Buying Alcohol in Norway: How Vinmonopolet Works (2026)

Quick answer: To buy alcohol in Norway, you go to a supermarket for beer, cider and other drinks up to 4.7% alcohol, and to Vinmonopolet, the state-owned monopoly, for wine, spirits and anything stronger than 4.7%. You must be 18 to buy drinks under 22% alcohol and 20 for drinks of 22% or more. Vinmonopolet's regular hours are 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 16:00 on Saturdays, and neither Vinmonopolet nor supermarkets sell alcohol on Sundays or public holidays, though bars and restaurants with a serving licence can serve on those days.

Norway runs a state alcohol monopoly, as Finland does with Alko (see how the Alko system works). This guide covers where each drink is sold, when, who can buy it, what ID works, and how much you can bring across the border.

The 4.7% line: supermarket or Vinmonopolet

The Alcohol Act (alkoholloven) sorts drinks into groups by strength (Alcohol Act § 1-3):

Group 1 drinks can be sold by any shop that holds a municipal licence. Group 2 and group 3 drinks can be sold by AS Vinmonopolet, and otherwise only under the exceptions the Act lists (Alcohol Act § 3-1):

• Airport tax-free. Norwegian Customs can allow tax-free sales at Norwegian airports to travellers flying abroad or arriving from abroad, but not on trips to or from Svalbard, Jan Mayen or the continental shelf (Alcohol Act § 3-1a).
• Producers selling their own drinks. A municipal sales licence can be extended so a business may sell drinks it makes itself, including on premises that also serve drinks (Alcohol Act § 3-1b, § 3-1c). The drinks must be made where they are sold. For group 2 drinks, these licences are capped at 15,000 litres a year and cover only drinks on a product list in the customs tariff, with no added spirits (Alcohol Act § 1-7f).

In practice, a 4.5% lager can be on the supermarket shelf, while a 6% IPA, a 12% wine and all spirits are at Vinmonopolet. Check the percentage on the label: strength, not the type of drink, decides where it can be sold.

What Vinmonopolet is

Vinmonopolet is a state-owned company that reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and was established in 1922. Its stated mission is to limit the harmful effects of alcohol on society. It is subject to a ban on alcohol advertising and runs no sales campaigns (Vinmonopolet: our social mission).

It has more than 350 stores, each with a fixed selection plus a local selection chosen by local demand, and the stores are split into six categories (Vinmonopolet: product ranges). The selection ranges from about 200 products in the smallest shops to more than 4,000 in the biggest (Vinmonopolet: our social mission). Vinmonopolet says its entire selection is available for order and pick-up at any branch (Vinmonopolet: our social mission), with one exception: a product stocked only in another local shop cannot be shipped between shops (Vinmonopolet: practical information).

Opening hours

Vinmonopolet. The law allows sales from 08:30 to 18:00, and from 10:00 to 16:00 on the day before a Sunday or public holiday. A Vinmonopolet shop may not open longer than the sales hours the municipality sets for other alcoholic drinks. Sales are banned on Sundays, public holidays, 1 May, 17 May and Christmas Eve (Alcohol Act § 3-4).

Within those limits, Vinmonopolet's regular hours are 10:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 10:00 to 16:00 on Saturday. Some shops keep local hours, and hours may differ around Christmas, Pentecost and Easter (Vinmonopolet: practical information).

Supermarkets. The default window for group 1 sales is 08:00 to 18:00, ending at 15:00 on the day before a Sunday or public holiday (so every Saturday). The municipal council can shorten or extend this, but sales are never allowed after 20:00 on weekdays or after 18:00 on the day before a Sunday or public holiday. No group 1 sales are allowed on Sundays, public holidays, 1 May or 17 May (Alcohol Act § 3-7). The shorter pre-holiday hours do not apply on the day before Ascension Day, for supermarkets or for Vinmonopolet.

Because each municipality sets its own supermarket hours within that ceiling, the cut-off can differ between neighbouring towns. For a Sunday gathering, Saturday is the last day you can buy from a supermarket or Vinmonopolet.

Bars and restaurants. The Sunday and holiday ban applies to shop sales, not to serving. By default, a place with a serving licence may serve drinks under 22% from 08:00 to 01:00 and drinks of 22% or more from 13:00 to 24:00, and the municipal council can shorten or extend those hours (Alcohol Act § 4-4).

Age limits and ID

Drinks of 22% or more may not be sold to anyone under 20. Low-alcohol drinks and groups 1 and 2 may not be sold to anyone under 18 (Alcohol Act § 1-5). Vinmonopolet puts it this way: 18 for beer, wine, cider and spirits under 22%, and 20 for spirits or other products of 22% or more. Anyone can enter a Vinmonopolet shop, and alcohol-free products have no age limit (Vinmonopolet: valid ID).

Everyone under 25 must show valid ID to buy alcohol at Vinmonopolet. Accepted ID includes (Vinmonopolet: valid ID):

• Driving licence, passport or national ID card
• Digital ID in the BankID app (not accepted for home delivery)
• Bank card with a photo
• Norwegian residence card (oppholdskort) or alien's passport (utlendingspass)
• Foreign passport, driving licence, photo bank card or national ID card issued by that country's authorities

A digital driving licence, a photo of your ID and expired ID are not accepted. Vinmonopolet reports false or borrowed ID to the police. If you are still setting up digital ID, see how foreigners get BankID.

Two more rules apply at the till. It is illegal to buy group 3 drinks on behalf of anyone under 20, or any other alcohol for anyone under 18 (Alcohol Act § 8-8). Shops may not sell alcohol to anyone who is obviously intoxicated (Alcohol Act § 8-11). Vinmonopolet also refuses a sale when there is real suspicion that the goods are being bought for minors (Vinmonopolet: valid ID).

Ordering online

You can order in Vinmonopolet's app or web shop once you have an account with a Norwegian address. Tourists can use their holiday accommodation's address, and orders are not shipped outside Norway. Delivery options (Vinmonopolet: practical information):

• Shop pick-up: no extra cost. Orders are normally ready within two hours if everything is in stock; supplier orders can take up to five days, sometimes longer.
• Post office: kr 112 per delivery plus an addition based on volume. Warehouse orders normally take 1 to 3 days.
• Home delivery: Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00, from a minimum of kr 394 plus packaging. The order is handed only to you or someone in your household, you need valid ID, and you cannot be visibly intoxicated.

Customers under 25 are asked for ID when paying or collecting.

Why alcohol costs what it does

Vinmonopolet says alcohol tax makes up 52 percent of the price of an ordinary bottle of 13% wine, while its own gross margin is 12 to 13 percent, capped at NOK 110 per bottle. Because the tax is calculated on alcohol content, more expensive wine is relatively affordable in Norway and spirits are relatively expensive (Vinmonopolet: our social mission). For what going out and everyday living cost, see socialising in Norway and the Norway cost of living guide.

Bringing alcohol into Norway

Norwegian Customs sets a duty-free quota per person. The alcohol quota is the same for residents and tourists (Norwegian Customs: quotas):

You can swap the spirits quota for 1.5 litres of wine or beer, and the wine quota for the same amount of beer. That gives combinations such as 3 litres of wine plus 2 litres of beer, or 5 litres of beer. You cannot swap weaker drinks for stronger ones, or tobacco for alcohol. You must be at least 18 to bring beer and wine, and at least 20 to bring drinks over 22%. Importing drinks above 60% alcohol is prohibited (Norwegian Customs: quotas).

If you were abroad for less than 24 hours, you may bring the quota once within those 24 hours only if you can document that you paid local taxes in an EEA country. You cannot use tax-free shops on such a short trip (Norwegian Customs: quotas).

Above the quota, you must declare the extra. Norwegian Customs lets travellers declare up to 27 litres of beer or wine and 4 litres of spirits for personal use in addition to the quota, through the Norwegian Customs app or the red zone (Norwegian Customs: simplified declaration).

Moving to Norway? Alcohol and tobacco are not exempt from duty as part of your household goods. If you travel with the moving load, you get the same quota as any other traveller (Norwegian Customs: moving goods).