Europe

No restrictions in this travel advice

Avoid all but essential travel to part(s) of country

Avoid all but essential travel to whole country

Avoid all travel to part(s) of country

Avoid all travel to whole country

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

• There is a general threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• Over 600,000 British nationals visited Sweden in 2010 (Source: SCB, Statistics Sweden). Most visits to Sweden are trouble-free. See General - Consular Assistance Statistics. If you need to contact the emergency services in Sweden call 112.
  
  
• You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. See General - Insurance.
  

Safety and Security - Terrorism

There is a general threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. For more general information see our Terrorism Abroad page.

On 11 December 2010, two bombs were detonated in a busy shopping area of central Stockholm. The first device consisted of gas canisters in a car and injured two passers-by. The second was a suicide device, which killed the bomber.

Safety and Security - Crime

Sweden is generally a low crime country to visit althoughpetty crime occurs. Pick pocketing can be a problem in the summer months in the major cities when tourists are targeted for their passports and cash. See our Victims of Crime Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Winter Travel

Sweden deals with its harsh weather very well, but delayed trains and flights are difficult to avoid during severe weather conditions. Snow and ice on the roads cause accidents daily. You should consider starting your journey early rather than rushing to your destination.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Road Travel

If you are travelling by car you should note that driving conditions during the winter months of November to March can be extremely treacherous due to snow and ice.

From 1 December - 31 March (irrespective of weather conditions) Swedish registered cars are required by law to have either studded tyres or un-studded friction tyres bearing the following mark, M+S, M-s, M.S, M&S, MS or Mud and Snow.

Although foreign registered cars are exempt from this requirement, it would still be advisable to have winter tyres fitted.

In 2010 there were 266 road deaths in Sweden (source: DfT). This equates to 2.8 road deaths per 100,000 of population and compares to the UK average of 3.1 road deaths per 100,000 of population in 2010.

See our Driving Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Rail Travel

For rail travel see www.sj.se/sj/jsp/polopoly.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Air Travel

The revised EU-wide security measures that came into effect for all passengers departing from UK airports in November 2006 are also being implemented in Sweden. For more details about this see Airline Security.

Safety and Security - Political Situation

Sweden Country Profile

Importation of illegal drugs, including khat, is heavily punished.

See our Your Trip page.

Entry Requirements - Passport validity

You must hold a valid passport to enter Sweden. For stays of up to three months your passport must be valid for the proposed duration of your stay; you do not need any additional period of validity on your passport beyond this. However, it is always sensible to have a short period of extra validity on your passport in case of any unforeseen delays to your departure. You do not have to wait until your old passport expires to apply to renew it. Any time left on your old passport when you apply will be added to your new passport, up to a maximum of nine months. For passport applications in the UK, you should apply to the Identity and Passport Service. For stays of longer than three months, contact the Embassy of the country to which you are travelling.

Entry Requirements - Visas

Visas are not required to enter Sweden. As a British passport holder you can stay as a visitor for up to three months. If you intend to stay for a longer period you should contact a Migration Board office.

Entry Requirements - Travelling with children

If you are travelling with children other than your own you should be in possession of a letter of consent from the child’s parent/guardian.

Health care facilities in Sweden are generally very good. Pharmacies are not generally open outside normal working hours, which means they are closed on Sundays and observe limited hours on Saturdays. Emergency prescriptions can be obtained at hospitals. If you are visiting remote areas consider the relative inaccessibility of the emergency services. The telephone number for emergencies in Sweden is 112.

You should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before leaving the UK. The EHIC is not a substitute for medical and travel insurance, but entitles you to emergency medical treatment on the same terms as Swedish nationals. It also does not cover you for medical repatriation, on-going medical treatment or treatment of a non-urgent nature. See our EHIC page.

Tick-borne encephalitis is common to Sweden, especially in the summer months around coastal areas, especially the Stockholm Archipelago.  

In the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 8,100 adults aged 15 or over in Sweden were living with HIV; the prevalence percentage was estimated at around 0.1% of the adult population compared to the prevalence percentage in adults in the UK of around 0.2%. Exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see our HIV and AIDS page.

Seek medical advice before travelling to Sweden and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the NaTHNaC and NHS Scotland’s Fit for Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

See our Travel Health page.

General - Insurance

You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. See our Travel Insurance page.

If things do go wrong when you are overseas then see our When Things Go Wrong page.

General - Registration

Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.

General - Extreme weather conditions

Sweden, and in particular the north of the country, does get affected by severe cold weather during the winter months. Temperatures can be extremely low, and if you visit in winter be prepared for these harsh conditions.

General - Replacing your passport

If you lose your passport in Sweden, you should contact the British Embassy in Stockholm.

General - Money

The currency for Sweden is Swedish Krona and not the Euro.

Legislation on the controls of cash entering or leaving the EU applies in all Member States. Any person entering or leaving the EU will have to declare the cash that they are carrying if this amounts to 10,000 Euros or more; this includes cheques, travellers' cheques, money orders, etc. This will not apply to anyone travelling viathe EU to a non-EU country, as long as the original journey started outside of the EU nor to those travelling within the EU.

General - Employment

You should check carefully the bona fides of anyone offering employment opportunities involving asphalting or seasonal work, and should contact the British Embassy in Stockholm for further advice.


General Consular Assistance Statistics

Over 600,000 British nationals visited Sweden in 2010 (Source: SCB, Statistics Sweden). Most visits to Sweden are trouble-free. 167 British nationals required consular assistance in Sweden in the period 01 April 2010 - 31 March 2011 for the following types of incident: 59 deaths; 6 hospitalisations; and 85 arrests, for a variety of offences.