Interests in real estate ownership can be classified under Norwegian law as follows:
Last modified 21 Jan 2026
There are no specific restrictions on foreign investors` direct acquisition of real estate in Norway.
The acquisition of certain types of properties is, however, subject to a public-license requirement. This applies both to Norwegian and foreign investors. In short these are:
Indirect acquisition of real estate that are considered critical for national security interests, may be subject to the provisions of the Norwegian Security Act (Sikkerhetsloven).
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In some specific cases, mandatory pre-emption rights may apply. These are:
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The Norwegian Alienation Act (Avhendingsloven) regulates the transfer of properties between private individuals and/or between professional parties. This applies, however, with the following exceptions:
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No. The Norwegian Alienation Act normally regulates the transfer of title to all types of real estate, with the exception of sale of residential properties under construction to private individuals which are regulated by the Norwegian Housing Construction Act.
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Once the sale and purchase agreement is concluded and the buyer has taken possession of the property in accordance with the agreement, the transfer of ownership between the parties has legally taken place.
In order to establish legal protection for the buyer against the seller`s creditors and other third parties, a title deed needs to be registered in the Land Register (grunnboken). This is normally done except in special cases. Registration of a title deed is, however, not a legal requirement or a condition for the effective transfer of ownership between the seller and the buyer.
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All property transactions, including sales and purchases, mortgages, easements and rights of use, as well as any rights and obligations pertaining to the property, can be registered. There is, however, no legal obligation to register a title deed upon a transfer of real estate in Norway.
Any interested party can access the Land Register, which is organized by title and land number for each municipality.
Title insurance is in principle available but is not common except in events where there are specific risks related to the legal title, typically due to a preceding split and separate transfer of the formal and beneficial ownership to the property respectively.
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A commercial real estate transaction normally involves a bidding and acceptance phase, a due diligence process, the negotiation and drafting of the sale and purchase agreement, the signing of the agreement and the final transfer of ownership (normally referred to as closing).
Agreements for the sale and purchase of commercial real estate are normally drawn up by one of the parties’ lawyers based on the bid from the buyer and the acceptance letter from the seller.
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Yes. Buyers usually carry out technical, environmental and legal due diligence on title, building permits, leases and contracts related to the property. This is normally carried out before the sale and purchase agreement is entered into.
If agreed between the parties, the due diligence may also be carried out in a specified period after the agreement is signed. In such cases the sale and purchase agreement should specify how to deal with any findings.
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A private individual cannot transfer the title, mortgage or lease of their common home without the approval of their spouse or registered partner.
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A legally binding agreement can be entered into either in writing or verbally. Normally, a estate agent or a lawyer will draft the sale and purchase agreement. There are no specific formal requirements to the contents and structure of the agreement.
The sale and purchase is binding immediately upon the signing of the agreement or verbal acceptance of the agreement, without any further measures being necessary (such as handover or registration in the Land Register).
The Norwegian real estate market is characterized by an extensive use of standard form agreements drawn up by industry organizations. The templates are used as a basis and the specific contents of the agreement are negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
The sale and purchase agreement normally comprise:
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The Norwegian Alienation Act does not provide any express seller`s warranties in the sale of real estate. However, the Act stipulates that the property is generally deemed to have a defect in the legal sense if (subject to further conditions):
Between professional parties, the Norwegian Alienation Act may be deviated from in its entirety, including the provisions regarding defects to the property as referred to above. According to common market practice, the buyer waives any right to invoke any claim against the seller pursuant to the provisions of the Norwegian Alienation Act or other rules on liability for incorrect or incomplete information and any other statutory or non-statutory basis outside the sale and purchase agreement.
Instead, it is common for professional parties to negotiate specific seller`s warranties. Such warranties normally regard the seller`s title and ownership to the property, the property`s leases, governmental orders and that seller has provided correct and complete information about the property. Pursuant to standard market practice, the buyer may not invoke as a breach of the warranties anything of which the buyer was actually aware of, or anything that is reasonably clear or readily apparent from the written information received by the buyer from the seller before the entering into of the sale and purchase agreement.
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Pursuant to the Alienation Act, the buyer`s remedies are:
In sale and purchase agreements between professional parties, the remedies pursuant to the Norwegian Alienation Act are normally deviated from and limited as follows:
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Buyers should consider the following issues:
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This situation is normally governed by the 'polluter pays' principle, though the seller can disclaim responsibility in the contract. However, if any pollution is discovered, the owner of the building may be held responsible by the authorities regardless of any contract which exists. If, according to the contract, responsibility for the pollution rests with the seller, the buyer may then subsequently claim restitution from the seller.
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The development plan provides a description of the permitted use in different areas of a municipality. Local authorities may make further specifications in the plan. Any interested party can contact the local authority to get access to the development plan.
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It is common for larger contractors to enter into a development agreement with the relevant public authorities to facilitate a development project. Under such an agreement a developer would normally undertake to carry out certain public works, such as building roads, providing public parking spaces and green areas, etc.
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The authorities, or a private developer with the assistance of the authorities, can expropriate property for the purpose of building roads, schools, transport facilities, playing fields etc although this right is subject to restrictions. A property can only be subject to compulsory purchase after an overall evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages has been carried out by a court of appraisal. The buyer must pay the market value for the expropriated property, as agreed by the same court.
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Where deeds of transfer are filed with the Land Register, registration is normally subject to stamp duty at the rate of 2.5% of the purchase price or the market price if this is higher. There are exemptions from this where property is transferred between married couples, where the transferred property is a unit in a housing cooperative (borettslag), or where companies are merged or demerged. The stamp duty is paid by the buyer.
The seller must pay income tax on any profit from the sale.
Agency fees are usually between 1% and 1.5% of the purchase price. These are normally paid by the seller unless otherwise agreed. In addition, there is a charge for the registration of the title deeds, as well as any mortgage deeds. These charges are paid by the buyer. In the case of other costs, such as legal fees etc, each party normally pays its own expenses.
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When buying real estate in Norway via a share deal the agency fees are usually between 1% and 3% of the purchase price. These are normally paid by the seller unless otherwise agreed. In addition, there is a charge for registering any mortgage deeds which is paid by the buyer. In the case of other costs, such as legal fees, each party normally pays its own expenses.
No stamp duty applies to share deals.
Specific tax rules apply to the taxation of limited liability companies.
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Are there any legal restrictions on foreign investors acquiring real estate?
There are no specific restrictions on foreign investors` direct acquisition of real estate in Norway.
The acquisition of certain types of properties is, however, subject to a public-license requirement. This applies both to Norwegian and foreign investors. In short these are:
Indirect acquisition of real estate that are considered critical for national security interests, may be subject to the provisions of the Norwegian Security Act (Sikkerhetsloven).
Last modified 21 Jan 2026