September 7, 2026 · ← Blogg

Alcohol and serving licences in Norway — step by step (2026)

The licence is the longest lead time when opening a restaurant, café or bar in Norway. Apply too late and you are paying rent and staff without permission to open. This guide explains the difference between the serving licence (serveringsbevilling) and the alcohol serving licence (skjenkebevilling), which tests you must pass, what the municipality checks, what it costs and why applications are rejected. The rules are national, but the municipality is the licensing authority, so fees, serving hours and practice vary. Always check with your municipality.

The difference between a serving licence and an alcohol licence

The serving licence is regulated by the Serving Act and is required for all serving of food or drink for payment where guests can eat or drink on the premises. That covers restaurants, cafés, fast food outlets with seating, canteens open to the public and food trucks with tables. Pure take-away without seating is exempt, but the line is narrow: if you have two bar stools by the window, you need a licence.

The alcohol serving licence is regulated by the Alcohol Act and is required to sell alcohol consumed on the premises. It comes in addition to the serving licence, not instead of it. You cannot hold an alcohol licence without a serving licence.

The alcohol licence is divided by alcohol group. Group 1 covers drinks up to 4.7 percent ABV (beer, cider). Group 2 covers up to 22 percent (wine, strong beer). Group 3 covers above 22 percent (spirits). You apply for the group or groups you need, and the fee is often higher the more groups you hold. A wine bar typically applies for groups 1 and 2; a cocktail bar needs all three.

Note that a retail sales licence (salgsbevilling) is something different: it covers selling alcohol for consumption off the premises (shops) and is not relevant for eateries unless you also plan to sell beer over the counter to take away.

Who needs what

Café without alcohol: serving licence.

Restaurant with wine and beer: serving licence plus alcohol licence groups 1 and 2.

Bar or nightclub: serving licence plus alcohol licence groups 1, 2 and 3.

Food truck with tables and benches: serving licence, often with specific conditions for mobile operations.

One-off events, festivals, company parties: a temporary or single-occasion licence, which is a simpler and faster process with a lower fee. It cannot be used for ordinary operations.

Outdoor seating requires a separate permit from the municipality for use of the ground (renting the pavement or square) in addition to the alcohol licence covering the outdoor area. Serving hours for outdoor areas are often shorter than indoors.

If you take over an existing restaurant, the licence does not automatically transfer. The licence is tied to the company and the licence manager. On a change of ownership the new owner must apply, but the law provides a transition period where operations can continue on the old licence while the new application is processed, provided the application is submitted within 30 days of the takeover. Submit it on day one.

The establishment test and the knowledge test

The Serving Act requires the general manager of the establishment to have passed the establishment test for food service businesses (etablererprøven). The test covers the laws and rules governing operations: the Serving Act, the Working Environment Act, tax and duty rules, accounting obligations, food legislation and the Alcohol Act. It is a multiple-choice test taken at the municipality or an approved test centre. Study material is available online and in book form.

The Alcohol Act requires the licence manager and deputy for the alcohol licence to have passed the knowledge test on the Alcohol Act (kunnskapsprøven). It tests familiarity with the Alcohol Act and its regulations: age limits, serving hours, the ban on serving visibly intoxicated guests, the advertising ban, internal control and the sanctions system for violations.

Both tests cost in the region of NOK 400 to 500 per attempt (the municipality sets the fee; check locally). You can retake them if you fail. There is no course requirement, but most people spend a day or two studying. Take the tests early, ideally before you have found premises. A pass is valid indefinitely and in every municipality.

A practical detail: the licence manager and deputy must be two different people, and both must have passed the knowledge test. If there are two of you as owners, both of you should take both tests.

Good conduct: what the municipality checks

Both the Serving Act and the Alcohol Act require impeccable conduct. The requirement applies to the licence holder (the company), persons with significant influence over the business (owners, board members, general manager) and, for the alcohol licence, also the licence manager and deputy.

The municipality obtains statements from the police and the tax and duty authorities, and may also consult the Labour Inspection Authority, the Food Safety Authority and NAV. What they look for is violations of alcohol legislation, tax and duty legislation, accounting legislation and working environment legislation, as well as criminal matters relevant to the operation.

Two things in particular sink applicants. The first is unpaid tax, VAT or employer contributions from previous companies, including bankruptcies where the public purse lost money. The second is a person with previous violations sitting in the background as a "silent owner" or de facto operator without appearing in the paperwork. Municipalities have become good at uncovering the latter, and if discovered, the application is rejected and future applications become harder.

If you have an old unsettled tax matter, clear it up before applying. If you have a previous bankruptcy without misconduct, it is normally not an obstacle, but explain it openly in the application.

Licence manager and deputy

The alcohol licence must have a licence manager (styrer) and a deputy (stedfortreder). The manager has day-to-day responsibility for ensuring alcohol is served in accordance with the law, and must be employed at the venue or be an owner who works there. The deputy takes over when the manager is absent. Both must be over 20, have passed the knowledge test and have approved conduct.

The municipality can grant exemptions from the deputy requirement for small venues, but do not count on it. If the manager or deputy leaves, you must notify the municipality and have a new person approved. Operating without an approved manager can lead to licence revocation. This is one of the most common mistakes in established restaurants: the head chef who was listed as deputy left a year ago, and nobody reported it.

For the serving licence it is the general manager who must hold the establishment test. The general manager and the licence manager can be the same person, and often are in smaller businesses.

How to apply: step by step

Step 1: Take the establishment test and the knowledge test. You need the certificates for the application.

Step 2: Register the company and obtain an organisation number. The application must come from the company that will operate the venue.

Step 3: Secure a lease or purchase agreement for the premises. The municipality requires documentation that you have the right to use the premises. Make sure the contract has a licensing contingency.

Step 4: Obtain a floor plan showing the serving and alcohol serving area, including any outdoor area. A simple plan with measurements is enough.

Step 5: Complete the application on the municipality's website. The larger municipalities have digital forms via Altinn or their own portal. Attachments typically include the certificate of registration, share register or ownership structure, lease, floor plan, test certificates for the general manager, licence manager and deputy, tax certificates for the company and the individuals involved, and a description of the concept (operating concept, target group, opening hours, music).

Step 6: The municipality sends the application for consultation to the police, the tax authorities and possibly others. The consultation period is often 3 to 4 weeks.

Step 7: Decision. In many municipalities authority is delegated to the administration for ordinary applications, while rejections or unusual cases go to a political committee. You receive a written decision with conditions, including serving hours and internal control requirements.

Step 8: Pay the licence fee. The licence is not valid until the fee is paid.

Alcohol licences are normally granted for up to four years at a time, and all licences in the municipality expire simultaneously at the end of the municipal council term. Everyone must then apply for renewal. Serving licences are granted without time limit as long as the conditions are met.

Processing time

The Serving Act says the municipality must process the application within 60 days, but the deadline runs from when the application is complete, and it can be extended when statements need to be obtained. In practice you should expect 2 to 4 months for an alcohol licence in the larger cities, and somewhat less for a serving licence alone. Smaller municipalities are often faster, but can also be slower if the case has to go before a political committee that meets infrequently.

The most common causes of delay are incomplete applications, one of the consulted bodies taking a long time, and applications arriving just before the summer holidays or Christmas. Submit a complete application in January or August and you are well placed.

Ask the municipality whether they can issue a temporary serving licence while the alcohol application is processed. Some do, and then you can at least open for food.

Fees: what it costs

Fees are set by the municipality within limits given in the Alcohol Regulation and therefore differ from place to place. The figures below are ranges based on practice in 2025 and 2026, and you must check current rates with your municipality.

Application fee for a serving licence: often free or a few thousand kroner.

Application fee for an alcohol licence: many municipalities charge no separate application fee, but some charge NOK 5,000 to 10,000.

Annual alcohol licence fee: this is the running cost and is calculated from the actual volume of alcohol sold in litres per group, with a minimum fee. The minimum fee for serving is in the region of NOK 6,000 per year under the regulation, and an average restaurant with normal alcohol sales typically pays NOK 10,000 to 40,000 per year. High-volume bars and nightclubs can exceed 100,000. You report sales annually, and the municipality sets the fee.

Knowledge test and establishment test: approx. NOK 400 to 500 per test per person.

Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim all fall within these ranges, but with different practice on application fees and different serving hours. Oslo, for example, has differentiated serving hours by area and its own practice for outdoor serving, while Trondheim and Bergen have their own alcohol policy action plans revised every council term. Read the municipality's action plan before applying; it says a lot about what to expect.

Common reasons for rejection

Conduct is the most important. Tax debt, VAT debt or previous violations of the Alcohol Act by owners, licence manager or deputy almost always lead to rejection. So do unsettled matters from a previous bankruptcy.

Unclear ownership structure is the second most common. If the municipality cannot get a full picture of who owns and controls the company, or suspects a person with poor conduct is behind it, the application is rejected. Be transparent about all owners and sources of financing.

Missing documentation results in the application being returned or rejected. If test certificates, the lease or tax certificates are missing, the case stops.

Alcohol policy considerations: the municipality can reject because there are already many licensed venues in the area, because the premises are near a school, kindergarten or sports facility, or because the concept is considered undesirable (for example pure drinking venues in residential areas). This is rarer for restaurants serving food than for bars.

Premises not approved for the purpose: if the planning and building department has not approved a change of use to food service, or the fire service has objections, the licence can be refused or delayed.

Rejections can be appealed to the municipal appeals body and onward to the County Governor. It takes time, and it is almost always better to fix the problem and reapply.

Tips for an application that gets approved

Call the case officer before submitting. A short conversation about what they expect and which attachments are commonly missing saves weeks.

Write a one-page concept note. Describe what kind of venue it is, target group, opening hours, the food-to-drink ratio, whether there is music or dancing, and how you will handle queues and the neighbourhood. Municipalities like applicants who have thought through the operation.

Document your internal control. The Alcohol Act requires licensed venues to have an internal control system for alcohol handling: routines for age checks, handling intoxicated guests, staff training and deviation management. Attach a draft. Many municipalities have templates.

Be honest about anything that might look like a problem. An old payment default you explain is far better than one the municipality discovers on its own.

Apply for what you need, not more. If you do not need spirits, skip group 3. It makes the application simpler and the fee lower, and you can expand later.

And one last thing that is easy to forget once the licence is in place: the municipality conducts serving inspections, and violations earn penalty points. Twelve points in two years means licence suspension for at least one week. Serving minors and serving visibly intoxicated guests earn the most points. Good staff training, and a clear menu with age limits and alcohol content visible to the guest, reduce the risk. If you use a digital menu like Flowder you can flag alcoholic items and require confirmation at ordering, but responsibility for age checks always lies with the person serving.

FAQ

What is the difference between an alcohol licence and a serving licence?

A serving licence is required for all serving of food and drink consumed on the premises and is regulated by the Serving Act. An alcohol licence is additionally required to serve alcohol and is regulated by the Alcohol Act. You cannot hold an alcohol licence without a serving licence.

How long does it take to get an alcohol licence?

Expect 2 to 4 months in the larger cities. The municipality has a statutory deadline of 60 days from a complete application, but the deadline can be extended when statements are obtained from the police and tax authorities. Incomplete applications and holiday periods extend the time.

What does an alcohol licence cost?

The application fee ranges from free to approx. NOK 10,000 depending on the municipality. The annual fee is calculated from alcohol sold in litres, with a minimum of around NOK 6,000. A typical restaurant pays NOK 10,000 to 40,000 per year. Check your municipality's rates.

Do I have to take the knowledge test myself?

The licence manager and deputy for the alcohol licence must have passed the knowledge test on the Alcohol Act. The general manager must have passed the establishment test for the serving licence. If you are the owner and general manager who will also be licence manager, you must take both.

Does the licence transfer when I buy an existing restaurant?

No. The licence is tied to the company and the approved individuals. The new owner must apply for their own licence, but can continue operating on the old one during a transition period if the application is submitted within 30 days of the takeover.

Can I be rejected even if I meet all the formal requirements?

Yes. The municipality can reject on alcohol policy grounds, for example because there are many licensed venues in the area, proximity to a school or kindergarten, or because the concept does not fit the municipality's alcohol policy action plan. This is rarer for eateries than for pure bars.