approved to the applicable standard and fitted on rigid ISOFIX anchors holds its line where a belt-only fit works loose — particularly on the E6 between Gardermoen and Sentrum, on winter surfaces.
Space is the other constraint our drivers meet at the airport rank, which is filled largely with compact and mid-sized cars: two bulky seats plus a double stroller and the luggage already fills one, so a third child needing a restraint means booking a larger vehicle in advance.
Last updated: August 2026. Reviewed by Lija Scheiman, CEO, TaxiBambino Content Audit Team.
Travel Safely with Taxibambino
Knowing the law is one thing — having the right seat ready when you land is another. Taxibambino.com connects families with certified child-seat taxis and airport transfers in Norway and 150+ destinations worldwide. Infant seats, forward-facing seats, and boosters for all ages, booked in advance so nothing is left to chance on arrival.
Book your taxi with child car seats → https://www.taxibambino.com
As a rule of thumb on seat groups: under about 13 kg a rear-facing infant carrier; roughly 9–18 kg a forward-facing seat with a 5-point harness; 15–25 kg a high-back booster; and above that a booster until the adult belt sits correctly across the shoulder and hips rather than the neck and stomach.
Travelling as a larger family? See our vehicle fleet.