Norway

Starting a Business in

Norway

Listed below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles an entrepreneur must overcome in order to incorporate and register a new firm, along with their associated time and set-up costs.  It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income (GNI).

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

  • Standardized Company

  • Legal Form: Alksjeselskap (AS) - Private joint stock company
  • City: Oslo

About This Topic

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Deposit initial capital


1 day no charge
2 Have the balance sheet examined by a certified outside auditor

The auditor must issue three statements confirming (a) the opening balance; (b) the share deposit as being fully paid up, and (c) the company’s acceptance of the auditor appointment. Statement fees are NOK 3,000–5,000.
1 day NOK 4,000
3 Register with the Register of Business Enterprises and file for VAT registration.

The web-based filing system allows for electronic signature of the registration form and for the possibility to upload all attachments (copies of signed versions of the memorandum, auditor statements, and the rest). It will still possible to file all documents manually by regular mail. Some registration enquiries cannot be filed over the Internet (mergers, some cases of increase of share capital, and so on) and must be filed by mail. Registration also protects the firm name.

VAT registration is required when the company’s turnover has exceeded NOK 50,000. VAT cannot be charged on goods and other items before VAT registration is completed. However, in certain cases the company may register for VAT before starting business operations. The VAT registration form can be submitted at the same time as filing for company registration.
3 days NOK 5320 (electronically) / NOK 6382 (on paper)
* 4 The employer enrolls in the mandatory workers’ injury insurance


1 day (simultaneous with previous procedure) no charge
* 5 Arrange for mandatory occupational pension plan for employees

As of July 1, 2006, a new law was adopted requiring the employer to arrange for a mandatory occupational pension plan for its employees. The fees vary with the benefits and level of coverage in the pension plan. The minimum requirement is 2% of each employee’s salary (within average levels of salaries).
3 days (simultaneous with previous procedure) no charge
* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
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