Norway is in the European Economic Area and outside the EU customs union. Goods moving between Norway and an EU member state need customs clearance, and Greece is an EU member state. Your household is therefore an export, not an internal transfer.
That is the single fact that separates a Norwegian move from a Swedish or Danish one, and it is the reason a quote from a company that mostly works inside the EU can be quietly wrong.
Leaving Norway means an export declaration to Tolletaten, the Norwegian customs authority. Crossing the EU to reach Greece adds transit documentation. Arriving in Greece is then a normal import from a third country rather than an intra-EU movement.
None of that is difficult and all of it takes time. A mover who does this route regularly will have it built into the schedule. One who does not will discover it at the border.
By road through Sweden and Denmark into Germany, then either the Balkan route or an Italian Adriatic ferry. Or by sea from Oslo or Bergen into a container bound for Piraeus. Distance makes the sea option more attractive here than it is from Denmark, simply because the road leg is so much longer.
Roughly 3,000 kilometres by road before the Adriatic crossing, or a sea route the length of Europe. Either way this is one of the longer moves in Europe, and the practical consequence is that waiting time and scheduling matter more than they do on a short hop. Book earlier than feels necessary.
Because the goods leave the customs union, Greek clearance treats them as an import. A full inventory matters more here than on an intra-EU move, and so does consistency between the inventory and the declaration.
Piraeus takes container traffic. Thessaloniki suits northern addresses. Road loads land at Igoumenitsa or Patras. Island delivery adds a sailing after any of them.
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No. Norway is in the European Economic Area, which gives single market access, but it stays outside the EU customs union. Goods moving between Norway and EU countries need customs clearance, which is why a move to Greece is treated as an export.
An export declaration to Norwegian customs, transit documentation for the EU leg, and an inventory that matches both. A moving company that runs this route will handle the filings; ask who does it rather than assuming.
Somewhat, because of the clearance work and the extra distance. The difference is smaller than people fear on a shared load and more noticeable on a small one, where fixed costs weigh heavier.
Sea is more attractive from Norway than from anywhere further south, because the road leg is so long. A full household with flexible dates usually does better in a container. Firm dates and difficult access point to road.
Plan in weeks rather than days. Roughly 3,000 kilometres by road before the Adriatic crossing, or a sea route the length of Europe. Booking earlier than feels necessary is the single most useful thing you can do.
It is quoted separately from household goods and travels separately. Check first that the vehicle can be registered in Greece, because some emissions standards are refused outright. See the vehicle page for what is excluded.
Yes, anywhere in Norway. The routing changes with the port or road access rather than the town, so put the actual collection address on the form.
Handled the same way in reverse, with the clearance falling on the Norwegian side. Norwegian customs applies its own rules on how long you have owned and used the goods, so ask about that early.
Also worth reading: Sweden, without the customs step, Denmark and the bridges.
Send your Norwegian collection address, the Greek delivery address, your dates and a rough inventory. A vetted moving company checks the export clearance, the transit route and the Greek import before quoting.
Get your free quoteWe are a free enquiry service and a Working Member of AGM Group. We connect people moving between Norway and Greece with vetted international moving companies from that network. We do not own vans or employ crews, so the company that quotes you is the company that does the work.
Use this page to understand the clearance before you take a quote, then speak directly with the mover.
Written by Darren Benjamin, Founder, International Removals Companies.