Norway is widely regarded as an e-invoicing pioneer, setting a high bar for digital adoption across Europe. For software companies looking to operate in the Norwegian market, understanding its advanced landscape is key to success.
Norway's e-invoicing story is one of widespread voluntary adoption, even without a broad B2B mandate. The country boasts exceptionally high e-invoicing usage in B2G (Business-to-Government), B2B (Business-to-Business), and even B2C (Business-to-Consumer) sectors.
What's the secret behind this impressive early adoption? Let's break it down:
The network approach (Peppol): Norway was an early adopter of the Peppol network, which provides an easy-to-connect and interoperable infrastructure for electronic document exchange. This network-centric approach significantly lowers barriers for businesses.
Strong public sector push: The Norwegian government played a crucial role, not just by mandating e-invoicing for its own suppliers (since 2012 for central government, 2019 for all public entities), but also by providing tools and services that actively boosted adoption.
Industry leadership: Early on, major software houses like Visma advocated for a standardised, easy-to-adopt solution, recognising the efficiency gains for their clients. This industry push steered the market towards e-invoicing and accelerated its use.
When discussing formats in Norway, two terms come up frequently: EHF (Elektronisk Handelsformat) and Peppol BIS.
EHF's evolution: EHF was initially Norway's own format, adapted from Peppol BIS. While it once had certain rules that diverged slightly, the invoicing side of EHF and Peppol BIS 3.0 are now essentially the same.
Beyond invoices: Norway's market has also embraced the electronic exchange of other business documents like orders and order responses, often using dedicated EHF formats. These are also very close to Peppol formats, indicating a broader push for document automation. There's even a unique Norwegian EHF reminder document that travels on the Peppol network, showcasing their advanced adoption.
Norway can be considered a leader in B2C e-invoicing, too, largely thanks to a system called "Ja takk til e-faktura" (Yes to All):
Consumer opt-in: This register allows consumers to opt-in once to receive all their invoices electronically, routing them directly to their online bank or mobile applications like Vipps.
Simplified adoption: This removes the need for consumers to individually select companies for e-invoicing, boosting B2C e-invoice adoption and making it easy for them to manage and pay bills.
Norway's e-invoicing journey is a testament to the power of a network approach combined with government and industry commitment. For your software company operating or looking to expand into Norway, keep these in mind:
Peppol is key: Ensure your solutions fully support the Peppol BIS EHF format. It's the standard for both B2G compliance and the widely adopted B2B and B2C ecosystems.
E-Invoicing as a standard: Understand that e-invoicing isn't just an option in Norway; it's an expected standard. Your software needs to offer seamless, reliable e-invoicing capabilities.
Automate beyond invoices: Look for opportunities to extend automation beyond just invoices. Supporting electronic orders, order responses, and other documents via Peppol can provide significant value to your clients and differentiate your offering.