Truck and Bus Drivers in Sweden: Work Permit (2026)

On this page · 11 sections

Which permit?
Collective agreements
Driving licence: the one-year rule
YKB: professional competence
Foreign hauliers and posting
Common reasons for refusal or delay
Employer checks
Document checklist
Frequently Asked Questions
How Settio helps employers and agencies
Sources

Truck and bus drivers from outside the EU can get a Swedish work permit with a salary of at least SEK 34,470 a month. The harder part is the driving rights: most licences from outside the EEA stop being valid in Sweden once the holder has been a registered resident for more than one year, and professional drivers also need a yrkeskompetensbevis (YKB, the certificate of professional competence).

Plan the licence and YKB before the permit, or the driver may hold a valid permit but be unable to drive.

Which permit?

Usually a standard work permit. The EU Blue Card needs a highly qualified job and at least SEK 53,625 a month. Truck drivers (SSYK 8332) and bus and tram drivers (SSYK 8331) are not on the exemption list in the Aliens Ordinance, so the 90% floor applies: SEK 34,470 a month. Drivers of agricultural and forestry machinery are exempt and need 75% (SEK 28,725), but that does not cover road haulage. Check a salary with the salary threshold tool.

Collective agreements

Truck drivers: the Transportavtalet between Biltrafikens Arbetsgivareförbund (part of Transportföretagen) and Svenska Transportarbetareförbundet (the Transport union). The current two-year agreement was signed in April 2025.
Bus drivers: the Bussbranschavtalet between Sveriges Bussföretag and Kommunal, running from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2027.

The employer gives the relevant union the opportunity to comment on the terms of employment. As a safe default, rely on the fixed monthly salary, not on supplements, to reach the floor. More in collective agreements explained.

Driving licence: the one-year rule

According to Transportstyrelsen (the Swedish Transport Agency), a driving licence from outside the EEA is valid in Sweden only while:

it is valid in the country that issued it,
it has not been exchanged for a Swedish licence, and
the holder has not been registered as resident in Sweden for more than one year (this limit does not apply to licences from the UK or the Faroe Islands).

Only licences from the UK, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan can, under certain conditions, be exchanged for a Swedish one, generally within one year of first registering in Sweden. Holders of other non-EEA licences need a Swedish driving licence to keep driving after the first year of folkbokföring (population registration). See folkbokföring after arrival.

Transportstyrelsen can grant an exemption to keep driving on the foreign licence for longer, for example for a time-limited job, if it poses no risk to road safety. It says it cannot guarantee an exemption even with a work permit. Do not build a staffing plan on it.

The practical plan for most employers: the driver starts on the foreign licence and gets a Swedish licence for the needed categories before the one-year mark. Check the steps and current requirements with Transportstyrelsen early.

YKB: professional competence

The Swedish law on professional driver competence covers drivers of goods or passenger transport in vehicles that need a C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D or DE licence. It applies to EEA citizens and to other citizens employed or engaged by a company established in the EEA.

Basic training: 140 hours for a driver who has reached the licence age for the category, ending with a written test. A 280-hour course can in some cases give access to a higher category at a lower age.
Who can train in Sweden: a driver who is not an EEA citizen can take the basic training in Sweden if employed or engaged by a company established in Sweden, or if a Swedish work permit or permanent residence permit has been issued.
Validity: five years, then 35 hours of further training (fortbildning). From 1 September 2026, up to 12 of those hours can be distance learning.
Fee: SEK 275 for the certificate itself, which also needs a valid driving licence for the vehicle category.

Whether any existing qualification from abroad is accepted is a detail to confirm with Transportstyrelsen before the start date. Budget the training cost and the weeks it takes.

Foreign hauliers and posting

If a foreign transport company posts drivers to Sweden, for example on cabotage, EU employers report the posting through the European Commission's IMI portal, and employers outside the EU report it to Arbetsmiljöverket by email. This guide is about drivers employed by Swedish companies.

Common reasons for refusal or delay

Salary below SEK 34,470, often because the base rate is set at the agreement minimum and supplements are expected to make up the rest.
Hourly or trip-based pay without a guaranteed monthly salary.
No plan for the licence and YKB. The permit is granted but the driver cannot legally drive, so the job cannot be done as described.
Staffing set-ups. Drivers employed by a staffing company (SNI 782) face the higher requirements: the employer must be able to prove it can pay the salary for at least three months.
Missing insurances or advertisement.

Employer checks

The employer must notify Skatteverket of the non-EU hire, keep a copy of the permit until 12 months after employment ends, and tell Migrationsverket if the driver has not started within four months. See employer obligations.

Document checklist

Passport copy
Offer of employment with SSYK code and fixed monthly salary of at least SEK 34,470
Union opinion (Transport for truck drivers, Kommunal for bus drivers)
The ten-day advertisement
Proof of insurances
Copy of the foreign driving licence with the needed categories
A plan and budget for the Swedish licence and YKB training
Comprehensive health insurance if the employee will stay a year or less

Also see hiring non-EU employees step by step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a truck driver from outside the EU drive in Sweden on their own licence?

Yes, while the licence is valid where it was issued. Once they have been registered as resident in Sweden for more than one year, a licence from outside the EEA is no longer valid, unless it is from the UK or the Faroe Islands, or Transportstyrelsen has granted an exemption.

Do foreign truck drivers need a Swedish YKB?

Drivers of goods or passenger transport in heavy trucks and buses need a certificate of professional competence. A driver from outside the EEA who works for a company established in Sweden can take the Swedish basic training, 140 hours for most adult drivers, and the written test. Ask Transportstyrelsen whether any existing qualification is accepted.

What salary does a truck driver need for a Swedish work permit?

At least SEK 34,470 a month, which is 90% of the median for applications from 16 June 2026. Truck and bus drivers are not exempt. The terms must also be at least on par with the collective agreement for the role or what is customary.

Can a driver's licence from India or the Philippines be exchanged in Sweden?

No. Only licences from the UK, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan can be exchanged. Holders of other non-EEA licences need a Swedish driving licence to keep driving after one year of registered residence.

How Settio helps employers and agencies

Settio helps employers and immigration agencies run every work permit and relocation case in one place, from the first step to the renewal:

Before the move: a plan for every hire, with each step, owner and deadline counted back from the start date, and documents that check themselves as they come in.
After arrival: the employee portal shows the new hire their next steps on their phone, in their language, with no account or password.
For the renewal: permit and salary monitoring tracks every expiry date and flags the extension in good time.

Your first hire is free, and agencies can try a real case for free. See plans and start.

Sources

17 official sources

More in our guide toImmigration to Sweden

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Truck and Bus Drivers in Sweden: Work Permit, Licence and YKB Rules (2026)