Translation of Commercial and Company Documents for Norway

Norway is tied to the European market without being a member of the European Union, and that double position shows itself in commercial paperwork as well. This page deals with the documents a company established in Türkiye will put before the Norwegian registers, its buyer or a tendering authority. The opposite direction, a Norwegian company setting itself up in Türkiye, is a separate matter, with the documents translated into Turkish.

The central register and the company certificate

Businesses in Norway appear in the records kept by the central registry body, and the company certificate taken from it is the paper most often asked for in commercial life. Its counterpart in Türkiye is a recently dated certificate of activity from the trade registry directorate together with the notice in the Türkiye Trade Registry Gazette. The articles of association show the shareholding structure and the objects of the company; the signature circular shows who can sign so as to bind it. Norwegian counterparts pay particular attention to powers of representation, and where the authority of the person signing the contract cannot be shown by a document, the process stops. Putting the signature circular at the very front of the file is a practical habit for that reason. In the Norwegian register the power of representation appears in the registry entry itself, whereas in Türkiye it is proved by a separate document. Explaining that structural difference in a single sentence in the covering letter answers the other side’s “I cannot see the record of authority” before it is raised. Where a branch is to be registered, the parent company’s documents and the information in the branch entry are also required to match exactly.

The state authorised translator: a title held by few

Official translation in Norway is the work of those who have gained the title of state authorised translator by examination, and in some language pairs particularly, the translators holding it are few. That has a concrete consequence for planning: in busy periods delivery can take longer. In translations going to public bodies and to the courts, that authorisation is routinely looked for. In a file prepared in Türkiye the chain runs through the signature of a sworn translator, notarisation and apostille; commercial counterparts generally accept it. Find out which route holds good by obtaining written confirmation from the institution that will handle the matter.

Prequalification in energy and maritime tenders

The fields in which Turkish companies win most work in Norway are energy, shipping, shipyards and infrastructure services. Buyers in these sectors generally run a prequalification system: before bidding, the supplier uploads its company information, its financial position, its occupational health and safety records and its technical qualifications to a registration system. For a Turkish supplier that means the file divides into two layers. The documents proving the company’s legal identity are subject to the full chain of approval, while technical qualification documents, certificates and reference lists are usually met by a stamped translation. Because the list of documents the registration system wants is published before the tender is announced, the preparation can be begun early; this is one of those rare situations that eases the timetable for the apostille and for keeping documents current.

What being outside the Union amounts to at customs

Norway lies outside the customs union of the European Union, so in trade with Türkiye the logic of the movement certificate sent to Union countries does not apply, and preferential trade rests on proof of origin within the framework of a separate agreement. In practice this changes which document the exporter issues, but not the translation burden: proofs of origin, the invoice and the transport papers never reach the translator’s desk. The technical and health certificates that come into play in the energy, shipping and fishing sectors are likewise issued in the formats of the administrations concerned. Norway’s attachment to the Union’s internal market produces a framework similar to that of Union countries as regards product standards and declarations of conformity; customs procedures, on the other hand, stand apart. This double structure is what most often takes companies exporting to Norway for the first time by surprise, and it means the technical file and the customs file have to be run separately.

The power of attorney, the tender and the commonest reason for rejection

If a registration or a tender in Norway is to be handled through your local representative, have the power of attorney drawn up before a notary, obtain its apostille, and then have it translated. Keep the scope narrow and support the grantor’s authority with a current registry record. Norway is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; verify the current list of parties through the HCCH. In public tenders the commonest reason for rejection is that the translation does not carry the level of authorisation expected; the date of the document comes second and an incomplete set third. Delivery is usually by electronic file, and the seal and the signature must be legible. You can compare other markets in our country directory, follow the detail on our document page and send us your file through the quotation form.

What is set out here rests on common practice; the legislation of the country and the practice of institutions can be updated. The safest course is to ask the office concerned for written confirmation before you begin.