Investment property: Norway

Updated 6 October 2026

A foreigner can buy a home in Norway without nationality restrictions: flats, houses and cabins are bought on general terms.

A permit under the concession law is needed mainly for farmland, forest and large plots, while an ordinary house with a small plot usually needs no approval. Deals go through a licensed estate agent or lawyer, and title is registered in the cadastre and land register. Buying a home does not grant residence. Dollar amounts use the European Central Bank rate of 5 October 2026, about 9.6 kroner per dollar.

Two ways to own a flat

• Freehold: a house or flat owned outright. Registration carries a 2.5% fee on market value.
• A cooperative share: you buy a share with the right to use the flat. There is no 2.5% fee, but the price includes a share of the cooperative's common debt, and monthly charges cover its servicing. The cooperative's board may vet buyers and limit letting.

How much it costs to complete

• Title registration fee: 2.5% for freehold. On a 5 million kroner flat, about $520,800, that is 125,000 kroner, about $13,000.
• Registration charges for the deed and mortgage: a small fixed amount.
• The agent is usually paid by the seller; the buyer pays for their own checks and a lawyer if needed.

Owner's taxes

• Municipal property tax: not in every municipality; for homes the rate is at most 0.4% of the tax value.
• Rental income is taxed at 22% of net income, for non-residents too. Letting part of your own home may be tax-free subject to conditions.
• Sale. The gain is taxed at 22% but exempt if you owned the home for more than a year and lived in it for at least 12 of the last 24 months.

How the purchase works

1. Shortlisting and studying the condition report the seller must provide.
2. Bidding: bids go through the agent, and each bid binds the buyer until its stated deadline.
3. Contract and financing: Norwegian banks lend with a deposit from 10% of the price, on stricter terms for non-residents.
4. Payment via the agent's client account and title registration.

Buyer's documents

• passport and a Norwegian national identity number or a temporary number for non-residents: without it title and mortgage cannot be registered;
• proof of the origin of funds for the agent and bank;
• for a cooperative, a membership application approved by the board.

If you plan to live in Norway as a remote worker, see our Norway remote work visa page.

Risks

• A high share of cooperative common debt, raising the real price and monthly costs.
• A bid placed without checking the house's condition binds you to buy.
• Property on farmland that requires a concession.
• A cabin with municipal limits on year-round living.

What we do

We shortlist a property, review the condition report, the cooperative's common debt and letting rules, take part in bidding, and support the contract, payment and registration with locally licensed partners. If you need a Norwegian bank account or mortgage, we help in parallel.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Business account · Personal account · Country taxes · All country programs

FAQ