Norwegian Cash Register Act and QR menus — when do you need a till?
The Norwegian Cash Register Systems Act (2015) requires that anyone bookkeeping and selling for cash must use a certified cash register system. But what about digital ordering and payment? We clarify the boundaries for Norwegian restaurants using QR menus.
What the law says
The Bookkeeping Regulation §5-3 to §5-4 states that cash sales must be registered on a certified cash register. "Cash sales" is defined broadly: cash, card, mobile payment (Vipps), gift cards — any form of payment at point-of-sale. The Norwegian Tax Directorate maintains a public list of certified systems, and using an uncertified till for cash sales is punishable.
Does the law apply to QR menus?
Yes, if the QR menu is used to accept payment. A digital menu that only displays dishes (without payment) is not a cash register system. But the moment a guest taps "Pay" and money comes in, the transaction must be registered on a certified system. This applies regardless of whether the payment method is card, Vipps or cash.
Two legal approaches
Option 1: Use the QR menu only for display and ordering, let the existing certified till handle payment. Server brings the bill with card terminal, or guest pays at the exit. Option 2: Use a POS system that is a certified till (Duell, PowerOffice Kassa, Zettle, iZettle) and integrate the QR menu against the POS via API. Flowder supports both approaches.
Flowder's approach
We are not a certified cash register system — this is a deliberate choice. Certifying a till takes 12+ months and requires continuous compliance with technical specifications. We focus on building the world's best menu, ordering and admin layer, and let you keep your existing till for the tax requirements. This gives you far faster and cheaper digitalization.
What about digitally-paid take-away and delivery?
For take-away and delivery, the regulation accepts digital payments via bank transfer / card terminal / approved payment facilitator, provided you have a documented link to bookkeeping (e.g. via Fiken/Tripletex import). Flowder automatically posts daily sales as a journal entry — giving you full traceability from Stripe transaction to voucher.
Recommendation
Discuss with your accountant whether your restaurant profile requires a certified till. Cash sales at the table = yes, certified till. Take-away/delivery only with digital payment = often fine without a certified till (ask your accountant). Either way: you can use Flowder from day 1 and continue documenting cash sales via your existing till.
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