Employer of Record (EOR) in Norway
In Norway, an Employer of Record whose worker works under your direction is hiring out labour, the rules for staffing agencies apply, and hiring in through one is tightly restricted. We explain what the law allows and set up a lawful alternative: direct employment with our payroll and compliance support, a genuine service contract or the EEA route.
What is an Employer of Record, and why is Norway different?
An Employer of Record (EOR) is a third party that becomes the formal employer of a worker who in practice works for a client company. In many countries it is a quick way to hire without a local entity. Norwegian law looks at how the work is actually organised, not at what the contract is called.
The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) explains the test. In hiring-in (innleie), the client leads the work and is responsible for the result. In a genuine contract for services (entreprise), the contractor leads the work, uses its own employees and equipment, and delivers a concrete, delimited assignment. An EOR that is the formal employer while you direct the work is therefore hiring out labour, and under the Working Environment Act (arbeidsmiljøloven) it is a staffing agency (bemanningsforetak).
Staffing agencies must be approved by Arbeidstilsynet, and a client may hire in from them only on a few lawful grounds. Nordic Relocators is not a staffing agency and does not hire out workers in Norway. We help you choose and set up a model that the law allows.
In short: if you will lead the employee's daily work, an EOR arrangement is lawful only through an approved staffing agency and only on a lawful ground. For a lasting need for staff, the lawful route is normally to employ the worker directly, with our payroll and compliance support.
What an Employer of Record may and may not do in Norway
These rules apply whenever the worker works under your direction. They are set out in arbeidsmiljøloven §§ 14-12 to 14-14, the Regulations on hiring from staffing agencies (forskrift om innleie fra bemanningsforetak) and the Regulations on approval of staffing agencies (forskrift om offentlig godkjenning av bemanningsforetak).
- May hire out only with approval: Since 1 January 2024, staffing agencies that hire out workers in Norway, including foreign agencies, must be approved by Arbeidstilsynet and listed as approved in its public register. A foreign agency without a fixed place of business in Norway must have a representative with an address in Norway. Hiring in from an agency that is not approved is unlawful.
- May hire out only on a lawful ground: The lawful grounds are: a substitute for an employee who is temporarily absent, trainee work, participants in labour-market schemes run by NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration), athletes, coaches, referees and leaders in organised sport, specialists doing advisory or consultancy work in a clearly delimited project, and health personnel needed for responsible health and care services. A client bound by a collective agreement with a union that has the right of nomination (innstillingsrett, at least 10,000 members) may also agree time-limited hiring in writing with union representatives who represent a majority of the workers concerned.
- May not cover a general need for staff: Since 1 April 2023, work of a temporary nature or a general need for extra hands is no longer a lawful ground for hiring in from a staffing agency.
- May not supply building workers in five counties: Hiring in from staffing agencies for building work on construction sites in Oslo, Akershus, Østfold, Buskerud and Vestfold is not allowed. Arbeidstilsynet says the ban does not cover other work, such as engineers or administrative staff.
- Must employ permanently and on equal terms: The worker must as a rule be permanently employed by the agency, with a written contract signed immediately when hired out that names the client as soon as it is known. The worker must get the same pay and conditions as the client's own staff, including working hours, overtime, holiday and holiday pay (arbeidsmiljøloven § 14-12 a).
- The client shares the risk: The client is jointly and severally liable for the worker's pay and holiday pay (§ 14-12 c). After more than three years of continuous hiring, the worker can claim permanent employment with the client.
- Unlawful hiring has consequences: If the agency is not approved or there is no lawful ground, the worker can claim permanent employment with the client and compensation (§ 14-14). Arbeidstilsynet can also order the arrangement to end and impose infringement fines.
Lawful alternatives we set up for you
Direct employment with our payroll and compliance support
Your company is the employer, through your own Norwegian company (AS) or a Norwegian-registered branch of your foreign company (NUF). You lead the work; we handle the paperwork around it.
- Written employment contract under arbeidsmiljøloven §§ 14-5 and 14-6, in place at the latest seven days after the start for employment of more than one month.
- Payroll set-up: tax deduction cards, the monthly a-melding, employer's national insurance contributions, holiday pay and the mandatory occupational pension (OTP).
- Right-to-work check for foreign employees, and HMS cards where the industry requires them.
A genuine service contract
If a provider leads the work, uses its own staff and tools and is responsible for a defined result, it is a contract for services, not hiring-in, and the staffing-agency rules do not apply.
- We check the planned arrangement against Arbeidstilsynet's signs of hiring-in: mainly labour is delivered, the work is closely connected to your business, the need is lasting and the work is within your core activity.
- A self-employed contractor from outside the EU/EEA with an established business abroad, normally a sole proprietorship, can apply to UDI (Utlendingsdirektoratet, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration) for a residence permit for an assignment with a Norwegian business, granted for up to two years at a time and up to six years in total. The Norwegian business cannot be a staffing company.
- In the nine industries with generalised collective agreements, the client still has information and checking duties and joint liability for pay.
- Assignments given to foreign contractors must be reported to the Assignment and employee register at the Norwegian Tax Administration (Skatteetaten), with some exceptions, for example assignments under NOK 20,000.
The EEA route
Norway is in the EEA, not the EU. EU/EEA citizens need no work permit: they can start work at once and, if they stay longer than three months, must register with the police (Politiet) no later than three months after arrival.
- The registration certificate is free and is issued at once, at the police in the district where the worker lives or at a Service Centre for Foreign Workers (SUA).
- A company established in another EEA country can post its own employees to Norway to carry out its own service contract. Posted workers usually stay in their home country's social security scheme, and in the nine industries with generalised agreements they must get at least those terms.
- Posting workers to work under a Norwegian client's direction is hiring out, and the foreign company then needs approval from Arbeidstilsynet.
Work permits with the real employer
A non-EU/EEA worker needs a residence permit that gives the right to work, based on a concrete job offer from the employer. We prepare the application with your company as the employer; UDI decides.
- A skilled worker permit applies to a type of work. The position must normally be full-time (UDI accepts at least 80%), with pay and conditions that are not worse than normal in Norway.
- For staffing-agency employees, UDI requires a list of planned assignments confirmed by the clients and grants the permit only for those periods, for up to one year at a time.
- Employees of a foreign company on assignment in Norway can be granted a permit for up to two years at a time and up to six years in total, but the Norwegian client cannot be a staffing company.
Your own Norwegian entity
If your foreign company carries on business activity in Norway, it must register a NUF in the Register of Business Enterprises (Foretaksregisteret) before the activity begins. The register is run by the Brønnøysund Register Centre (Brønnøysundregistrene).
- Brønnøysundregistrene's guidance: business activity means activity lasting more than 90 days with turnover of at least NOK 50,000 within 12 months, and whether it takes place in Norway is an overall assessment.
- A Norwegian limited company (AS) needs share capital of at least NOK 30,000.
- Fees 2026: NOK 4,398 for a new NUF in both registers (new NUFs can only be registered on paper) and NOK 6,825 for an AS registered digitally.
Hiring through an approved agency
Where a lawful ground applies, for example covering an employee on leave, you can hire in through a staffing agency approved by Arbeidstilsynet.
- Check that the agency is listed as approved in Arbeidstilsynet's register before you sign. Approval must be confirmed every year.
- Keep a record of the lawful ground. For specialists in a delimited project, the client must be able to document the basis on request.
- Give the agency the information it needs to ensure equal pay and conditions (arbeidsmiljøloven § 14-12 b).
How we set up a lawful hire in Norway
- 1
Discovery call
We map the role, who will lead the work, the work location, the start date and the worker's citizenship.
- 2
Legal model check
We test the planned arrangement against Arbeidstilsynet's criteria for hiring-in and recommend a lawful model: direct employment, a service contract or, where a lawful ground applies, an approved agency.
- 3
Service agreement
You sign one agreement with Nordic Relocators covering the support you need.
- 4
Registration
Where needed, we prepare your registration with Brønnøysundregistrene, for example a NUF, before the business activity starts.
- 5
Employment contract
We prepare a written contract under arbeidsmiljøloven §§ 14-5 and 14-6 for your company to sign with the employee.
- 6
Permit or registration
For non-EU/EEA hires we prepare the work-permit application. For EU/EEA hires we guide the police registration, the ID check and the tax deduction card.
- 7
Go-live and payroll
The employee starts work, payroll runs, and the a-melding is filed by the 5th of each month.
Key deadlines and timelines
Written contract, employment of more than one month
As soon as possible, at the latest 7 days after the start
Written contract when a worker is hired out
Immediately
EU/EEA citizen, police registration
Can start work at once; for stays over 3 months, register no later than 3 months after arrival
Non-EU/EEA skilled worker, first-time UDI application
Up to 1.5 months (45 days) before UDI looks at the case (UDI, 29 October 2026)
Tax deduction card
Up to 5 days; often longer for foreign workers because of the ID check
NUF registration
Before the business activity in Norway begins
Hired-in worker's claim to permanent employment with the client
After more than 3 years of continuous hiring
Pricing model
Fixed fees, agreed in writing before work starts.
- Legal model check: Fixed fee for reviewing your planned arrangement against the Norwegian hiring-in rules and recommending a lawful model.
- Set-up fee: One-time fee per employee covering the employment contract, registrations and portal access.
- Monthly support fee: Fixed fee per employee for payroll and compliance support, agreed up front.
- Pass-through costs: Authority fees at cost, for example UDI's fee of NOK 6,300 for a work permit for an applicant over 18 (2026) and Brønnøysundregistrene's registration fees.
- Optional add-ons: Family immigration, relocation and housing support, quoted per scope.
FAQs: Employer of Record in Norway
Can Nordic Relocators be the legal employer of a worker who works for us in Norway?
No. If the worker works under your direction, Norwegian law treats the arrangement as hiring-in from a staffing agency. That requires an agency approved by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet) and a lawful ground under arbeidsmiljøloven § 14-12. Nordic Relocators is not a staffing agency and does not hire out workers. We help you employ directly with our payroll and compliance support, set up a genuine service contract, or use an approved agency where the law allows it.
Does calling it an EOR or a consultancy contract change anything?
No. Arbeidstilsynet looks at the actual arrangement, not the label. It is hiring-in especially when you lead the work and are responsible for the result. Other signs are that the agreement mainly concerns supplying labour, that the work is closely connected to your business, that the need for labour is lasting and that the work is within your core activity. Not all signs need to be present.
Can an EOR sponsor a Norwegian work permit?
No, and Nordic Relocators cannot sponsor a work permit. UDI grants a skilled worker permit on the basis of a concrete job offer from the employer, and under the Immigration Regulations (utlendingsforskriften) § 6-1 the permit applies to a type of work. For staffing-agency employees, UDI requires a list of planned assignments confirmed by the client businesses and an agency in Arbeidstilsynet's register, and it grants the permit only for those periods, for up to one year at a time. The permit routes for posted employees of foreign companies and for self-employed contractors cannot be used with a Norwegian staffing company. We prepare the application with the real employer named.
How is a genuine service contract different from hiring-in?
In a contract for services (entreprise), the provider leads the work, uses its own employees and equipment, and is responsible for a concrete, delimited result, for example a project. The staffing-agency rules and the approval scheme then do not apply, although other duties, such as those under generalised collective agreements, still do. Arbeidstilsynet also states that a person cannot hire himself or herself out through his or her own company, and that someone working through a one-person company may still be classed as an employee on the facts.
Can we employ EU/EEA citizens in Norway directly?
Yes. EU/EEA citizens need no work permit. They can start work at once and, if they stay longer than three months, must register with the police no later than three months after arrival; the registration certificate is free. They also need a tax deduction card from Skatteetaten, and a worker without a Norwegian identity number must first attend an ID check in person. Whether your company must also register a NUF depends on whether it carries on business activity in Norway.
What about collective agreements and minimum pay?
Norway has statutory minimum wages only in industries with a generalised collective agreement: nine industries on 31 October 2026, including construction sites, cleaning, electricians, hotels and restaurants, and goods transport by road. The rates apply to all workers in the industry, Norwegian and foreign. In those industries the client also has information and checking duties and joint liability for pay. A hired-in worker must in any case get the same pay and conditions as your own staff (arbeidsmiljøloven § 14-12 a).
When do we need our own Norwegian entity?
If your foreign company carries on business activity in Norway, it must register a NUF in the Register of Business Enterprises (Foretaksregisteret) before the activity begins (foretaksregisterloven § 2-1). Brønnøysundregistrene's guidance is that business activity means activity lasting more than 90 days with turnover of at least NOK 50,000 within 12 months, and whether it takes place in Norway is an overall assessment. You can also set up a Norwegian limited company (AS) with share capital of at least NOK 30,000. We help you compare the options.
Is the employee's data protected?
Yes. In Norway the GDPR applies as Norwegian law through the Personal Data Act (personopplysningsloven), supervised by the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet). We keep case documents in our client portal, built by our group company Relofy Tech AB, which is SBSC-certified.
Hire in Norway on a lawful footing
Tell us about the role, who will lead the work and your timeline. We will check which model the law allows and send you a written proposal with fixed fees.
Hiring in Sweden or Denmark as well? Ask about support from the Sweden Relocators group.
Disclaimer: This page gives general information about the Norwegian rules on hiring-in, staffing agencies and employment as of 31 October 2026. It is not legal advice. The rules change, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion is reviewing how independent consultants and advisers are engaged (the consultation closed on 5 September 2026). Check the current rules with Arbeidstilsynet (arbeidstilsynet.no) and UDI (udi.no) before you act. Nordic Relocators is not a law firm.