By Martin Nymann, AddonNordic ApS, the company behind CheckBiz. Updated 2 October 2026.
To check a Norwegian company before you pay it, look up its 9-digit organisation number in the Brønnøysund Register Centre and confirm three things: the name matches the invoice, the company is not bankrupt or being wound up, and it is registered for VAT. Norway is not in the EU, so the EU’s VIES check cannot confirm a Norwegian VAT number. You can search companies in Norway free on CheckBiz and get the full report for €1.99, paid once, no account.
Search a Norwegian company free on CheckBiz
| What you have today | What CheckBiz shows |
|---|---|
| An invoice from “Nordfjord Supply AS” | Trust verdict: green, yellow or red |
| A number: NO 912 345 678 MVA | Identity: organisation number, status, legal form, founded, VAT registered |
| A Norwegian bank account | Sanctions screening against international lists |
| Nothing checked yet | Plain-English summary of what the register says |
Example for illustration — not a real company.
Contents
- Where do you check a Norwegian company?
- How do you check a Norwegian company step by step?
- Why does VIES not work for a Norwegian VAT number?
- What do the statuses in the register mean?
- Which traps catch buyers most often?
- What does a CheckBiz report show for a Norwegian company?
- FAQ
Where do you check a Norwegian company?
You check it in the Brønnøysund Register Centre (Brønnøysundregistrene), which runs Norway’s company registers and makes them free to search at brreg.no. Three of its registers matter when you are about to pay someone:
| Register | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Enhetsregisteret (Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities) | Every entity and its 9-digit organisation number, name, address, legal form, industry code, and whether it is bankrupt, being wound up or deleted |
| Foretaksregisteret (Register of Business Enterprises) | Limited companies and other business enterprises, with who can sign for them |
| Merverdiavgiftsregisteret (VAT register) | Whether the entity is registered for VAT — shown on the same company page |
The organisation number is the key. Names can be shared, translated or spelled differently on an invoice. The number is unique.
How do you check a Norwegian company step by step?
Search by the organisation number on the invoice, not by the name.
- Take the 9 digits from the invoice. A Norwegian VAT number is the same 9 digits with “NO” in front and “MVA” after, such as NO 923 609 016 MVA.
- Look the number up in the register and compare the legal name and address with the invoice.
- Check the status: no bankruptcy, no winding-up, not deleted.
- Check that the company is registered in the VAT register if the invoice charges Norwegian VAT.
- Pay only to a bank account you can confirm through a channel you already trust, not one given in a new email.
For example, the register shows EQUINOR ASA, organisation number 923609016, as an active public limited company (ASA) in Stavanger, registered in both Foretaksregisteret and the VAT register.
Search a Norwegian company free on CheckBiz
Why does VIES not work for a Norwegian VAT number?
VIES only covers the EU member states, and Norway is not one of them. If you type a Norwegian VAT number into VIES, you will not get a confirmation — and that tells you nothing about whether the company is real.
Trap: a buyer who relies on VIES alone may wrongly reject a genuine Norwegian supplier, or wrongly assume an “MVA” number on an invoice has been checked when it has not. For Norway, the VAT registration is confirmed in Brønnøysund’s VAT register. Read more in what an EU VAT number check proves and what it doesn’t.
What do the statuses in the register mean?
A company can look perfectly normal on its website while the register says it is closing down. These are the statuses to look for:
| Status in Norwegian | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Konkurs | The company has been declared bankrupt. A court-appointed trustee now controls its assets. Do not pay invoices to the old bank account without confirming with the trustee. |
| Under avvikling | The owners have decided to wind the company up. |
| Under tvangsavvikling / tvangsoppløsning | A court is dissolving the company, often because it failed to file accounts or meet registration requirements. |
| Slettet | The company has been deleted from the register. It no longer exists as a legal entity. |
Trap: bankruptcy changes more than one field. In a limited company we checked on 2 October 2026, declared bankrupt on 29 September 2026, the register already marked it as bankrupt and no longer registered for VAT. An invoice that still charges “MVA” from a company in that state is a reason to stop and ask.
Which traps catch buyers most often?
Most mistakes come from checking the wrong thing, not from a missing register.
- Trap: the name instead of the number. Several companies can have similar names, and a foreign name on an invoice may not match the registered one. Always search by the 9 digits.
- Trap: a sole proprietorship. An enkeltpersonforetak (ENK) is a person trading under a business name. It has an organisation number in Enhetsregisteret, but there is no company behind it with separate liability, and it is not always in Foretaksregisteret.
- Trap: no VAT registration. Small businesses below the VAT threshold do not have to register. That can be legitimate — but then the invoice must not charge Norwegian VAT.
- Trap: new bank details. A real, active company can still be impersonated. If an email changes the account number, confirm it by phone with a number you already have. Our guide to supplier scam red flags you can check in the company register goes through the most common patterns.
Checking a Danish supplier as well? The Danish register works differently — see how to check a Danish company in the CVR register.
What does a CheckBiz report show for a Norwegian company?
The report reads the register for you and puts the answer on one page. Norway is one of the countries where CheckBiz has full coverage of identity and status, VAT registration and sanctions screening — see the coverage table.
For a company in Norway the report shows:
- Trust verdict: green, yellow or red, based on what the register and the screening return. A bankrupt or dissolved company is red.
- Identity: organisation number, status, legal form, founding date and whether it is registered for VAT.
- Sanctions screening against international sanctions lists, with confirmed matches kept apart from lookalike names.
- A plain-English summary of what it all means.
The register at brreg.no remains the final word. CheckBiz saves you from reading it in the original language and puts the sanctions check next to it. How the report is built is explained on how it works, and the bigger picture of checking companies across Europe is in how to verify a company in Europe before you pay it.
Search a Norwegian company free on CheckBiz
FAQ
Is it free to check a Norwegian company?
Yes. The Brønnøysund registers are free to search at brreg.no, and searching on CheckBiz is free. The full CheckBiz report with status, VAT registration, sanctions screening and a trust verdict costs €1.99, paid once, with no account or subscription.
Can I check a Norwegian VAT number in VIES?
No. VIES only covers EU member states, and Norway is not in the EU. A Norwegian VAT registration is confirmed in Brønnøysund’s VAT register, on the company’s page in the register.
What does MVA mean on a Norwegian invoice?
MVA is short for merverdiavgift, the Norwegian VAT. A Norwegian VAT number is written as NO, the 9-digit organisation number, and MVA — for example NO 923 609 016 MVA.
How can I tell if a Norwegian company is bankrupt?
Look up its organisation number in the register. A bankrupt company is marked “Konkurs”. Companies being wound up are marked “Under avvikling” or “Under tvangsavvikling”, and deleted companies no longer appear as active.
What is the difference between Enhetsregisteret and Foretaksregisteret?
Enhetsregisteret lists every entity in Norway with its organisation number. Foretaksregisteret is the register of business enterprises, such as limited companies, and shows who can sign for them. A limited company (AS or ASA) appears in both.
Is a company without VAT registration a scam?
Not necessarily. Small businesses below the VAT threshold do not have to register. But a company that is not in the VAT register must not charge Norwegian VAT on its invoice.
Ready to check your supplier?
Have the invoice in front of you? Search the company by its organisation number now — the search is free, and the full report costs €1.99, paid once, with no account.
Search a company in Norway free on CheckBiz
Read also
- How to check a French company’s SIREN and VAT number before you pay it
- How to check a Swedish company in Bolagsverket before you sign a contract
- How to check a Polish company in the KRS register before you pay it
- How to verify a German VAT number when VIES shows no company name
This content was generated with artificial intelligence and editorially reviewed by a human before publication.