Swedish Driving Licence: Exchange, Tests and Costs (2026)

Key takeaways

A licence from an EU or EEA country stays valid in Sweden. A licence from outside the EEA stops being valid one year after you register as resident, except licences from the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands.
Only licences from the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan can be exchanged for a Swedish one. Others can't, so plan for the Swedish tests within your first year.
The steps: a learner's permit (free), the two-part risk education, the theory test and the driving test. Since 1 August 2026, supervisors and learners no longer need the introduction course to practise privately.
The theory test has 70 questions, needs 52 points and can be taken in 15 languages besides Swedish, English among them. Since 19 August 2026 a passed theory test is valid for a year.
Trafikverket charges 420 kronor for the theory test and 1,000 kronor for the driving test on weekdays in the daytime, more in the evening and at weekends.

On this page · 11 sections

Driving on a foreign licence
Which licences can be exchanged
Getting a Swedish B licence, step by step
The theory test
The driving test
What it costs
On the test day
After you pass: the probation period
Frequently Asked Questions
Moving for work? How Settio helps
Sources

The short answer: if your licence is from an EU or EEA country, you can keep driving on it. If it is from anywhere else, it stops being valid one year after you register as resident in Sweden, and only four countries' licences can be exchanged. Everyone else takes the Swedish licence the same way as a new driver: a learner's permit, the risk education, the theory test and the driving test. Two rules changed in August 2026 and make that easier.

Driving on a foreign licence

A licence from the EU or EEA

It is valid in Sweden as long as it is valid in the country that issued it and you have not exchanged it, also once you are registered here.
You may exchange it for a Swedish one if it is valid and you live permanently in Sweden, but you do not have to.
New since 1 May 2026: Transportstyrelsen may refuse to exchange an EEA licence that was itself exchanged from a licence issued outside the EEA, unless you had a valid EEA licence for at least five years before settling in Sweden, the original came from the Faroe Islands, the United Kingdom, Japan or Switzerland, or it was issued after a driving test in an EEA country.
Trafikverket does not let you take its theory or driving test if you already have a licence from another EEA country.

A licence from outside the EEA

One year: it stops being valid in Sweden one year from the day you were registered as resident (folkbokförd). Licences from the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands are the exception and stay valid.
Until then it must be valid in the country that issued it and not exchanged for a Swedish one. Some licences are valid only with a certified translation, into English, German, French, Swedish, Danish or Norwegian, and a licence with no photo is valid only together with photo ID.
Exemptions beyond the year are possible in some cases, for a stay that is limited in time and poses no risk to road safety. Transportstyrelsen says it can't grant one because test times are hard to get.

Tip: Count from your registration date The year runs from the day you were registered as resident (folkbokförd), not from the day you arrived.

Which licences can be exchanged

Of the licences issued outside the EEA, only those from the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan can be exchanged for a Swedish licence. Transportstyrelsen says licences from other countries outside the EEA can't be exchanged. To exchange one, you need a valid licence, to live permanently in Sweden, and to meet the personal and medical requirements for a Swedish licence. Permanent residence means living here at least 185 days every calendar year, under the Driving Licence Act.

Switzerland and Japan: apply within the year your licence is still valid in Sweden.
United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands: no time limit, as the licence stays valid.
How: order the form from Transportstyrelsen, send it with your original licence, pay the fee for making the card once the exchange is approved, and go to a Trafikverket office with valid ID for the photo and signature.

Getting a Swedish B licence, step by step

Learner's permit (körkortstillstånd): apply to Transportstyrelsen in its e-service. For a car you send a health declaration and a basic eye test (synintyg), done at most two months before you apply; many opticians send it in digitally. There is no fee and no lower age limit to apply. It normally takes up to four weeks, and the permit is valid for five years and can't be extended.
Practise: from 16 for a car, with a driving school or privately with a supervisor (handledare). A supervisor must be at least 24, have held a licence for at least five of the last ten years, and be approved by Transportstyrelsen for that learner. The supervisor certificate is valid for five years.
Risk education (riskutbildning), both parts: part 1 is about alcohol and drugs, tiredness and other risky behaviour; part 2 includes driving on a slippery road (halkbana). Both must be done before the tests, and they are valid until you get your licence or for at most five years.
Theory test (kunskapsprov) at Trafikverket.
Driving test (körprov) at Trafikverket, within the time your theory test is valid.
The licence: you can have it from 18.

News: Changed on 1 August 2026 The introduction course (introduktionsutbildning) is no longer required for supervisors and learners. A supervisor still applies to Transportstyrelsen to be approved.

The theory test

The format: 70 multiple-choice questions with one right answer each, 50 minutes, and you pass with 52 points or more.
Languages: besides Swedish, the B test is translated into 15 languages, chosen when you book: Albanian, Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, English, Finnish, French, Persian, Russian, Somali, Sorani, Spanish, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish and German. You can also listen to the questions in Swedish.
Help: you can apply for more time, an oral test, or, if you can't read and understand Swedish, a test with an interpreter.
Valid for a year: since 19 August 2026, a passed theory test for B is valid for one year, up from four months, and you must pass the driving test within that time.

The driving test

It is booked for 45 minutes and starts with a safety check of the car. You drive both on country roads and in town.
Only a car from Trafikverket or from a driving school may be used, not your own.
You can't book it without a learner's permit, and both parts of the risk education must be valid when you arrive.

What it costs

Fee	Weekdays, daytime	Evenings (from 18:00) and weekends
Theory test, B (Trafikverket)	420 kr	520 kr
Driving test, B (Trafikverket)	1,000 kr	1,400 kr
Photo at a test (Trafikverket)	120 kr
Issuing the licence card (Transportstyrelsen)	375 kr
Learner's permit	Free

Driving lessons and the risk education are not Trafikverket fees and are not in the table. Transportstyrelsen has proposed raising the licence card fee from 375 to 450 kronor from 1 January 2027; the decision is expected at the end of November 2026.

On the test day

ID: you must show valid ID before the test, such as a Swedish ID card or driving licence, Skatteverket's ID card, or an EU passport. A digital ID on your phone is not accepted. Check Trafikverket's list before you go.
Photo: you are photographed before the theory test.
The odds: Trafikverket says 52% of people taking a licence pass their tests at the first attempt, and 80% within three attempts.

After you pass: the probation period

A new B licence has a probation period (prövotid) of two years. If the licence is revoked during it, you must take both the theory and the driving test again, and do the risk education again first.

Deciding whether you need to drive at all? Read do you need a car in Sweden and, once you do drive, how to read Swedish parking signs.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

An EU or EEA licence stays valid. A licence from outside the EEA stops being valid one year after you are registered as resident in Sweden, except licences from the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands, which stay valid.

Can I exchange my driving licence for a Swedish one?

EU and EEA licences can be exchanged if you live permanently in Sweden. From outside the EEA, only licences from the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan can be exchanged. Swiss and Japanese licences must be exchanged within the year they are valid here.

Can I take the Swedish theory test in English?

Yes. The B theory test is available in Swedish and 15 other languages, English among them, and you choose when you book. You can also apply to take it with an interpreter.

How much does a Swedish driving licence cost?

Trafikverket charges 420 kronor for the theory test and 1,000 kronor for the driving test on weekdays in the daytime (520 and 1,400 in the evening and at weekends), and Transportstyrelsen charges 375 kronor for the card. Lessons and the risk education are extra.

Do I still need the introduction course to practise driving privately?

No. Since 1 August 2026, the introduction course (introduktionsutbildning) is no longer required for supervisors or learners. The supervisor still needs Transportstyrelsen's approval for the learner.

How long is the Swedish theory test valid?

Since 19 August 2026, a passed B theory test is valid for one year, and the driving test must be passed within that time. Before that date it was four months.

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

23 official sources

More in our guide toRelocating to Sweden

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How to Get a Swedish Driving Licence: Foreign Licences, Tests and Costs