Hello all!
I posted https://www.reddit.com/r/Norway/comments/z9yh61/how_dumb_is_my_plan/ a few months ago, and things are humming along nicely. Mostly working on wrapping things up on my end, waiting for the right time, and trying to lay any groundwork that I can lay down before I work on the physical part of the move.
I’ve run into an interesting problem/question, and I’m getting a load of conflicting advice from several different areas. I’m hoping to get a little bit of help and guidance.
I’m planning on working for myself in Norway writing books, and supporting myself and my family that way. It is my understanding that I need to register with the bronnoysund. https://www.altinn.no/en/forms-overview/bronnoysund-register-centre/coordinated-register-notification–registering-a-new-entity-or-changing-information-regarding-an-existing-entity-/ . I’ve been told that I can register ahead of time, but the site has a classic catch-22. I need a D-number or permanent number to register for the sites that let me log into the website.
Did I get poor advice in that respect? Do I have to be in Norway first before I can start to register my business?
I’m going to call them Monday to see if they’re able to help.
The question is a little important because it’s the only suggestion I’ve seen on how I can apply for a d-number or permanent ID number before being physically present in Norway. This would help in getting bank accounts and the like set up before I arrive. It’s not mandatory, but it’d be nice.
The other aspect is housing. We’re house hunting, and a single unifying feature we’ve noticed is that all transactions require funds to be sent from a Norwegian bank. That’s fine, I totally get it! I’ve worked for a few different banks. Anti-money laundering regulations and know your client laws. Is there a way to purchase real estate in Norway before we’re permanent residents?
Thank you all for your assistance!
5 comments
You will need a d-number or ID number in order to open a business. You can apply for a business (sole proprietorship) via post and at the same time apply for a D-Number however you will need to also send a stamped copy of your passport but I’m not sure if they accept legal stamps from outside of Norway. It’s best to give them a call and see what they say.
Edit: I sent my letter around a month ago and there’s been little progress so not sure if it’s worth the hassle. If your granted a d-number when you arrive in Norway then getting a business will only take 3-4 weeks once you register online
As for Brønnøysundregisteret – they are surprisingly helpful and your best course of action is simply contacting them.
As for house buying your funds will be transferred to a client account with the realestate agent so I would suggest getting in touch with a few of the larger agencys to check this out – there must be a way around this. [https://www.eiendomsmegler1.no/](https://www.eiendomsmegler1.no/) and [https://dnbeiendom.no/](https://dnbeiendom.no/) are two of the biggest and I’m sure they can advise you. Good luck with your house hunting!
My boyfriend wanted to do the same, and realised there were a lot of things that didn’t add up, and it became a difficult and a very draining process for him. He moved here, got the D-number, but the tax administration didn’t want to register him as moved to Norway, even if he had reported a move from his home country to his local authorities. Just getting a bank account with a D-number was a long process which took several weeks. And there’s only one single phone provider who will grant people with a D-number a Norwegian phone number, which you also need for a lot of services.(It’s called MyCall, btw)
Having a D-number makes everything difficult, because you need a Bank ID in order to do a lot of things online in Norway, but you can’t get one without being registered in Folkeregisteret, which you will only be registered in if you are entitled to a permanent ID number.
So just be aware that you’ll probably have to report a move as someone with your own funds (which also requires you to have your own health insurance), and then register as self-employed later when you’ve made money in your Norwegian company for six months or so. At least that is what Skatteetaten (the tax administration) said to my boyfriend. Just having a Norwegian registered company wasn’t enough.
Another problem could be that a lot of housing contracts are signed digitally where you need to confirm by Bank ID, or at least put your permanent ID number on there. He wasn’t able to sign the rental contract at all, luckily it was enough that I could.
I don’t want to discourage you, but you need to prepare for a challenging bureaucracy with a lot of catch-22’s like the one you just discovered.
My boyfriend just gave up the whole self-employed thing due to how difficult everything was, and got a contract with the Norwegian branch of the company he used to work for abroad. The most important thing for him was to be registered as moved to Norway, and get a personnummer.
your registration with Brønnøysundregisteret will trigger the process of getting a D number. But the registration will be done manually. They are helpful and will explain.
For the house: You can buy a house even without a D number. Same as for the business/company registration: Once you sign the deal with a megler, he will send it in manhally and this will also trigger the process of getting a D-number. (But it can take very long and it is fully manual).
In my case it was possible to pay from a foreign bank account. The megler only had to ask some questions in regards to “money laundering” and compliance stuff. I had to proof the source of those funds and then they did accept money from abroad.
Get ready for the big dog and pony show. It seems like 99.99% come to Norway with a rental and a work contract in the bag. The system is prepared for this. Everything that is a bit off – especially if you have your own funds and/or companies – will leas to extra rounds of questions and delays. But you will make it because in the end they want your $$$.
I would say it all depends on your citizenship. If you’re an EU citizen you can get a D-number at the tax office when you come. If you’re not an EU citizen you might need a permit before you come. In that case you’d be well advised to check http://www.udi.no for requirements in your case.