Sweden won’t turn your child away for lacking a consent letter, but its border police are told to ask who has custody. A free, self-written letter answers that question in seconds. Here’s what Sweden actually says, what to write, and where the stricter rules come from.
When you need this
You need this page if a child is coming to Sweden without all of the adults who have custody of them. Typical cases:
- One parent is flying or driving to Sweden alone with the children.
- Grandparents, an aunt, a family friend or a coach is bringing a child.
- A teenager is traveling alone, for example to a sports cup or a language course.
- Separated or divorced parents who share custody are planning a holiday in Sweden.
- A school or club group is coming to Sweden.
- Your child needs a Schengen visa and won’t be traveling with both parents.
- You live in Sweden and are leaving with a child for a country with its own rules.
What Sweden actually requires
Nothing, in law. No Swedish statute and no EU rule makes a parental consent letter a condition for a child to enter Sweden. Your Europe, the EU’s official portal, says there are no EU rules on the matter, each country decides, and it lists no Swedish requirement.
What Sweden does have is a recommendation. The Swedish Police (Polisen), which runs border control, say they have no standard form for guardians’ permission. But they recommend some kind of letter from the guardians (intyg från vårdnadshavare) whenever a child travels without all of them. In their words, names and contact details are the crucial part, so border control can verify them.
| Question | Sweden’s answer | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Is a consent letter legally required? | No | Law: EU leaves it to each country; no Swedish rule |
| Is there an official Swedish form? | No | Polisen guidance |
| Is a letter recommended? | Yes, when any guardian is not traveling | Polisen guidance |
| Must it be notarized? | No | Polisen stresses contact details, not stamps |
Many template sites imply Sweden wants a notarized form. It doesn’t. Other pages say Sweden has nothing to say on the matter, which misses the police recommendation.
Why border officers ask anyway
The questions come from EU law, not from a Swedish form. The Schengen Borders Code tells border guards to pay particular attention to minors, traveling alone or accompanied. Minors face the same entry and exit checks as adults at an external Schengen border.
Where a child travels with adults, the guard must check that those adults have parental care over the child. This applies especially where a lone adult is traveling and there are serious grounds to suspect the child was taken unlawfully; the guard then investigates further. Children traveling alone get thorough document checks, so they do not leave against the wishes of whoever has parental care.
Polisen says it may ask extra questions or search databases to rule out trafficking or egenmäktighet med barn (unlawful removal of a child). It does this both when children travel alone and when they travel with adults. So the letter is not a ticket in. It’s the fastest answer to a question the officer is entitled to ask.
Two other gatekeepers can be stricter than Sweden. Airlines often require their own authorization forms and can refuse boarding under their own rules. And any country you transit or leave from may demand a document even where Sweden would not.
Who should sign
The letter should come from every parent or legal guardian (vårdnadshavare) who is not traveling. That includes separated and divorced parents who share custody. A grandparent carrying a letter from only one parent, when both share custody, is a common mistake.
Under Swedish law, two custodians decide on short trips abroad together. The parent a child lives with may decide on short trips in free time, without cutting into the other parent’s contact. A sole custodian may travel without the other parent’s approval. This matters mainly to families living in Sweden; visiting families should check their own country’s custody rules.
For a Sweden-resident parent, the stakes are real. A joint custodian who without good reason separates a child under 15 from the other custodian commits a crime, punishable by fines or up to two years in prison. Sweden is party to the 1980 Hague Convention on child abduction, and a wrongfully removed child can face a return order. See divorce and shared custody in Sweden for the full custody picture.
What to write and carry
No official template exists, so the most detailed official guidance comes from Canada’s government. Build the letter from these parts:
- The child’s full name. Adding the passport number ties the letter to the document the officer is holding.
- Each consenting guardian, with name, address and a phone number that will be answered during the travel days.
- The accompanying adult, with full contact details and their relationship to the child.
- The destination, Sweden plus any other countries on the route, and the exact travel dates.
- Signatures, ideally witnessed by a notary public.
Write it in English, which Swedish border officers and airline staff read routinely. Add a translation if a transit country uses another language. Use a fresh letter for each trip, with exact dates; an open-ended letter invites more questions. One letter can cover siblings traveling together, but a child who splits off for part of the trip needs a separate letter.
Carry these with it:
- Each child’s own travel document. Every child needs a valid passport or, for EU/EEA citizens, a national ID card. EU children can’t travel on a parent’s passport, and almost every other country now issues children their own. Validity rules are in our guide to passport rules for Sweden.
- A copy of each signer’s passport or ID, so the signature can be compared.
- Proof you’re the parent: a birth certificate naming the parents, especially if your surname differs from the child’s.
- A custody order, or a death certificate if the other parent has died.
Keep originals in hand luggage, with photos of every page on your phone. Border officials may not accept photocopies or scans, and arrival checks happen before baggage reclaim. Tell the absent parent your arrival time so they pick up an unknown number that day.
A letter has limits. Foreign authorities may decide it isn’t enough, and it can’t prevent an abduction on its own.
Special cases
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Sole custody | No approval needed under Swedish law; carry the custody order |
| Grandparents or friends | Letter from every custodian, copies of their IDs, birth certificate |
| Teenager alone | Child carries the letter plus the address and phone number of whoever meets them |
| Nordic child with a guardian | May enter without own document if the guardian proves custody, e.g. birth certificate, personbevis or the absent guardian’s written consent |
| School or club group | Responsible adult shows a group list with guardians’ approval |
| Schengen visa | Embassy may require original or notarized consent |
The Nordic route covers citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway traveling with a guardian who holds a valid document. A personbevis is an extract from the Swedish population register.
The school-group list covers Nordic and EEA citizens living in those countries. Non-EEA pupils with a residence permit in an EU state go on Migrationsverket’s form “Förteckning över deltagare i skolresor inom EU” (list of travellers for school trips within the EU), filled in by the teacher.
For visas, each Swedish embassy sets its own list of documents for minors. One embassy’s list asks for original consent from a parent not traveling, signed in person at the embassy or notarized, unless the traveling parent has sole custody. Check the Sweden visa requirements first, then your embassy’s list.
Internal borders and the airport
At airports with flights from outside Schengen, such as Stockholm Arlanda and Gothenburg Landvetter, the full minors rules apply. Non-EU children under 12 are registered in the new EES system but not fingerprinted; see EES border checks.
Within Schengen there is normally no passport check. But Sweden has reintroduced controls at its internal borders, and the decision has been prolonged before. So a ferry from Germany or a train across the Öresund Bridge can still bring a police check on arrival; our guide to getting from Copenhagen Airport to Sweden shows where the train check happens.
If you’re in Sweden and need a signature witnessed for the return or onward trip, a notarius publicus (notary public) can certify signatures and copies. In Sweden, only a notarius publicus can issue an apostille.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Consent letter | Free; no official form |
| Notary in Sweden | Fee set by each notarius publicus |
| Notarization at home | Varies by country and notary |
| Current internal border control decision | 12 May – 11 November 2026, may be prolonged |
| Fingerprints in the EES | Not taken from children under 12 |
| Unlawful removal of a child (Sweden) | Fines or up to 2 years in prison |
FAQ
Do I need a consent letter to travel to Sweden with my child?
Not by law. Sweden has no requirement and EU law leaves the matter to each country. But the Swedish Police recommend a letter from any guardian who is not traveling, with names and contact details, because border officers must check that the adult has parental care. Airlines and transit countries can be stricter, so check them before you book.
Is there an official Swedish consent form?
No. The Swedish Police say they do not provide any travel form for guardians. Write your own letter: the child’s name, each absent guardian’s name, address and phone number, the accompanying adult, the destination and the travel dates, with signatures. Some airlines have their own form, which you must use if they require it.
Does the consent letter have to be notarized for Sweden?
Sweden does not require it. The Swedish Police stress clear names and contact details, not stamps. A notary-witnessed signature is still the strongest form: Canada’s government strongly recommends it, and Swedish embassies may require notarized consent for a child’s visa application. If any airline or transit country on your route asks for notarization, get it.
Can grandparents or friends take my child to Sweden?
Yes. Give them a letter signed by every parent or guardian with custody, a copy of each signer’s passport or ID, the child’s own passport, and a birth certificate linking the child to you. Make sure at least one parent will answer the phone during the travel days, because the border officer may call to verify.
I have sole custody. Do I still need the other parent’s letter?
Under Swedish law a sole custodian may take the child abroad without the other parent’s approval; families living elsewhere should check their own country’s custody rules. A border officer cannot see your custody order, so carry a copy, or the death certificate if the other parent has died. A letter from the other parent, where possible and safe, removes any doubt.
Will police check my child’s papers when entering Sweden from Denmark or Germany?
Possibly. Those are internal Schengen borders, but Sweden has reintroduced temporary internal border controls, with the current decision running until 11 November 2026. At airports with flights from outside Schengen, full checks always apply and minors get particular attention. Carry each child’s own passport or ID card and the consent letter either way.
Does my child need a consent letter for a Swedish visa?
Often, yes. Swedish embassies set lists of documents for minors, and one embassy’s list requires original consent from a parent not traveling, signed in person or notarized, unless the parent traveling has sole custody. Proof of custody is also asked for. Check the list of the specific embassy or visa center handling your child’s application.
Related guides
- Passport rules for Sweden — make sure each child’s own document is valid long enough.
- EES border checks — what the new biometric registration means for children under and over 12.
- Sweden visa requirements — whether your child needs a Schengen visa at all.
- Divorce and shared custody in Sweden — custody, contact and trips abroad for parents living in Sweden.
- Sweden with kids — planning the trip itself once the paperwork is done.
Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: Polismyndigheten, European Commission (Your Europe), Schengen Borders Code, European e-Justice Portal, Sveriges riksdag (Brottsbalken), Regeringskansliet, Sweden Abroad, Länsstyrelsen, Government of Canada — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.