When you search the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities (Enhetsregisteret) or Biztrac, you will see that Norwegian businesses are registered under a range of company types. What do the abbreviations actually mean, and how do they differ?
Private limited company (AS)
The private limited company is the most common form of business in Norway, with more than 350,000 registered as of 2024. Its characteristics are:
- The owners (shareholders) have limited liability — they can lose at most what they contributed as share capital
- Minimum share capital is NOK 30,000
- A board is required, and a general manager for companies with more than NOK 3 million in share capital
- Annual accounts must be filed with the Register of Company Accounts
The AS suits most people who want to run a business with limited personal risk.
Public limited company (ASA)
The public limited company is intended for businesses that want to raise capital from the public — typically through a stock exchange listing. The requirements are stricter than for an ordinary AS:
- Minimum share capital is NOK 1 million
- At least 200 shareholders are required
- Stricter requirements for board composition, including gender representation
- Subject to stricter financial reporting requirements
Most Norwegian listed companies are organised as an ASA.
Sole proprietorship (ENK)
The sole proprietorship is the simplest form — one person runs the business in their own name. The advantage is simplicity; the drawback is that the owner carries unlimited personal liability for all debt. The ENK is common among freelancers, tradespeople and others starting out on a small scale.
General partnership (ANS and DA)
A general partnership has at least two owners (partners), all of whom are personally liable for the business's obligations. There are two variants:
- ANS — the partners are jointly and severally liable, meaning any one partner can be held liable for the entire debt
- DA — the partners are liable for their proportional share of the debt, not the full amount
ANS and DA are used by law firms, medical practices and other professional partnerships.
NUF (Norwegian-registered foreign company)
A NUF is the Norwegian branch of a foreign company. It is not a separate legal entity — the foreign parent carries the liability. NUFs are used by foreign companies that want to operate in Norway without incorporating a Norwegian AS.
Foundations, SA and others
The Central Coordinating Register also contains foundations (non-profit purposes, no owners), cooperatives (SA, such as COOP and Felleskjøpet), housing cooperatives (BRL), and a range of public forms including municipal enterprises (KF) and state enterprises (SF).
Biztrac shows the company type for every registered business, so you can quickly see what kind of entity you are dealing with.