HSE-card (HMS-kort in Norwegian) stands for Health, Safety and Environment Card. The card is a mandatory requirement for employees working on building and construction sites, offering cleaning services or car care services. This requirement extends also to foreign enterprises performing services on building and construction sites. If a foreign enterprise enters Norwegian market for the first time, it is of extra importance to understand the process of ordering HSE-card because it is not as simple as “I will just order the HSE-card”.
Here are the steps for ordering HSE-card.
- The foreign enterprise must have a Norwegian organization number.
The organization number is assigned when a foreign enterprise has registered in Central Coordinating Register for legal Entities (CCR). A common company type to register for foreign enterprises is called Branch Office (NUF). The Branch Office is not an independent entity but part of the foreign enterprise. Please be noted that this process might take 3-4 weeks to complete.
- Registration in VAT-register.
For business activities that are VAT-liable in Norway, it is a prerequisite for a foreign enterprise to register for VAT before HSE-card can be ordered. As a newly registered foreign enterprise in Norway with less than 50 000 NOK revenue, it’s possible to get an exemption from this requirement.
- Employees must have a D-number or ID-number.
In order to obtain a D-number or ID-number in Norway, the employee must visit a local tax office to perform ID-check and apply for D-number/ID-number.
- Report project and employees.
Project must be reported in Assignment and Employee Register (OAR or “RF-1198/RF-1199”). The register contains information about client, project address, dates and employees etc. Reporting portal can be found here: https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/business-and-organisation/foreign/foreign-sole-proprietorships/registration-obligation/the-assignment-and-employment-register/
- Secure electronic access to the Branch Office.
HSE-card shall be ordered on the office website for HSE-card (https://hmskort.no/?lang=en). Before doing that, you need to make sure to have electronic access. It is only possible for person who has a role for the Branch Office to order or delegate access.
- Have all necessary documents in place before you place the order.
If all above mentioned steps are completed, you are all set to order HSE-card for employees. Before placing your order, please make sure you have a passport style photo with light background and a copy of passport or national ID-card for each employee. Both documents should be available in digital form such as .jpg. Please make sure the photo has a good resolution and no headwear or eyewear attached.
HSE-card is part of the compliance requirement for foreign enterprises doing projects in Norway. For those that haven’t registered a Branch Office yet in Norway, it might take up to 1-2 months before the HSE-card is in place. ECOVIS recommend therefore to start the process as early as possible to make sure the project is not interrupted due to missing HSE-card. ECOVIS has long experiences serving foreign enterprise with compliance formality in Norway and can help you to plan the registration and ordering process from beginning. You are welcome to contact ECOVIS for a free consultation about your project in Norway.
ECOVIS is a leading global consulting firm with its origins in Continental Europe with over 9000 employees in 80 countries. In Norway, ECOVIS assists international companies with compliance and global mobility, from company registration through work permit application, legal advice, house finding, VAT returns, tax advisory, accounting to annual tax declarations.