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TRAVEL NEWS

KEY POINTS: What Sweden’s travel rules mean for international arrivals

Here's a rundown of Sweden's current border restrictions, and where to find more information.

Published: 21 January 2022 15:21 CET
Updated: 28 January 2022 12:28 CET
KEY POINTS: What Sweden's travel rules mean for international arrivals
Make sure you check the entry rules for any countries you are transiting on your way to Sweden. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

Sweden’s travel rules were once again updated on January 21st, with negative test requirements scrapped for a lot of travellers and vaccine passes reintroduced as valid for travel.

When you travel from another country to Sweden, it is always the entry regulations of the country that you enter from that apply. Therefore, make sure to check the rules for entering Sweden from the last country you will enter on your way to Sweden, if you will be transiting.

Travellers from the EU/EEA and the Nordic countries:

Those entering from EU/EEA countries are not subject to Sweden’s entry ban, and are able to enter the country with a valid vaccine certificate (EU certificates, Swedish certificates, and certificates from so-called “approved countries” are accepted), a negative test carried out within 72 hours of arrival, or proof that they have recovered from Covid-19 within the last six months.

Travellers from Denmark to the Danish island of Bornholm travelling via Sweden are exempt from this requirement, as are Swedish citizens, foreign citizens who live in Sweden, and under-18s. You can find a full list of exemptions on the Swedish government’s website.

Travellers from outside the EU:

Those wishing to enter Sweden from countries outside of the EU must be covered by one of the exemptions from the entry ban to be allowed in to the country (such as residency in an exempted country or EU/EEA citizenship), as well as providing a negative test taken within 72 hours of arrival. Residency in an exempted country can be documented in a number of ways – for example, with a driving licence or ID card from the country, or a residence permit.

Travellers are also exempt from the entry ban as well as from the test requirement if they can show a vaccination certificate from an approved country.

People who are long-term residents in Sweden (long-term defined here as over one year) are exempt from any requirements to show a negative test or a vaccine pass. Several other groups are also exempt, and you can read more about that on the government’s website.

To prove residency in Sweden, you must document that you have lived or will live in Sweden for at least one year. This can be done, for example, by printing out an extract from the population register (available at Skatteverket), showing a valid residence permit, or providing a rental contract or acceptance letter from a Swedish educational facility alongside a valid study permit.

See the border police’s website for a list of exempted and approved countries (under “Exempted countries and approved countries”).

The above information was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. Please be aware that we are not a government authority and cannot issue any guarantees about whether or not you will be able to travel to Sweden. We always advise readers to also consult the official information on the Swedish border police’s website HERE and HERE before travelling.

If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact our editorial team at [email protected]. We may not be able to reply to every email, and we cannot advise on individual cases, but we read all emails and use them to inform our future coverage.

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TRAVEL NEWS

What will Europe’s EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU's Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport checks will usher in big changes for travellers - here we answer readers' questions on the position for dual nationals.

Published: 22 April 2024 17:10 CEST
What will Europe's EES passport checks mean for dual nationals?

The EU is preparing, after many delays, to introduce the EES system for travel in and out of Europe.

You can find a full explanation of how it works HERE, but in essence it is an enhanced passport check – registering biometric details such as fingerprints and facial scans and introducing an automatic calculation of how long you have stayed within the EU/Schengen zone in order to detect ‘over-stayers’.

And it’s already causing stress for travellers. We asked readers of The Local to share their questions here – and one of the biggest worries was how the system will work for dual nationals ie people who have a passport for both an EU country and a non-EU country.

EES: Your questions answered

EU passports 

One of the main purposes of EES is to detect ‘over-stayers’ – people who have either stayed in the EU longer than their visa allows or non-EU nationals who have over-stayed their allowance of 90 days in every 180.

As this does not apply to EU nationals, people travelling on an EU passport are not required to do EES pre-registration and will continue to travel in the same way once EES is introduced – going to the ‘EU passports queue’ at airports, ports and stations and having their passports scanned as normal.

Non-EU 

Non-EU travellers will, once EES is up and running, be required to complete EES pre-registration.

This means that the first time they cross an EU/Schengen zone external border they will have to go to a special zone of the airport/port/terminal and supply extra passport information including fingerprints and a facial scan.

This only needs to be done once and then lasts for three years.

Non-EU residents of the EU/Schengen zone

This does not apply to non-EU citizens who are permanent residents of an EU country or who have a long-stay visa for an EU/Schengen zone country – click HERE for full details.

Schengen zone passports/Irish passports 

EES applies within the Schengen zone, so people with Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic passports are treated in the same way as citizens of EU countries.

Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not the Schengen zone – these countries will not be using the EES system at their borders, but their citizens are still EU citizens so can continue to use EU passport gates at airports and will be treated the same as all other EU citizens (ie they don’t have to do EES pre-registration).

OK, so what if you have both an EU and a non-EU passport?

They key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any of the rules on immigration – it’s just a way of better enforcing the rules that are already in place. 

Therefore the rules for dual nationals remain as they are – for most people which passport to travel on is a matter of personal choice, although Americans should be aware that if you have a US passport and you are entering the USA, you must use your American passport. 

But it’s also important to remember that the passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’ – therefore if you present an American passport at the Italian border, you will be treated exactly the same as every other American, there is no way for the border guard to know that you are also Italian.

Likewise if you are a UK-Germany dual national and you travel back to the UK on your German passport, you can expect to be treated the same as every other German at the border, and might be asked for proof of where you are staying in UK, how long you intend to stay etc – the system has no way of knowing that you are also British. 

Therefore whether you have to complete EES pre-registration or not is entirely a matter of which passport you are travelling on – if you use your EU passport you won’t have to do it, if you use your non-EU passport you will.

It’s also possible to use two passports for the same trip – so let’s say you’re travelling from Spain to Canada – you enter Canada on your Canadian passport, and show your Canadian passport again when you leave. However, once you re-enter Spain you show your Spanish passport in order to benefit from the unlimited length of stay.

If you’re travelling between France and the UK via the Eurostar, Channel Tunnel or cross-Channel ferry, you need to remember that the Le Touquet agreement means that French passport checks take place in the UK and vice versa. You can still use both passports, but you just need to keep your wits about you and remember to hand the French one to the French border guards and the British one to British guards.

In terms of avoiding immigration formalities using two passports is the most efficient way for dual nationals to travel, but some people prefer to stick to one passport for simplicity, or don’t want to keep both passports together in case of theft.

Basically it’s a personal choice, but you just need to remember that you will be treated according to the passport that you show – which includes completing EES pre-registration if you’re showing a non-EU passport.

It’s also worth remembering that if the changes do cause border delays (and there are fears that they might especially at the UK-France border), then these will affect all travellers – regardless of their passport. 

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