The old Svinesund bridge is opening for travellers with a valid COVID-19 certificate

‘In order to reduce traffic on the new Svinesund bridge, the Norwegian Government has decided to open the old Svinesund bridge to people who can present a valid COVID-19 certificate. I would like to specify that every person in the car must be fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 during the past 6 months. Children who are not covered by special exemptions in the COVID-19 Regulations associated with commuting across the border must continue to use the new Svinesund bridge. The same applies to travellers who need to declare goods to Norwegian Customs, says Minister of Justice and Public Security Monica Mæland.

The objective is to reduce queues by the new bridge, which were very long during the summer, with people having to wait several hours at the border crossing. The long queues have been very problematic for heavy goods vehicles that need to pass the new Svinesund bridge, as the customs office is located here.

‘Improvements have been made to the control zone, so that travellers at the old Svinesund bridge can be checked more efficiently. All in all, we hope that this will improve the efficiency of border crossings’, says Ms Mæland.

As more and more citizens become fully vaccinated and can present a valid COVID-19 certificate, traffic is expected to increase. If the current controls are kept in the time ahead, it will be necessary to reduce traffic on the new Svinesund bridge, and thus shorten waiting times for heavy goods traffic.

The changes will enter into effect on Saturday 28 August at 12 am.