Norway offers one of Europe’s most digitally streamlined business registration processes, and foreigners can own 100% of a Norwegian company without needing a local partner. Whether you’re setting up a sole proprietorship or a private limited company, most of the process—from entity selection through tax registration—can be completed online.
Choose Your Business Structure First
The entity type you pick shapes everything that follows, from capital requirements to tax treatment. Selecting the correct entity type is the single most consequential decision a founder makes before filing any paperwork. The private limited liability company (AS) is the most popular option among both local and foreign investors, though sole proprietorships (ENK) are also common for smaller, single-owner operations.
The two structures come with meaningfully different trade-offs. As an ENK owner, you’re taxed on your entire profit and have no right to unemployment benefits if the business fails, since there’s no safety net. With an AS, by contrast, you only pay corporate tax on profits, and as an employee of your own company, you build up rights to unemployment benefits just like any other worker in Norway.
Meet the Share Capital Requirement
If you’re forming an AS, capital comes into play early in the process. You must deposit the required minimum share capital, currently NOK 30,000, into a Norwegian business bank account, and a certificate from the bank confirming this deposit is a mandatory part of your application. You’ll also need to appoint at least one director, and if there’s more than one director, half must be residents of the EEA or Norway.
Prepare Your Incorporation Documents
Before you can register anything, certain paperwork needs to be in order. You’ll need articles of association (vedtekter) stating the company name—which must end in “AS”—the municipality of the registered office, the share capital amount, and the number and nominal value of shares, along with founding minutes (stiftelsesdokument) and confirmation of share capital deposit. Companies of a certain size must also appoint an external auditor, though exemptions apply to small businesses with annual revenue below NOK 5 million.
File Through Altinn and Brønnøysund
Registration itself happens through Norway’s centralized digital government portal. The Brønnøysund Register Centre is your first stop for registering a company in Norway, acting as the national registry that manages business and corporate information. You’ll file via Altinn, completing the Samordnet registermelding electronically and paying the Brønnøysundregistrene fee.
Once approved, the company receives its unique nine-digit organization number (organisasjonsnummer), which is required for all subsequent filings, tax registration, VAT, bank accounts, and employment matters. The overall registration process typically takes between 5 and 7 weeks, depending on the business form chosen.
Registering a Foreign Business or Branch
If you’re expanding an existing foreign company into Norway rather than starting fresh, the process differs slightly. Foreign companies carrying out commercial activity in Norway or on the Norwegian continental shelf are required to register in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises, and upon registration are typically also entered into the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities and assigned a Norwegian organization number. You register a foreign business by submitting a specific coordinated register notification form—this can’t be done through the electronic Altinn form used for new domestic entities.
Complete Your Tax and VAT Registration
Getting your organization number is only the first regulatory step—tax compliance follows close behind. VAT registration is mandatory for businesses with annual revenue exceeding NOK 50,000, and if you employ staff, you’ll also need to register for payroll tax and social security contributions. All private limited companies must additionally submit a shareholder register statement to the Norwegian Tax Administration’s Shareholder register.
Certain industries carry extra licensing requirements on top of standard registration. Depending on the exact nature of the business, additional registrations may be required—for example, companies that hire out labor or provide cleaning services—and some sectors, like catering and restaurants, require a specific permit to operate.
Ongoing Compliance After Registration
Registering the company is just the starting point; Norway expects continued reporting afterward. You must submit annual accounts to the Brønnøysund Register and hold an Annual General Meeting each year. If you’re closing the business down later, the process differs by entity type: closing an AS is a formal process that takes around six months, while an ENK can be closed almost instantly.
Join The Discussion
Have you gone through the process of registering a business in Norway, whether as a resident or from abroad? What part of the process—choosing between an AS and ENK, navigating the share capital deposit, or handling VAT registration—gave you the most trouble? Share your experiences, lessons learned, or questions about starting a business in Norway below.
