Moving to Sweden with a licence from home? Whether you can keep driving, swap it, or start over depends on one thing: where your licence was issued. Here is the rule for each group, the deadline, and the application route.
When you need this
You have just registered as resident in Sweden (folkbokförd) and drive on a licence from outside the EU. You hold a US, Canadian or Australian licence and someone told you it “only lasts a year”. You are an EU citizen living here whose licence is about to expire. Your EU licence was itself issued in exchange for a licence from outside Europe. Or you are an exchange student wondering whether any of this applies to you.
Four groups of licences
Two Swedish statutes decide this: the Driving Licence Act (körkortslagen, SFS 1998:488) and the Driving Licence Ordinance (körkortsförordningen, SFS 1998:980). Both were amended from 1 May 2026. Transportstyrelsen, the Swedish Transport Agency, decides every exchange. Swedish law sorts foreign licences into an EES-körkort (issued in the EU or EEA, which adds Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and a tredjelandskörkort (issued anywhere else). In practice, four groups matter:
| Your licence | Valid in Sweden after you move here | Can it be exchanged? |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA | Yes, as long as it is valid at home | Yes, once you are permanently resident |
| United Kingdom or Faroe Islands | Yes, with no one-year limit | Yes |
| Switzerland or Japan | Until you have been registered for more than a year | Yes, but only while still valid in Sweden |
| Any other country (US, Canada, Australia, India and so on) | Until you have been registered for more than a year | No: take the Swedish test |
The last row surprises most newcomers. Transportstyrelsen’s own wording is that only licences from the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland or Japan may, under certain conditions, be exchanged among non-EEA countries. There is no paperwork swap for an American, Canadian or Australian licence, however long you have held it. An Irish licence is an EEA licence, so it belongs in the first row.
The one-year clock
For licences from outside the EU/EEA, the clock that matters is registration, not arrival. A non-EEA licence stops being valid once its holder has been folkbokförd in Sweden for more than one year. You become registered when you can be expected to spend your nights in Sweden regularly for at least a year, so the date is set by Skatteverket’s decision, not by your entry stamp. See folkbokföring for how that registration works.
Three consequences follow:
- Visitors are never affected. If you are not registered, the clock never starts, and a valid licence keeps working (the IDP guide covers translations).
- UK and Faroese licences are exempt. Since 1 May 2026 that exemption sits in the ordinance (section 8 a), not the Act, but it still applies.
- Swiss and Japanese holders must apply within the year. The Act only allows exchange of a licence “that is valid in Sweden”. Once yours has lapsed after a year of registration, the exchange route closes too.
A licence is not treated as invalid under the one-year rule while an exchange application is being decided. If your contract ends soon after the first year, Transportstyrelsen can grant a time-limited exemption to someone who intends to stay only for a limited period, if road safety allows. You apply for that separately.
Driving after the cut-off is olovlig körning, unlicensed driving. It is punished with a fine, and in aggravated cases with up to six months in prison. Expect trouble with your insurer too.
Permanent residence and students
Exchange requires permanent bosättning, permanent residence, which the Act defines as living somewhere at least 185 days each calendar year because of personal and work ties. Studying at a university does not change where you are permanently resident. That has a direct effect on students:
- An exchange student staying under a year is usually not registered, so a foreign licence simply keeps working.
- A student who has studied in Sweden for at least six months may exchange an EEA licence, but only when it reaches its expiry date.
- A student with a non-EEA licence has no exchange route through study alone.
For EU citizens, the practical point is that exchange is optional. Your licence remains valid while it is valid at home. See EU citizens’ right of residence for the residence side.
What changed on 1 May 2026
The four-country list is not new. What changed in 2026 is a detour around it. Some people resident in Sweden had a non-EU licence exchanged in another EEA country, then brought the resulting EEA licence back to swap for a Swedish one. Parliament’s transport committee called this körkortsturism, licence tourism. Transportstyrelsen had found that 24 percent of the foreign EEA licences it saw originated in a third country, roughly 3,500 cases a year.
Since 1 May 2026, an EEA licence that was issued in exchange for a third-country licence can be swapped for a Swedish one only if one of these applies:
- You held an EEA licence with the same category for at least five years before settling permanently in Sweden.
- The original licence came from the Faroe Islands, the UK, Japan or Switzerland.
- The EEA licence was issued after you passed a driving test (theory and practical) in an EEA state.
On top of that, anyone exchanging a third-country licence, or an EEA licence of third-country origin, must meet the personal and medical requirements for a Swedish licence. Many English-language guides still describe the rules from before May 2026, so check the date on anything you read.
How to apply
The route is a paper application by post:
- Order the form. Transportstyrelsen’s form is called Ansök om utbyte av utländskt körkort and is in Swedish.
- Enclose the originals. The ordinance requires the foreign licence itself and a document showing that you are permanently resident (or have studied here six months). For third-country licences, add the documents needed for a learner’s permit, such as a health declaration.
- Post it to Transportstyrelsen, 701 97 Örebro.
- Answer follow-up requests. Transportstyrelsen may ask you to prove that the licence is valid in the issuing country, and checks EEA licences with the issuing state. Truck and bus categories may need a medical certificate, or a health declaration and eye test.
- Visit a driving test office. An approval decision tells you to go to one of Trafikverket’s driving test offices for a photo and signature. Bring approved, valid ID.
- Pay the production fee using the slip that comes with the decision. The card is made only after payment.
- Receive the card by registered post. Your old licence goes back to the authority that issued it.
One practical catch: you post the original card, and Transportstyrelsen reminds drivers that the licence must always be carried while driving. The law keeps the foreign licence valid during processing, but you will not have it in your wallet. Copy both sides before you post it, and plan for a period without driving. No processing time is published.
If your licence can’t be exchanged
Holders of US, Canadian, Australian and other non-listed licences need a Swedish licence earned the normal way, and the year passes quickly. The route, covered fully in how Swedes get a driving licence, runs:
| Step | What it is | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Körkortstillstånd | Learner’s permit from Transportstyrelsen | Valid five years; an active coordination number is enough if you have no personnummer |
| Riskutbildning | Risk-awareness course | Required for car and motorcycle licences |
| Theory test | Kunskapsprov | Part of the standard route |
| Driving test | Körprov | Practice at a driving school, or privately with an approved supervisor (handledare) |
Apply for the learner’s permit in your first months, while your home licence still lets you drive. If you have no personnummer, the personnummer guide explains how coordination numbers work.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who decides | Transportstyrelsen, Örebro |
| Application form | Ansök om utbyte av utländskt körkort (Swedish) |
| Exchangeable licences | EU/EEA, United Kingdom, Faroe Islands, Switzerland, Japan |
| Non-EEA validity after moving | Until more than one year of folkbokföring (UK and Faroese exempt) |
| Production fee | 375 SEK (checked 2026-10-14) |
| Separate application fee | None stated on Transportstyrelsen’s page (checked 2026-10-14) |
| Full Swedish licence route | Costs vary by driving school; see the Swedish licence guide |
| Coming EU change | Directive (EU) 2025/2205 must be transposed by 26 November 2028; mobile EU licence by end of 2030 |
FAQ
Can I exchange my US driver’s license for a Swedish one?
No. Sweden exchanges licences only from the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom, the Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan. A US licence is valid while you visit and for your first year as a registered resident. After that you need a Swedish licence earned through a learner’s permit, a risk-awareness course and the theory and driving tests.
How long can I drive in Sweden on a foreign licence after moving?
An EU/EEA licence stays valid as long as it is valid in the country that issued it. A licence from anywhere else stops being valid once you have been registered as resident for more than a year. UK and Faroese licences are exempt from that limit, and a licence remains valid while an exchange application is being decided.
Do EU citizens have to exchange their licence in Sweden?
No. An EU or EEA licence is valid in Sweden according to its content for as long as it is valid at home. You may exchange it once you are permanently resident, meaning at least 185 days a year here. Students who have studied in Sweden for six months may exchange it when it expires.
What changed for licence exchanges in May 2026?
From 1 May 2026 an EEA licence that was itself obtained by exchanging a non-EU licence can be swapped for a Swedish one only in three cases: five years with an EEA licence before settling in Sweden, an original from the UK, Faroes, Japan or Switzerland, or a passed EEA driving test. Personal and medical requirements apply too.
How do I apply to exchange my licence?
Order Transportstyrelsen’s Swedish form and post it with your original licence and proof that you live in Sweden to Transportstyrelsen in Örebro. If approved, you visit a Trafikverket driving test office for a photo and signature, pay the production fee, and receive the card by registered post. Your old licence is returned to its issuing authority.
Can I keep driving while my exchange is processed?
Legally the foreign licence stays valid while the application is decided. In practice you send the original card with the application, and Transportstyrelsen points out that you must always carry your licence when driving. Plan for a period without driving, and keep copies of your licence and application.
I’m an exchange student. Does the one-year rule apply to me?
Only if you are registered as resident. Students staying under a year are usually not folkbokförda, so the clock never starts and a valid foreign licence keeps working. Studying also does not make Sweden your permanent residence for licence purposes, so exchange is limited to EEA licences at expiry after six months of study.
Related guides
- Do you need an international driving permit? — the translation rules for the licence you drive on before exchanging
- How Swedes get a driving licence — the full route if your licence can’t be exchanged
- Folkbokföring: registering where you live — the registration date that starts your one-year clock
- Driving a foreign-registered car long-term — the car’s rules once the licence is sorted
- Moving to Sweden for work — the rest of your first month
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Körkortslag 1998:488, Lag 2026:77, Körkortsförordning 1998:980, betänkande 2025/26:TU7, Folkbokföringslag 1991:481, Lag 1951:649), Transportstyrelsen and the European Parliament — full register in this topic’s source file. This is general information, not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.