EFTA-Kosovo free trade agreement enters Norwegian customs rules

Tolletaten (Norwegian Customs) has brought the EFTA-Kosovo free trade agreement into the national customs rulebook, amending both the customs duty regulation and the goods-traffic regulation. The two amending regulations were issued on 21 August 2026 and take effect on 1 September 2026, as published in Norsk Lovtidend on 24 August 2026.

The changes give effect to the free trade agreement between the EFTA states and Kosovo, granting tariff preferences for goods traded between Norway and Kosovo. Both instruments insert the agreement’s Annex I into the relevant provisions of the two regulations.

Customs duty regulation

Regulation LTI-2026-08-21-1659 amends the customs duty regulation (tollavgiftsforskriften), adopted under the Customs Duty Act of 11 March 2022 no. 8, section 4-1, third paragraph, read with the delegation decision of 19 October 2022 no. 1760.

• Section 4-1-1, first paragraph, item 21 now reads “frihandelsavtalen EFTA-Kosovo vedlegg I” (the EFTA-Kosovo free trade agreement, Annex I).
• The former items 21 to 37 are renumbered as items 22 to 38.

Goods-traffic regulation

Regulation LTI-2026-08-21-1660 amends the goods-traffic regulation (vareførselsforskriften), adopted under the Goods Import and Export Act of 11 March 2022 no. 9, section 5-11, second paragraph, read with the delegation decision of 19 October 2022 no. 1761.

• Section 5-11-1, first paragraph, item 21 now reads “frihandelsavtalen EFTA-Kosovo vedlegg I”.
• The former items 21 to 37 are likewise renumbered as items 22 to 38.

Entry into force

Both amending regulations enter into force on 1 September 2026. The parallel amendments ensure that the tariff preferences under the EFTA-Kosovo agreement apply consistently across the customs duty and goods-traffic frameworks.

For Norwegian importers and exporters, the change means that goods covered by the agreement’s Annex I can benefit from preferential customs treatment in trade with Kosovo from the start of September, aligning Norway’s national rules with the commitments of the EFTA-Kosovo free trade agreement.

Source: Norsk Lovtidend, Avd. I, 24 August 2026 (official references: LTI-2026-08-21-1659 and LTI-2026-08-21-1660).