Good to know
Good to Know
- Incorporating a company does not by itself give you the right to live or work in Norway. EU/EEA citizens can move and set up a company freely (registering with the police within 3 months), but non-EEA founders who want to personally run the business in Norway need a separate self-employment residence permit from UDI, on top of the company registration itself.
- Norway maintains a public beneficial-ownership register — you cannot keep company ownership anonymous.
- Even with 100% foreign ownership allowed, Norwegian banks apply strict KYC on foreign-owned companies, and some require in-person identity verification, so factor in extra time (and possibly a trip) for opening a corporate bank account.
- Official filings to the Brønnøysund Register Centre generally need to be in Norwegian; Swedish, Danish, and English are accepted in some specific cases (e.g. NUF branch registration), but don't assume English alone will work for everything.
- If you're unsure how big your business will get, starting as an ENK (sole proprietorship) and converting to an AS later once revenue justifies it is a common, low-risk path for foreign founders in Norway.
- An AS only becomes clearly more tax-efficient than an ENK at meaningfully higher revenue levels — at modest freelancer-level income, the extra admin and NOK 30,000 capital lock-up of an AS may not be worth it.
- VAT registration kicks in at a fairly low NOK 50,000 annual turnover threshold — this catches most working freelancers quickly, not just larger businesses.
- Non-EU/EEA citizens need a valid residence/work permit that specifically allows self-employment or company ownership before either ENK or AS registration is meaningful — the tax structure questions above assume that permit question is already resolved (covered separately in Visa & Legal).
Corporate Tax
- Rate Basis
- Norwegian resident companies (e.g. an AS) are taxed on worldwide income at a flat 22% rate; non-resident companies are taxed only on Norwegian-source income, typically when they have a permanent establishment in Norway.
- Standard Rate Percent
- 22
- Record Keeping
- All businesses must keep accurate financial records and submit annual financial statements, with records kept for a minimum of five years; the Norwegian fiscal year is the calendar year unless otherwise approved.
- Filing Deadline
- A company's tax return must be submitted to the Tax Administration (Skatteetaten) by 31 May in the year after the income year.
- Special Regimes
- Financial sector companies (banks, insurance) face a higher effective rate — 25% CIT plus an additional financial activities tax, and petroleum/hydropower/aquaculture have separate special tax regimes that are irrelevant to most nomad-run businesses.
- Advance Tax Payments
- Corporate tax is generally paid in advance in two equal instalments, due 15 February and 15 April of the year following the income year.
VAT
- Reduced Rates
- 15% on food/non-alcoholic beverages; 12% on passenger transport, cultural services, and accommodation.
- Standard Rate Percent
- 25
- Filing Frequency
- Most businesses submit VAT returns and pay outstanding VAT every two months.
- Registration Threshold
- NOK 50,000
- Threshold Note
- Any business (sole proprietorship or company, local or foreign-owned) selling goods/services in Norway must register for VAT once annual turnover exceeds this threshold.
Dividend Withholding Tax
- Rate Percent
- 25
- Note
- A 25% withholding tax applies to dividends paid out to foreign shareholders, though this can be reduced under an applicable tax treaty between Norway and the shareholder's home country; EEA-domiciled parent companies genuinely established in the EEA are typically exempt.
Employer Social Security
- Higher Rate Percent
- 19.1
- Higher Rate Threshold
- NOK 850,000
- Standard Rate Percent
- 14.1
- Note
- This employer's national insurance contribution (arbeidsgiveravgift) is paid on gross salaries and taxable benefits in addition to corporate income tax, and is only relevant once you employ staff — including yourself as an employee of your own AS.
Structure Options For Foreigners
Norwegian Registered Foreign Company NUF
- When Used
- An option some foreign entrepreneurs use instead of setting up a fresh AS, typically when they already operate a company abroad and want a lower-cost Norwegian presence; the foreign parent company retains full liability for the branch's obligations.
- What It Is
- A Norwegian-registered branch of an existing foreign company, rather than a new standalone Norwegian legal entity.
- Tax Note
- The 22% corporate rate still applies to Norwegian-sourced income, and a 25% withholding tax (subject to treaty reduction) can apply on profit distributions back to the foreign parent.
Limited Liability Company Aksjeselskap AS
- Liability
- Limited liability — shareholders generally risk only their invested capital, with the company itself liable for its own debts.
- What It Is
- A private limited company, comparable to a UK Ltd or a German GmbH, and a separate legal entity distinct from its owner(s).
- Tax Treatment
- Taxed at the flat 22% corporate rate on company profits; if the owner also works in and draws salary from the company, that salary is taxed as normal employment income, and dividends taken out are additionally taxed (with an effective combined rate on distributed profits of roughly 37–51% once corporate tax and dividend tax are both accounted for).
- Capital Requirement
- NOK 30,000
- Ongoing Obligations
- Must maintain full statutory accounting, prepare and typically have audited annual financial statements (årsregnskap), hold general meetings, keep board documentation, and report any changes in ownership or structure without delay — a materially heavier admin burden than an ENK, even for a one-person company.
- Employee Style Benefits
- An owner who is also employed by their own AS is treated as a normal employee for benefits purposes — full sick pay from day 1 (company covers the first 16 days, then NAV), holiday pay, pension rights and eligibility for unemployment benefits (dagpenger), which an ENK owner does not get to the same extent.
- Eligibility For Foreigners
- Can be founded by a single foreign shareholder (no local partner required), though non-EU/EEA founders still need the appropriate residence/self-employment permit if they intend to live and work in Norway running the company; most sources consider this the structure most foreign entrepreneurs planning real, ongoing business activity in Norway should use.
- Capital Note
- Minimum share capital that must be deposited and confirmed (by a bank, auditor, lawyer, or accountant declaration) before registration is complete.
Registration
- Visa fee
- NOK 6,500
- Where
- Via the coordinated registration notification on Altinn, filed with the Register of Business Enterprises (Foretaksregisteret); requires founding-meeting minutes, articles of association (vedtekter), and a shareholder register (aksjeeierbok).
Sole Proprietorship Enkeltpersonforetak ENK
- Liability
- Unlimited personal liability — the owner is personally responsible for all business debts and obligations, with no separation between company and personal assets.
- What It Is
- The simplest and most common structure for a single self-employed founder; there is no legal separation between the owner's personal assets/income and the business's.
- Tax Treatment
- Business income from an ENK is taxed under the personal income tax regime rather than a separate flat corporate rate — profits flow directly to the owner and are taxed at personal rates (roughly 22%–45% depending on income level) plus social security contributions on business income.
- Capital Requirement
- None — no minimum share capital is required to register an ENK.
- Practical Tradeoffs
- Lower cost and far less admin than an AS (no board, no auditor, no share capital), but the owner is not treated as an employee of their own business — no separate holiday pay (feriepenger) is paid out, and by default an ENK owner only gets 80% sick pay starting from day 17 rather than the fuller employee-style benefits an AS owner-employee can access.
- Eligibility For Foreigners
- EEA/EU citizens can register with simplified rules; non-EEA citizens generally need a valid residence permit that allows self-employment, plus a Norwegian business address and either a national ID number (fødselsnummer) or a temporary D-number.
Registration
- Visa fee
- NOK 2,683
- Where
- Registered in the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities (Enhetsregisteret) via the Altinn portal; listing in the separate Register of Business Enterprises (Foretaksregisteret) is only required if you have employees or a licensed activity.
- Processing Time
- Online applications are typically processed within a few days.
- Fee Note
- This is the digital filing fee; a paper submission costs NOK 3,378 (about $348).
Incorporation Process And Requirements
- Overview
- Norway places no restrictions on foreign ownership of companies. Company registration nationwide is handled by the Brønnøysund Register Centre (Brønnøysundregistrene) via the Altinn digital portal, and the same national process applies whether the company is based in Oslo or elsewhere in Norway.
- Processing Time
- Complete digital filings are typically processed within about 5–10 working days once all documentation (including bank confirmation) is in order. However, obtaining a D-number, arranging an EEA-resident director, translating/apostilling foreign documents, and opening a full corporate bank account (often another 2–4 weeks after incorporation) commonly extend the realistic total timeline for a non-EEA founder to roughly 4–10 weeks end-to-end, sometimes longer if bank KYC is slow.
- Official Registry Link
- https://www.brreg.no/en/
- Foreign Ownership Rules
- Foreign individuals and foreign companies can own 100% of a Norwegian AS with no local shareholder mandate.
- Identification Requirement
- Any foreign individual taking an official role (director, board member, or significant shareholder/beneficial owner) who lacks a Norwegian national ID number must obtain a temporary 'D-number' from the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten), submitted through Brønnøysund or a Norwegian embassy/consulate.
Estimated Costs
- Minimum Share Capital AS
- NOK 30,000
Must be fully paid in before registration; this becomes company operating capital, not a government fee.
- Registered Address Rental Annual
- NOK 3,500
Approximate midpoint of a commonly cited NOK 2,000–5,000/year range for non-residents renting a legal/registered office address.
- Government Registration Fee Paper
- NOK 6,797
- Notary Translation Apostille Fees
- NOK 2,000
Approximate midpoint of a commonly cited NOK 1,000–3,000 range; varies with document complexity and origin country.
- Government Registration Fee Digital
- NOK 5,570
Figures for the Brønnøysund registration fee vary somewhat across secondary sources depending on entity type and filing year; treat as an approximate range rather than an exact figure.
Common Entity Types
Aksjeselskap (AS) – Private Limited Company
- Notes
- The most common choice for foreign founders. Limited liability, minimum share capital required.
Enkeltpersonforetak (ENK) – Sole Proprietorship
- Notes
- No share capital required, but unlimited personal liability; requires a physical Norwegian registration address, not a P.O. box.
Norwegian-registered Foreign Business (NUF)
- Notes
- A Norwegian branch of an existing foreign company rather than a new separate Norwegian legal entity; requires proof of registration from the home-country business register.
Allmennaksjeselskap (ASA) – Public Limited Company
- Notes
- For companies planning to issue shares publicly; much higher minimum capital, rarely used by nomad-scale founders.
Step By Step Process
- Choose entity type (AS is standard for most foreign founders) and reserve/check the company name via Brønnøysund's online name-search.
- Draft the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association.
- Arrange board composition to satisfy the EEA/Norway residency rule, or line up an EEA-resident co-director if needed.
- Obtain D-numbers for any foreign directors, signatories, or major shareholders who lack a Norwegian ID.
- Deposit the minimum share capital of NOK 30,000 into a Norwegian bank account (cash) — since a full corporate account often can't be opened pre-incorporation, many foreign founders route this through a Norwegian lawyer's client account — and obtain a bank confirmation letter. Non-cash contributions require independent auditor valuation instead of a cash deposit.
- File the 'Coordinated Register Notification' through Altinn, which submits to the Register of Business Enterprises, the Tax Administration, and NAV in a single filing, attaching the founding documents, bank confirmation, proof of a registered Norwegian business address, and beneficial-owner declarations.
- Receive the organisation number once the filing is approved.
- Open a permanent corporate bank account (separate KYC process, generally after incorporation).
- Register for VAT if turnover is expected to exceed NOK 50,000 in a 12-month period, and register as an employer with NAV before hiring.
Local Partner Or Sponsor Mandate
- Caveat
- Using a nominee director is a real legal appointment with fiduciary duties and personal liability under Norwegian law — it is not a rubber-stamp arrangement.
- Shareholder Requirement
- None — no local co-owner or sponsor is legally required to hold shares.
- Board Residency Requirement
- This is the real functional constraint for foreigners. Sources consistently describe a requirement that at least half of the board members (and the chairperson) be resident in Norway or another EEA country; several more recent sources extend this to include UK or Swiss residents. If the company has only one board member, that person must be EEA-resident. Non-EEA founders who cannot meet this typically appoint one EEA/UK/Swiss-resident director (sometimes via a paid local representative or nominee-director service) or seek an exemption from Norwegian authorities.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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