Foreign companies wishing to provide staffing services and hire out personnel in Norway—without a permanent place of business or registered office in the country—are required to appoint a Norwegian permanent representative. This is a mandatory condition for obtaining authorization as a staffing company from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet).
Responsibilities of the Norwegian representative
- Be authorized to receive legal claims and take legal action on behalf of the foreign enterprise.
- Hold a domicile or permanent business address in Norway.
- Be registered with name, address, and contact information in the application.
It is essential to include this information when applying for staffing enterprise authorization. Without it, the application will not be processed.
Other requirements for staffing company registration in Norway
In addition to appointing a Norwegian representative, staffing enterprises must meet several further requirements to obtain authorization from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority. Documentation must be provided in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, or English, or translated into Norwegian or English.
- Safety representative and working environment committee: All enterprises must have a safety representative (verneombud). If you employ less than 5 employees, other arrangements may be agreed upon. With 30 or more employees, you must also establish a working environment committee (AMU). Information about these roles must be included in the application.
- Employment contracts: Written employment contracts are required for all staff. The application must include sample contracts for each category of employees (full-time, part-time, and temporary).
- Equal treatment procedure: You must submit a written procedure showing how you ensure equal treatment of pay and working conditions when hiring out labour, covering issues such as working hours, holidays, overtime, and wages.
- Occupational injury insurance: Enterprises must hold private occupational injury insurance (yrkesskadeforsikring) for employees. Proof of valid insurance must be attached.
- Legal form and bank guarantee: Foreign enterprises outside Norway may need to provide a certificate of registration from their home country. Certain company forms must also provide a bank or insurance guarantee of at least NOK 30,000.
- Annual reporting: Finally, all authorized staffing enterprises must submit an annual report to the Labour Inspection Authority by 31 January to confirm ongoing compliance.
Why you should choose Magnus Legal as your Norwegian representative
At Magnus Legal, we are a full-service Norwegian business law firm with extensive experience assisting foreign companies in establishing and running operations in Norway. With offices in Bergen, Oslo, Stavanger, and Trondheim, we provide the permanent Norwegian presence required to act as your authorized representative.
Should additional legal needs arise—which they often do—we can also assist with a wide range of matters, from immigration and labor law to tax, VAT, corporate structuring, contracts, and compliance. As part of international legal networks, we are well positioned to provide seamless support both in Norway and across borders.
You are welcome to contact us to arrange a complimentary introduction meeting, where we will be pleased to discuss how we can assist your company.
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