SMS marketing in Norway: §15, the customer-relationship exception, and how to use it safely
Norway's markedsføringsloven §15 requires consent for SMS — but its existing-customer exception explicitly covers electronic messages. What that buys you, and where it ends.
Honesty first: this is practical guidance, not legal advice. Marketing law changes and edge cases are real — when in doubt, ask a lawyer, and always check current operator requirements before a big campaign.
Norway is not an EU member but mirrors the EU's e-marketing regime through the Marketing Control Act (markedsføringsloven), §15, enforced by the Consumer Authority (Forbrukertilsynet). The structure will feel familiar — with one exception that is actually broader than its Danish sibling.
The main rule
§15 prohibits marketing by electronic methods that allow individual communication — email, SMS and similar — to natural persons without prior consent. Same GDPR-grade consent standard: voluntary, specific, informed, documented.
The exception that actually covers SMS
Unlike the Danish rule, §15's exception for existing customer relationships speaks of electronic messages generally: where a customer relationship exists, you may market your own goods or services corresponding to those the relationship is based on, using contact details received in that relationship. Practically, that means SMS to your existing customers about genuinely similar products can rest on the exception in Norway — under real conditions:
- an actual, live customer relationship (a single purchase years ago is thin ice);
- your own products, corresponding to what the customer bought;
- easy, immediate opt-out honoured in every message;
- and the moment someone opts out, the basis is gone for good.
Forbrukertilsynet's guidance draws the lines narrowly — "corresponding products" means what it says, not your whole catalogue. If your campaign needs a paragraph of argument to fit the exception, it doesn't fit. Collect consent instead.
Practical layer
- Alphanumeric senders (max 11 characters) work in Norway without pre-registration.
- STOP/STOPP must work instantly — WeZend intercepts the keywords and writes the suppression before anything reaches your inbox.
- Quiet hours: Norway's statutory telemarketing time limits target calls, not SMS — but the complaint logic is universal. Configure quiet hours anyway.
- Documentation: whether you rely on consent or the exception, keep the paper trail — signup records for the former, relationship + product-correspondence assessment for the latter.
The Norwegian checklist
- Consent by default; the customer-relationship exception used deliberately, narrowly, and documented.
- "Corresponding products" interpreted honestly — when in doubt, it's out.
- STOPP instant, sender identified, suppression permanent.
- Consent and opt-out history exportable per contact — the platform keeps it automatically.