Wills & Estates · Norway
Wills lawyers in Norway for estate planning and probate
Succession in Norway is governed by statute, read together with matrimonial property rules that decide how a family’s assets are actually divided. Tell us what you are dealing with and we match you with a licensed advokat whose practice covers wills, estates and probate. The first conversation is free and you decide what happens next.
- Licensed advokater only
- Succession and estate specialists
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Why this page exists
Wills and estates in Norway, explained plainly
Planning what happens to your estate in Norway means working inside a civil-law system where statutes set the framework — above all the Inheritance Act 2019 — and where preparatory works and Supreme Court precedent shape how those provisions are read in practice. Whether you are drafting a will, reviewing one made decades ago, or dealing with the division of a relative’s assets, the practical questions are consistent: who is entitled to what, how property held under the default deferred-community regime is treated, and which steps must be completed within the applicable time limits. Our platform connects you with wills lawyers in Norway who concentrate on succession, matrimonial property and estate administration. You describe your situation, we match you with a licensed advokat whose practice covers it, and the first conversation costs you nothing. You keep control of every decision.
Norway in detail
How succession, wills and estates work in Norway
Norway has no separate probate or inheritance court: succession questions sit within the ordinary civil courts and are resolved by applying statute, preparatory works and precedent. The points below are the ones that most often determine how a will, an estate or a family settlement plays out in practice.
The statutory framework you are working within
Norway is a civil-law country where statutes are the main source of law. Succession and estate matters are governed principally by the Inheritance Act 2019, read alongside the Marriage Act where a spouse’s position is at stake. Interpretation relies heavily on preparatory works (forarbeider), established practice and Supreme Court precedent, so a specialist reads a given provision differently from a generalist.
Who is entitled to advise you
Only a lawyer holding an advokatbevilling issued by the Supervisory Council for Legal Practice (Tilsynsrådet for advokatvirksomhet) may use the protected title ‘advokat’ and practise independently. The licence requires a Norwegian master’s degree in law, a clean extended police certificate, the compulsory advocacy course with a written examination, and at least two years’ qualifying practice.
Deferred community and skjevdeling
Under the Marriage Act the default regime is felleseie, deferred community: each spouse owns their own assets during the marriage, but on dissolution the net value of the joint estate is divided equally unless a marriage settlement says otherwise. Assets clearly traceable to pre-marital property, inheritance or gifts may be excluded through skjevdeling under section 59.
The 60-day private settlement of an estate
Where the family divides a deceased person’s estate privately rather than through court administration, the private settlement must be completed within 60 days of the death. That window is short when immovable property, business interests or assets in several countries are involved, which is why the timetable is normally fixed at the very first meeting.
Costs, tariffs and free legal aid
Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client; there is no official tariff. Court charges are calculated in rettsgebyr units, set at NOK 1,345 from 1 January 2026, and the party bringing an action or appealing an order pays. As a rule costs follow the event, and means-tested free legal aid covers a defined catalogue of case types.
Courts, language and procedure
Civil matters are heard by the district courts (tingrettene), with appeal to the courts of appeal (lagmannsrettene) and ultimately to the Supreme Court (Høyesterett). There is no separate probate or administrative court hierarchy. Norwegian has two equal written standards, Bokmål and Nynorsk, and within the Sami language administrative district parties may use Sami, with free interpretation and translation.
Key time limit — Inheritance, Probate & Wills
Private settlement of a deceased person’s estate (probate) — 60 days from the death. The deadline for completing a private division of the estate.
All country data on this page is taken from official Norwegian sources (the Norwegian Bar Association, Domstol.no, Lovdata, Statsforvalteren and Regjeringen.no), checked in 2025.
- Norwegian Bar Association — Features of the Norwegian legal system
- Norwegian Bar Association — Working as a lawyer in Norway
- Norwegian Bar Association — Structure of the courts
- Domstol.no — The various types of division of estates
- Domstol.no — Court fees and costs
- Lovdata — Marriage Act (deferred community of property)
- Statsforvalteren — Legal aid
- Regjeringen.no — The Sami Act and language rights
Situations we see
The questions clients bring to us
Most people who contact us are not looking for a courtroom battle — they want their intentions to be clear and their family’s position to be secure.
A will that may not say what you meant
Wording drafted years ago, or copied from another country, may not fit the Norwegian statutory framework. Reviewing it before anything happens is far cheaper than arguing about it afterwards.
An estate that has to be divided quickly
A death in the family brings a private division deadline of 60 days, alongside the practical work of identifying assets, debts and who is entitled to what under the Inheritance Act.
Remarriage, family property and fairness
Where there are children from an earlier relationship, or assets brought into the marriage, the default deferred-community regime and skjevdeling decide outcomes that many families assume are settled by the will alone.
How we help
Matching you with the right Norwegian adviser
You do not need to know which provision applies or which court is involved. You need a lawyer whose day-to-day work covers your situation.
Only licensed advokater
Every professional we match holds, or practises under, a Norwegian advokatbevilling issued by the Supervisory Council for Legal Practice, so you know who is responsible for the advice you receive.
Practice-area matching
We match on the substance of your matter — drafting and reviewing wills, estate administration, probate timing, matrimonial property — rather than sending you to the nearest general practice.
Plain explanation of the route
Your first conversation is for understanding: which statute governs, which time limits apply to you, and what the realistic options are before any commitment is made.
Free and without pressure
Describing your situation and receiving a match costs nothing, and you are never obliged to instruct the lawyer you are introduced to. The decision stays with you.
Also available in
Cross-border estates across Europe
If the deceased owned property or accounts in another country, more than one legal system may be involved. We also match clients with advisers in these jurisdictions.
Frequently asked
Questions about wills and estates in Norway
Do I need a wills lawyer in Norway to deal with a will?
The formal and substantive requirements for a will are set by statute, principally the Inheritance Act 2019, and they interact with the matrimonial property position of a surviving spouse. Because of that overlap, most people instruct a licensed advokat to draft or review the document. We match you with wills lawyers in Norway who handle exactly this work.
Who is allowed to practise as a lawyer in Norway?
To use the protected title ‘advokat’ and practise independently, a lawyer needs a licence (advokatbevilling) from the Supervisory Council for Legal Practice. The conditions include a Norwegian master’s degree in law, a clean extended police certificate, the compulsory advocacy course with a written examination, and at least two years’ qualifying practice.
What is the 60-day deadline after a death?
Where a deceased person’s estate is divided privately by the family rather than through court administration, the private settlement must be completed within 60 days of the death. That is a short window when property, business interests or assets abroad are involved, so the timetable is usually the first thing a lawyer maps out.
How are legal fees and court costs handled?
Lawyers’ fees are freely agreed between lawyer and client, as there is no official tariff. Court charges are calculated in rettsgebyr units, set at NOK 1,345 from 1 January 2026, and the party who brings the action or appeals an order pays. Costs generally follow the event, subject to the court’s assessment of reasonableness.
Does the default matrimonial property regime affect my will?
It can. The default regime under the Marriage Act is felleseie, deferred community: assets stay with each spouse during the marriage, but on dissolution the net value of the joint estate is divided equally unless a marriage settlement says otherwise. Assets traceable to pre-marital property, inheritance or gifts may be excluded through skjevdeling under section 59.
Can proceedings be conducted in a language other than Bokmål?
Yes. Norwegian has two equal written standards, Bokmål and Nynorsk, both used in legislation and in the courts. Within the Sami language administrative district, parties also have a statutory right to use Sami in proceedings, including oral pleadings and written documents, with interpretation and translation provided free of charge.
Next step
Describe your situation and get matched
Tell us in a few sentences what you are dealing with — a will to be drafted, an estate to be divided, a deadline that is approaching — and we will match you with a licensed Norwegian advokat whose practice covers it. The matching is free, there is no obligation, and you decide whether to instruct.