Starting and running a business questions and answers

You register the business with the Brønnøysund Register Centre via Altinn. For help, Linken Næringshage and Hermetikken Kulturnæringshage advise entrepreneurs, and Innovation Norway Arctic has an office in Vadsø. See Networks.

There are schemes in Vadsø (the municipal business fund), in Finnmark (including Innovation Norway’s development grant and the county council’s funds) and nationally (including start-up grants, SkatteFUNN and wage subsidies from NAV). You apply directly to whoever runs the scheme. See Funding.

A grant for limited companies under five years old that want to test the market and develop the idea further. Start-up grant 1 is at most NOK 150,000, and start-up grant 2 is up to NOK 1 million (max 50%). Applications are accepted at any time. See Funding.

A tax deduction of 19% of the costs of research and development, for example a new product, a new service or a new production method. The scheme is run by the Research Council of Norway and the Norwegian Tax Administration, and applications are accepted at any time. See Funding.

Vadsø Municipality’s business fund gives grants for new businesses and growth — studies, idea development, skills and cooperation, not physical investments. Businesses and entrepreneurs with an address in Vadsø can apply, and applications are accepted at any time. See Funding.

Innovation Norway Arctic has an office in Vadsø and offers funding, advice and networks, including the development grant for Finnmark. Finnmark County Council has, among others, Finnmarksfondet for joint projects and Kulturnæringsfondet with loans for creative industries. See Funding.

Both support cross-border cooperation. The Barents Secretariat’s business programme is for joint projects with partners in Sweden or Finland, open to businesses, organisations and public bodies in northern Norway. Interreg Aurora is the EU programme for larger cooperation projects in northern Norway, northern Sweden, northern Finland and Sápmi. See Funding.

Landlords of office and commercial premises include Kunnskapshuset Rådhusgata 5, Nordvaranger Eiendom (Tollbugata 16) and NRH Vadsø (Kirkegata 22). Addresses and a map are on Premises.

Hermetikken Kulturnæringshage in Tollbugata has around 100 member businesses and provides skills and networks, with a focus on creative industries. Linken Næringshage has its head office in Båtsfjord and a branch in Vadsø since autumn 2022, offering business advice, project management and support for entrepreneurs. See Networks.

An informal partnership between shops and other retail businesses in Vadsø town centre, among other things behind BYdager. Search for “Handelsgruppa i Vadsø” on Facebook. See Networks.

There are several accountants in Vadsø, and SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge has a branch in town. There are currently no registered auditors in the municipality. See Accounting and banking.