Guidance

Preparing for Brexit: Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein

This page brings together guidance and information relating to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (‘EEA EFTA States’), to help people and businesses prepare for our exit from the EU in all scenarios.

This guidance was withdrawn on

This page has been withdrawn as it contains out of date information.

The EEA EFTA States are party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) and participate in other EU arrangements. These arrangements are the primary basis for the UK’s current cooperation with these countries in a number of important areas, including on trade and citizens’ rights to reside and work.

The UK is seeking to maintain the relationship and cooperation we currently enjoy with the EEA EFTA States as we exit the EU. The Government has been working with the EEA EFTA States to put in place arrangements across a range of issues to safeguard our important relationships.

If the UK leaves with a deal, the EU has agreed that it will notify treaty partners and third countries that the UK is treated as an EU Member State for the purposes of its international agreements during the implementation period up until 31 December 2020. This includes the EEA Agreement, as well as all other agreements between the EU and the EEA EFTA States. This would provide a basis for continuity until the end of this period. Once the implementation period ends, the UK will no longer be covered by these agreements, including the EEA Agreement.

We have also reached an agreement with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein on protecting citizens’ rights and resolving separation issues as the UK exits the EU. This will apply if the UK leaves the EU with a deal, and largely mirrors the Withdrawal Agreement agreed with the EU.

Agreements in the event of no deal

In the event that the UK leaves without a deal, the EEA Agreement, and other agreements between the EU and EEA EFTA states, will no longer operate in respect of the UK when we leave the EU.

The Government has been undertaking a significant programme of work to identify which international agreements need to be retained on exit, and to put in place arrangements with international partners to replicate the effects of the current agreements for this eventuality.

As part of this, we have been working with the EEA EFTA states to put in place arrangements across a range of issues to ensure continuity in our relations. We have successfully concluded, or are in the process of concluding, the following agreements with the EEA EFTA states:

You can view further information on the status of international agreements that the government is seeking to transition here.

Other steps relevant to no deal

We have published extensive advice on the steps businesses and citizens may need to take to prepare for our exit from the EU in all scenarios. A number of these publications provide guidance and advice relevant to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. These are listed below.

In some cases, these publications also set out measures the UK is taking unilaterally to safeguard our relationships with the EU, EEA EFTA states and Switzerland in the event that the UK leaves without a deal.

Please note that this is a collection of guidance and may therefore not be an exhaustive list of all guidance relevant to you. You should refer to gov.uk/euexit for further information relating to Brexit.

Citizens’ Rights and Migration

Guidance on the Settlement Scheme for EU, EEA EFTA and Swiss nationals

Staying in the UK for longer than 3 months if there’s no Brexit deal

Passport rules for travel to Europe after Brexit

No deal preparations for schools in England

No deal preparations for further education and apprenticeship providers

No deal preparations for higher education institutions

No deal preparations for local authority children’s services in England

Living in Norway guide

Living in Iceland guide

Living in Liechtenstein guide

Trade

Trade remedies

UK trade agreements with non-EU countries in a no-deal Brexit

Accounting for UK companies after Brexit

Auditing for UK auditors and audit firms operating in the EEA after Brexit

Providing services including those of a qualified professional after Brexit

Norway: providing services after Brexit

Iceland: providing services after Brexit

Liechtenstein: providing services after Brexit

UK, EU and EFTA legal professionals after Brexit

Exporting animals, animal products, fish and fishery products to the EU

Importing animals, animal products and high-risk food and feed not of animal origin after Brexit

Export horses and ponies: special rules

Exporting GM food and animal feed products

Trading timber: imports and exports if there’s no Brexit deal

Exporting objects of cultural interest

Trading gas with the EU

Trading electricity

Financial Services

Banking, insurance and other financial services

Regulations and standards

Developing genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Producing and labelling food

Producing and processing organic food

Protecting geographical food and drink names

Regulating chemicals (REACH)

Control on persistent organic pollutants

Industrial emissions standards (‘best available techniques’)

Upholding environmental standards

Registration of veterinary medicines

Food and feed safety risk assessment and management

Manufacturing and marketing fertilisers

How to comply with pesticide regulations

Plant variety rights and marketing plant reproductive material if the UK leaves the EU without a deal**

Breeding animals

Maintaining the continuity of waste shipments

EU Third Health Programme funding

Labelling tobacco products and e-cigarettes

Batch testing medicines

Ensuring blood and blood products are safe

How medicines, medical devices and clinical trials would be regulated if there’s no Brexit deal *

Quality and safety of organs, tissues and cells

Submitting regulatory information on medical products

Copyright

Exhaustion of intellectual property rights

Merger review and anti-competitive activity*

Patents*

Trademarks and designs*

Structuring your business

Geo-blocking of online content

Consumer rights if there’s no Brexit deal

Meeting climate change requirements

Workplace rights

Running an oil or gas business

Placing manufactured goods on the UK market

Placing manufactured goods on the EU internal market

Travelling with a European Firearms Pass

Transport

Prepare to work and operate in the European aviation sector after Brexit

Aviation security

Air services from the EU to the UK

Prepare to drive in the EU and EEA after Brexit

Prepare to drive in the EU and EEA after Brexit: bus and coach drivers

Prepare to drive in the EU and EEA after Brexit: lorry and goods vehicle drivers

Rail transport, safety and technical standards

Vehicle type-approval if there’s no Brexit deal

Reporting CO2 emissions for new cars and vans

Recognition of seafarer certificates of competency

Run international bus or coach services and tours after Brexit

Driving in the EU after Brexit: driving licence exchange

Communications and telecoms

Broadcasting and video on demand

What telecoms businesses should do if there’s no Brexit deal

Mobile roaming

Civil and Judicial Cooperation

Handling civil legal cases that involve EU countries if there’s no Brexit deal

Data protection

Amendments to UK data protection law in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 29 March 2019 (DCMS)

Fishing

Fishing and marketing of seafood if there’s no Brexit deal

Import fish after a no-deal Brexit

*Guidance, advice and measures in this publication are only partly relevant to the EEA EFTA states.

**EEA EFTA states do not have fully harmonised legislation regarding plants; this technical notice applies to EEA as it relates to the marketing requirements of fodder seed, cereal seed, beet seed, vegetable seed, and seed of oil and fibre plants only.

Updates to this page

Published 29 March 2019

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