Starting Your Own Business in Norway on a Self-Employed Permit: What UDI Requires

Many people who cannot find an employer in Norway ask whether they could start a business instead. UDI, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, does offer residence permits for self-employed skilled workers, but the conditions are demanding and the permit is not a shortcut around the skilled worker rules. This guide summarises UDI's pages for non-EU/EEA citizens. It is general information, not an assessment of your own case.

Company in Norway: UDI's conditions

UDI's skilled workers page lists these conditions for self-employed persons with a company in Norway:

• Qualifications. You need one of: a completed vocational programme of at least three years at upper secondary level with a counterpart in Norway; a completed university or university college degree; or special qualifications from long work experience, which UDI says generally means at least six years, documented in detail. UDI notes that many applications based on experience alone are rejected. Our guide on whether work experience counts as skilled explains that route.
• The work must need those qualifications. The work in the business must require your skilled-worker qualifications.
• Active participation in Norway. The permit is available if it is necessary for setting up and running the business and you take an active part in it in Norway.
• Business form. UDI says the business should normally be your own sole proprietorship. A limited company does not qualify under this permit. You may work only in this business, and UDI says that includes remote work for others.
• Expected profit. UDI says it must be likely that the business will earn a profit (business income) of at least NOK 341,373 a year before tax. Check the page for the current figure, because UDI adjusts such amounts.
• Public permits. If the type of business needs permits from public authorities, you must hold them or have confirmation that you will receive them.

UDI's skilled workers page shows a fee for the application and says permits are normally granted for one year at a time. Family members can apply for family immigration; see our guide on family immigration for skilled workers for how UDI's income and age rules work in general.

Do you register the company first?

UDI's skilled worker FAQ says you do not have to register the company with the Brønnøysund Register Centre until your first sole proprietor permit has been approved. If you already live in Norway you may register before applying. UDI also says you cannot start working until you have a permit that allows self-employment, and that registering a company alone is not sufficient.

Company abroad: a different permit

UDI describes a second category for people who run an established business abroad, normally as a sole proprietorship. You need a contract to carry out an assignment for a business with a registered address in Norway. UDI says that business cannot be a staffing company and, as a rule, the assignment must be for one specific enterprise. Your pay must not be poorer than is normal in Norway (see our guide on the salary requirement), and your qualifications must be relevant. If the occupation is regulated, you need the required approval or authorisation.

Permits are granted for two years at a time, for a maximum of six years in total, after which UDI says you must live outside Norway for two years before applying again. Time on this permit does not count toward permanent residence. A new permit is needed for assignments outside the contract or for a different enterprise, and remote work is not allowed unless it is part of the job the permit covers. If the assignment lasts more than six months, UDI says a spouse or cohabitant and children can apply for family immigration.

Not a workaround for the skilled worker rules

The qualification requirements are the same as for employed skilled workers, so this permit does not open a door for people who lack the education or documented experience. UDI also says a skilled worker with an employer in Norway cannot simply start freelancing on that permit; that requires a different permit. If you are already on an employee permit and are thinking of changing, read our guides on what a skilled worker permit allows and changing employer or losing a job, and ask UDI before acting.

EU/EEA citizens

This guide covers non-EU/EEA citizens. EU/EEA citizens generally do not need a residence permit to work as self-employed persons in Norway; UDI has a separate page on self-employed EU/EEA nationals, which we have not summarised here.

What this guide does not cover

• How UDI judges whether a particular business is likely to reach the profit figure, or what documents prove it. UDI's older guideline for these applications (2014-009), as published on udiregelverk.no, mentions financing plans, accounts and an assessment by the county authority, but states no profit figure on the page we read, so check which text applies to you.
• Which professions need authorisation, or how to obtain it.
• Taxes, VAT and business registration requirements, which are handled by other authorities.
• Fees and processing times, which UDI publishes separately.

Key takeaways

• UDI has two self-employed permits: one for a company in Norway, one for a company abroad with a Norwegian assignment.
• For a company in Norway, UDI requires skilled-worker qualifications, active work in a sole proprietorship, work that needs those qualifications, and likely profit of at least NOK 341,373 a year before tax.
• You cannot start working before the permit is granted, and registering a company alone is not enough.
• Permits are normally one year at a time; permanent residence can be applied for after three years for the Norway-based permit, but the company-abroad permit does not count toward it.
• A shortage of workers in a field does not create a right to start a business there; the conditions above apply.

Sources

• Skilled workers (UDI): conditions for both self-employed categories, profit figure, permit durations. Read twice on 31 October 2026; no update date for these sections.
• Frequently asked questions about residence permits for skilled workers (UDI): registration in Brønnøysund, freelancing. No date shown; read 31 October 2026.
• UDI 2014-009 Residence permit for self-employed persons (udiregelverk.no): assessment elements. No date shown; read 31 October 2026.

Related guides: Skilled worker permit in Norway · Permanent residence for skilled workers · Work and residence permits: an overview