Expat Community > Norway

walkingdude
Joined 2012
Posts: 6

Self employed in Norway.

12 years ago

I moved to Norway last May, thinking I had found the information on the internet I would need to start work (I am a self employed tattoo artist).
I was offered a place to work in an established studio in Kongsvinger and took the chance on getting away from the madness of London.

The usual way for someone with a UK passport when arriving in Norway is to register your arrival with the UDI (http://www.udi.no/defaultRedesign.aspx?id=2112), secure a job and get a contract with which you can then present yourself the the foreign desk at the local police station to get a residents permit. From there you can apply for a social security number, then open a bank account.

The flaw in all of this for me was the inability of my being able to have a work contract, being pretty much freelance and not working for anyone. I spent a couple of weeks trying to find how the hell I was going to do it and eventually met a great guy in the local tax office. He also didn't know how I was to go about things but promised to sort it the next day for me. I went back and he had filled out all the forms in Norwegian for me to register myself as a business enterprise in Norway (http://www.brreg.no/english/). This had to be supported by a UK address (so you can come and register your business before actually moving here). When I got the paperwork in the post within 5 days it gave me a temp social security number, with this I could then open a bank account. My proof that I had my own company in Norway was enough to secure my permanent residence permit with the local police station. Once I had this bit of paperwork my intrepid friend in the tax office applied for a permanent social security number and to be put onto the national register so all my bank correspondence could then be sent to my Norwegian address and not my UK address (My first card was sent to the UK while I was in Norway and I had to wait for it to be forwarded to me here before I could use any of the money I had opened my bank account with). It was a lot more long winded than it sounds and took some time to sort it all but I am now a permanent resident of Norway and don't need to re-register.

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