Loans in Norway. Who can borrow?
What lenders ask for, and the Norwegian words to look for.
0 of 55 lenders say on their websites that a D number is enough.
Additional requirements may still apply.
Each lender assesses your application itself.
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National identity number23 of 55 lenders
Look for fødselsnummerLook for this word
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Registered address9 of 55 lenders
Look for folkeregistrert adresseLook for this word
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Time in Norway, 3 years2 of 55 lenders
Look for botidLook for this word
What else lenders check
Your age, income and payment history also count.
Minimum age
16 of 43 lenders list a minimum age of 18 for new consumer loans, and 21 list age 20.45 of 48 lenders list a minimum age of 18 for credit cards.
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26say you can’t have payment remarks
betalingsanmerkning
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8publish a minimum income requirement
inntekt
If a website doesn’t mention a requirement, the lender may still have it.
Which loans can I get in Norway?
Each lender sets its own requirements. Security is what the bank can sell if you stop paying. More about consumer loans in Norway and credit cards in Norway.
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Consumer loan
forbrukslån
Unsecured
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Refinancing
refinansiering
Security varies
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Credit card
kredittkort
Unsecured
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Car loan
billån
Secured on the car
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Mortgage
boliglån
Secured on the home
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Public loans
studielån, startlån
Security varies
The rules that limit how much you can borrow
The Lending Regulation (utlånsforskriften) limits what a bank may lend you. Each bank also makes its own assessment of how much you can borrow in Norway.
Example income
NOK 500,000
Maximum total debt
NOK 2,500,000
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Interest check
The bank checks that you could pay if the rate rose 3 percentage points, to at least 7%.
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Repayment
The main rule is monthly payments that repay a consumer loan within five years. Exceptions apply under the bank’s flexibility quota and for refinancing.
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Exceptions
Each quarter, a bank may make exceptions for up to 5% of the value of the consumer loans it grants.
How to apply for a loan in Norway
You apply to each bank separately, or send one application to several banks through a loan intermediary. Nothing is binding until you sign.
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Application
søknad
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Consent with BankID
samtykke
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Credit assessment
kredittvurdering
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Offer
tilbud
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Loan agreement
gjeldsbrev
The bank may use Norwegian at every step unless you agree on another language. It must also take reasonable steps to make sure you understand the key information.
Norwegian words you’ll meet in the application
| Norwegian | English | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Er du norsk statsborger? | Are you a Norwegian citizen? | Answer yes only if you hold Norwegian citizenship. |
| Fødselsnummer | National identity number | The 11-digit number that identifies you in Norway. |
| Har du ubetalte regninger som har gått til et inkassobyrå? | Do you have unpaid bills that have gone to a debt collection agency? | Answer yes if a debt collection agency has taken over an unpaid bill. |
| Norwegian | English | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Effektiv rente | Effective interest rate | What the loan costs you per year when fees are included. |
| Nominell rente | Nominal interest rate | The interest rate before fees are added. |
| Etableringsgebyr | Establishment fee | A one-off fee when the loan is set up. |
| Termingebyr | Monthly fee | A small fee added to each monthly payment. |
| Gjeldsbrev | Loan agreement | The agreement you sign with BankID. |
If you find it hard to pay what you owe
Getting advice early gives you more options. Nav gives free advice on money and debt.
55 55 33 39Weekdays 09:00–15:00
How we checked
We count lenders by organisation number, merging brands belonging to the same legal entity. Requirements can overlap, and meeting them does not mean a lender will say yes. We read lender websites on 23 September, 1 October and 7 October 2026.
Method and sources
Our sample is lenders registered on Finansportalen as lending nationwide that offer consumer loans or credit cards. The feed dated 7 October 2026 gives 55 legal entities after brands with the same organisation number are merged. Lenders with a local or missing lending area are excluded.
Each lender counts once per requirement stated for an unsecured loan or credit card. If a lender or its brands give conflicting information, we exclude that lender from the count for that requirement, while keeping it in the sample of 55. Requirements that apply only to becoming a bank customer, including residence permits, or only to secured loans are excluded.
The counts describe what lenders publish on their websites. If we did not find a requirement, the lender may still have it. National identity number includes application forms that ask for one; this does not establish that a D number is rejected. Registered address means an address in the National Population Register. Minimum income counts published amounts in kroner.
Minimum ages come from the same Finansportalen feed: the lowest age per legal entity, separately for new consumer loans and credit cards. New consumer loans exclude products named refinancing; three lenders list only refinancing and are outside that age figure. Products requiring membership or a banking package remain in the age figures, so their minimum age may come with extra conditions.
[How often we check the lenders again]
Sources
- Finansportalen: product data for consumer loans and credit cards, 7 October 2026
- Lovdata: Lending Regulation (utlånsforskriften)
- Lovdata: Financial Contracts Act (finansavtaleloven), section 3-1
- Lovdata: Financial Contracts Act (finansavtaleloven), section 5-1, explanations before a loan agreement
- Finanstilsynet: Loan intermediation (låneformidling)
- Norwegian Tax Administration: Identification numbers in Norway
- Norwegian Tax Administration: Get an electronic ID
- Nav: Need financial advice and debt counselling
- Husbanken: Start-up loans and grants from the municipality
- Lånekassen: Student loans
Laws and public sources were read on 24 September and 7 October 2026.
- 7Loans only
- 39Loans and credit cards
- 9Credit cards only