How to register a ship in the NIS

Pre-clearance of documents is recommended.

1. Application for certificate of name

Names of vessels of 15 meters and more must be approved prior to registration. If a Norwegian call sign has not been assigned previously, it will be assigned upon receipt of the Application for Certificate of Name. If the PDF version is chosen, please send a signed copy to nis-nor@sdir.no.

The desired home port should be entered according to this list, approved home ports in NOR and NIS.

2. Notification for registration

Notification for vessel to be registered - NIS and NOR. The notification must be signed with binding signature by the owner or the appointed Norwegian Process Agent/Representative.
If the PDF version is chosen, please send a signed copy to nis-nor@sdir.no.

3. Tonnage Certificate

A Tonnage Certificate must be issued or approved by one of the recognised organisations prior to registration re. the class agreement Annex I. When amending a copy of the existing tonnage certificate, the approved name and the new Norwegian call sign must be added. Please send a copy to nis-nor@sdir.no. 

4. SOLAS-Confirmation and status reports from Class or Confirmation of survey

Before a vessel of 500 gross tons and above can sail, a SOLAS confirmation must be issued by the ship's recognised organisation. A copy of the confirmation should be sent to nis-nor@sdir.no

For vessels under 500 gross tons, a trading certificate will be issued by the Norwegian Maritime Authority after completion of document control and inspection of the vessel. This process must be initiated before registration. The form Request for supervision must be submitted to document this. If the shipping company chooses voluntary delegation, the process will instead be initiated when the classification society submits a Declaration of Safety to the Norwegian Maritime Authority required prior to registration in NIS/NOR.

If you wish, a status report from the classification society may be forwarded for our review before the ship changes flag.

5. Ownership

If the vessel is flagged in from another country's ship register, there must be consistency between the last registered owner in the previous register and the shipowner registering the vessel in NIS. For previously unregistered newbuildings, there will only be one link from the construction shipyard to the first owner.

Signature requirements
All title documents and powers of attorney must be signed with binding signature. For Norwegian registered companies: according to the certificate of company registration.

Confirmation of issuer's signature on Norwegian documents
Issuer's signature may be confirmed by two individuals who are of age and resident in Norway; a lawyer/assistant lawyer; licensed registered accountant; or
Notary Public.

Confirmation of issuer's signature on foreign documents
Title documents and power of attorneys issued abroad must be notarized and thereafter legalized/ amended with an Apostille.

A Notary Public has to confirm: the identity of the person signing; that the person is of age; that the person is authorized to sign for and on behalf of the company in question.

It must be confirmed that the Notary Public is a public official holding the position specified in the document and, therefore, has the right to sign.
Notarial statements issued by Notaries in countries that are party to the Hague Convention are confirmed by the amendment of an Apostille by local authorities in the country.
Notarial statements issued by Notaries in countries that are not party to the Hague Convention are legalized by the Norwegian consular station in the relevant country.
Notarial statements from the Nordic Countries are exempt from legalization requirements.
You can find the list of countries that are parties to the Hague Convention on Apostille here.

The regulations on registration of ships in the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS)§ 18 identifies who can confirm or witness the signatures.

All title documents must be submitted in original.
Registration may take place upon receipt of PDF copies. Final registration will then be conditional upon receipt of the original documents within three weeks thereafter.

6. Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance

For newbuildings, a PDF copy of the signed Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance must always be submitted prior to registration. This is usually the final document to be submitted and the one that triggers the registration process. The original document is not to be forwarded.

Pre-registration
If the vessel is scheduled for delivery from the shipyard, or from the seller to the new owner upon change of flag, between 00:00 and 07:00 Norwegian time, the vessel and any voluntary mortgages may be pre-registered. If delivery does not take place within one week, the registration is null and void.  See the Norwegian Maritime Code Section 14 subsection six.

A signed delivery protocol must always be submitted as documentation that delivery has taken place.

7. Declaration of Nationality

The NIS is open to owners of all nationalities, re. the NIS Act § 1 cf. the Norwegian Maritime Code § 1, see: Acts.

Shipowners who meet the conditions in the NIS Act § 1 no. 1 shall themselves declare that they satisfy the nationality requirements in the Norwegian Maritime Code § 1.

Shipowners who meet the conditions in the NIS Act § 1 no. 2A, 2B, and 3 do not themselves satisfy the nationality requirements in the Norwegian Maritime Code § 1, and therefore cannot complete a declaration of nationality. In these cases, the owner shall appoint a Norwegian representative (see point below) who satisfies the nationality requirements in the Maritime Code. The representative must then confirm compliance with the nationality requirements.

Choose the correct form, KR-0001 – KR-0007, in our Forms directory The declaration must be signed with binding signature by the owner or the owner's representative. If the PDF version is chosen, please send a signed copy to nis-nor@sdir.no.

8. Appointment of process agent

Owners satisfying the NIS Act § 1 No. 3 must appoint a Norwegian Representative/Process agent. Please use this form, Appointment of Process Agent. To be signed with binding signature by the owner and the appointed process agent and sent to nis-nor@sdir.no. 

9. Management agreement

Owners satisfying the NIS Act § 1 No. 2 or 3 must present a management agreement confirming that technical or commercial management is carried out by a Norwegian shipping company with its head office in Norway. The agreement must show the connection between the registered owner and the Norwegian management company. BIMCO's standard agreement may be used. Send a copy of the signed agreement to nis-nor@sdir.no prior to registration. 

10. Company documentation, if owner is a foreign registered company

For Norwegian registered companies, the NIS relies on registered information in the company register in Brønnøysund. Foreign owners must prepare equivalent documentation prior to registration.  Read more about the requirements here: Company documentation for foreign shipowning companies in NIS and NOR. PDF copies will be accepted upon registration. Final registration will, however, be conditional upon receipt of the original documents within three weeks thereafter. 

11. Certificate from the previous ship register/country

A Deletion Certificate must be presented upon change of flag. If there is also a change of ownership vendor on Bill of Sale must be in accordance with this certificate. The Deletion Certificate must contain the following information: time of deletion, registered owner at the time of deletion, and a confirmation stating that the ship was deleted free from registered encumbrances. 

If the registration concerns a newbuilding that has not been registered during the construction period, the ship register in the country where the ship was built must issue a 'Certificate of Non-Registry'. This is, however, not possible to obtain from all countries, i.e. China. In such cases, an equivalent statement from the shipbuilder will be accepted.

Some flag states do not issue a Deletion Certificate upon deletion. 
If a Deletion Certificate cannot be produced at the time of registration in the NIS: the ship may be entered into the journal of the NIS upon receipt of a "Permission to transfer" together with a "Certificate of Ownership and Encumbrances- free from registered encumbrances". Final registration will be conditional upon receipt of a Deletion Certificate within three weeks thereafter.

Confirmation of Certificates that are not electronically verifiable
Certificates issued by countries that are party to the Hague Convention are confirmed by the amendment of an Apostille by local authorities in the country.
Certificates issued by countries that that are not party to the Hague Convention are legalized by the Norwegian consular station in the relevant country.
Certificates from the Nordic countries’ ship registries are exempt from legalization requirements.
You can find the list of countries that are parties to the Hague Convention on Apostille here.

Submission of the certificates

PDF copies may be accepted at the time of registration.
Certificates that cannot be electronically verified must be submitted in their original form as soon as possible. Final registration will be conditional upon receipt of the original document(s) within three weeks thereafter.

12. Appointment of managing company according to the ISM Code or the Ship Safety Act

Check if the vessel falls under the provisions for appointing an ISM responsible company in the Safety management system for Norwegian ships and mobile offshore units§ 1, or for appointing a managing company according to the Ship Safety Act, cf. the Safety management for small cargo ships, passenger ships and fishing vessels, etc. § 1.

Choose the correct form:

• ISM responsible company is reported on form KR-0014, Notification concerning the ISM-Code
• Managing company according to the Ship Safety Act is reported on form KR-0061, Managing Company the Ship Safety Act 

Send a copy of the signed form to nis-nor@sdir.no.

13. Continuous Synopsis Record - CSR

All passenger- and cargo ships over 500 GRT in international traffic shall keep a file of issued CSR documents issued by the flag state on board (FORM 1). CSR documents are numbered consecutively and across flag states. When changes occur in one of the items, it shall be reported to the flag state on FORM 2, amendments to the Continuous Synopsis Record, Amendments to the Continuous Synopsis Record - Form 2.
For newbuildings, the CSR history starts with the submission of the Application for Continuous Synopsis Record, Application for Continuous Synopsis Record.
Kindly note that each CSR document issued by the flag state is to be attached a (new) FORM 3, Index of Amendments to the CSR document, Index of Amendments to CSR document. PDF copies should be sent to nis-nor@sdir.no

CSR history
When changing flag, please ensure that a copy of the ship's CSR history, including "Closed CSR" is sent to nis-nor@sdir.no.

14. Registration fees per 1 January 2026

NOK 4 408, - for the formal registration of the ship+ NOK 3 101, - for each mortgage to be registered against the ship (if any).
An invoice will be sent out after registration has taken place. To ensure correct invoicing we kindly ask the recipient to fill in this form: Payment information for the formal registrations in NIS/NOR/BYGG. If the PDF version is chosen, please send a signed copy to nis-nor@sdir.no.

In addition, there will be charged initial- and annual fees according to the ship's NET as well as fees for dispensation applications and certain certificates ref. the Tariff of Fees and Fees Regulations. 

• Imported ships which have previously been registered in NOR or NIS are exempt from the initial fee.
• Annual fee will be issued the year after registration.

The fees can easily be calculated using our Fee Calculator.

See the Tariff of Fees S. 6 regarding special certificates and permits not covered by initial fees and annual fees.:

• Certificate on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC), NOK 2 319, –
• Certificate on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (CLB), NOK 3 563, 
• Passenger certificate for trade on rivers, NOK 1 714, -
• Certificate of insurance or other financial security in respect of liability pursuant to the Athens Convention 2002 and the Athens Regulation, NOK 3 563,-
• Wreck Removal Certificate (WRC Certificates from 11 February 2025), NOK 3 563, -

15. Certificate of Nationality/Registry

The Ship Registers will issue a Provisional Certificate of Nationality/Registry upon registration and send a PDF copy directly on board/to where the owner instructs. The provisional certificate will not be forwarded in original.

A permanent Certificate of Nationality/Registry will be issued once the registration has been approved by the Registrar. The permanent certificate will be forwarded in original to be kept on board.

16. Language and submission of the documents

All documents, notarial statements, etc. must be issued in one of the Scandinavian languages, English or translated by a licensed translator re. the regulations on registration of ships in the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS) § 17.

17. Remember to apply for ship certificates prior to sailing

The certificates listed below are issued directly by the Norwegian Maritime Authority/Norwegian Authorities

Insurance Certificates

• CLB Bunker Oil (all vessels of 1000 GT and more)
• CLC Oil Pollution Damage (all ships carrying more than 2 000 tons of persistent oil as cargo in bulk)
• Wreck removal certificates (all ships of 300 GT and more). 
• PRL (Certificate on the Liability of Carriers of Passengers by Sea in the Event of Accidents)

Kindly forward the applications and Blue Cards to post@sdir.no.

Other certificates are issued by the Norwegian Maritime Authority, post@sdir.no 

• Safe Manning (All passenger vessels. Cargo vessels of 50 GT and more). To applied for if a new ISM-liable company is appointed.
• DMLC Part I (seafarers' working and living conditions). To applied for if a new ISM-liable company is appointed.
• Radio license. You will find more information here, Radio licence for commercial vessels.

You will find more information about the certificates here: Certificates and documents for vessels.

• Previously issued Tonnage Certificates and Trading Certificates of Compliance must be updated with new owner.
  Send an enquiry to post@sdir.no.

Ship Sanitation Certificates are administered by the Norwegian Directorate of Health. For more information you need to contact The Norwegian Directorate of Health. 

18. Qualification and Medical Certificate Requirements 

Maritime personnel must possess either Norwegian certificates of competency or a Norwegian endorsement on their national certificates. See our guidance on endorsements here: Certificates. Any questions regarding personnel certificates may be directed to the section for seafarers on phone no. (+47) 52 74 50 00.

About Medical Certificates approved for service on board Norwegian vessels: Medical certificate

Please contact us and we will guide you through the registration process
Phone: + 47 52 74 50 00
nis-nor@sdir.no