International: Sweden

At a glanceRequirements at a glance

EU Community Licence

Yes

Required for road moves between EU and EEA countries, for the company operating the trucks. A Community Licence lets the operator carry out an unlimited number of road transports between EU and EEA countries, and, under conditions, cabotage (domestic moves inside another member state) and combined transport. Transportstyrelsen issues Swedish Community Licences, valid for 10 years. A Swedish haulage licence (yrkestrafiktillstånd) is a precondition for applying.

Permits for Countries Outside the EU and EEA

Required where applicable. For road moves to or through countries outside the EU and EEA, the operator needs a permit that country accepts:

• Bilateral permits: Sweden exchanges permits annually with countries it has road transport agreements with. Each permit covers one round trip to or from that country, including transit through it.
• CEMT permits: multilateral permits under the European Conference of Ministers of Transport system, now run by the International Transport Forum (ITF). A standard CEMT permit covers unlimited journeys among participating countries for a calendar year and is issued only for Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles. Transportstyrelsen also issues a CEMT removals permit (flyttgodstillstånd), which has no Euro-class requirement.
• Countries with no agreement: Swedish operators must contact that country’s embassy or permit authority.

Driver Attestation for Non-EEA Drivers

Required where applicable. A driver who is not an EEA citizen but is employed by an EU-established operator needs a driver attestation (förartillstånd) in addition to the Community Licence.

Cabotage Limits

Apply to foreign operators in Sweden and Swedish operators abroad. Under EU rules as applied by Transportstyrelsen, a foreign EU operator may carry out up to three cabotage operations in Sweden within seven days after delivering an incoming international load, followed by a four-day pause before cabotage with the same vehicle in Sweden again. Breaches carry administrative penalties (sanktionsavgift).

Liability Terms for International Moves

Set by contract. The CMR Convention, which governs liability for most international road freight, does not apply to furniture removals. The Bohag 2010 standard terms cover domestic moves only. Customers should therefore check the liability limits, claims deadlines, and valuables terms in the mover’s international contract before signing.

Freight Forwarding or Multimodal Registration

None found. Available sources do not indicate a separate Swedish licence or registration for freight forwarders or multimodal transport operators.

Insurance

Vehicles used on international moves must carry the domestic traffic insurance described on the Sweden page. The sources checked for this page do not establish a Swedish rule requiring movers to hold cargo insurance for customers’ goods, so customers should ask what protection, if any, is offered.

OverviewOverview & Scope

A household goods mover operating only within Sweden needs the haulage licence and other domestic requirements on the Sweden page. International moves add a permit layer for the company that drives the trucks across borders. Within the EU and EEA (which includes Norway, Sweden’s largest land neighbor), that is the EU Community Licence, issued by Transportstyrelsen to operators that already hold a Swedish haulage licence. Road moves to or through countries outside the EU and EEA need a bilateral, CEMT, or special permit, depending on the country. Sweden offers a CEMT permit specifically for removals. Like the domestic licence, these permits attach to the company operating the vehicles. Where a mover subcontracts the road leg, or ships by sea or air, the carrier’s own licences and permits cover the transport it performs, and the mover uses carriers that hold them. No separate Swedish registration for freight forwarders or multimodal operators was found.

RegistrationRegistration & Compliance Essentials

Movers that carry goods across borders by road in their own vehicles must:

1. Hold a Swedish haulage licence (see the Sweden page) as the basis for any international road permit.
2. Obtain an EU Community Licence from Transportstyrelsen for moves between EU and EEA countries.
3. For road moves to or through countries outside the EU and EEA, obtain the bilateral, CEMT (including CEMT removals), or special permit the route requires.
4. Obtain driver attestations for any non-EEA drivers employed on international road moves.
5. Observe cabotage limits when performing domestic moves inside another country.

Movers that subcontract the road leg, or ship by sea or air, must:

6. Use carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they perform.

ChecklistCompliance checklist

Company licensing

• EU Community Licence heldWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles on road moves between EU and EEA countries)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Bilateral, CEMT (including CEMT removals), or special permit held for the routeWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles on road moves to or through countries outside the EU and EEA)Verified by DocumentRequired

Subcontracted transport

• Where transport is subcontracted, the mover uses carriers that hold the licences required for the transport they performWhere applicableVerified by AffirmationRequired

Vehicles and drivers (where the mover operates its own vehicles)

• Driver attestation (förartillstånd) held for each non-EEA driverWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles with non-EEA drivers on international moves)Verified by DocumentRequired
• Cabotage limits observedWhere applicable (mover operates its own vehicles on domestic moves inside another country)Verified by AffirmationRequired