Road signs in Norway

Road signs in Sandane

Road signs in Norway are regulated by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in conformity with the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, to which Norway is a signatory.

Signs follow the general European conventions concerning the use of shape and colour to indicate function. Any text included on supplementary signs will normally be in Norwegian, but may in some cases be bi- or trilingual. In Northern parts of Norway, municipal and informative signs may be printed in both Norwegian and Sami. Close to the Finnish border and in municipalities with significant Norwegian Finnish population signs and village names are also shown in Finnish. In areas close to the Russian border, signs may be written in both the Latin and Cyrillic scripts.

No more than three signs (road number indications excepted) may be mounted on any one pole, with the most important sign appearing at the top. As is customary in European countries, all signs are partly or fully reflectorized or are provided with their own night-time illumination.

The current set of designs were introduced through a reform that went into effect on 1 June 2006, replacing the old sets from 1967 and 1980. As the law outlining this reform was published on 7 October 2005, some signs were already replaced before the law went into effect. The most notable change was the removal of hats and hair on the stickmen making them gender-neutral, but many signs were redesigned or introduced for the first time.[1][2][3] In 2022, the meanings of a number of signs were modified to include or exclude users of electric scooters from the regulations they impose.[4]

Norway signed the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals on December 23, 1969 and ratified it on April 1, 1985.[5]

Warning signs

Warning signs are mostly triangular in shape with black symbols on a white background with a red border. Warning signs that are used only temporarily have a yellow background. On Svalbard, a unique warning sign with a black background and white symbol is used for polar bears.

Priority signs

Prohibitory signs

Mandatory signs

Informative signs

Service signs

Direction signs

Direction signs inform about places, businesses, routes, choice of lanes, choice of roads and distance to destinations. Direction signs with a yellow background (blue on motorways) show geographical destinations. Direction signs with a white background (or white fields on yellow and blue signs) show local destinations. Direction signs with a brown background show destinations of special interest to tourism. Orange backgrounds denote temporary detours.

Supplementary signs

Supplementary signs are placed below other signs to indicate additional information, such as the distance, length, times of day or type of vehicle to which it applies.

Marker signs

Marker signs inform drivers of a road's onward course, or warn of obstacles near or on the road. Temporary marker signs, e.g. during roadworks, use a red background colour.

Historic signs

1949 road signs

1974 road signs

Notes

  1. ↑ Warns about dangerous crossroads which have normal rules for traffic priority
  2. ↑ Warns about dangerous crossroads where the road this sign is placed on has priority. Crossing roads have give way or stop signs.
  3. ↑ Restriction is for motor vehicles with more than two wheels and a gross vehicle weight rating above the given weight limit.
  4. ↑ No vehicle with weight above the given limit for each axle, and maximum 150% of the limit for each bogie.
  5. ↑ Indicates a general speed limit of 50 km/h in populated areas and 80 km/h in rural areas by law.
  6. ↑ Only vehicles with gross vehicle weight rating higher than indicated can use this lane.
  7. 1 2 Electric and hydrogen vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, small electric vehicles, and marked emergency vehicles can also use this lane, unless otherwise stated by a supplementary sign.
  8. ↑ Only vehicles with more than indicated occupants including driver can use this lane. Buses and taxis, regardless of how many occupants, can also use this lane.
  9. ↑ Electric and hydrogen vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, small electric vehicles, and marked emergency vehicles, regardless of how many occupants, can also use this lane, unless otherwise stated by a supplementary sign.
  10. ↑ Used frequently on long stretches of single-track roads.
  11. ↑ Road closed for motor vehicles.
  12. ↑ Side-road closed for motor vehicles.
  13. ↑ Denotes the number of lanes and direction of travel.
  14. ↑ Motor vehicles are normally prohibited in pedestrian zone, except small electric vehicles. If exemption is granted by a supplementary sign, the speed limit is "walking speed."
  15. ↑ Used to provide miscellaneous information. May have a brown background (tourist sign), yellow background (temporary sign) or orange background (detour sign). Example: toll plaza in 150 metres.
  16. ↑ Text may vary depending on fuel type available.
  17. ↑ Symbol may be replaced by a representation of the attraction.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Dashed lines indicate a route that leads to the given route.
  19. ↑ Symbol may be used on service signs.
  20. ↑ Indicates a detour where use of road names is not viable. One symbol is used for the entire route, so that different symbols may be used in the event of multiple routes. The line is generally used.
  21. ↑ Generally only used under special circumstances, as some countries use this symbol on detours for vehicles with dangerous goods.
  22. ↑ Arrows vary.
  23. ↑ Destinations shown above may be reached by following that shown at the bottom at the next crossroads or exit.
  24. ↑ Black numbers in parentheses apply on Saturdays, and red numbers apply on Sundays and official holidays.
  25. ↑ Used when there are no symbols that represent the regulation or information. Example: except buses and taxis.
  26. ↑ Arrows vary. Main sign applies after the turn.
  27. ↑ Symbol varies.
  28. ↑ Symbol varies. Priority road is represented by the thick line. Roads represented by thin lines have give way or stop signs for the priority road.
  29. ↑ Indicates the distance to each exit.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Road signs in Norway.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Driving in Norway.
  1. ↑ "Forskrift om offentlige trafikkskilt, vegoppmerking, trafikklyssignaler og anvisninger (skiltforskriften)". Lovdata (in Norwegian). Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Trafikkskilt". Statens vegvesen. Archived from the original on 2 June 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Bogart og selbyggen skal vekk". Adresseavisen (in Norwegian Bokmål). 3 February 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  4. ↑ "Forskrift om endring i forskrift om offentlige trafikkskilt, vegoppmerking, trafikklyssignaler og anvisninger (skiltforskriften)". Lovdata (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "United Nations Treaty Collection". treaties.un.org. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
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