Your First Day in Sweden: The Arrival Checklist

Your first 24 hours in Sweden, in the order they happen: gate, passport control, baggage and customs, the first ride into town, and the first evening. Each step says what to do and links to the guide that covers it properly.

When you need this

• Your flight or train lands in Sweden in the next day or two
• You’re on the plane and want to know what happens once the doors open
• You’re meeting someone off a flight and want to know how long they’ll take
• You’re arriving via Copenhagen and crossing into Sweden by train
• You land late and need to know what’s still running and open

Before you land

Do two things on the plane. Save 112 (emergencies) and +46 771 11 77 00 (the 1177 nurse advice line, dialled from a foreign phone) in your contacts. And check whether your flight came from inside or outside the Schengen area, because that one fact decides what happens next.

If someone is meeting you, tell them not to rush. Swedavia, the airport operator, suggests arriving 30 minutes after landing for flights from within Europe and 45 minutes for flights from outside Europe, because baggage and border control come first.

At the gate

Arriving from inside Schengen, including on a domestic Swedish flight, there is no border check. Airlines may still ask for ID. Arriving from outside the EU, you follow signs to passport control and must show a valid passport. EU and Swedish citizens use the lanes marked “EU passport”.

If your SIM won’t work here, get online first: airport wifi at Arlanda and Landvetter is free for three hours. You get one hour when you connect and two more once you confirm your email address. Details for each airport are in the Arlanda Airport guide and the Landvetter Airport guide.

Passport control

This is the step that has changed most recently. Since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational, and it replaces the passport stamp for non-EU short-stay visitors.

Registration is free. Refusing the photo or fingerprints means you are refused entry and sent back. Neither Arlanda nor Landvetter has automated e-gates. Every passport goes to a staffed booth, so allow time for a connection. The official Travel to Europe app lets you pre-register if you like, but it doesn’t let you skip the booth. The full picture is in EES border checks in Sweden.

Baggage and customs

If your bag doesn’t come off the belt, report it to your airline’s baggage service before you leave the hall. The airport can’t retrieve bags for you, and chasing a claim later from a hotel is much harder.

Then comes customs, with three channels rather than the two you may be used to:

Walking through green or blue with more than your allowance counts as smuggling. The red channel costs you a few minutes and nothing else. Two rules catch long-haul arrivals out: meat, milk and egg products may not be brought in from outside the EU, and cash of EUR 10,000 or more must be declared, which since 1 April 2026 applies to arrivals from other EU countries too. See Sweden’s customs allowances.

Arriving via Copenhagen

Many visitors to southern Sweden fly into Copenhagen and take the Öresundståg train from the station under Terminal 3. Malmö is about 20 minutes away. No tickets are sold on board, so buy one at the station machines or in the app first.

Keep your passport on you, not in the suitcase. Sweden runs temporary internal border control from 12 May to 11 November 2026, and train passengers are checked at Hyllie, on the platform or on board. EU and EEA citizens need a passport or national ID card. Everyone else needs a passport. This is not an EES check: the Øresund crossing is internal to Schengen, so no biometrics are taken. The route in full: Copenhagen Airport to Sweden.

Arrivals hall: phone and money

Your phone. A SIM from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Ukraine or Moldova works at home prices under Roam Like At Home. UK SIMs are outside it. Otherwise you have two options:

• A Swedish prepaid SIM. Swedish law requires it to be registered to your identity. A passport or other foreign photo ID is accepted, and you don’t need a Swedish personnummer (personal identity number).
• A travel eSIM set up before you fly. It roams onto Swedish networks, so there’s no registration step. It’s usually data-only.

Compare them in SIM cards and eSIMs for Sweden and roaming in Sweden.

Your money. Skip the exchange desk. In Sweden 92% of in-store purchases are made by card, and card-only businesses are lawful. A contactless Visa or Mastercard covers the train, the taxi and dinner. When a terminal or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, always choose kronor. Sweden’s consumer bureau advises it, and the machine must let you make that choice yourself. If you do want notes, a Bankomat (the banks’ shared ATM network) charges no fee of its own, but cards from banks outside its network are generally capped at 2,000 kr per withdrawal. Since 1 July 2026, grocery stores and pharmacies with a staffed checkout must accept cash for small payments. More in using cards, cash and ATMs.

Your first ride

Where you go next depends on the airport.

Arlanda (Stockholm). Arlanda Express runs non-stop to Stockholm Central in 18 minutes, and under-18s ride free with a paying adult. SL’s commuter train is the cheaper option, but everyone 18 or over pays a 157 kr passage fee to get through the station gates, on top of the SL ticket. The airport coach reaches Cityterminalen in about 40 minutes. Landing late? On the date checked, the last Arlanda Express left at 01:35 and the next at 04:50, and commuter trains stop at about 01:30. Every option is compared in Arlanda to Stockholm.

Landvetter (Gothenburg). There is no train, and there won’t be one this decade. The airport coach reaches central Gothenburg in about 20 minutes. Swedavia advises buying the ticket online or in the app beforehand, because you can’t always buy on board.

Taxis, anywhere. Swedish taxi prices are not regulated. Every car must show a jämförpris (comparison price) for a 10 km, 15-minute trip, and the driver must give you a binding maximum price first if that figure is above 710 kr (2026). At Arlanda and Landvetter, only contracted taxis at the official rank carry a fare cap within a marked zone. Never accept a ride from a driver who approaches you inside the arrivals hall. See taxis in Sweden.

Local transport

City transport in the three big regions lets you tap a contactless bank card on the reader, but the details differ:

One card buys one ticket. A second traveller needs their own card or an app ticket. In Stockholm, don’t switch between a plastic card and the same card in your phone wallet, because SL treats them as two different cards. Guides: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Skåne.

Your first evening

Drink the tap water. Municipal tap water is drinking water everywhere in Sweden and is regulated as a foodstuff. Use the cold tap, and heat cold water for tea or baby formula. See tap water in Sweden.

Shops are open, including on Sundays. Sweden dropped its shop-closing law in 1972, so supermarkets typically open from about 8 to 22 every day. The exception that matters is alcohol. Only Systembolaget, the state alcohol shop, sells drinks above 3.5%, and you must be 20. It closes by 15:00 on Saturdays and all day on Sundays and public holidays. Land on a Saturday evening and there’s no wine until Monday. Supermarkets do sell folköl (beer up to 3.5%) to anyone 18 or over. Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are not public holidays in law, but they are when the country actually closes. See Systembolaget opening hours and opening hours in Sweden.

Charge your phone. Sweden uses 230 V with Type F and Type C sockets, so UK, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. See power sockets in Sweden.

Know the two numbers. 112 is free from any phone, even one without a SIM, and is answered in Swedish or English. For non-urgent health advice, call 1177, or +46 771 11 77 00 from a foreign phone, and press 5 for English. Don’t test-call 112: a phone without VoLTE may not reach it, so check the setting or ask your operator. See emergency numbers and 1177 medical advice.

Mistakes to avoid

• Exchanging a cash float at the airport “just in case”
• Assuming the Hyllie ID check was your EES registration. It wasn’t
• Budgeting a non-Schengen arrival as if there were e-gates
• Tapping an SL travelcard at the Arlanda station gate without the passage fee
• Planning to buy wine on a Saturday evening or a Sunday

Practical information

FAQ

What should I do first when I land in Sweden?

Keep your passport in hand. Arriving from outside Schengen, non-EU visitors give a face photo and fingerprints at a staffed booth; from inside Schengen there is no border check. Collect your bags, report any missing one to the airline before leaving the hall, then pick the right customs channel. Save 112 and the 1177 number in your phone.

Do I need cash when I arrive in Sweden?

No. 92% of in-store purchases in Sweden are made by card, and card-only businesses are lawful, so a contactless Visa or Mastercard covers the airport, the train and the first evening. Grocery stores and pharmacies with a staffed checkout must accept cash for small payments. If you want kronor, a Bankomat charges no fee of its own.

How do I get from Arlanda to Stockholm?

Four ways. Arlanda Express runs non-stop to Stockholm Central in 18 minutes, free for under-18s with an adult. The SL commuter train is cheaper but adults pay a 157 kr passage fee at the station gates. The coach takes about 40 minutes to Cityterminalen. Taxis at the official rank carry a zone fare cap.

Can I use my phone in Sweden when I arrive?

If your SIM is from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Ukraine or Moldova, it works at home prices. UK and other SIMs are charged at your operator’s rate. A Swedish prepaid SIM must be registered with your passport or other photo ID; a travel eSIM bought before you fly skips that step and usually gives data only.

Do I need my passport on the train from Copenhagen to Sweden?

Yes. Sweden runs temporary internal border control until 11 November 2026, and train passengers are checked at Hyllie, the first station in Sweden. EU and EEA citizens need a passport or national ID card; others need a passport. Keep it on you, not in the suitcase. The check is not an EES registration.

Can I drink the tap water in Sweden?

Yes. Municipal tap water is drinking water everywhere in Sweden and is regulated as a foodstuff, so bottled water is unnecessary. Drink from the cold tap: hot tap water is not classed as drinking water, so heat cold water for tea or baby formula. The only exceptions are signs saying not drinking water and a local boil-water notice.

Where can I buy alcohol on my first evening in Sweden?

Only Systembolaget sells drinks above 3.5% alcohol, and you must be 20. It closes by 15:00 on Saturdays and all day on Sundays and public holidays, so an evening or weekend arrival may find it shut. Supermarkets, open late every day, sell folköl — beer up to 3.5% — to anyone 18 or over.

Related guides

• First time in Sweden: 20 things to know: the pre-trip version of this checklist
• Arlanda to Stockholm: every way into the city, compared
• EES border checks in Sweden: what the photo and fingerprints mean for your 90 days
• SIM cards and eSIMs: which one to pick before you fly
• Leaving Sweden checklist: the same idea for your last day

Facts verified 24 September 2026. Sources: Swedavia, Polismyndigheten, the European Commission, Tullverket, Regeringen, SL, Västtrafik, Skånetrafiken, Sveriges Riksbank, PTS, SOS Alarm, 1177 and Livsmedelsverket. The full register is in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.