Your camera, bike, skis or laptop may already be insured, or only partly. Here is how to find out before you leave, and what Swedish police and your insurer will need if something goes missing.
When you need this
You’re packing a camera kit or a laptop, or checking in a bike or skis, and you don’t know what your policy would pay. You’re planning to leave gear in a car at a trailhead. You’re weighing whether to rent instead. Or something has just been stolen and you need to know what to do before you fly home.
Three layers of cover
Expensive gear rarely falls under just one policy. It can sit under up to three layers:
| Layer | What it usually is | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Home or renter’s policy | A travel section inside your household cover; in Sweden typically valid for 45 days | Whether it applies abroad, and for how long |
| Travel insurance | A separate policy, or cover on the card you paid the trip with | The baggage limit, the single-item cap, the valuables sub-limit |
| Specialist cover | A policy for a named item or kit | What it excludes and where it applies |
Card cover comes with a condition: it typically applies only if a set share of the trip, often at least half, was paid with that card.
We lean on Konsumenternas, Sweden’s neutral consumer bureau for insurance, because it names the clauses that decide gear claims without selling anything. It describes Swedish policies, not yours. Whether your policy has the same clauses, and at what levels, is in your own wording. This page tells you which lines to find.
The four clauses that decide a claim
Read these four lines in every policy you hold:
- The single-item limit. If your camera body is worth more than the cap, the difference is uninsured unless you add the item by name or buy specialist cover.
- The definition of “valuables” — in Swedish policies, stöldbegärlig egendom (“theft-attractive property”). Phones, computers, watches, cash and jewelry taken outside the home are normally paid only if they are snatched in a robbery, bag-snatching or assault. Pickpocketing may need extra cover and must be discovered immediately.
- The vehicle clause. Some insurers pay nothing if the car was left for more than an hour. Most set a maximum amount, and valuables such as tablets may be excluded altogether.
- All-risk. Accidental damage — a dropped lens, a cracked laptop — needs all-risk cover (allrisk or drulle), which pays for sudden and unforeseen events and is usually not in basic cover.
Two more rules sit behind all four. Insurers require that you took normal care; if you were careless, they can pay less or nothing. And they pay market value just before the loss, not what you paid, using age tables for phones, computers and bikes. Electronics lose value fast, and there is always a maximum amount for bicycles, e-bikes included.
The “unforeseen” part is real. Sweden’s consumer disputes board, ARN, refused a claim where a valuable ring was lost in a shipment that wasn’t secure enough for its value. The loss was sudden, but the board said the owner should have foreseen the risk.
Flying with bikes, skis and cameras
When gear travels as checked baggage, the airline is liable, but only up to a cap. Under the Montreal Convention that cap has been 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger since 28 December 2024. It covers loss, damage and delay together. Some pages, including the EU’s own passenger-rights page, still quote an older, lower euro figure.
You can raise the limit only by declaring a special interest at check-in and paying any fee. Complain to the airline in writing within 7 days for damage or 21 days for a delayed bag, and keep the airline’s report for your insurer. Cameras, laptops and drones belong in cabin baggage, where they stay with you.
If something is stolen in Sweden
Your insurer will not pay a theft claim without a copy of the police report. Visitors cannot use the online form, because it needs a Swedish personal identity or coordination number. So:
- Call the police on 114 14, or +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone, or go to a station. Staff speak Swedish and English.
- Call 112 only if the crime is happening now or someone is in danger.
- Give serial numbers, and for a phone the IMEI (it’s on the box, or dial *#06#). Your mobile operator blocks the phone using the IMEI and the report number; the police don’t block phones.
- Write down the case number, the diarienummer printed at the top of the report.
Report before you fly home. The police advise reporting a crime in the country where it happened. If the item was lost rather than stolen, ask whoever runs the place first, then make a loss report on 114 14. Our guide to reporting a crime in Sweden covers interpreters and copies of the report, and lost property in Sweden explains who holds found items.
Proof: what the insurer will ask for
You carry the burden of proof. ARN expects you to show that you owned the item, what it was worth and how old it was. A receipt is not strictly required: bank statements, photos and the original box can do the job. ARN has accepted a photo of a phone’s box showing the IMEI, together with a service document, as proof without any receipt. It treats photos and receipts as normally sufficient.
Before you leave:
- Photograph each item with its serial number visible.
- Save receipts or bank statements as digital copies.
- Note the purchase year and price.
After a loss, write down the time, place and sequence of events straight away. ARN expects a covered event to be clearly more likely than not, and a vague account can fail. Photograph any damage before it is repaired.
Renting gear instead of bringing it
Renting skis, a bike or a kayak in Sweden takes the flight and the airline cap out of the picture, but it doesn’t remove all risk. If rented gear is damaged through careless handling, the owner can claim damages from you. And the liability section of a home policy normally excludes rented or borrowed items.
If the rental includes insurance, it usually protects the owner, not you, so you can still owe money even when “insurance” was part of the deal. Before you sign, ask what happens if the item is stolen or broken, and what excess you would pay. For high-value gear used for a few days, renting is often the simpler choice.
Drones
Swedish rules do not require insurance for leisure flying with a drone under 20 kg. Any cover you buy protects only the drone itself, so check whether your all-risk or specialist wording includes a crash before relying on it. Registration, tests and where you may fly are in our guide to drone rules in Sweden.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming the “baggage” limit covers a camera kit. Per-item caps and valuables limits apply first.
- Leaving gear in the car at the trailhead, or packing it the night before. Theft from a car is one of the most restricted situations in any policy.
- Leaving things unattended — a bag on a café chair, skis outside a shop. Most theft cover stops there.
- Trusting the airline to pay in full for a bike or skis. Declare the value or insure separately.
- Keeping no proof. Photograph items and serial numbers before the trip.
- Flying home before reporting. Call 114 14 the same day.
Practical information
| Item | What applies | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Police, non-urgent | 114 14; +46 77 114 14 00 from a foreign phone; billed at your operator’s rate | 2026-09-25 |
| Online police report | Not available without a Swedish personal or coordination number | 2026-09-25 |
| Police report fee | None published by the police | 2026-09-25 |
| Airline liability, checked baggage | Up to 1,519 SDR per passenger unless declared at check-in | 2026-09-25 |
| Airline complaint deadline | 7 days (damage), 21 days (delay), in writing | 2026-09-25 |
| Excess, item caps, premiums | Not published — vary by insurer and policy | 2026-09-25 |
| Drone insurance | Not required for leisure drones under 20 kg | 2026-09-25 |
FAQ
Does travel insurance cover my camera or laptop in Sweden?
Usually, but only up to limits. Most policies cap what they pay for a single item and treat cameras, laptops and phones as valuables with their own sub-limit. Many pay for theft only after a robbery or bag-snatching, not when the item was left unattended. Read the single-item limit and the valuables clause before you pack, and add specialist cover if the gap is large.
What do I need to claim for stolen gear?
A copy of a police report, proof that you owned the item and what it was worth, and receipts for any replacements you had to buy. A receipt is not strictly required: bank statements, photos with serial numbers and the original box can prove ownership. In Sweden, visitors report theft by calling 114 14 or at a police station, not online.
Is gear stolen from a car covered?
Often only partly, and sometimes not at all. Some insurers pay nothing if the car was left for more than an hour, most set a maximum amount, and valuables such as tablets may be excluded. Rental-car cover does not insure your belongings either. At trailheads and ski resorts, take valuables with you or leave them locked at your accommodation.
How much will the airline pay if my skis or bike are damaged?
At most 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger, the Montreal Convention limit that applies since 28 December 2024, for loss, damage or delay together. You can raise it only by declaring a special interest at check-in and paying any fee. Complain in writing within 7 days for damage or 21 days for a delayed bag, and keep the airline’s report.
Do I need insurance to fly a drone in Sweden?
Not for leisure flying with a drone under 20 kg — Swedish rules do not require it. Any insurance you buy protects only your own drone, so check whether your all-risk or specialist wording includes a crash before relying on it. Drone registration, operator tests and where you may fly are separate rules covered in our drone guide.
Should I rent gear in Sweden instead of bringing it?
Renting removes the flight risk and the airline cap, but not all risk. If rented gear is damaged, the liability section of your home policy usually excludes rented items, and the rental company’s insurance protects the company, not you. Ask what excess you pay and what counts as damage before you sign. For high-value items used briefly, renting is often simpler.
Related guides
- Travel insurance for Sweden: whether you need a policy at all, and what it must cover beyond your gear.
- Reporting a crime in Sweden: the phone route, interpreters and the report copy your insurer wants.
- Pickpockets and scams in Sweden: where theft happens, so you never need to claim.
- Rental-car insurance in Sweden: what the damage cover pays, and why it never covers your belongings.
- Bikes on Swedish trains: moving your own bike once you’ve landed.
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Konsumenternas (Konsumenternas Försäkringsbyrå) and the ARN decisions it publishes, Polismyndigheten, SOS Alarm, Transportstyrelsen, the European Commission (Your Europe) and ICAO — full register in this topic’s source file. We name no insurer and publish no premiums, excesses or item caps: they vary by policy, and this page sells nothing. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.