Every third month, the passport bus comes on a day visit to Steigen in Nordland. – We have booked a winter holiday and then she must have a passport. It was a bit of a coincidence that we found out that there was a passport bus, and luckily for us there was a free hour. Marion Kristensen says so, looking down at daughter Oline. If the passport bus had not come to Steigen this January day, she would have had to book an appointment in Bodø or at Fauske. It is around three hours driving one way. – It was a great arrangement with neat and orderly conditions, she says and is happy that she didn’t have to take her daughter out of school for a whole day to arrange passports. The number of people at passport offices was almost halved in 2018. That is why two so-called “passport buses” were established in Norway a year and a half ago. One in the north and one in the south. But getting an agreement here is not easy, people say. Routes for the passport bus in Northern Norway These are the stops for the passport buses in Northern Norway: Andenes Burfjord Båtsfjord Gryllefjord Hansnes Havøysund Honningsvåg Ibestad Innhavet Kautokeino Kjøllefjord Leinesfjorden Leknes Lyngseidet Malangen Nordkjosbotn Skibotn Skjervøy Sommarøy Tromvik Øksfjord Ørnes Kjelde: Politiet.no – How to win the lottery Passport bus – the offer is popular, according to first consultant in the Troms police district, Sondre Hauvik, who works at the bus office in the north. – I published the hours last week, and we already feel that it is full until the next time we come here, which is on 27 April. So it is very popular, says Hauvik. In the course of one day, between 15 and 20 passports are ordered, but three months can pass between each day’s visit in some of the municipalities. – I wish we had the capacity to take everyone in at once, but unfortunately that is not possible. We may come several times, says Hauvik. Senior consultant in the Troms police district, Sondre Hauvik, says the locals are satisfied with the passport bus. Photo: Lars Bjørn Martinsen – I think they should have it more often, on longer days, or maybe two days after each other. It’s almost like winning the lottery, you get an hour here. Ellen Gabrielsen says so. She was one of the unlucky ones who didn’t get an appointment that day. – I need a passport and ID card, because mine expires in January. So it’s a bit of a rush. Route for the passport bus in Southern Norway Here are the stops for Central and Southern Norway: Askvoll Austevoll Evje Grong Hitra Hjelmeland Husnes Hyllestad Høyanger Lom Lærdal Norheimsund Nore and Uvdal Rauma Rjukan Røros Smøla Tydal Tysnes Utsira Valldal Valle Vinje Vik Årdal Source: Politiet.no – It is simply not good enough Several municipalities believe that the newly established service does not come often enough to cover the need, or is clear enough at what time it will come. – It is simply not good enough as it is today. Because there is a great demand for passes on this bus and it is simply luck if you manage to get hold of an hour, says the mayor of Steigen Aase Refsnes (SV). In 2022, the mobile passport and ID office received 6,100 applications for passports and 3,100 applications for national ID cards. Together with the mayor of Hamarøy, Lars Bjørn Martinsen Ho has sent a letter to the police chief in Nordland, where they demand more frequent visits and better predictability . – Market the offer better. Advertise the frequency and dates better so we can plan. Make it more known and predictable so that we can use it, says the mayor of Hamarøy Britt Kristoffersen (Sp). No plans for more buses It is the Troms police district that operates the passport bus in northern Norway. Here they have received criticism from the municipalities. – When we adjusted the route in the autumn, we also increased our presence in those municipalities. And for the time being, it is being welcomed positively, says police inspector Stina Bakke Eriksen. She says that when they adjusted the route, they increased the offer by 30 per cent, and that has resulted in a 50 per cent increase in passport applications. In the summer of 2021, the passport buses were put into operation. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB – We are very satisfied with that, but we are at the maximum with the vehicle we have. In 2022, the police received 6,100 passport and 3,100 ID card applications from the two buses. As of today, the Norwegian Police Directorate has no concrete plans for more mobile passport and ID offices. The pass bus has eleven stops in Troms, six in Finnmark and five in Nordland. – Why do they have more stops in Troms and Finnmark than in Nordland? – We are shorter at each stop in Troms, and it is also somewhat natural that there are more stops here because it is in the middle of the route. So we have stops on the trip north and on the trip south. But in total we are twelve days in Troms, 14 days in Nordland and 15 days in Finnmark, she concludes.
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– Getting an appointment is like winning the Lotto – news Nordland
