There are certain situations when fishing in Norway where you want to pay for the national fishing fee. This is a small (just under 300 NOK / $30 USD) fee that all fishermen must pay if they want to fish river salmon in Norway, and the money from this fee is used for wildlife management to combat problems with parasite infections in salmon rivers and other salmon related issues.
The national fishing fee is paid on an annual basis, and you need to have paid it before you can go salmon fishing. So, let’s take a closer look at how to easily pay the national fishing fee in Norway!
You should only pay the national fishing fee if you are fishing for salmon, sea trout or arctic char, or just fishing in a salmon river. The easiest way to pay the national fishing fee is to do it online at Norwegian Environment Agency’s website by clicking here. This allows you to pay with a credit card.
Buying the national fishing fee online
The main method to pay the national fishing fee is to do so at the Norwegian Environmental Agency’s website where they have a service for paying the fee. From the main website, click on “English” to make it easier for you to understand, then choose “Pay fishing fee” at the big green box.
Choose the type of fee (family or individual), and fill in all your personal information like name, date of birth, phone number and e-mail address.
You will then be brought to an online payment terminal where you can pay with most credit cards or debit cards. Fill in your payment information, and let the payment process take place.
After that is done, the agency will send you a receipt to your e-mail address. This is the proof that you have paid the national fishing fee, so you should save this e-mail for offline use so that you can access it when out fishing in the Norwegian wilderness.
Other means for paying for the national fishing fee
If you don’t want to pay the national fishing fee online using your credit or debit card, another option is to wire transfer the money. The address to wire the money to is:
Norwegian Environment Agency,
7485 Trondheim, Norway
Account no: 7694 05 02620.
SWIFT: DNBANOKK. IBAN: NO7876940502620
However, I urge everyone to verify this information for yourself on the Norwegian Environmental Agency’s website for yourself before you transfer any money (which you should always do before you transfer money to someone). Here’s the direct link to their payment info.
It’s also possible to contact the agency directly on fiskeravgift@miljodir.no or call +47 465 08 029 to get up-to-date information and help with paying the fee.
Lastly, it’s possible for businesses to pay the national fishing fee on your behalf. This is common if you are going on a salmon fishing camp or anything like that, but we’ll get back to this a bit later in the article.
How much is the national fishing fee in Norway? (2022 Numbers)
The price for the national fishing fee is 286 NOK in 2022, but it increases by a small amount every year, so it’s likely to be closer to 300 NOK in 2023. This is the general fee for adults, but there are a few other categories you can pay, such as a family fee that includes two adults and children under the age of 20.
Below is a table that shows all the different categories of the national fishing fee in Norway:
| Fishing fee in NOK | Approximate UDS | |
| Adults (18+) | 286 NOK | $30 |
| Children | Free | Free |
| Family fee (two adults + children between 18 and 20) | 456 NOK | $47 |
| Fishing with a stationary tackle before July 1* | 713 NOK | $73 |
| Fishing with a stationary tackle after July 1* | 433 NOK | $45 |
Fishing camps, expeditions, guides etc. can pay the national fishing fee on your behalf
If you’re attending a fishing expedition, fishing camp or fishing with a guide, they might actually pay the national fishing fee on your behalf. Norwegian businesses that sell fishing experiences are allowed to buy fishing fees that can then be registered to the participants in the fishing group.
This makes it a lot easier for tourists to come fish in Norway, and they won’t need to worry about paying the fishing fees or buying a fishing permits when the guide is able to fix all this for you.
That said, you are legally responsible for making sure that you have paid your fishing fee, so be sure to ask your guide or expedition leader if they have paid it as part of the expedition.
Who needs to pay the national fishing fee?
You only need to pay for the national fishing fee if you are fishing salmon, sea trout or arctic char. When it comes to salmon, you should only pay for it when fishing in a river, since it’s very difficult to actually go salmon fishing in the ocean.
If you are fishing in a known salmon river, you need to pay the national fishing fee independently of if you are aimed to get salmon or other species. If there’s salmon there (and is considered a salmon river), you need to pay the national fishing fee. But don’t worry, it’s easy to know if it’s a salmon river or not; any river with salmon in it will clearly state so to attract salmon anglers.
All adults must pay the fee, but it’s free for children. Both children fishing with adults as well as children fishing by themselves get it for free.
It’s also important to be aware that you must purchase a fishing permit if you are fishing in freshwater locations such as rivers or lakes. These are often pretty expensive for salmon fishing, ranging from 400 to 2,000 Norwegian kroner per day!
But you do not need to pay anything, neither the national fishing fee nor for a fishing permit if you are fishing in the ocean. Ocean fishing in Norway is completely free, and part of the freedom to roam principle.
Read more: Full guide to ocean fishing in Norway.
The big exception is when using stationary tackle to catch salmon, sea trout or arctic char in the ocean, but this is a right only reserved for citizens and people with residency in Norway, not for tourists. So there’s no need to worry about this fee if you are visiting Norway to fish as a tourist.
