Entity Formation in Norway

Ready for a permanent Norwegian presence? We help you incorporate the right way, and stay alongside you for the accounting, payroll, and compliance that follow. Independent advice, including telling you when it is too early.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest timing

What incorporating in Norway means

An AS (“aksjeselskap”, private limited company) is the standard vehicle for a permanent business presence, registered with Brønnøysundregistrene, the Central Coordinating Register, with no notary required. When you form one, you become the legal employer and operator in Norway, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the setup time and the ongoing obligations.

01

Your own company

Your own AS makes you the legal employer and operator in Norway, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower cost at scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

Setup takes time

Incorporation typically takes one to three weeks once documents, share capital, and the registered office are in place, and you cannot employ anyone until Brønnøysundregistrene entry completes. Timing the move matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How incorporating in Norway works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm incorporation is right for you, then prepare the memorandum and articles of association, run the company-name availability check, and arrange your registered Norwegian office address.

02 — Capital & confirmation

No notary is required: an auditor, bank, lawyer, or accountant confirms in writing that the minimum NOK 30,000 share capital has been paid up. Once that confirmation and the memorandum of association are signed, registration must be filed within 3 months.

03 — Register the company

The company is entered with Brønnøysundregistrene via a coordinated registration notification (or one of the approved digital-formation providers), then registered for corporate tax with Skatteetaten and for VAT if required, so you can operate and employ compliantly.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Business bank account, then ongoing accounting, payroll, filings, and annual reporting, all of which we can run for you.

What incorporating in Norway costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. Norway’s formation cost is modest and fixed; the real commitment is the ongoing compliance. We give you a clear figure before you commit.

Share capital & formation

Minimum share capital for an AS is NOK 30,000 in total, confirmed paid up by an auditor, bank, lawyer, or accountant rather than a notary. The Brønnøysundregistrene filing fee is NOK 6,825 for digital registration, or NOK 7,912 filed on paper.

Corporate tax

22% flat rate on general income, the same rate as personal general income tax. Financial-sector companies pay a higher corporate tax rate of 25%.

VAT

Standard VAT is 25%, with reduced rates of 15% (foodstuffs) and 12% (passenger transport, cinema, accommodation). Registration is mandatory once taxable turnover passes NOK 50,000 in a rolling 12-month period.

Ongoing obligations

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax and the zone-correct arbeidsgiveravgift), VAT and corporate tax filings, and annual financial statements filed with Brønnøysundregistrene, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your Norwegian company through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in Norway through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

End-to-end, not just the paperwork

We do not disappear after registration. We stay on for the accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your company runs, not just exists.

  • Beyond registration
  • Ongoing compliance
  • One team throughout

The right specialists, in place

Auditor, tax, and accounting partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Vetted specialists
  • Coordinated for you
  • Nothing gets missed

Two decades of formations

Two decades forming and running entities across global markets, with the local knowledge to keep you compliant and out of the common traps.

  • Incorporations
  • Legal & tax partners
  • Traps avoided

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, payroll, tax filings, and annual accounts, so your company operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Full back office
  • Accounting & payroll
  • Annual accounts

The incorporation trap nobody flags

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper Norwegian company. It sounds responsible. It usually is not, yet. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & payroll obligations

Expectation: it takes a few weeks and is just admin. Reality: incorporation itself can be quick, but the CEO plus at least half the board must be resident in an EEA state, the UK, or Switzerland under Aksjeloven §6-11 (the Ministry can grant individual exemptions), a registered Norwegian office is required, and you cannot legally employ anyone until Brønnøysundregistrene and Skatteetaten registrations are live. A proposal to widen this residency rule to more EFTA-state citizens is under public consultation but is not yet law: build on the current rule, not the proposal.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: we can always reverse it. Reality: dissolving a company needs a shareholder resolution, creditor notification, and a winding-up period. And once it exists, the obligations do not stop: annual financial statements, monthly payroll filings via the A-melding, and corporate tax and VAT returns. Audit is mandatory unless the company meets all three exemption conditions (operating revenue under NOK 7 million, balance sheet under NOK 27 million, average staff of 10 or fewer) and shareholders vote it away. None of this is a reason not to incorporate. It is a reason to do it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your company

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your company.

Compliant payroll

Compliant Norwegian payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with income tax and arbeidsgiveravgift calculated, withheld, and filed each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: annual leave, sick pay, parental leave, and statutory notice.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on incorporating and running a company in Norway.

How long does it take to incorporate in Norway?

Usually one to three weeks once documents, the paid-up NOK 30,000 share capital, and the registered address are in place, filed digitally with Brønnøysundregistrene. You cannot legally employ anyone until registration completes, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

NOK 30,000 in total, confirmed paid up by an auditor, bank, lawyer, or accountant rather than a notary. The Brønnøysundregistrene filing fee is NOK 6,825 digitally. The real cost is the ongoing accounting and compliance, which we can run for you.

Shareholders, yes, with no residency or citizenship requirement at all. The board is different: under Aksjeloven §6-11, the CEO plus at least half the board must be resident in an EEA state, the UK, or Switzerland (the Ministry can grant individual exemptions). We structure the board correctly and arrange your registered Norwegian office.

Incorporate when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs. Use EOR while you are still validating the market or need people working quickly. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax and arbeidsgiveravgift) via the A-melding, corporate tax and VAT filings, and annual financial statements filed with Brønnøysundregistrene. A statutory audit applies unless the company meets all three small-company exemption conditions (revenue, balance sheet, and staff count) and shareholders vote to opt out. We can run all of it so the entity stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your Norwegian company operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in Norway?

Tell us your plans for Norway and we will tell you honestly whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified July 2026 (Skatteetaten, Brønnøysundregistrene, NAV). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.