After two years of pandemic, many Norwegians have been looking forward to a trip abroad this summer. But long passport queues and long production times mean that many people live in uncertainty before the holiday season. Here are six points you need to know about the passport chaos. Why is there a lack of passports now? In February, between 300,000 and 400,000 Norwegians lacked a valid passport. The travel restrictions during the pandemic meant that many did not renew their passports then. That is why there are quickly long queues when “everyone” now has a new passport. In addition, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have led to a shortage of raw materials, which means that the production time for passports and ID cards has increased. Both the Police Directorate and the Ministry of Justice announced in March that they would have meetings with the manufacturer, but after that the delivery time has only increased. How long do you have to wait? The queues vary around the country. If you are going to have a passport hour in Oslo, you must expect to make plans some time in advance. If you get an hour in a smaller place, the queue is often shorter. The passport offices also post hours that have been canceled, so it may be worth checking at regular intervals. But once you have been in for an hour, and are waiting for the passport to be produced, the waiting time is just as long no matter where in the country you live. Right now, the waiting time for a new passport is around seven weeks. But the police expect that the waiting time can be up to ten weeks in July. Say your opinion about the passport chaos in the wake of the case. Why do we not have a digital passport? A physical passport is a valid international document accepted by all countries. – A digital passport on the phone is something one today does not create for privacy and security reasons, says section chief Arne Isak Tveitan in the Police Directorate. A passport is a security of great value to others who want to exploit your identity. – It can be abused by criminals and in case of loss of passport, identity theft can be experienced as very unpleasant. Here, caring for the safety of most people is most important. What has the Minister of Justice said about resolving it in other ways? Last week, Minister of Justice and Emergency Management Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) said that the government is investigating whether other countries can accept other types of identification than a valid passport. For example, it is uncertain what type of identification it may be, and what country it may include. But Mehl says that they are investigating whether it is possible to reach an agreement with other countries in Europe. Then it may also be relevant for Norway to relax the requirements from other countries. – I know that this is a challenge for many European countries now, says Mehl. Do we need a passport to travel? Basically, you can travel without a passport in the Schengen area. But several countries have intermediate border controls. This means that you must be able to identify yourself, and then usually a passport or national ID card are alternatives. After two years of pandemic, many Norwegians dream of a sandy beach in the South. But now many Norwegians are considering registering passports, and canceling their holiday abroad due to the passport chaos. Photo: Francisco Ubilla / AP The airlines also encourage those who travel to have valid identification. – We check ID only for travelers outside Schengen. But we encourage everyone to have a valid passport when traveling because you may need it in other contexts, says press manager John Eckhoff in SAS to NRK. What does it mean that it is tightened on naudpass? Until recently, there were several who used the scheme with a naud pass when the pass was not in place on departure. But night to Monday, the Police Directorate tightened the rules. Now you do not get a naud pass if you are going on holiday or attending a wedding, baptism or confirmation abroad. The police have tightened sharply on who can get a naud pass. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB scanpix Now only those who are in an emergency situation, such as that they need a new passport to be able to travel home, or who have special reasons, such as serious illness and injury to close family abroad, can apply about naudpass. What does the travel insurance cover? This year, there is a big rift over airline tickets to countries around the Mediterranean. And it can be tempting to book early to save money. But if you are without a valid passport when the travel day approaches, you can not count on getting anything back on the travel insurance, says communications manager Andreas Handeland in If and European travel insurance. – An insurance is there to cover acute and unexpected events. A passport that expires is not counted as such an event, even though both the shortage of raw materials and capacity challenges with the police are a problem for many of us now. As an example of an unexpected event, Handeland points out that some care fits while you are on holiday. – If the car is stolen from a trip, it is in the highest degree an unexpected and acute event. Then we help so that you get the necessary passport to get home, and cover the costs of these. Hi! Welcome to dialogue at NRK. Since you are logged in to other NRK services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue
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This you must know about the passport chaos – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
