Apply for debt settlement

Get an overview of your debt

• Review and sort your bills.
• Find your tax return. Check the requirements that are in it.
• Get an overview of the debts you have registered with debt collection agencies. Read more about debt requests (virke.no)
• Get an overview of claims from the Norwegian National Collection Agency (SI): Log in to Your page or use the Unpaid Claims service at SI. 

Contact the creditors

Contact all your creditors once you have an overview of your debt. Can you pay something on the claims? If so, you can write a letter proposing a payment agreement.

You should respond when your creditors contact you or send you a letter. It shows that you are interested in achieving a solution. It can also prevent you from accruing more fees on the claims.

Your creditors may agree to postponing payment, especially if your problems are temporary/transient. 

Ask for help

Are you having trouble getting an overview of your debt and negotiating with your creditors on your own? NAV advises people who have problems with payments or debts. Ask for help as soon as possible. The service is free.

The criteria for obtaining a debt settlement scheme

• First, as a rule, you must try to come to an agreement with the creditors yourself.
• You must be permanently unable to settle the debt. The enforcement officer will determine whether you can pay off the debt. The enforcement officer will also assess how long it will take you to pay off the debt. If you will have to spend a long time, you may be what we call "permanently incapable" of paying off the debt. You do not meet the criteria for getting a debt settlement scheme if you have temporary problems paying..
• Other people must not find it objectionable that you obtain a debt settlement scheme. The enforcement officer will consider this. The amount of time you have had the debt plays a role in this. If you have a lot of newly acquired debt, this can prevent you from getting a debt settlement scheme. If this is the case, then you should wait to apply until your debt is somewhat older. Do you have punitive debts or large claims for back taxes and fees? The enforcement officer will take this into account when assessing whether others will find it objectionable that you are granted a debt settlement scheme.

Do you live abroad?

You can apply for a debt settlement scheme even if you live outside Norway. If this is the case, you will need to submit a larger amount of information about your case yourself as well as obtain the documentation you will need. This is because the enforcement officer cannot collect information from registers or people located abroad.

You may only have a small debt to creditors abroad. As a rule, you may not own residential property or have large assets abroad.

Fill out the application form and attach documentation

You need to provide the enforcement officer with an overview of your financial status. You need to send the following along with your application:

• a list of your creditors
• documentation that you have attempted to come to an agreement with your creditors
• documentation of your income and your spouse's or cohabitant's income
• a copy of your and your spouse's or cohabitant's tax returns from the past three years
• documentation of your housing expenses
• documentation of other fixed expenses – e.g. for kindergarten, after-school recreation/activites, child support and special medical expenses
• a statement from your doctor or psychologist if it is pertinent to your case
• a copy of the preliminary report and final report in the event you have undergone bankruptcy proceedings

Send or submit your application in person

Contact the enforcement officer to find the nearest agency office that processes applications for debt settlement schemes. You can submit the application by post or submit it in person to the enforcement officer.

If you live abroad, send the application to Enforcement Commissioner in Oslo, Asker and Bærum.

Download the application form

• Application form relating to debt negotiation (228 kB pdf)– English 

You will be called in to a meeting

Once the enforcement officer has received your application, you are normally summoned to a meeting. You will receive more information about your case and what a debt settlement scheme entails.

You will be given a deadline to get further documentation if the enforcement officer requires this. After this, the enforcement officer will process your application.

Debt negotiations

The enforcement officer will first assess whether you meet the criteria for being given a debt settlement scheme. If you satisfy the criteria, debt negotiations will be convened. The enforcement officer will send a decision to your creditors.

The negotiation will last for four months. During this period, you will be permitted to defer payment of your debt. However, you have to pay the running expenses you incur. For example, these may include rent, electricity and telephone. It is important that you do not accrue any further debts now.

If your income is higher than what is considered reasonable housing and living expenses for you and the members of your household, the enforcement officer will make deductions from your income during the negotiating period. We call these security deductions.

Proposed agreement

The enforcement officer will help you write a proposal for a voluntary debt settlement scheme. The proposal will be sent to all the creditors. They must respond to the proposal within three weeks.

If the creditors disagree

It may happen that one or more creditors will not accept the proposal for voluntary debt settlement. If this occurs, the enforcement officer will help you negotiate with the creditors.

If you and your creditors fail to agree on a voluntary debt scheme, you can demand a compulsory debt settlement scheme. This means that the proposal will be sent to the District Court. The court will then decide whether or not you will be given a debt settlement scheme. Both you and your creditors can appeal the court's decision.

If you do not meet the criteria for obtaining a debt settlement scheme, the application will be rejected. The application will also be rejected if you do not obtain the documentation the enforcement officer needs.

Would you like to appeal the rejection?

If your request for a debt settlement scheme has been rejected, you can appeal to the District Court. The deadline for appealing is one month after you received a letter of rejection.

You have to sign the appeal. Send the original in the mail to the enforcement officer, or deliver it in person to the office of the enforcement officer. Complaints sent by email will not be processed.

You must pay a court fee to have your appeal processed by the court.