In English

Can you take the Norwegian serving and alcohol exams in English?

No — both are Norwegian only. But what you may bring differs between them, and most people get it the wrong way round.

Checked 22 October 2026Sources linked throughout

The short answer

Rule	Etablererprøven	Kunnskapsprøven
Available in English	No	No
Interpreter allowed	No	No
Dictionary allowed	No	Yes
Law collection allowed	Yes	Not stated
Read aloud on request	Not stated	May be approved

«Not stated» means the published rules do not address it. Ask your municipality rather than assuming either way.

The alcohol test: no English, but bring a dictionary

The kunnskapsprøve is the test you take to be named styrer or stedfortreder where alcohol is served or sold. The regulation itself says nothing about language — but the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s commentary to section 5-4 does, and it is clear:

No tests have been produced in English or any other language.
An interpreter is not permitted.
A dictionary is permitted — the directorate names English–Norwegian and Polish–Norwegian as examples.
If you have documented reading or writing difficulties, the municipality may approve someone reading the test and the answer options aloud to you.

The directorate also writes that a styrer or stedfortreder is expected to have a minimum command of Norwegian, in order to deal with guests, staff, suppliers and inspectors.

Note that individual municipalities may describe the dictionary rule more narrowly than the directorate does. Bergen, for instance, writes that you may use a Norwegian dictionary. If it matters to you, ask yours what they accept.

The establishment test: no dictionary, but bring the statutes

The etablererprøve is the test the general manager of a serving venue must pass. Here the aids work the other way round. Oslo and Bergen both state it the same way: the test is taken in Norwegian, no interpreter and no dictionary are allowed — but you may bring a printed collection of Norwegian statutes, and the municipality will lend you one.

Why Norwegian only? The question was put to parliament in November 2022. The minister of trade answered that because the rules a candidate must know are in Norwegian, the study material and the test are in Norwegian too.

He also acknowledged, in the same answer, that the arrangement may make it harder for people who do not master Norwegian to pass, and said a review of the test and the serving rules was among several simplification measures under consideration. Nothing had changed when we last checked, on 22 October 2026.

What this means if Norwegian is not your first language

You will meet the test in Norwegian. There is no way around that today. What you can do is make sure the Norwegian is not the first thing you have to work out.

Learn the rules in a language you read fluently, then read them again in Norwegian — so that on the day, the Norwegian words are attached to something you already understand. The terms that matter are few, and they repeat.

And if you are taking the alcohol test, bring a dictionary. You are allowed one, and few people remember to.

Worth asking your municipality

Which dictionaries do you accept, and may it be electronic?
Do you lend out the law collection, or should I bring my own?
Is extra time available if Norwegian is not my first language?
If I have documented reading difficulties, can the test be read aloud?

Ask before you register. The municipality has to hold the test within two months of your notice, so there is time. Find your municipality on our municipality pages— in Norwegian, but each links straight to the municipality’s own page about the test.

Which exam do you need?

It follows your role, not the kind of place you work in. Many people need two.

Those pages are in Norwegian. Each claim on them carries the legal reference and the date we last checked it against the source.

Common questions

Can I take the etablererprøve or the kunnskapsprøve in English?

No. Both are given in Norwegian only. For the kunnskapsprøve, the Norwegian Directorate of Health states in its commentary to section 5-4 of the alcohol regulation that no tests have been made in English or other languages. For the etablererprøve, municipalities state plainly that the test is taken in Norwegian, and in 2022 the minister of trade explained why: the rules you are tested on are in Norwegian, so the material and the test are too.

Can I bring a dictionary?

It depends which exam, and most people get this backwards. For the kunnskapsprøve about alcohol, yes — the Directorate of Health says dictionaries are permitted. For the etablererprøve, no — municipalities state that neither an interpreter nor a dictionary is allowed. Instead you may bring a printed collection of Norwegian statutes, and most municipalities will lend you one.

Can I bring an interpreter?

No, for either exam. The Directorate of Health states it directly for the kunnskapsprøve, and municipalities state it for the etablererprøve.

What if I have dyslexia or other reading difficulties?

For the kunnskapsprøve, the municipality may approve a representative of the licensing authority reading the test and the answer options aloud to you. Ask your municipality in advance, because they need to arrange it. The published rules set no equivalent for the etablererprøve, so ask there too.

Is the study material available in English?

Ours is. Every study guide we sell comes with an English edition alongside the Norwegian one, at no extra cost. It is there to help you understand the Norwegian text before the day, not to replace it — because the test itself will be in Norwegian.

Is this likely to change?

Possibly, but nothing is decided. Answering parliament in November 2022, the minister of trade acknowledged that the current arrangement may make it harder for people who do not master Norwegian to pass, and said a review of the etablererprøve and the serving rules was among several simplification measures under consideration. Nothing had changed when we last checked.

If you are preparing

Every study guide we sell comes in English too

The same material in both languages, at no extra cost. Read the English edition to understand the rules, then read the Norwegian one — because that is the language you will meet on the day.

See the study packages

Serveringsakademiet is an independent company. We are not affiliated with the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the municipalities or any other public body, and we do not administer exams. Our material is our own, written from the legislation published on Lovdata.