How to shop safely on Temu and Shein with delivery to Norway?

Low prices encourage purchases, but before paying for your basket, it is worth checking whether Norwegian VAT is included. The type of product ordered also matters. We explain how to avoid unexpected charges and what to do if VAT is charged twice.

When shopping from abroad with delivery to Norway, you will often come across the abbreviation VOEC. It is a system under which a store or platform collects Norwegian VAT when you pay for your order. If a purchase meets the VOEC conditions and the seller handles the shipment correctly, you do not pay VAT again or a customs clearance fee upon delivery. Goods covered by this system are also exempt from customs duty. This is how Tolletaten, the Norwegian Customs Service, explains how VOEC works. Before making a purchase, check the VOEC register on the Skatteetaten website. For purchases through a platform, the list may contain the platform's name rather than the name of a specific seller. If you are unsure whether your selected order is covered by the registration, ask the store's customer service for confirmation.

VOEC has a limit: the value of a single product must be below NOK 3,000. What matters is the price of each item, not the total value of the basket. You can therefore order two items costing NOK 2,000 each and receive them in one parcel, provided that both meet the system's other conditions. Delivery costs are not included in the NOK 3,000 limit. However, they are included when calculating VAT. This means that VAT also applies to shipping. Skatteetaten provides the details.

Not everything can be settled this way. VOEC applies to purchases for private use and does not cover, among other things, food, beverages, dietary supplements or vitamins. Goods subject to restrictions, such as medicines, alcohol and tobacco, as well as products subject to special taxes, are also outside the system. Before ordering them, you must also check the rules for importing them into Norway. Simply paying VAT does not mean that a given product may be imported. Tolletaten publishes a list of exclusions.

If a purchase is not covered by VOEC, additional costs may arise once the parcel reaches Norway. These include VAT, possible customs duty and the carrier's customs clearance fee. Therefore, the amount displayed at checkout in a foreign store is not always the final cost of the purchase. During customs clearance, the carrier may need your fødselsnummer, i.e. your 11-digit Norwegian personal identification number. If you do not want to provide it to the store, ask whether you can give it directly to the company handling the shipment. This concerns customs formalities, not every order from abroad. Tolletaten describes the rules.

It can happen that VAT was paid in a store using VOEC, but the carrier charges it again nevertheless. This may result from an error in shipping or in transmitting the order details. To obtain a refund of VAT paid twice, contact the store or platform that collected the VAT at the time of purchase. Prepare:

1. An order confirmation showing the VAT charged.
2. A document confirming that VAT was charged again upon import.
3. A request for a refund of the VAT paid at the time of purchase.

Both documents should relate to the same order. This procedure is intended to recover the VAT collected by the seller; it does not guarantee a refund of customs duty or the carrier's fee. You can find instructions on what to do at Skatteetaten.

The situation is different if you buy outside VOEC and later return the goods. How you can recover VAT then depends on the type of customs clearance. Start by contacting the carrier that handled the parcel. Keep proof of payment of the VAT and documents confirming that the product was sent back abroad. A complaint alone is not enough. Tolletaten explains where to apply for a refund, while Skatteetaten lists the required documents and notes that it does not issue VAT refunds below NOK 100.

Before buying, also check the product itself. Norway's DSB agency warns that inspections of goods from platforms such as Temu, Shein, Wish and Alibaba show a greater risk of failing to meet European health, environmental and safety requirements. This does not mean that every item offered there is unsafe. However, a low price and correctly calculated VAT are not proof of safety. DSB also points out the buyer's responsibility. When a seller operates outside the EU and the European Economic Area, and the product is not offered on that market, the buyer becomes the importer and must ensure that the goods meet European requirements. The agency recommends choosing stores operating in Norway, the EU or the EEA, and checking the company's details and whether it is possible to contact the seller. You can find DSB's advice on safe shopping here.