Norway–Sweden border

Coordinates: 63°20′11″N 12°3′34″E / 63.33639°N 12.05944°E / 63.33639; 12.05944
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

63°20′11″N 12°3′34″E / 63.33639°N 12.05944°E / 63.33639; 12.05944

Norway's national borders
  Norway–Sweden border
  Norway–Finland border
  Norway–Russia border

The Norway–Sweden border (

national border,[1] and the longest border for both Norway and Sweden. It is an external border for the EU
(Sweden).

History

The border has changed several times because of war. Before 1645, Jämtland, Härjedalen, Idre/Särna parish, and Bohuslän belonged to Norway. The border changes were defined in the Treaty of Brömsebro (1645), the Treaty of Roskilde (1658) and the Treaty of Copenhagen (1660).

In 1751 a treaty was signed in

Sami people lived in mountains and regularly crossed the border, a second treaty, the Lapp Codicil of 1751, was agreed, giving them the right to freely cross the border with their reindeer.[citation needed
]

After the

dissolution of the union in 1905, Norway was obliged to tear down several fortresses along the border.[citation needed
]

During World War II, when Norway was occupied by Germany and Sweden was neutral, many Norwegians became refugees and were transported or fled over the border. The regulation of Norwegian immigrants was strict between 1940 and 1941; several would-be-refugees were declined.[2]

Geography

In

Dals-Ed municipalities.[3]

In Norway, the border lies along the counties, from south to north, of

Treriksröset (Swedish) or Treriksrøysa (Norwegian), which is also a border to Finland
.

There is a clear-cut zone (a

border vista
) along the border where there are forests.

Control

Road E16 crossing the border without customs control
Road E18 crossing the border with customs control
See also: Norway–European Union relations

Both countries are members of the

automatic number plate recognition being rolled out in 2016 and 2017.[5]

Both Norway and Sweden emphasise checks against other countries. For flights and ferries between the two countries, there are no formal passport checks at airport and ferry ports and identity cards are normally not needed to board either, but are advised for planes.[6]

Before 2001, the countries were not part of the Schengen Area, but even then there was no passport check, as both were part of the Nordic Passport Union, which was subsumed into the Schengen Area. Passengers were led to the passport control at international airports, but could pass simply by showing the ticket and/or speaking and looking Scandinavian. There were more road customs stations then, some have been closed for cost reasons.

Shared surveillance

Already in 1957 there were agreements that one country manned certain border crossings and the other one some others, checking in both directions. In 1959 the collaboration was formalised by an agreement on 28 October 1959, ratified in Sweden (K. Prop 1959:180) and finally the ratifications were exchanged between the Swedish foreign minister and the Norwegian ambassador on 30 December. On the Swedish side, the agreement was expressed as a law on 18 December (SFS 1959:590), as a royal decree (SFS 1959:591) and in an instruction from the Customs Service on 30 December (TFS 1959:255).[7]

The basic setting was a control zone stretching 15 kilometers on each side of the border where the officers from the other country could act. So the Swedish custom officers could act in behalf of the Norwegian agency according to the Norwegian laws. They were then protected as a Norwegian civil servant. If they committed an infraction, the punishment should be handled by the Swedish authorities. The same was valid for the Norwegian custom officers.[7]

Road border crossings

The new bridge at Svinesund on road E6, connecting Sweden and Norway

There are customs control stations at the following places (from north to south):[8]

Place Customs station Road S Road N
Björnfjell N E10
Junkerdal N 95 77
Tärnaby S E12
Storlien S E14
Vauldalen N 84 31
Idre N 70 218 [9]
Østby N 66 25
Åsnes N 206
Eda N+S 61 2
Ørje/Hån N+S E18
Svinesund N+S E6
  N=Norway, S=Sweden, N+S in both countries

For most border crossings there is one customs station on one side of the border, but for some on both sides, one for each direction. A treaty gives the customs officers of one country the right to carry out clearance and checks for both countries.

There are around 30 more roads crossing the border, without customs station (most notably E16), but they are not allowed to use if having goods needing declaration. Heavy trucks can be allowed to use them by pre-declaration. They are surveilled by video and temporary checks.

Railway border crossings

There are four railway crossings. All four serve both passenger and freight trains. All border stations except Kornsjø Station are located in Sweden.[10]

Border station Norwegian line Swedish line
Riksgränsen Ofoten Line Iron Ore Line
Storlien
 Meråker Line Central Line
Charlottenberg Kongsvinger Line Värmland Line
Kornsjø Østfold Line Norway/Vänern Line

Norway has right hand traffic and Sweden has left hand traffic on double track railways. All four crossings are single track however, which does not present a problem. After the introduction of automatic train control in the 1980s, drivers can easily get permission to drive on the other side of the border. Before this the border stations were used for changing train crews.

Riksrøysa/Riksrösen

The Riksrøysa/Riksrösen divide Norway and Sweden
Border marker between Sweden and Norway

Stone cairns, known as the Norwegian: Riksrøysa and Swedish: Riksrösen, mark many parts of the border.

Biological exchange

Animals, notably wolves and brown bear, have been known to wander across the border. Reflecting the fact that the population is shared, a Norwegian–Swedish research project named Skandulv was founded in 2000, and is administered by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Hedmark University College and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.[11][12]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norway-Sweden border.

References

  1. ^ "Oversikt over geografiske forhold". Statistics Norway. Archived from the original on 1 January 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  2. Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45. Oslo: Cappelen. Archived from the original
    on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Bekk endret retning: Nå mister Norge land til Sverige" (in Norwegian). NRK. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. Norwegian Customs and Excise Authorities. Archived from the original
    on 16 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  5. ^ Can CCTV curb drug runs between Sweden and Norway? - The Local 24/10-2016
  6. ^ "Vid resa mellan Sverige och Norge fungerar det utmärkt med ett körkort eller ett nationellt ID kort"
  7. ^ a b Blix, Hans (1964). Statsmyndigheternas internationella förbindelser. Stockholm: Norstedts. pp. 76–79.
  8. ^ Alphabetical list of customs offices
  9. ^ Limited opening hours: Customs clearance offices
  10. Norwegian National Rail Administration. Archived from the original
    on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  11. ^ "Hva er SKANDULV?" (in Norwegian). Skandulv. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  12. ^ "Deltakende institusjoner" (in Norwegian). Skandulv. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
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