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The guide · Sweden

Driving licence and car

Exchanging your licence, registering your car.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Driving in Sweden with my foreign licence: do I have to exchange it (EU, United Kingdom, Switzerland)?

A licence issued in an EEA country (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) stays valid in Sweden for as long as it is valid in your country, even if you register as a resident: exchange is possible but not mandatory. British and Swiss licences are among the few non-EEA licences that can be exchanged for a Swedish licence; a Swiss licence must be exchanged within the year after you register in Sweden if you want to keep driving without interruption, whereas a British licence remains exchangeable even afterwards. Exchange is done with the Transportstyrelsen (the Swedish Transport Agency) and costs 375 SEK in production fees.

Costs
Exchange: 375 SEK licence production fee (rate consulted in 2026)
Timeframes
EEA licence: no mandatory exchange; Swiss licence: application within the year after you register in Sweden in order to drive without interruption

Steps

  1. Check your licence: it must be valid in the country that issued it and must not already have been exchanged.
  2. EEA licence: you can simply keep driving. If you want to exchange it (for example when it expires), you must be a permanent resident of Sweden, that is, live there at least 185 days per calendar year because of personal and professional ties.
  3. British or Swiss licence: print or order the exchange application form (ansökan om utbyte av utländskt körkort, in Swedish) from the Transportstyrelsen. Depending on your category, also attach the hälsodeklaration (health declaration) and the grundläggande synintyg (basic eyesight certificate) for a car or a motorcycle (AM, A1, A2, A, B, BE), as well as a certificate of validity of your licence issued by the authority that issued it. For a Swiss licence, the application must arrive within the year after you are first registered in the population register.
  4. Heavy categories (C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D, DE): for a British or Swiss licence, attach the form Läkarintyg avseende högre körkortsbehörigheter eller taxiförarlegitimation (medical certificate for the higher categories); for an EEA licence, the Transportstyrelsen contacts you after your application if it needs a medical certificate or a health declaration with an eyesight certificate.
  5. Send your original licence to the Transportstyrelsen in Örebro with the application.
  6. If the application is accepted, go to a driving test office (förarprovskontor) for the photo and signature, with a valid identity document, and pay the production fee. Your old licence is sent back to the authority that issued it.

Documents

  • Original driving licence that is valid.
  • Exchange application form from the Transportstyrelsen.
  • Valid identity document for the photo appointment.
  • British or Swiss licence: certificate of validity of your licence, issued by the authority that issued it; for a car or a motorcycle, health declaration and basic eyesight certificate; for heavy categories, medical certificate.
  • EEA licence, heavy categories: medical certificate, or health declaration with eyesight certificate, if the Transportstyrelsen asks for it.
  • For non-EEA licences: you must also meet the Swedish personal and medical conditions.

Costs and timelines

  • Production fee for the Swedish licence: 375 SEK (rate consulted in 2026).
  • EEA licence: no deadline, no mandatory exchange.
  • Swiss licence: application within the year after you register in Sweden in order to drive without interruption.
  • British licence: exchange possible even after more than a year of residence.
  • Processing time: the Transportstyrelsen pages consulted give none. During the exchange, your original licence is with it: the police decide whether you can drive; the Transportstyrelsen advises carrying a copy of your foreign licence and a valid identity document.

Common pitfalls

  • Letting the year pass with a Swiss licence. Beyond a year of registration in Sweden, you can no longer drive with this licence without interruption.
  • An ordinary non-European licence. Outside the EEA, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan and the Faroe Islands, a foreign licence cannot be exchanged and generally ceases to be valid after a year of registration in Sweden: you then have to take the Swedish driving test.
  • Sending a copy. The original is what is requested, and it will not be returned to you: it goes back to the authority that issued it.
  • Forgetting the ID photo. A licence without a photo is valid only together with an identity document with a photo.
  • Studies do not count. Studying in Sweden does not change your permanent residence within the meaning of the licence.

What changes by country of origin

  • EU and EEA countries: licence valid without exchange; exchange possible if permanently resident. Since 1 May 2026, if your European licence was itself obtained by exchange for a licence from a non-EEA country, the Transportstyrelsen may refuse the exchange, unless that licence was issued after a driving test (theory and practical) in the EEA, comes from a British, Swiss, Japanese or Faroese licence, or you obtained it at least five years before moving to Sweden.
  • Switzerland: exchange possible under conditions, application within the year after registration in Sweden.
  • United Kingdom (Scotland included): exchange possible under conditions, even after more than a year of residence; licence valid beyond a year of registration.
  • Translated licences: some non-EEA licences must be accompanied by a certified translation into English, German, French, Swedish, Danish or Norwegian; this is not necessary for a licence written in English, German or French or conforming to international conventions.
Official sources (5) ›
  • Transportstyrelsen, "I have a driving licence" (foreign licences, exchange; updated on 25/03/2026)
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Apply for an exemption – non-EEA licences"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Byta ut ett körkort från ett EES-land till ett svenskt" (updated on 01/05/2026)
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Skärpta utbyteskrav för att motverka körkortsturism" (press release of 04/05/2026, rules in force on 01/05/2026)
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Körkort från länder utanför EES" (exchange of British, Swiss, Faroese and Japanese licences; updated on 21/08/2026)
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Checked on 23 October 2026

My car in Sweden: registering an imported vehicle, tax, insurance, congestion charge and winter tyres

To register in Sweden a car bought or registered abroad, you first need an ursprungskontroll (origin check, 1,240 SEK) from the Transportstyrelsen (the transport agency), then a registreringsbesiktning (registration inspection) at an approved centre, which assigns the number; you then have to activate the vehicle, insure it and pay the fordonsskatt (annual tax). Third-party insurance (trafikförsäkring) is mandatory as soon as the vehicle is on the road. On the road, remember two very Swedish rules: the automatic congestion charge (trängselskatt) in Stockholm and Göteborg, and the winter tyres that are compulsory from 1 December to 31 March in wintry conditions.

Costs
Origin check: 1,240 SEK (rate consulted in 2026); registration inspection: rate of the inspection body; congestion charge: up to 135 SEK a day in Stockholm and 60 SEK in Göteborg (2026)
Timeframes
Vehicle imported for registration: 7 days of driving on foreign plates from import; Swedish plates made and sent within 5 working days at most after the inspection

Steps

  1. Bring the vehicle into Sweden. A vehicle imported to be registered can be driven for 7 days from import, with valid foreign registration and insurance. If you live in Sweden for most of the year (at least 185 days per calendar year), your car must be registered in Sweden: on foreign plates, you can drive it only for a week after it enters Sweden. After that, you need a temporary registration (tillfällig registrering, 3 months, not extendable), except to go to the registration inspection.
  2. For a new car bought in another EU country, VAT may have to be paid in Sweden before the application (Transportstyrelsen, section "Pay value added tax"); outside the EU, customs clearance may be needed first.
  3. Apply for the origin check once the vehicle is in Sweden: through the online service, or by registered letter with the originals. The future owner registered in Sweden makes the application; if the vehicle changes owner before registration, you have to start again. The decision is valid for 5 years.
  4. Book the registreringsbesiktning at an approved inspection body, with the case number. You can drive without plates to the inspection and back if you have the favourable decision, an appointment and at least one day of insurance.
  5. The inspection centre registers the vehicle (number assigned, not chosen). The plates are ordered when the inspection is approved: allow up to 5 working days for their production and dispatch. The registration certificate and the plates go to your registered Swedish address; they are never sent abroad.
  6. Activate the registration (online service or written application with the registration certificate) with valid insurance, then pay the road tax on receipt of the notice.
  7. Relocation: if you lived abroad for at least a year and owned and used the car for at least a year, it may fall into the "household goods" category (flyttgods), which exempts it from certain technical requirements. Most cars coming from the EU do not need it.

Documents

  • Original foreign registration certificate (vehicle registration document).
  • European certificate of conformity (COC) or the manufacturer's certificate, depending on the vehicle.
  • Proof of purchase and proof of payment of VAT or of customs clearance if necessary.
  • Insurance certificate.
  • Address in Sweden (registration in the population register) to receive the plates and the registration certificate.

Costs and timelines

  • Origin check: 1,240 SEK, paid in advance (neither cash nor cheque); processing time not stated.
  • Registration inspection: the price is set by the approved inspection body you choose: ask for its rate before booking.
  • Road tax (fordonsskatt): generally paid a year in advance; in three instalments if it exceeds 3,600 SEK; the month of payment depends on the last digit of the plate. Amount for your car: the Transportstyrelsen's online service.
  • Malus: for petrol, diesel and ethanol cars (E85, only if taxable for the first time from 1 February 2025) from 2018 or later, taxable for the first time since 1 July 2018 "in Sweden or abroad", for 3 years from that date: 360 SEK a year as a base, plus a CO2 tax that depends on the date of first taxation. From 1 June 2022: 107 SEK per gram of CO2 between 75 and 125 g/km, 132 SEK above. From 1 April 2021 to 31 May 2022: 107 SEK per gram between 90 and 130 g/km, 132 SEK above. Before 1 April 2021 (and since 1 July 2018): 82 SEK per gram between 95 and 140 g/km, 107 SEK above. Diesel: 250 SEK a year as an environmental supplement; diesel and ethanol: fuel supplement (CO2 in g/km × 13.52). For a hybrid, the calculation follows the fuel of the combustion engine.
  • Bonus: abolished, it can no longer be claimed. It applied to low-emission cars first put into service between 1 July 2018 and 31 March 2024; for a later first registration, only if the car had been ordered by 8 November 2022 at the latest.
  • Stockholm congestion charge (2026): from 11 to 45 SEK per passage depending on the time and the season (from 6:00 to 18:29), at most 135 SEK a day in high season and 105 SEK in low season; also on the Essingeleden. No charge on public holidays, certain days before holidays and in July (except the first five working days).
  • Göteborg congestion charge (2026): from 9 to 22 SEK per passage, at most 60 SEK a day; several passages within 60 minutes count only once; no charge on public holidays, the days before them and in July.
  • Paying the charge: monthly invoice; a 500 SEK surcharge if late. Foreign-registered cars pay too, through EPASS24.
  • Winter tyres: compulsory from 1 December to 31 March when conditions are wintry (the police judge), with at least 3 mm of tread depth; studded tyres allowed from 1 October to 15 April. These rules also apply to foreign cars.

Common pitfalls

  • Driving without insurance. The vehicle is automatically reported to the motor insurers' association (Trafikförsäkringsföreningen) and you pay a charge that is "much higher" than a normal premium.
  • Changing owner along the way. The origin check is tied to the applicant: a sale before registration means making the application again.
  • Ignoring the malus on an imported used car. A car from 2018 or later may still be within its 3 years of malus.
  • Forgetting the congestion charge. There is no barrier: cameras record the plate, and the invoice arrives afterwards. Paying late costs 500 SEK more.
  • Summer tyres in December. In wintry conditions, they are prohibited, even on a foreign car passing through.

What changes by country of origin

  • Car from the EU: if it was permanently registered in another EU country and it is a series-production model, the registration certificate is generally enough to prove technical conformity (except for right-hand drive, a British speedometer or a small series).
  • Car from the United Kingdom (Scotland included) or Switzerland: outside the EU: customs clearance possible, and a right-hand-drive car or one with a miles speedometer does not benefit from the simplified procedure.
  • Regions: the congestion charge applies only to Stockholm and Göteborg.
Official sources (13) ›
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Vehicle import and verification of origin"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Import categories" (relocation)
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Frågor och svar om ursprungskontroll"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Vehicle tax"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Malus"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Bonus"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Compulsory road traffic insurance"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Hours and amounts in Stockholm" (trängselskatt)
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Hours and amounts in Gothenburg" (trängselskatt)
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Paying and notification of congestion tax"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Winter tyres"
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Tillfällig registrering" (185-day rule, one week on foreign plates; updated on 17/04/2026)
  • Transportstyrelsen, "Tillfällig registrering vid import" (3 months, updated on 19/09/2025)

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

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