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MEMBERSHIP EXCLUSIVES

NEW LAWS: What changes about life in Sweden in March 2021

A couple of law changes and other things that are worth being aware of – here's what changes in Sweden this month.

NEW LAWS: What changes about life in Sweden in March 2021
Everyone in Stockholm is urged to wear face masks at all times in public transport. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

Table for one or four? New coronavirus rules in Sweden

New coronavirus measures begin in Sweden on March 1st, affecting how customers use restaurants and cafés.

Under the new rules put forward by the Public Health Agency last week, only one person should be served in restaurants and cafés that do not have their own entrances. This means that you should eat alone at restaurants located in, for example, shopping centres and larger department stores, where the entrances are shared within another space. The rule doesn’t apply to children or people in need of support. This ties in with a Public Health Agency guideline, which states that people should go shopping alone.

All restaurants and cafés in Sweden will also have to close at 8.30pm and may not open until 5am the next morning (the maximum limit of four people per group still applies for these restaurants). Takeaway will be allowed at these venues after 8.30pm.

You can read more about the new measures HERE.

Norway allows Sweden and Finland’s commuters back to work

Day commuters from Sweden and Finland are now, as of March 1st, able to travel to work in Norway again, as long as they take a Covid-19 test every seven days.

After Norway tightened its entry regulations on January 29th, almost all workers from Sweden and Finland who commute daily to Norway have been prevented from going to work, with the exception of health workers and people transporting goods.

This has had significant consequences on a group of around 3,000 people who have been unable to work. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) now believes that a weekly coronavirus test is sufficient to reduce the risk of infection for this group.


Swedish military on the Norway-Sweden border in February 2021. Photo: Tommy Pedersen/TT

Swedish government to get extended pandemic powers

The Swedish government is working on new regulations that would give it extended power to close down certain venues under the country’s temporary Pandemic Law.

This includes the possibility to close down more businesses, such as all retail venues (though there would be exceptions for essential businesses like supermarkets and pharmacies), hairdressers, gyms, restaurants and venues for private events.

These powers are meant to come into force on March 11th, but this doesn’t mean these places will automatically close on March 11th, just that the government would be able to implement the measure from that date – if the coronavirus situation deteriorates further.

Tougher penalties for break-ins

Anyone found guilty of theft through breaking into someone’s house should be sent to jail for at least one year, and no more than six years, according to a new criminal offence in Sweden. It means that the minimum punishment will be tougher than for aggravated theft (six months), to take into account the violation of the victim’s integrity.

This comes into force on March 1st.

Prosecutors could ban individuals from certain shops

A prosecutor should be able to ban a person from visiting a certain shop, if there is a risk that they would commit a crime there, for example theft, vandalism or harassing the staff. A decision would be made at the store’s request, and can be tried in court.

Anyone who breaks such a ban could be sentenced to fines or jail for a maximum of six months. The new law comes into force on March 1st, and parliament has also urged the government to put forward a similar proposal for swimming pools and libraries.

Turn your clocks forward for summer time

Sweden will turn its clocks one hour forward at 2am on March 28th, but it could be one of the last times this happens.

The European Parliament last year voted to end the traditional changing of the clocks in spring and autumn from 2021, as The Local reported at the time. However, it should be noted that we have reported several times now that it may be one of the last times, so don’t hold your breath – in the end is up to the European Council, made up of the leaders of member states, to have the final say and it has not yet made a decision. The Swedish government has said it is not against ending the practice if there is broad support in the country or parliament.

In a Europe-wide survey in 2018 some 80 percent of Europeans voted in favour of stopping the clock changes, with most people appearing to prefer to stay on summer time rather than winter time. A separate survey in Sweden suggested that two thirds of Swedes would be up for ditching the seasonal time changes.

Keep up-to-date with Sweden’s regional coronavirus measures

Several Swedish regions have introduced regional coronavirus measures, that are slightly tougher than the national rules and recommendations. These vary between regions, depending on how the outbreak is developing, but a common recommendation is to urge everyone to wear face masks on public transport at all times, not just rush hour. Many of these regional guidelines are set to expire in March, but they could also be extended.

Keep up-to-date with the regional recommendations via Krisinformation’s website.

Member comments

  1. Interesting report about commuters from Sweden and Finland being allowed back into Norway. Bearing in mind how far north the borders between the countries are, I wonder what the numbers of people crossing between the countries are. I would not think it was that many, but I am happy to be informed.

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN SWEDEN

Migration, meteors and Christmas: What changes in Sweden in December 2023?

December in Sweden means new inflation figures, a tightening up of family reunification laws, the Nobel Prize ceremony and Christmas, among other things. Here's everything happening in Sweden next month.

Migration, meteors and Christmas: What changes in Sweden in December 2023?

New inflation figures presented for November

On December 14th, Statistics Sweden will present the latest consumer price index – or in other words the inflation rate.

After choosing not to hike the key interest rate at its meeting last month, Sweden’s Riksbank central bank will be looking carefully at these figures to make sure inflation remains in check.

The next decision on whether to raise the key interest rate or not won’t be until February, but if inflation doesn’t clearly go down, or if it goes down less than expected over the next few months, it increases the likelihood of a further key interest rate hike in the future.

New law to tighten migration rules for family members

Sweden’s immigration requirements for some family members of foreign residents will be slightly tightened from the start of December.

From December 1st, a residence permit may be refused for a partner or spouse if either the partner in Sweden or the partner wishing to join them is under the age of 21. The current age limit is 18.

Parliament also approved a proposal to scrap a respite which means refugees and people with subsidiary needs for protection have three months before they need to meet the maintenance requirement – a requirement for foreign residents to show they are able to provide for their joining partner.

A rule that gives the Migration Agency the right to grant residence permits to children and some adults if they are subject to “particularly distressing circumstances” has also been changed. Instead, children will be covered by the tougher requirement “exceptionally distressing circumstances”, but the criteria for what counts as exceptionally distressing circumstances should be applied generously for children.

New international Pisa results presented

Results for the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) will be released on December 5th, where Sweden will see its 15-year-olds compare to students in other countries on a test of maths, reading and science.

This may not sound particularly important, but the Swedish government and authorities will be keeping a close eye on the results, and particularly bad figures for the Nordic country could spark criticism and ultimately reform of the education system.

The 2012 edition of the survey was a wake-up call for Sweden, which experienced a sharp drop in the results of 15-year-old students, pushing them below the OECD average and sparking debate about the country’s schools.

The most recent release of the Pisa ranking in 2018 showed that Swedish schools had improved on a recovery that started with the 2016 edition, with above-average scores in reading, mathematics and science. The ranking is released every four years and December’s release will focus on results measured in 2022.

Nobel Prize ceremony

The glitziest event of the year will kick off in Stockholm on December 10th, when this year’s batch of Nobel Laureates will receive their prizes in a star-studded ceremony.

December 10th is the date of the ceremony each year, chosen because it is the date on which inventor Alfred Nobel died, back in 1896.

The prizes awarded in Nobel’s honour are handed out by the Swedish king at Stockholm Concert Hall from 4.30pm, with a world-famous banquet following at the City Hall at 7pm.

The dinner is high-profile, with the 1,300-strong guest list featuring royalty, top politicians and academics plus international guests. But it’s a cause of excitement and conversation among the general population too, with around one million Swedes (that’s a tenth of the country’s entire population) expected to follow along from home by tuning in to the live broadcast on SVT.

There’s always interest in the seating plan, released a few days before, and the menu, kept secret apart from some hints dropped in press releases.

What’s not a secret, of course, is who will be winning the coveted prizes, which were awarded back in October.

Sweden’s version of the Oscars

The nominations for the Guldbagge awards, Sweden’s version of the Academy Awards in the US, are announced on December 13th, although to find out the winner you will have to wait for the award ceremony on January 15th.

Make sure you’ve fitted your winter tyres

Swedish law states that all cars must be equipped with winter tyres between December 1st and March 31st if the weather conditions require it. If your car doesn’t have them or if they are not up to scratch (a tread depth of at least three millimetres), you risk a fine of 1,200 kronor.

Winter tyres radically decrease the risk of skidding and improve a vehicle’s overall braking capacity on slippery surfaces, reducing the risk of accidents. In general, studded winter tyres are better suited for icy roads or on surfaces with hard-packed snow, while stud-free tyres work better on roads with soft snow.

If you have studded tyres you will need to get them changed back by April 15th – the last day on which they are permitted on Swedish roads (and some roads ban them all year round due to noise pollution).

Christmas festivities kick off

Finally, December in Sweden means Christmas is on the horizon. You may already have noticed the smell of saffron wafting through the streets and may even have sampled a julbord already.

The first Sunday of Advent this year is December 3rd, after which it will be socially acceptable to put up your Christmas decorations (although many people have already started).

It also signals the start of an entire month of festivities, with each Sunday between the 3rd and the 24th dedicated to cosy Christmas activities, as well as St Lucia’s Day on December 13th – celebrated, of course, with saffron-scented lussekatterhere’s a recipe.

If you’re looking for julbord suggestions for the coming month, you can check out our guides for the best buffets in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.

Herring and meatballs not really your thing? Here are 2023’s best Christmas markets in Sweden to get you in the Christmas spirit instead.

Never celebrated a Swedish Christmas before? Here’s a guide from The Local’s archives.

Christmas holidays

On the topic of Christmas, Sweden’s schools generally break up for the festive season only a few days before Christmas Eve, with schools in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö all breaking up on December 22nd, giving families just enough time to travel to see grandparents, cousins and the like before the big celebrations on December 24th.

Christmas post dates

Some deadlines for sending Christmas cards and gifts to friends, family and loved ones outside of Sweden have already been and gone, with Postnord’s Christmas cut-off point for economy letters outside the EU on November 23rd. Here are the rest of the Christmas postal deadlines.

Christmas tree flights

The Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) arranges for some of its fighter jets to fly in a Christmas tree-shaped formation across the country each December as a way of spreading festive cheer among the public.

The last flight with the current jet, SK 60, will take place over Mälardalen and Östergötland on December 18th, with further flights planned on December 11th in Blekinge and Norrbotten, December 12th in Skaraborg, as well as a helicopter flight on December 13th – the location of that flight has not yet been announced.

Polar night descends on far north of Sweden

Just before lunch on November 30th, the sun sets on Treriksröset, with it not coming up above the horizon again until January 12th. The polar night will extend south throughout early December, reaching Kiruna on December 10th.

The boundary for polar night is just above the northern Arctic Circle at 67 degrees north.

Days begin to get longer again

An especially important date for those living in the Arctic Circle (and those elsewhere in Sweden who miss the sunlight) is the 22nd of December, the shortest day of the year.

After this date, days begin to lengthen, with more sunlight per day for those areas of the country with sunlight at this time of year.

Geminid meteor shower over Sweden

The Geminid meteor shower regularly occurs over Sweden in December, with this year being no exception.

They often appear in the constellation Gemini – hence the name – but can appear almost anywhere in the night sky from early evening.

You may have already spotted them in Sweden from as early as November 19th, but they will get more intense until they peak around December 13th-14th, before disappearing around Christmas.

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