When a Creator Works Under a Stage Name: What Changes for the Contract and the Invoice

A stage name doesn't change the identity behind the business

Plenty of creators appear publicly under something other than their own name — a handle, a brand name, a genuine stage name. There's nothing wrong with that on its own. What a stage name doesn't do is change anything legally: the CVR number stays the same, the legal entity behind the business stays the same (you, personally, if you run a sole proprietorship), and the name the business is actually registered under at Erhvervsstyrelsen doesn't change just because you go by something else on Instagram. The contract and the invoice both ultimately need to trace back to the CVR-registered identity — not just to the name your followers know you by.

Can a sole proprietorship even be registered under a stage name?

Yes — it's a common misconception that a Danish sole proprietorship's (enkeltmandsvirksomhed) registered name has to be the owner's own personal name. Denmark's Lov om visse erhvervsdrivende virksomheder (commonly called the LEV-loven, also referred to as the erhvervsvirksomhedsloven), § 6, sets no such requirement. What the law actually requires is that the name is clearly distinguishable from other registered businesses' names, that it isn't liable to mislead about what the business does, and that it doesn't use another party's family name, company name or business name without the right to. As long as the stage name is available and not misleading, you can in principle register the business itself under it on virk.dk, instead of under your private name.

Binavn: what a sole proprietorship can't do, but an ApS can

Here's the practical detail most creators never hear about until it's already a problem: a personally owned business cannot register a secondary trade name (binavn), per Erhvervsstyrelsen's own guidance on Virksomhedsguiden, its official business portal. A binavn is an extra name alongside a business's one primary, registered name — typically used when a business wants to trade under more than one name or brand without setting up an entirely separate business for each. That option exists only for companies such as an ApS or A/S, which, per the same source, can register up to five binavne for free, after which additional ones typically cost around DKK 1,000 each, per several Danish accounting firms' own published price lists.

The consequence for a creator running a sole proprietorship: you get exactly one registered business name — not one "official" name and one "stage" name running alongside it. If the business is already registered under your private name, and you now want to invoice and contract under the stage name instead, the formal route isn't to "add" the stage name — that option simply doesn't exist for a sole proprietorship. You either have to change the registered name itself at Erhvervsstyrelsen to the stage name, or accept that the registered name and the name you perform under are two different things that the contract and the invoice both need to connect.

What should the contract say when a creator works under a stage name?

What to put in an influencer contract already covers the parties' legal name (and CVR for a business) as one of the 12 points a contract should explicitly settle. With a stage name in the picture, that point becomes more important, not less: the contract should name both the stage name — the one the brand and the public know the creator by — and the CVR-registered name and number, which is the actual legal party to the agreement. Danish contract law fundamentally rests on the parties being identifiable — a persona alone isn't a legal entity that can enter agreements, be sued or be held liable. If the stage name is the only thing the contract names, with no link at all to the CVR number, real doubt arises about who is actually bound by the agreement if something goes wrong later.

What does the invoice need to show?

The requirements for a full VAT invoice follow from § 58(1) of Denmark's momsbekendtgørelse (VAT executive order), set out in Skattestyrelsen's own legal guide (section A.B.3.3.1.4). A full invoice must include, among other things:

• Invoice date
• A sequential invoice number
• The seller's CVR or SE number
• The seller's name and address
• The buyer's name and address
• The quantity and nature of the service delivered
• The unit price, excluding VAT
• The VAT rate
• The VAT amount, stated separately — not just as a share of the total

The seller's "name" here means the CVR-registered name — not necessarily whatever name the creator performs under on social media. A stage name can sit on the invoice perfectly well as a descriptive reference (in the subject line or the service description, for example), but it doesn't replace the requirement that the registered name and the CVR number also appear. How to pay international influencers sets out an equivalent requirement for cross-border collaborations — the same underlying principle, that the invoice has to identify the actual legal seller, applies whether the collaboration is domestic or international.

For the brand receiving the invoice, there's an extra reason to insist on the CVR-registered name: § 9 of Denmark's Bookkeeping Act (bogføringsloven) requires that every entry in the brand's own accounts be documented by a bilag (supporting document) that makes it possible to identify the audit trail — including clearly stating the transaction date and the amount. An invoice carrying only a stage name with no CVR number is a weaker piece of documentation for the brand's own bookkeeping, and can be rejected by the brand's own accountant or during a tax audit, even when the amount itself is entirely legitimate.

Decision framework

• IF your sole proprietorship is already registered under your private name, and you now want to invoice under the stage name going forward THEN either change the registered name itself at Erhvervsstyrelsen to the stage name, or make sure both the stage name and the CVR name/number appear clearly on every contract and invoice.
• IF you want the stage name and your private name to exist formally side by side — for instance because you also want to keep your private name for other purposes THEN that genuinely requires a company such as an ApS, which can register the stage name as a binavn. See ApS or Enkeltmandsvirksomhed for the full comparison of the two structures.
• IF you're unsure whether you're even required to have a CVR number and issue invoices yet THEN that's a question of your tax classification, not the name — see Employee or Self-Employed? for when you're actually a self-employed business with a CVR obligation.

Worked example (hypothetical)

The example below is made up to illustrate the point — not a real customer case.

A brand signs an agreement with a creator who performs under the stage name "Northern Lights." The contract names only "Northern Lights" as the party, and the invoice that follows, also from "Northern Lights," carries no CVR number and no private name — just the stage name and a bank account number. When the brand's accountant reviews the quarter's records, neither the accountant nor the brand's own bookkeeper can document who legally issued the invoice, and the bilag gets flagged as insufficient documentation under § 9 of the bookkeeping act. The brand has to ask the creator for a new invoice carrying a CVR number and the registered name before the amount can be booked correctly — a delay that would have been avoided had the contract named both from the start.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the stage name is automatically the business's registered name. It only is if you've actively registered it that way at Erhvervsstyrelsen.
• Assuming a sole proprietorship can have a binavn the way an ApS can. That option simply doesn't exist for a personally owned business.
• Letting the contract name only the stage name, with no link at all to the CVR number.
• Issuing or accepting an invoice with no CVR number and no registered name, because the stage name "is right there."
• Waiting to fix the name until a brand's accountant or Skattestyrelsen itself raises the question.

Make Influence's perspective

At Make Influence, we always collect both the name a creator performs under publicly and the CVR-registered name and number, however large the gap between the two is. That's not because the stage name doesn't matter — it's often the actual brand a creator has spent years building — it's because the contract and the invoice both need to stand alone as documentation, long after any given collaboration has ended. It's a question that's cheaper to settle at the start than to fix afterward.

FAQ

Can I register my stage name as my sole proprietorship's name in the CVR register?

Yes, generally — as long as the name meets § 6 of Denmark's Lov om visse erhvervsdrivende virksomheder (LEV-loven): it has to be available, not misleading, and can't use someone else's family name, company name or business name.

Can a sole proprietorship have a binavn?

No. Per Erhvervsstyrelsen's own guidance, only companies such as an ApS or A/S can register binavne — a personally owned business has exactly one registered name.

What does it cost to register a binavn?

For a company that can register binavne at all, the first five are free; additional ones typically cost around DKK 1,000 each, per several Danish accounting firms' published price lists.

Does the invoice need to show my private name if I perform under a stage name?

The invoice needs to show the CVR-registered name and CVR number. If the registered name is your private name, yes. If you've had the stage name registered as the business's primary name, that's the name that belongs there.

Is a contract invalid if it only names my stage name?

Not necessarily invalid on its own, but it creates real doubt about who the legal party is if a dispute arises. Best practice is to name both the stage name and the CVR-registered name/number.

What's the difference between a stage name and a binavn?

A stage name is simply the name you perform under publicly — it has no independent legal status. A binavn is a formal CVR registration of an additional business name, available only to companies.

Do I need to change business structure to use a stage name correctly?

Not necessarily — you can register the stage name as your sole proprietorship's one, primary name. Switching to an ApS only becomes relevant if you want the stage name and your private name to exist formally side by side as a binavn.

Does Denmark's Names Act (navneloven) apply to my stage name?

No — navneloven governs your personal first and last name as a private individual, a completely separate question from what your business is registered as at Erhvervsstyrelsen. Registering a stage name as a business name doesn't change your personal, legal name.

How does this connect to the choice between a sole proprietorship and an ApS?

The binavn option is a concrete, often-overlooked factor in that choice — see ApS or Enkeltmandsvirksomhed for the rest of the comparison on liability, capital and tax.

What if I've already been invoicing incorrectly under the stage name with no CVR number?

Fix it going forward by adding the CVR number and registered name to future invoices. For invoices already issued, talk to your accountant about whether they need to be credited and reissued so the recipient can book them correctly.