Using a foreign licence

The first thing you’re probably wondering is whether a driving licence from your home country is valid in Sweden.

This depends on where you got it, and how long you’ve been in Sweden.

If the licence was issued by, and is still valid in, an EEA country, you can use it in Sweden for as long as it’s valid. It doesn’t make a difference whether or for long you’ve been registered in Sweden.

You should also note that in Sweden, you can only drive if you’re over the age of 18, even if you have a valid licence from a country where the legal driving age is lower. And in order to hire a car you must be at least 20, with individual companies sometimes setting their own age limits of up to 25.

For drivers from non-EEA countries, it’s a bit more complicated. If you’re not registered in Sweden (ie, if you don’t have a person number or coordination number), then you can drive here using your foreign licence for as long as it’s valid. 

If you’re registered in Sweden, but have been for less than a year, then you can drive using a valid foreign licence until that year is up. This applies as long as you don’t also have a Swedish driver’s licence which has been revoked, and as long as the licence complies with certain regulations.

This doesn’t apply to those with licences from the UK or the Faroe Islands: these can be used in Sweden even if you’ve been registered as living in Sweden for over a year.

If your foreign licence was not designed according to the Conventions on Road Traffic of 1949 and 1968 and/or in a language other than English, German, or French, then it is only valid if you also have a certified translation into one of the foreign languages: English, Danish, French, German, Norwegian or Swedish. And if it doesn’t have a photograph, you’ll need to keep it with a photo ID.

It’s essential to have your driving licence with you whenever you’re on the road. That means the original licence, not a copy. If you’ve lost the licence, have handed it in to the Migration Agency or don’t have it with you for any other reason, you’ll have to wait until you can get a new one before you can start driving in Sweden. You’ll also need to have proof of insurance and proof of car ownership.

Once you’ve been registered in Sweden for more than one year, licences issued outside the EEA, Switzerland, and Japan are no longer valid. Make sure you keep track of the dates: if caught driving after this period, you could face a 3000 kronor fine and will be banned from applying for a Swedish licence for another two years. If you’re going to be in Sweden for a limited, fixed period of time – for example if you’re enrolled as a student – you can apply to extend the foreign licence if you can prove that you won’t be a permanent resident.

Otherwise, in order to drive legally in Sweden, you’ll need to prepare to get a Swedish licence.

Getting a Swedish licence

If you already have a valid driving licence from an EEA country, Switzerland, the UK, the Faroe Islands or Japan, and you’re a permanent resident of Sweden, you can exchange this licence for a Swedish one without taking a test. You can order the form to exchange the licence here – click on “beställ blankett”, then chose “Ansökan om utbyte av utländskt körkort” in the drop-down menu. If the application is approved, the next step is to go to a test centre to have your photo taken and provide your signature for the Swedish licence. You’ll need valid photo ID for this.

If your driving licence is from a country other than the ones listed above and you’ve been registered in Sweden longer than a year – or if you’ve never held a driver’s licence before – you’ll need to apply for a Swedish one from scratch. According to Körkortonline, the average cost for the entire process from permit to lessons to licence is 15,000 kronor. This figure includes the average costs of lessons and learning materials for beginner drivers, but even if you’ve already passed a driving test in another country, the cost for the compulsory elements comes to a total of around 4,000 kronor.

All of the forms you need as you go through the process can be found on the Transport Agency’s website, which also has answers to frequently asked questions.

1. Apply for your permit

The first step is to apply for a driving licence permit (körkortstillstånd), which you need in order to take driving lessons and, eventually, the test. You can make applications via the Transport Agency’s website (the form is here, under “Ansökan körkortstillstånd + hälso & synintyg” and only available in Swedish, so use a browser extension to translate it or ask a Swedish speaker for help) or by calling their customer services on 0771-81 81 81.

The application includes a form with your personal details and a few questions about your health, including any history of illnesses or conditions which affect balance, movement or eyesight. As well as filling in the form, you must take an eye test and fill in another form (found here) attesting to your eyesight level, which can be done at an optician or at some driving schools, costing around 200-300 kronor.

The permit is valid for five years after being issued.

2. Take your lessons

Once you have your permit, you can start driving lessons. There are plenty of driving schools across Sweden, and you can rely on these for your teaching if you want, but another option is to combine official lessons with practice with a friend or family member acting as a handledare (supervisor). This is a good way to cut down the rather high cost of lessons.

In order for someone to become a handledare, they need to meet a few requirements. They must be over 24 and have had a valid licence for at least five years, with no temporary suspensions for drink driving or any other serious traffic violations. As long as they meet the Transport Agency’s requirements, this person can be a holder of an EEA driving licence.

The form to receive permission (handledarbevis) from the Transport Agency can be found here, under “Ansökan handledarskap privat övningskörning”. It costs 170 kronor and it usually takes around a week to receive the certificate confirming permission. On top of that, there’s a special three-hour course (costing around 300 to 400 kronor, depending on the school) which the learner driver and handledare both have to take before they’re able to start. The course includes information on structuring lessons, legal obligations, and important safety risks. If the handledare has already taken this course, there’s no need to take it again if their status as handledare is still valid.

When practising, the handledare must have their certificate with then, and the learner plate (a green sign saying övningskör) must also be clearly visible.

As well as the practical side of driving, you’ll need to learn driving theory, either through official lessons or by using online resources. Sweden’s official Driving Licence Book (Körkortsboken) is available in several languages, but make sure the information you learn from is up to date, since regulations change every so often. A copy will set you back around 600 kronor, but many libraries will have one available, or you can use the information available online. The main portal is Körkortonline, which offers a free demo or packages ranging from 129 to 299 kronor.

3. Risk training

However good a driver you are, there are always some challenging situations, and driving in Sweden brings its own risks, such as the icy roads during winter.

Before you take your test, you must take a compulsory training course that covers these risks and is called riskutbildning (risk training). The first part relates to alcohol, drugs, tiredness, and how these affect driving. The second part is about speed and safety in difficult driving conditions, including a test to see if you can handle the car in icy conditions.

Driving schools will register their students with this test, but if you’re learning independently, you’ll have to apply with an instructor yourself. The overall cost depends on the school, but is around 2700 kronor.

Like the permit, once granted the risk certification is valid for five years, so you have plenty of time to complete the rest of the process.

4. Taking the test

The final hurdle! There are two components to the Swedish driving test, theory and practical, but both must be taken within two weeks of each other and it’s common to take them both on the same day (you take the practical test even if you fail the theory beforehand). The theory test costs 325 kronor and the practical part costs another 800 kronor, but these prices go up if you take the test on an evening or weekend. There’s also a cost to rent a dual control car from the school. Remember to take photo ID with you to the test, and a new photograph will also be taken at the test.

There are 65 questions in the theory test, plus an extra five ‘test questions’, divided into five categories: vehicle knowledge/manoeuvring, the environment, road safety, traffic regulations and individual circumstances. The pass mark is 52. The test takes 50 minutes (you can apply for extra time if you have a learning difficulty) and it’s possible to take it in any of 16 different languages, or with an interpreter if you do not understand any of the languages offered.

The practical part of the test lasts about 25 minutes. This is only offered in Swedish, though some examiners might translate their instructions to English if you ask, and it’s possible to bring an interpreter with you if needed. The test is judged on an overall assessment of your driving, rather than a points-based system. According to the Transport Agency, examiners are looking for you to show you can “follow the relevant traffic regulations, adapt your speed and drive with confidence, pay attention to road and weather conditions, and other traffic and road users – especially those who are most vulnerable”.

You’ll be told immediately after the test whether you’ve passed. The bad news is that around half of all applicants fail Sweden’s driving test. The good news? If you rebook it within three days and pass no more than two months later, you’ll avoid having to pay the fees a second time.

If you pass the practical test, and have previously passed the theory test, you’re immediately able to drive in Sweden. The physical licence will be sent by recorded delivery within around a week, and you must collect it in person by showing a valid ID.

If you commit a serious offence within your first two years as a qualified driver, however, you’ll have the licence revoked and have to go through all of these steps once again.