Our history

In 1980 our first register, The Register of Mortgaged Moveable Property, was established. At that point in time, our activity comprised 14 employees, was part of the Brønnøy District Court Office and subject to the Ministry of Justice. The passing of the Mortgage Act in 1978 triggered the establishment of the Register of Mortgaged Moveable Property. The law was based on the existence of a database register, as opposed to the previous manual registers spread out over almost 100 district court offices around the country. The Register of Marriage Settlements and the Register of Company Accounts were established the year after.

In 1988 the Brønnøysund Register Centre was singled out as a separate governmental administrative agency. The same year, the Register of Business Enterprises replaced the 96 different trade registers around the country. This became a national register for businesses in Norway.

The Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities was established in 1995, and is a register comprising all legal enterprises. The establishment was an important step towards simplification and coordination. The Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities became the foundation for the building up of the Brønnøysund Register Centre as an important actor in electronic administration in Norway. When the Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities Act was established, the organisation number was introduced.

As from 2001, the Brønnøysund Register Centre became a government agency subject to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This meant that the agency more than ever became an important tool for business and industry policy, with regard to simplification and coordination between public administration and trade and industry. In 2003 Altinn was established as a reporting channel for economic data. Today, Altinn is a platform, an organisation and a collaboration. Altinn is an important driving force in the digitalisation of Norway.

From the 1990s until today, many registers have been established. Today, the Brønnøysund Register Centre administers 17 of the most important registers in the country. 430 employees work together to make it easier for everyone to relate to public administration, and the agency is one of the most important executive agencies within the development of digital services.

Would you like to know more about our history? If so, you can read our book “Brønnøysundregistran – værsågod!” (PDF) containing our 25 year history.