Getting Around Sweden: Transport, Bikes and Your Licence

Many people in Sweden get around without a car: public transport and bikes. If you do drive, your licence has its own rules.

Public transport and bikes

Your region's transport service sells travel cards in its app. A bike with good lights is worth it for the dark months.

A licence from the EU/EEA

It stays valid in Sweden as long as it's valid in its home country and hasn't been exchanged for a Swedish one, even once you're registered here.

A licence from outside the EEA

• It stops being valid once you've been registered in Sweden for more than a year (licences from the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands stay valid).
• Only licences from the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan can be exchanged, under certain conditions.
• Others: plan for a Swedish licence within your first year.

Transportstyrelsen: foreign driving licences

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can I drive in Sweden with a foreign licence?

A licence from outside the EEA stops being valid once you've been registered in Sweden for more than a year, except licences from the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands. EU/EEA licences stay valid.

Moving for work? How Settio helps

Settio helps employers and immigration and relocation agencies run the whole move in one place, so the person moving can focus on settling in:

• Before the move: one plan for the permit and the move, with every step and deadline. A partner and children get their own steps in the same household.
• After arrival: the employee portal shows the newcomer their next steps on their phone, in their language, from registering after arrival to help for settling in.
• When the permit runs out: permit monitoring flags the extension in good time.

HR teams and agencies can start for free. Moving yourself? Try our free tools for life in Sweden.

Sources

1 official source

• Transportstyrelsen: foreign driving licences (in Swedish)