§ 7. Collection of your own monetary claims
A company usually does not need a debt collection licence (inkassobevilling) to collect its own money. But § 7 gives the government the power to change this — and in any case the company is always bound by the most important rules on good debt collection practice (god inkassoskikk) and the duty to give notice.
Machine-translated from Norwegian. The Norwegian text is the one that applies. Read the original in Norwegian.Norsk English العربية Polski Українська
The text of the law (unofficial translation)
The King in Council (Kongen) may decide that §§ 4 and 5 shall apply in whole or in part to creditors (fordringshavere) who regularly collect their own monetary claims (pengekrav) of a specified type. This may be decided in a regulation (forskrift) for particular groups of creditors, or by individual decision for specific creditors. The King in Council shall at the same time decide which of the Act's other provisions shall apply to the collection.
What does this mean?
The Debt Collection Act distinguishes between two situations. One is a debt collection company (inkassoselskap) working for others — it collects money on behalf of someone who is owed something. The other is a company collecting its own money directly — without using a debt collection agency (inkassobyrå).
The first group needs a debt collection licence. The second group, as a starting point, does not. An electricity supplier, a dentist, a gym — they can send payment reminders (purringer) and collect what you owe them without applying to the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway (Finanstilsynet) for permission.
That is where § 7 comes in. The section gives the government the option to say: "This type of company does this on such a scale that it should actually have a licence after all." This can be done for entire industries through a regulation, or for one specific company through an individual decision.
In practice it has been used relatively rarely. But the mechanism exists, and it is important to know about.
What does this mean for you if you owe money to a company?
Here is the most important point: even though a company does not need a licence (bevilling) to collect its own claims, that does not mean it can do whatever it wants. The Act states that §§ 8 to 13 — the rules on good debt collection practice, debt collection notice (inkassovarsel), demand for payment (betalingsoppfordring) and case handling — apply to all collection (inndriving), including collection of your own claims.
This means your electricity supplier must still send you a written debt collection notice with a deadline of at least 14 days before it can start debt collection measures. It still cannot threaten, pressure or behave in a way that goes against good debt collection practice. You have the same rights regardless of whether it is Lindorff (an external debt collection agency) or the electricity supplier itself contacting you.
What companies without a licence actually avoid are the more technical requirements for the business as such — requirements on organisation, provision of security (sikkerhetsstillelse) and supervision (tilsyn). But the rules of conduct apply in full.
Who does this apply to in practice?
Many everyday creditors collect their own claims directly:
Electricity and energy companies send their own payment reminders and debt collection notices. Broadband and mobile companies do the same. Dentists, physiotherapists and other healthcare providers can collect outstanding payments. Kindergartens and schools may have their own routines. Housing cooperatives and owners' associations collect unpaid rent and shared costs.
All of these are, as a starting point, exempt from the licence requirement — but not from the substantive rules on how collection must be carried out.
Example
Marius subscribes to broadband and forgets two invoices. The internet provider sends a payment reminder and then a debt collection notice with a 14-day deadline — all directly from its own collection department, without using an external debt collection agency. This is entirely legal. But if the provider calls Marius five times a day, uses threatening language or contacts his employer, it is a breach of § 8 on good debt collection practice — regardless of the fact that it does not need a licence. Marius can complain about the conduct to the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway or to the Debt Collection Complaints Board (Inkassoklagenemnda), just as if it had been an external debt collection company.
Common mistakes
- Believing you have no rights because it is not "a proper debt collection agency" contacting you
- Forgetting to check whether the debt collection notice was sent with a lawful deadline, even from companies you are a customer of
- Not complaining about bad conduct because you think the complaint will not be taken seriously when it concerns someone without a licence
- Paying without checking whether the claim is legitimate, because the letter looks official
What should you do?
If you have received a claim from a company collecting its own money — and something feels wrong — check whether it has followed the rules in §§ 8 to 11. Did you get a debt collection notice with a 14-day deadline? Is the amount correct? Is the procedure reasonable?
If the answer to any of these is no, you have grounds to complain. You can send a complaint to the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway at finanstilsynet.no, or to the Debt Collection Complaints Board if the company is affiliated with an approved complaints board scheme.
Remember: you owe nothing beyond the original claim and the costs the law actually allows. Unlawful fees (gebyrer), unreasonable pressure or missing notices give you the right to reject the additional charges (tilleggskravene).