Total Victory in Norway: Government Cancels Registration Fees Until 2027

In a dramatic turn of events for the Norwegian cigar industry, the Ministry of Health and Care Services (HOD) has officially called off the collection of registration fees following a major pushback by the country’s leading importers and the threat of imminent legal action

Norwegian authorities have ultimately sided with cigar importers united behind companies such as Augusto International and SOL Cigar Co. The official decision appears in a document reviewed by L’Amateur. Dated October 20, 2026, the letter is signed by Line Vold, Director General of the Public Health Department, and Helena Wilson, Deputy Director.

The Ministry admits in black and white that maintaining a penalizing fee system had become untenable while Parliament (Storting) considers Proposition 97 L (2025–2026)—a legislative proposal designed specifically to replace this ill-suited flat-rate framework.

“Given the short timeframe between the Storting’s consideration of the bill and the actual fee collection, the Ministry has concluded, following a comprehensive assessment, that the collection of fees should be postponed, and that this should apply to all products registered in EU-CEG,” the letter states.

Concretely, the Directorate of Health (HDIR) has been formally instructed to suspend fee collection under Section 13 of the Tobacco Regulations, which threatened importers with flat fees of 8,500 Norwegian kroner (NOK) for registration and 3,000 NOK in annual maintenance per stock-keeping unit (approx. €800 and €280, respectively).

Zero Fees Until Spring 2027

No fees will be collected from cigar importers while awaiting the final adoption of the new legislative framework.

In spring 2027, the flat-rate fee per product will give way to a comprehensive industry levy (sektoravgift), calculated proportionally based on companies’ actual sales volumes. This represents a crucial victory for the handmade cigar market, which relies on a wide variety of references sold in limited quantities.

The Ministry notes, however, that should Parliament reject the proposed legislation, the previous fee system would revert into effect early next year. Nevertheless, ongoing political momentum renders that scenario highly unlikely.

While importers remain required to complete technical registrations for each product in the European EU-CEG database, this outcome spares the Norwegian cigar industry from near-certain financial ruin and millions of kroner in entry costs that would have forced independent businesses out of the market.

Laurent Mimouni