In Norway there are multiple types of legal entity structures, such as:

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• Aksjeselskap, AS (Private Limited Company).

• Allmenne aksjeselskap, ASA (Public Limited Company).

• Ansvarslig selskap, ANS (General partnership).

 

All Limited Companies / AS and ASA​

All Limited Companies must file accounts once a year with the Register of Business Enterprises in Norway. This must be done within 3 months of the company year end. These should be prepared by a Registered Accounting Firm. An Audit will not be required unless certain levels are met i.e. an annual turnover greater than NOK 5M. The minimum share capital for an AS is NOK 30,000 and an ASA NOK 1M. This is the amount needed to open a company, the net asset balance must be maintained.

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General Partnership / ANS​

In Norway the most common legal form of partnership is the General Partnership and has unlimited liability. There is no minimum share capital requirement.

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On formation of a company a bank account must be maintained.

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After the formation the company must register for Corporation tax, VAT and Payroll taxes.

 

Corporation Tax:​ The current rate of Corporation Tax in Norway is 22%.

 

VAT:​ A foreign commercial undertaking may choose to register for VAT purposes in Norway through a representative, to enable the company’s Norwegian customers to take delivery in Norway of goods which have already been cleared by customs. In many cases, this is a simple and flexible way to make it possible to sell goods in Norway. A foreign company having project-oriented activities with the Norwegian border has to file for a Norwegian VAT number. If the activities are planned for a period of less than a year or connected to a single project, this may be done through a VAT representative. If more permanent and continuous activities are planned (usually for more than 12 months), registration of a branch or subsidiary is necessary in Norway.  All Norwegian businesses must register for VAT once their annual turnover exceeds NOK 50,000.