Norway Updates Travel Advice to Iran, Reminds Norwegians to Remain Cautious

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry no longer urges its citizens in Iran to leave the country immediately, as a new press release by the authority reveals.

The travel advice for Norwegian citizens in Iran has been updated to comply with the security situation in Iran and for that matter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs no longer urges its citizens to return to the country, SchengenVisaInfo reports.

However, the authorities still advise against travel to Iran, asking citizens to pay close attention to the national security there.

The travel advice is now adjusted down to the level before 16 April. This means that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs still advises against all travel to Iran, but without urging Norwegian citizens to leave the country. 

Iran’s Improved National Security Prompts Norway Travel Advice Upgrade

In a press release by the Foreign Ministry, it is estimated that the security situation in Iran has improved in the last two weeks, returning to similar levels as it was before April 16, right before Norway issued the strongest travel advice against Iran.

The travel advice against Iran has been the same since October 12, 2022, until April 16, 2024, meaning that Norwegians were advised not to travel there. On April 16, 2024, the travel advice was tightened, with the authorities asking citizens to immediately return to Norway.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs already has limited capacity to provide consular services in Iran and will have very limited opportunities to provide any form of consular services if the security situation worsens again. If you have travelled to Iran despite the travel advice, we ask you to pay close attention to the security situation. 

The reason behind the strong travel advice can be related to Iran declaring war on Israel, which would make the Middle Eastern country a warzone.

Between April 11 and April 14, several countries issued travel warnings for the Middle East, especially Iran. Some of those countries are Canada, Australia, France, Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Norwegian passport holders have to obtain a visa to enter Iran. In addition to visas, they are advised to purchase travel insurance. By purchasing travel insurance, passengers can protect themselves from events that can happen during their trip. The insurance enables them to fully or partially compensate their funds in case of missed or delayed flights, in addition to other inconveniences such as missed luggage.