Driving in Sweden

Is it easy to drive in Sweden?

For most visitors, yes. Motorways link the big cities, and elsewhere the main roads are usually signed 80 to 100 km/h. What you need to plan for is the distances, especially if you head north, and the winter, which comes early up there.

From Stockholm to Gothenburg it is 469 km, just under five hours without breaks. Malmö to Stockholm is 614 km, about six hours, and Gothenburg to Malmö 272 km, under three hours. From Copenhagen to Stockholm over the Øresund Bridge it is 661 km, just under seven hours, and from Stockholm to Oslo 526 km, about six hours. From Stockholm up to Kiruna in Lapland it is 1,238 km, about 13 and a half hours. We calculated all these drives with Roadme on 30 September 2026 for a petrol car leaving at 09:00 on Tuesday 6 October 2026.

The calculator above prices any of these drives, including fuel, the Øresund Bridge and congestion tax when you drive into or through Stockholm or Gothenburg on a weekday.

Can I drive in Sweden with a foreign licence?

A driving licence from an EU or EEA country is valid in Sweden for as long as it is valid in the country that issued it.

A licence from another country, such as the UK or the USA, is valid in Sweden if it is valid where it was issued and has not been exchanged for a Swedish one. It stops being valid once you have been registered as a resident in Sweden for more than a year; licences from the UK and the Faroe Islands are the exception. If your licence does not follow the model of the 1949 Geneva or the 1968 Vienna road traffic convention and is not written in English, German or French, it is only valid with a certified translation into one of those languages or into Swedish, Danish or Norwegian. An International Driving Permit also counts as a translation, but you must get it in your home country: it cannot be issued in Sweden. A licence without a photo is only valid together with photo ID.

So a licence in English, such as an American one, needs no translation. For UK photocard licences, the UK government says you do not need an International Driving Permit in Sweden, but a car hire company may ask for one, so check with them.

You must be 18 to drive a car in Sweden on a foreign licence, and you must always carry your licence when you drive.

Driving your own UK car? The UK government says to take your log book (V5C) and insurance certificate, or a VE103 certificate if the car is hired or leased in the UK. You do not need a green card in the EU. If your number plate does not show the UK identifier with the Union flag, put a UK sticker on the back of the car.

Sources: Transportstyrelsen: foreign licences, Transportstyrelsen: questions on foreign licences, Driving Licence Act. Updated: 30 September 2026.

For UK drivers: GOV.UK: International Driving Permit, GOV.UK: driving abroad, GOV.UK: driving in the EU. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Border control, passport and customs

Sweden is in the EU and the Schengen area, but it has temporary checks at its internal borders until 11 November 2026, so you can be checked when you drive in from Norway, Denmark or Finland. Carry your passport (EU/EEA citizens can also use a national ID card).

If you are not an EU citizen and come for a short stay (if you are British or American, for example), you are registered in the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) when you cross the external Schengen border, for example when you land at an airport. The first time you enter, border officers photograph your face and/or scan your fingerprints, and your passport is no longer stamped. The EES has been fully in operation since 10 April 2026. The ETIAS travel authorisation is not in use yet: the EU last said, in April 2026, that it is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026 and that it will announce the start date in advance.

From Denmark, Finland or another EU country you pay no Swedish duty on alcohol and tobacco that you carry yourself for your own or your family's use. You must be 20 to bring alcohol and 18 to bring tobacco. Customs decides what counts as personal use and, among other things, looks at these amounts: 10 litres of spirits, 20 litres of fortified wine, 90 litres of wine (including 60 litres of sparkling wine) and 110 litres of beer; 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars or 1 kg of smoking tobacco. You can generally bring in food for your own use from another EU country without restriction.

Norway is in Schengen but not in the EU or the EU customs union, so Sweden's duty-free allowances apply when you drive in from Norway. If you are 20 or older, you may bring 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine, plus 4 litres of wine and 16 litres of strong beer, provided you have spent at least 20 hours outside Sweden or the tax has been paid in Norway. Anything more must be declared and taxed. Tobacco is allowed from the age of 18: 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 grams of smoking tobacco. Snus and other nicotine products are limited to SEK 3,500 in value, or SEK 5,000 if you travel by commercial ferry or air.

You can bring meat, milk, eggs and other food of animal origin from Norway for your own use on the same terms as from an EU country, but you may have to pay duty on large amounts. Fruit, vegetables and other plant-based food from Norway count as goods from outside the EU, though: fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs need a phytosanitary certificate as a rule, and some, such as potatoes, may not be brought in at all.

From England, Scotland, Wales or the USA, you cannot bring meat or dairy products into Sweden; from Northern Ireland you may bring all types of food and drink. There are a few exceptions, such as infant formula, baby food and special foods needed for medical reasons, and you may bring up to 2 kg of some other animal foods, such as honey and eggs. Fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs from outside the EU need a phytosanitary certificate as a rule; fresh pineapples, bananas, dates, durians and coconuts do not. For plant health, England, Scotland and Wales count as outside the EU.

Cash worth EUR 10,000 or more must be declared to Swedish Customs when you travel into or out of Sweden, and since 1 April 2026 that also applies to trips to and from other EU countries.

Sources: Polisen: EU/EEA citizens, Government Offices: border control, Tullverket: alcohol, Tullverket: tobacco, Tullverket: food, Jordbruksverket: food, Tullverket: cash. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Sources: EU: how the EES works, EU: ETIAS, EU: EES questions and answers, European Commission: EES and ETIAS, 28 April 2026. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Speed limits and speed cameras in Sweden

The speed limit is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 70 km/h elsewhere, unless a sign says otherwise, and most main roads are signed 80, 90 or 100 km/h. On motorways you may drive at 110 km/h, or at 120 km/h on signed stretches.

With a braked trailer or caravan you may drive no faster than 80 km/h, even where a higher limit is signed. An unbraked trailer may also do 80 km/h if it weighs no more than half the car's kerb weight and at most 750 kg; a heavier one is limited to 40 km/h, and to 30 km/h if it is heavier than the car.

There are about 2,700 fixed speed cameras along Sweden's state roads, and the police also use mobile cameras. Stretches with fixed cameras are signed, and the cameras only photograph cars that are speeding. In Sweden the fine goes to the driver, not the owner of the car.

Sources: Traffic Ordinance, Transportstyrelsen: trailers, Trafikverket: speed cameras. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Speeding fines in Sweden

How much a speeding ticket costs in Sweden depends on how far over the limit you were and whether the limit was 50 km/h or less. These are the amounts in Swedish kronor from the Swedish Prosecution Authority's catalogue of fixed fines:

* If you are well over the limit, you can lose the right to drive in Sweden for a period. In certain cases the matter goes to a prosecutor.

Running a red light costs SEK 3,000, and since 21 February 2025 driving through on amber costs SEK 2,000. The police often issue a fine on the spot, and you accept it by signing. The police may give people who live in Sweden or another Nordic country time to decide; other foreign drivers can be asked to decide on the spot. An accepted fine must be paid within 3 months, and the police give bank details for paying from abroad.

Sources: Åklagarmyndigheten: fine catalogue, Polisen: on-the-spot fines, Polisen: ordningsbot, Police regulations PMFS 2020:9, Transportstyrelsen: revoked licence. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Drink-drive limit in Sweden: 0.2‰

The drink-drive limit in Sweden is 0.2‰ in the blood, or 0.10 mg/l in the breath. Drink-driving is punishable by a fine or up to 6 months in prison. From 1.0‰ it counts as aggravated drink-driving, punishable by up to 2 years in prison.

The police can breath-test any driver, even without suspicion, for example at a routine check. If you refuse, a blood sample can be taken.

Sources: Road Traffic Offences Act, Breath Test Act. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Winter tyres and studded tyres in Sweden

From 1 December to 31 March, cars and their trailers must have winter tyres or equivalent equipment whenever there are winter road conditions, meaning snow, ice, slush or frost on the road, even on part of it. The police decide whether conditions are wintry. Tread must be at least 3 mm, and at least 5 mm on motorhomes over 3.5 t that count as passenger cars (personbil klass II). Driving without winter tyres in winter conditions costs SEK 2,000.

Since 1 December 2024, non-studded winter tyres must carry the 3PMSF symbol, a three-peaked mountain with a snowflake. The same goes for all-season tyres: they only count as winter tyres if they have the symbol, and the M+S marking alone is not enough. Studded tyres always count as winter tyres.

You can use studded tyres from 1 October to 15 April, and outside that period if there are, or will be, winter road conditions. You may not mix studded and non-studded tyres on the same car.

Sources: Transportstyrelsen: winter tyres, Transportstyrelsen: 3PMSF, Åklagarmyndigheten: fine catalogue. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Lights, warning triangle and right of way

Dipped headlights must be on at all times. Daytime running lights can replace them only in good daylight, not in the dark, at dusk or in bad weather. If your car stops on the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a road with a limit above 50 km/h, put the warning triangle at least 100 m behind it, further if you can.

Unless signs or the rules for main roads, roundabouts and exits say otherwise, you give way to traffic coming from the right. Where the limit is 50 km/h or less, slow down and stop if necessary when a bus signals to pull out from a stop. You may only use your phone in a holder or hands-free, and only if it does not affect your driving.

Sources: Traffic Ordinance, Trafikverket: if your car breaks down, Polisen: mobile phones. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Parking and the parking disc

Where a sign requires a parking disc (P-skiva), set it to the next full or half hour after you arrive: if you arrive at 10:05 or 10:25, set it to 10:30; if you arrive at 10:35, set it to 11:00. If you park before the time limit starts and stay on, set the disc to the time the limit begins. Put the disc behind the windscreen so the time can be read from outside.

Each municipality sets its own parking fines on municipal streets, so the amount depends on the town and the offence. You must pay a parking fine before you can dispute it.

Sources: Traffic Ordinance, chapter 3 § 49 a, Polisen: parking fines. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Congestion tax, bridges and ferries

In Stockholm and Gothenburg you pay congestion tax on weekdays, roughly from 06:00 to 18:29. It is free at weekends, on public holidays, on some days before holidays and in July, except the first five weekdays of July in Stockholm. Cars registered abroad pay the same as Swedish ones. There are no barriers: cameras read the number plate and the owner is billed afterwards. Bridge charges work the same way on the bridges at Motala and Sundsvall and on Skurubron near Stockholm.

For a car registered abroad, the bill comes through Epass24, which the Swedish Transport Agency uses to find the owner, send invoices and take payment. You do not have to register in advance, but you can open an Epass24 account and pay by card. If a congestion tax invoice is paid late, SEK 500 is added. For a car registered in Sweden, the tax is charged to the owner.

At the Øresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö you can pay at the toll station on the Swedish side, by card or with Danish or Swedish cash. Sweden's state road ferries are free and need no ticket, except Ekeröleden and Visingsöleden.

Sources: Transportstyrelsen: congestion tax, Transportstyrelsen: payment, Transportstyrelsen: bridge charges, Øresundsbron: toll station, Trafikverket: road ferries. Updated: 30 September 2026.

More sources: Congestion Tax Act § 8. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Low emission zones in Sweden

Low emission zones for cars only exist where a municipality has introduced one. On Hornsgatan in Stockholm a class 2 zone applies: a petrol car must meet at least Euro 5 and a diesel car Euro 6. The planned class 3 zone in central Stockholm is not in force: the county administrative board overturned it on 19 May 2026; by 21 May the City of Stockholm had appealed to the Swedish Transport Agency, which has the final say. The class 1 zones, in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö among others, only apply to lorries and buses.

In a class 2 or 3 zone you must be able to show which emission standard your car meets, unless this is recorded in the Swedish vehicle register. For a car registered abroad this may not be the case, so it is safest to bring documents showing its Euro class.

Sources: Transportstyrelsen: low emission zones, Stockholm: Hornsgatan, Stockholm: class 3, Traffic Ordinance, chapter 4 § 24 a. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Bringing your dog to Sweden

A dog coming from an EU country needs a microchip, an EU pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination. The microchip must be implanted before the vaccination, the dog must be at least 12 weeks old when first vaccinated, and the vaccination only becomes valid 21 days after the primary course. You must also notify Swedish Customs about the dog, online in advance or in the red channel at the border.

From the UK or the USA, the dog needs the same microchip and rabies vaccination, but instead of a pet passport it needs an EU animal health certificate stamped by an official vet. You then have 10 days to reach a travellers' point of entry in the EU, where the dog is checked and the certificate stamped; from then on it is valid for travel within the EU for 6 months, or until the rabies vaccination expires, whichever comes first. In Sweden, the Swedish Board of Agriculture names Arlanda and Landvetter airports as the entry points. If you drive in from another EU country, the dog must have been checked where it entered the EU, and you report it to Swedish Customs in the red channel at the border. You also sign a declaration (form E9.204) that the dog is yours and is not being sold or given away. No rabies antibody test is required, but the Swedish Board of Agriculture recommends one. If the papers are wrong or missing, the dog can be refused entry, quarantined at your expense or, in the worst case, put down.

Coming from Norway is simpler if the dog has an EU or Norwegian pet passport: it then needs only a microchip and the passport, no rabies vaccination, and you do not have to notify Customs. The rabies vaccination is still needed if the dog changes owner in Sweden, travels without you or is one of more than five dogs. Sweden does not require a tapeworm treatment, although the Swedish Board of Agriculture recommends one. If you are going on to Norway, you will need one: every dog must be treated by a vet 24–120 hours before it enters Norway.

Sweden does not ban any dog breeds, but it is illegal to keep or sell crosses between dogs and wild canids such as wolves and dingoes. A dog whose ears have been cropped abroad may not enter Sweden until the ears have healed. From 1 March to 20 August you must make sure your dog cannot run loose where there is wildlife.

In the car the dog must be secured so that it stays in place if you brake hard, for example in a crate, behind a dog guard or in a car harness. It must be able to stand, turn and lie down comfortably. It may be left in a parked car for no more than 3 hours. Never leave it alone in the car if the temperature inside could rise above 25 °C or fall below –5 °C.

Sources: Jordbruksverket: travel guide, Tullverket: travelling with a dog, Jordbruksverket: dog breeds, Dogs and Cats Act, Jordbruksverket: dogs in cars. Updated: 30 September 2026.

For dogs from the UK or the USA: Swedish Board of Agriculture: dogs from the UK, the USA and other listed countries, Swedish Customs: travelling with a dog, GOV.UK: taking your pet abroad. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Wildlife accidents and emergency numbers in Sweden

The emergency number in Sweden is 112 for the police, the fire service and an ambulance. For police matters that are not urgent, call 114 14 (+46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign mobile), and for health advice 1177 (+46 771 11 77 00).

If you hit a moose, deer, roe deer, wild boar, bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx, otter, mouflon or eagle, you must stop, mark the spot as soon as possible, for example with the warning triangle or reflective tape, and report it to the police on 112. Failing to report it is punishable by a fine.

Sources: SOS Alarm, Polisen: phone numbers, 1177: calling from abroad, Hunting Ordinance, Polisen: wildlife accidents. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions