Company Information
The Norwegian Entity Register vs. The Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises: What's the difference?
The Norwegian Entity Register and the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises are administered by Brønnøysundregistrene (the Brønnøysund Register Centre) but serve different purposes. A business can be registered in both, while certain entities are found only in the Entity Register.
2 min read · Translated from Norwegian. Read the original
Enhetsregisteret (the Norwegian Entity Register) and Foretaksregisteret (the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises) are administered by Brønnøysundregistrene (the Brønnøysund Register Centre) but serve different purposes. A business can be registered in both, while certain entities are found only in the Entity Register.
What is the Norwegian Entity Register?
The Enhetsregisteret (the Norwegian Entity Register) coordinates basic data about legal persons, organisations, and other registration units. Upon registration, an organisation number is assigned, which serves as a common identifier for both public and private actors.
The register includes more than just commercial enterprises, such as associations and other organisations. The information may include name, address, organisational form, industry code, and affiliation with other registers.
What is the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises?
The Foretaksregisteret (the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises) registers commercial enterprises and aims to provide legal protection, financial oversight, and clear lines of responsibility. Registration can provide a certificate of incorporation (firmaattest) and protection for the company name. The register contains, among other things, formal roles and information about signature rights and procuration.
Many company forms and commercial enterprises have a registration obligation. For some sole proprietorships (enkeltpersonforetak), registration is voluntary unless specific conditions apply. The rules should be checked for the relevant organisational form.
Why is the difference important?
An entity having an organisation number does not, by itself, mean it is registered in the Foretaksregisteret (the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises). When evaluating a supplier, you should check which registers it is entered in, what activity and organisational form are registered, and whether formal roles are correct.
Registers on Proffi
Proffi should display a separate register section with clear yes/no statuses, source, and last verification time. The user should be able to open the primary source and understand what each registration means. Statuses must not be presented as a quality approval.
Upon update, the system should retrieve changes from authoritative datasets and preserve history with validity dates. Legal entities and sub-units must not be confused.
Frequently asked questions
- Do all entities in the Norwegian Entity Register receive an organisation number?
- Registered entities are assigned an organisation number as an identifier.
- Are a certificate of incorporation and a register extract the same?
- No. A certificate of incorporation (**firmaattest**) is linked to the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises, while a register extract (**registerutskrift**) can document information from the Norwegian Entity Register.
- Can a sole proprietorship be in both registers?
- Yes. Whether registration in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises is mandatory or voluntary depends on the circumstances.