Apply for authorisation for manual car care, wheel change and wheel storage

Providing manual car care, wheel change, and wheel storage encompasses:

Manually performed car care

Manual car care means that you perform

• manual internal and external car washing
• maintenance and repairs on painted and unpainted surfaces, as well as car interiors
• repairs to minor damage, such as scratches, stone-chip, and similar issues.

Wheel change for cars

Wheel change means that you change from summer tyres to winter tyres or the other way around. Wheel change include the mounting/de-mounting of tyres that are mounted to rims.

Wheel storage

Wheel storage means that you store summer tyres or winter tyres. Wheel storage entails the storage of tyres that are mounted to rims.

You should not apply for authorisation if you

• are approved by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) (vegvesen.no)
• only provide an automated car wash service, such as an automatic car wash at a petrol station
• only provide self-service car wash facilities

Companies that provide automated or self-service car wash facilities must apply for authorisation if they also provide manual car care, wheel change, or wheel storage services.

Roles that have access to forms in Altinn

To be able to send forms and read mail from us, you must hold these roles in Altinn:

• You must hold the role "reporter/sender" to fill in and send forms.
• You must hold the role "mail/archive" to read digital mail.

Read more about the different roles in Altinn (altinn.no)

Give rights or access to others

People who have the roles "main administrator" or "access manager" can

• give the roles of "reporter/sender" or "mail/archive" to others in the organisation
• give access to a specific form or service

Get access to a specific form or service

If the person submitting the form does not have the roles described above, they can gain access to a specific form or service. It is those who have the roles "main administrator" or "access manageer" who can give this access to others.

The person who is granted this access does not have access to the inbox where receipts or responses are sent.

Read more about how to grant access to others in Altinn (altinn.no)

Attachments for companies with employees

If you are a company that has employees, you must include documentation confirming that you

• satisfy safety representative (verneombud) requirements
• are affiliated with an authorised occupational health service (bedriftshelsetjeneste)
• have written employment contracts (arbeidsavtaler) for all employee groups
• hold occupational injury insurance (yrkesskadeforsikring)
• hold a valid discharge permit (utslippstillatelse) from the municipality if you are subject to Section 15-1 of the Pollution Regulations (forurensningsforskriften)

More information on the attachments and the contents of the application for companies with employees

Attachments for companies without employees

If you are a company that does not have employees, you will only have to include documentation for a valid discharge permit (utslippstillatelse) from the municipality if you are subject to Section 15-1 of the Pollution Regulations (forurensningsforskriften).

More information on the attachments and the contents of the application for companies without employees

You must ensure that you are listed, and that your information is up to date, in the relevant public registries:

• The Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities (Enhetsregisteret) (brreg.no)
• The Register of Business Enterprises (Foretaksregisteret) (only in Norwegian, brreg.no)
• The VAT Register (Merverdiavgiftsregisteret, MVA-registeret) (skatteetaten.no)
• The State Register of Employers and Employees (Arbeidstaker- og arbeidsgiverregisteret, Aa-registeret) (nav.no)

If you are a staffing enterprise, you must be listed in The Staffing Enterprise Register (bemanningsforetaksregisteret) (only in Norwegian).

The main entity must apply for authorisation

The main entity (hovedenhet) must apply for authorisation for car care, wheel change, and wheel storage. If you have sub-entities (underenhet) that also require authorisation, you must include these sub-entities when filling out the application form. Approval from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority will then apply to both the main entity and the sub-entities.

Both the main and the sub-entities will be listed in the public register

Both the main and the sub-entities will be listed in the register of authorised car wash, tyre changes, and tyre hotel providers (only in Norwegian).

Who must present a valid discharge permit (utslippstillatelse)?

You must present a valid discharge permit from the municipality if you have discharge, including the discharge of wastewater that contains oil, from

• petrol stations
• car washes for vehicles
• engine workshops
• bus terminals
• vehicle workshops and service centres, construction machinery, and rail rolling stock
• facilities for underbody care

This applies to companies that have washing bays, vehicle inspection pits, service areas, or similar facilities. This is required by Section 15-1 of the Pollution Regulations (forurensningsforskriften) (only in Norwegian, lovdata.no).

Submit the discharge permit for each address (location)

You must document the valid discharge permit for each individual address (location). If you have sub-entities that require authorisation, you must hold discharge permits for their addresses (locations) as well.

The discharge permits must be for your company, regardless of whether similar services have been operated at the same address in the past.

What constitutes documentation of a valid discharge permit?

You have to attach documentation from the municipality in order to prove that you or the landlord hold valid discharge permits for all locations. 

The documentation must include

• the name or organisation number of the company or landlord
• the addresses of the locations that hold discharge permits

What does not constitute documentation of a valid discharge permit?

• Agreement of discharge
• Documentation that you have an oil separator

You must have a safety representative

You must have a safety representative (verneombud) (only in Norwegian) to be authorised. The requirement to have a safety representative applies to all employees throughout the company, regardless of their work tasks and their full-time equivalent.

If you have fewer than 5 employees, you can choose between having a safety representative, or you can agree on an alternative arrangement.

If you have 30 or more regular employees, you are also obligated to have a working environment committee (arbeidsmiljøutvalg, AMU) (only in Norwegian).

Provide information about the safety representative

If you have a safety representative, you must provide the following information about the safety representative:

• name
• telephone number

Provide the information of the current safety representative as of the date of your application for authorisation. If you have multiple safety representatives, provide the information of the head safety representative.

Include agreements for alternative arrangements

If you have an alternative arrangement, you must upload a written agreement for this arrangement. This agreement must be signed by all employees.

Include information about your working environment committee (arbeidsmiljøutvalg)

If you have a working environment committee, you must include meeting invitations or overviews that show

• the participants’ names
• the meeting date

The meeting invitation or overview must be from the most recent meeting of the working environment committee.

You must be affiliated with an authorised occupational health service

All companies offering services related to manual car care, wheel change, and wheel storage must be affiliated with an authorised occupational health service (bedriftshelsetjeneste) (only in Norwegian).

Enter your organisation number (organisasjonsnummer)

In the application form, you must enter the organisation number of the occupational health service you use. The organisation number can be found on your contract with the occupational health service.

Upload a partnership plan or documentation

You must also upload your partnership plan with the occupational health service or documentation of the most recent paid invoice. 

Cross off for the different types of employment contracts you have

All employees must have a written contract of employment (skriftlige arbeidsavtaler). Cross off for the types of employment contracts you have at your business:

• full-time
• part-time
• temporary employment (e.g., seasonal workers and temporary assistants)

Include one employment contract per group

You must include one employment contract per employee group (e.g., full-time, part-time, and temporary). You do not have to include employment contracts for all employees at the company.

Completed and signed employment contracts

The employment contracts you include must be completed and signed by the employees.

You must hold private occupational injury insurance (yrkesskadeforsikring) or personal insurance (personalforsikring)

All employers must take out occupational injury insurance (only in Norwegian) or personal insurance for their employees. You must document that such insurance has been taken out. The insurance shall ensure financial compensation for employees in the event of an occupational injury.

Upload a copy of the insurance certificate

You must upload a copy of the page of the insurance certificate that shows that the company holds active occupational injury insurance or personal insurance. The page must show

• the insurance period
• the name of your company

The main entity must apply for authorisation

The main entity (hovedenhet) must apply for authorisation for car care, wheel change, and wheel storage. If you have sub-entities (underenheter) that also require authorisation, you must include these sub-entities when filling out the application form. Approval from the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority will then apply to both the main entity and the sub-entities.

Both the main and the sub-entities will be listed in the public register

Both the main and the sub-entities will be listed in the register of authorised car wash, tyre changes, and tyre hotel providers (only in Norwegian).

Who must present a valid discharge permit (utslippstillatelse)?

You must present a valid discharge permit from the municipality if you have discharge, including the discharge of wastewater that contains oil, from

• petrol stations
• car washes for vehicles
• engine workshops
• bus terminals
• vehicle workshops and service centres, construction machinery, and rail rolling stock
• facilities for underbody care

This applies to companies that have washing bays, vehicle inspection pits, service areas, or similar facilities. This is required by Section 15-1 of the Pollution Regulations (forurensningsforskriften) (only in Norwegian, lovdata.no).

Submit the discharge permit for each address (location)

You must document the valid discharge permit for each individual address (location). If you have sub-entities that require authorisation, you must hold discharge permits for their addresses (locations) as well.

The discharge permits must be for your company, regardless of whether similar services have been operated at the same address in the past.

What constitutes documentation of a valid discharge permit?

You have to attach documentation from the municipality in order to prove that you or the landlord hold valid discharge permits for all locations. 

The documentation must include

• the name or organisation number of the company or landlord
• the addresses of the locations that hold discharge permits

What does not constitute documentation of a valid discharge permit?

• Agreement of discharge
• Documentation that you have an oil separator

You will receive a response to your application in Altinn (altinn.no).

You will receive a decision within 4 weeks if you have

• included the correct documentation
• keep up-to-date information on the company in public registers, such as employee counts
• ordered HSE cards

If there are shortcomings in the application, the processing time may be longer.

You will receive temporary authorisation while waiting for the decision

When the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority starts processing your application, you will be informed that your company has received temporary authorisation. The notice of temporary authorisation will be sent from us as a letter in Altinn, and will arrive approximately 30 minutes after you send the application. The letter will also include a temporary authorisation certificate. The certificate is valid for 4 months or until you receive the decision.

At the same time, you will be assigned the status of “application being processed” (søknad under behandling) in the register for car care and tyres. You may then legally provide services involving manual car care, wheel change, and wheel storage until you receive the decision.

These are the responses to the application you may receive

The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority will review the application and make a decision about whether you will be authorised to provide manual car care, wheel change, and wheel storage. 

You can receive one of the following responses to the application:

• authorisation
• rejection

This following will occur if you are authorised

If you satisfy the requirements for authorisation:

• Your application will be approved.
• You will receive the status “authorised” in the register of authorised car washes, tyre changes, and tyre hotels (only in Norwegian). 
• You will receive an authorisation certificate for use on your premises and on your website.

The following will occur if you are rejected

If you do not satisfy the requirements for authorisation:

• Your application will be rejected.
• You will receive the status “not authorised” in the register of authorised car washes, tyre changes, and tyre hotels (only in Norwegian).

It will be illegal to provide services in manual car care, wheel changes, and wheel storage without authorisation.

If the application is rejected, the letter will state the grounds for the rejection. You can rectify missing information or documentation and apply again.

Rejections are individual decisions that can be appealed. Normal case processing rules will apply. How to appeal (only in Norwegian).

The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority may check to ensure that you satisfy the requirements for authorisation. If the requirements are no longer met, we may withdraw the authorisation. 

We may also come to perform an inspection (only in Norwegian). The inspection may either be reported in advance, or it may be unannounced.

All employees that are to work with manual car care, wheel change, and wheel storage must hold HSE cards. 

This also applies to 

• the owner or general manager of the company
• anyone self-employed (companies/sole proprietorships that do not employ workers)
• spouse of the owner of the sole proprietorship, if the spouse works at the company

In addition to this, companies that contract employees to carry out manual car care, wheel change and wheel storage must order HSE cards for their workers.

It is the employer who must apply for HSE cards for employees (hmskort.no). Wait to order HSE cards until you are notified by the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority (Arbeidstilsynet).

As soon as you have completed your order for HSE cards, you will receive a decision for authorisation. Once you are authorised, you will be listed in the register of authorised car washes, tyre changes, and tyre hotels with one of these statuses:

• authorised with employees
• authorised without employees

The register will show companies that are legal. They will have the following statuses in the register: 

• authorised with employees
• authorised without employees
• application being processed. You will be temporarily authorised while the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority processes your application.
• HSE card order in processing

The register will also show companies that are illegal, and that have the status 

• not authorised

If your application is rejected, you will receive the status “not authorised”. It will then be illegal for you to provide services involving manual car care, wheel change, and wheel storage.

Some of the information you fill in when applying for authorisation will be published in the register of authorised car washes, tyre changes, and tyre hotels. The register will include

• the name of the company
• organisation number
• address
• telephone number
• a link to your website

This information will be retrieved from the Brønnøysund Register Centre (Brønnøysundregistrene).

If you need to update your information, you must do so at the Brønnøysund Register Centre (brreg.no).

Confirm each year that you satisfy the requirements

Every year, companies that have been authorised must confirm that they still satisfy the requirements. You can do this by sending an annual report (årlig melding) in Altinn.

The deadline for submitting the annual report is one year from when you were given the authorisation decision. You will receive a letter from us about what deadline applies to you, and when you must submit the annual report.

Document that you satisfy the requirements every three years

Every three years, you must also include updated documentation showing that you still meet the authorisation requirements. You will receive a letter from us about what deadlines apply to you, and when you must submit the documentation.