The worst moment to think about your company? Halfway through the form
You enter Altinn.
You click registration.
And suddenly the form asks:
what activity,
what address,
what name,
whether Foretaksregisteret,
who has a role,
whether there is an accountant,
what activity code,
whether the company has employees.
And then it begins:
"What exactly am I supposed to select here?"
Therefore a good registration starts before the form.
Not from clicking.
From preparing a few things.
Before you enter Altinn, prepare 5 things
1. Type of business
ENK or AS.
If you haven't decided yet, go back to:
ENK or AS in Norway: what to choose before you register a company?
/internal link to the previous guide/
2. The name
Check it before registration.
It's good to verify at the same time:
the company name,
the domain,
a possible collision with another name.
Brønnøysundregistrene recommends checking the name in Navnesøk.
Check the company name in Navnesøk
Don't buy right away:
logo,
business cards,
car wrapping,
if you don't even know whether the name can be registered.
3. Norwegian business address
Both ENK and AS need a Norwegian business address.
This should be a physical address.
A PO box alone is not sufficient.
4. Exact description of activity
Do not enter:
"services"
or:
"trade".
Brønnøysundregistrene requires the most precise description possible.
Examples:
instead of:
transport
better:
road freight transport
instead of:
construction
better:
painting work
or:
groundwork
instead of:
consulting
better:
building technical consulting activities.
This description later affects, among other things, the assignment of industry code.
5. Electronic identification
If you register online, you need the ability to sign forms in Altinn.
For ENK with D-nummer also remember the identity verification requirement if it concerns you as the owner.
ENK — the simplest path
If you chose a sole proprietorship (ENK), the process is shorter than for an AS.
Step 1. Check whether this is really a business activity
ENK is not just a way to issue an invoice.
The activity should be carried out:
in your own name,
at your own risk,
on an appropriate scale,
for a period of time,
with the possibility of making a profit.
If the company says:
"We won't employ you, set up an ENK and work exactly the same as before"
first check whether you are actually an entrepreneur.
Step 2. Decide the name
In the official name of an ENK, your surname as recorded in Folkeregisteret must be included.
Example:
if the owner is Kowalski:
Kowalski Bygg
can be the name.
But the name alone:
Super Bygg Norge
does not meet the ENK name requirement without the owner's surname.
You can later use an additional marketing name, but the official name still remains subject to these rules.
Step 3. Go to Samordnet registermelding
This is the basic registration form.
In the form you provide, among other things:
name,
address,
owner's details,
description of the business activity,
planned activities,
possible roles.
Step 4. Describe the activity specifically
This is not a marketing field.
Do not write:
"the best services for private and corporate clients."
The authority wants to know:
exactly what you do.
Brønnøysundregistrene uses the description, among other things, to determine the industry code.
If you perform several types of activities, list them in the order corresponding to their importance for the company.
Step 5. Decide whether you need Foretaksregisteret
For most ENK, registration in Foretaksregisteret is currently voluntary.
The obligation applies, among others, to state-authorized accountants and state-authorized auditors.
If you register only Enhetsregisteret:
2 181 NOK online.
If you also register in Foretaksregisteret right away:
3 883 NOK online.
If you add Foretaksregisteret later:
3 185 NOK online.
Do not choose the more expensive registration just because:
"because there is an option, maybe it's necessary."
First check whether you really need it.
Step 6. Sign the application
After completing it, the form is sent for signature in Altinn.
If you have a registered accountant or auditor, their signatures or confirmations may also appear according to the process.
Step 7. Do you have D-nummer? Check ID-kontroll
If you are the owner of an ENK and you use D-nummer, an identity check in Skatteetaten is required before completing the registration.
If you have a D-nummer but have never undergone such a check, the authority may hold the process until it is completed.
Don't assume:
"I have a number, so everything is already verified."
It's not always the same.
Step 8. Don't have either fødselsnummer or D-nummer?
The process is more manual.
Altinn then indicates the need to submit the form for D-nummer together with the paper ENK application and a certified copy of the identity document. After a D-nummer is issued you must undergo an identity check.
So this is not the normal five-minute online process.
Step 9. Wait for the organization number
After completing the registration you will receive:
9-digit organization number.
The information appears in Altinn.
From that moment the enterprise exists in the register.
But that does not yet mean that all subsequent obligations have been taken care of by themselves.
AS — more steps, because a separate company is created
With an AS you do not simply register yourself as an entrepreneur.
You create a new legal entity.
Therefore, before Samordnet registermelding you must first create the company.
Step 1. Decide on the name
The name must end with:
AS
or in full:
aksjeselskap.
Example:
Fjord Bygg AS
Check the name before preparing all the documentation.
Step 2. Determine the owners
An AS can have:
one owner,
or several owners.
The owner can be a natural person or another legal entity.
Already at this stage decide:
who owns how many shares,
how much each share is worth,
who contributes the capital.
If there are several partners, it is also worth immediately considering an aksjonæravtale, although it is not the same as the mandatory stiftelsesdokument.
Step 3. Decide the board
An AS must have a board.
Minimum:
1 member.
The board must always have a chairperson.
Not every small AS must have a separate daglig leder.
This can be an optional role.
For a very small company one person can therefore at the same time be:
the owner,
a board member,
the chairperson of the board,
and work in the company.
Step 4. Prepare stiftelsesdokument and vedtekter
These are the documents that formally create the company.
The stiftelsesdokument describes, among other things:
the founders,
the shares,
the value of the capital,
how shares are taken up,
the board members.
Vedtekter are the basic rules for how the company operates.
Altinn provides ready-made templates.
Altinn — document templates for AS
Step 5. Sign the stiftelsesdokument
This is an important date.
An AS is considered established when the last founder signs the founding document.
From that moment the registration deadline starts to run.
You have a maximum of:
3 months
to register the company with Foretaksregisteret.
Do not sign the document six months before you actually want to start the process.
Step 6. Deposit the capital
Minimum:
30 000 NOK.
Usually the bank opens:
aksjekapitalkonto
and you deposit the capital into that account.
You then need confirmation that the money has actually been paid in.
Payment of cash can be confirmed, among others, by:
a bank,
an auditor,
a lawyer,
an authorized accountant.
If the capital is not cash but, for example, equipment or other assets, the rules are more demanding and the confirmation is performed by an auditor.
Step 7. Submit the Samordnet registermelding
Only now do you register the company.
Altinn — establishment and registration of AS
To the application you attach, among other things:
the stiftelsesdokument,
the vedtekter,
confirmation of the capital.
If there is a tingsinnskudd, additional documents are required.
Step 8. Everyone must sign
This is often where the process stalls.
The simple:
"I've already signed"
may not be enough.
The entire board, including any deputy members, must sign the submission electronically.
The person or institution confirming the capital also signs the appropriate section.
If one board member does not open the message in Altinn:
the process may be delayed.
Step 9. Pay the registration fee
Digital registration of an AS in 2026 costs:
6 825 NOK.
Paper:
7 912 NOK.
This is the registration fee.
Do not confuse it with:
30 000 NOK share capital.
These are two completely different things.
Step 10. You wait for the organization number
Altinn states that an electronic AS application is usually taken up for processing within up to 10 working days, and with an electronic company-formation form it can be taken up for processing within up to 5 working days. This is the time until the case is accepted for handling, and not a guarantee of receiving the number exactly on the fifth day.
When the registration is approved:
the company receives an organization number.
I received the number. Is the company already "ready"?
Formally it has been registered.
Practically you still have a few things to do.
AS: create a shareholders register
After forming the company, the board should immediately maintain:
shareholders register
that is, the register of shareholders.
This is not something:
"I'll do it in two years if someone asks."
It's a normal element of running an AS.
AS: report beneficial owners
This is one of the obligations you should not postpone.
An AS must report:
whether it has,
or does not have
beneficial owners
within:
14 days of obtaining an organization number.
Brønnøysundregistrene imposes coercive fines on companies that fail to meet the obligation.
Brønnøysundregistrene — beneficial owners
Check that the company's information looks correct
After registration, search for the business in Brønnøysundregistrene.
Check:
name,
address,
organization number,
roles,
industry code,
registers.
If the business description was too general or incorrect, an incorrect industry code may result.
It's better to notice it on the first day than when you have your first major contract.
An organization number is not the same as an MVA number
This is important.
You can have:
an organization number
and at the same time:
not be registered in the MVA register.
For most businesses the threshold for mandatory MVA registration is:
50 000 NOK of sales subject to MVA within 12 months.
Do not add MVA just because:
"I already have a company".
Skatteetaten states directly that you should not invoice with MVA before registering in the MVA register.
Skatteetaten — MVA registration
Most common places where registration stalls
1. D-nummer without ID control
2. Too general business description
“Services” is not enough.
3. Missing one person's signature
Especially in AS with several board members.
4. Lack of capital confirmation
30 000 NOK in an account without proper confirmation does not complete the procedure.
5. Incorrect name
Especially ENK without a surname or AS without the AS suffix.
6. Attempt to register an activity that in practice is employment
The mere fact of issuing an invoice does not automatically turn an employee into an entrepreneur.
Do you need an accountant from day one?
Not every company needs an accountant just to be registered.
But ask yourself:
do you yourself understand what you will be reporting after registration?
With a simple ENK some people do their bookkeeping themselves.
With an AS, among other things, the following are added:
salaries,
balance sheet,
capital,
shareholder register report,
annual financial statements,
possible employer obligations.
If you don't know what these words mean, an accountant may cost less than later correcting mistakes.
After obtaining the organization number, do this short checklist
1. Check the company in Brønnøysundregistrene.
Are all the details correct?
2. Organize your bank account.
Don't mix personal purchases with business transactions.
3. Store the founding documents.
Don't keep the only copy in your email inbox.
4. AS: prepare the shareholder register.
5. AS: report the beneficial owners within the deadline.
6. Establish an invoicing and accounting system.
7. Check taxes and advance tax.
8. Keep an eye on the VAT threshold.
This is the moment when:
“I have a company”
turns into:
“I run a business”.
OFFICIAL SOURCES
Altinn — ENK registration
Process, D-nummer, ID check and registration costs.
Brønnøysundregistrene — ENK
Name, activity, requirements and the Enhetsregisteret.
Altinn — AS registration
Documents, capital, signatures, deadline and cost.
Brønnøysundregistrene — beneficial owners
Deadline of 14 days and the obligation to register.
Skatteetaten — Mva-registeret
Threshold 50 000 NOK over a 12-month period.
