§ 9. Information you must receive before buying a package holiday

The Package Travel Act (Pakkereiseloven)·LOV-2018-06-15-32

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In brief

The text of the law (unofficial translation)

§ 9. Information to be given before a package holiday contract is entered into

Before a package holiday contract is entered into, the organiser (arrangør) or the retailer (formidler) shall give the traveller (reisende) the following information, where relevant to the package holiday (pakkereise):
  1. the main characteristics of the travel services (reisetjenester). This includes:
    1. the destination, itinerary and length of stay, with dates and the number of nights included where accommodation (innkvartering) is included
    2. the means of transport, type of transport and transport categories, places, dates and times of departure and return, places where stops are made during the journey and the duration of these stops, as well as transport connections. If the exact time has not yet been set, the trader (næringsdrivende) shall inform the traveller of the approximate time of departure and return
    3. the location and main features of the accommodation and, where relevant, its category under the rules of the country of destination
    4. meals included
    5. visits, excursions or other services included in the total price (samlet pris) agreed for the package holiday
    6. where it is not clear from the context, whether any of the travel services will be provided to the traveller as part of a group and, if so, the approximate size of the group, where this can be stated
    7. where the traveller's benefit from other tourist services (turisttjenester) depends on effective oral communication, the language in which those services will be carried out, and
    8. whether the trip or holiday is generally suitable for persons with disabilities and, at the traveller's request, precise information on whether the trip or holiday is suitable for the traveller
  2. the business name, physical address, telephone number and e-mail address of the organiser and, where applicable, the retailer
  3. the total price of the package holiday, including taxes and any additional charges, fees (gebyrer) and other costs. If the costs cannot reasonably be calculated before the contract is entered into, the types of additional costs the traveller may have to pay shall be stated
  4. the payment terms, including the amount or percentage of the price to be paid in advance, and the schedule for paying the remaining balance (restbeløp), or financial guarantees to be paid or provided by the traveller
  5. the minimum number of persons required for the package holiday to take place, and the deadline for cancelling the trip if this number is not reached
  6. general information on passport and visa requirements, including the approximate time it takes to obtain a visa. Information shall also be given on health requirements in the country of destination
  7. that the traveller may at any time before the start of the package holiday cancel the trip on payment of a reasonable fee or, where relevant, the organiser's standard fees
  8. about optional or compulsory insurance.
The organiser or the retailer shall also give standard information. This shall be given using the relevant standard information form.
Source: Lovdata — Pakkereiseloven (the Package Travel Act) § 9

What does this mean?

This section is about information before the purchase. Before a package holiday contract is entered into, the organiser or the retailer must give the customer a range of information, as far as it is relevant to the trip in question. It is the trader who must make sure this happens, and the information must be available before you commit.

The information covers, among other things, the content of the trip, the total price, payment terms, the minimum number of participants and passport and visa requirements. The law also mentions health requirements in the country of destination and the option to cancel for a reasonable fee. If not all costs are known, the types of additional costs must be stated. On request, precise information must be given on whether the trip is suitable for persons with disabilities. The business's name and contact details must also be included, as must information about optional or compulsory insurance.

The second paragraph also requires standard information given in a standard information form. How the information must be given is set out in § 10: clearly, comprehensibly and prominently, and orally during the conversation if the contract is entered into by telephone. The contract or confirmation must repeat the information from § 9 (§ 11), and § 12 sets requirements for the language of the contract. When booking electronically, some of the information must be highlighted immediately before the booking is made (§ 13). § 14 and § 15 concern information to the organiser and documents before the trip.

Breaches have consequences. If the trader has not given information about additional costs, the traveller shall not bear them (§ 16). The trader has the burden of proof (bevisbyrde) that the duty to inform (opplysningsplikt) has been fulfilled (§ 17), so the seller must be able to show that the information was given. Serious or repeated breaches can also lead to an administrative fine (overtredelsesgebyr) under § 52.

Example: An organiser does not mention that there will be additional costs, and the customer receives an extra bill after the contract is made. In that case, under § 16, the customer shall not bear the cost.

Related sections
All sections of the Package Travel Act →