Sweden has no special licence for foreign hunters. You need three things: an invitation from whoever owns the hunting rights, a state hunting card, and the right paperwork for any gun you bring. Here is each one, plus the season dates that matter to hikers too.
When you need this
You have been invited on a moose, roe deer or wild boar hunt, or you are booking an outfitted one and want to know which paperwork is yours. You want to bring your own rifle from home. Or you are not a hunter at all: you are hiking or picking berries in October, you pass a sign saying Jakt pågår (“hunting in progress”), and you wonder whether you should be there.
Who may hunt: the landowner’s right
Hunting is not part of allemansrätten, Sweden’s right of public access. By law the hunting right belongs to the landowner, or to a farm tenant unless the lease says otherwise. The owner can lease it to a hunting club or invite guests. So a visitor never just “goes hunting”: you hunt on someone’s ground because they let you, either as a guest or through a permit they sell.
Nationality is not the barrier. Hunting where you hold no rights is. Doing that intentionally or through gross negligence is a hunting offence (jaktbrott), punishable by fines or up to a year in prison. The same law says you may not carry a gun across a neighbour’s hunting ground without the rights holder’s consent, except on public roads. A dog brought along must be leashed.
The state hunting card
Everyone who hunts in Sweden pays the viltvårdsavgift, the state game-management fee. It is 400 kr and covers one hunting year, 1 July to 30 June. The receipt is your jaktkort, the state hunting card. It is not a qualification, just proof that you paid. You must carry it while hunting and show it to the police, a hunting warden, the landowner or the rights holder if asked.
Two details catch visitors out:
- Beaters and dog handlers pay too, if the hunt’s purpose is to kill game, even if they never fire a shot.
- Foreign hunters pay online. Naturvårdsverket’s hunter register has a separate login for foreign hunters. A Swedish host can also pay for guests through a guest list. The cards come as a PDF, not by post, so keep one on your phone.
Under-18s who hold no firearm licence on 1 July are exempt.
Bringing your own gun: three routes
On 1 June 2026 a new Weapons Act (vapenlag 2026:408) replaced the 1996 act. The starting rule is unchanged: every firearm import needs a permit. Three exceptions apply to hunting and competition guns.
| Your situation | What you need | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent hunting-gun licence from Denmark, Finland or Norway | No Swedish permit. Carry the home licence (or a Nordic-issued EU Firearms Pass listing the gun) | Max 3 months from entry |
| Valid European Firearms Pass | No Swedish permit for the guns listed in the pass. Carry the pass and proof of the hunt, such as the invitation | Max 3 months from entry |
| Everyone else, e.g. UK, US, Canada | Police import permit (införseltillstånd) | The period set in the permit |
For the import permit, you send the police application form with an invitation from the hunt host on the police’s own form, or proof of your own land or hunting rights in Sweden. US citizens, and citizens of countries that do not license firearms, also attach a host’s certificate of their weapon experience and shooting skill, and a certificate from their home police that they are law-abiding and can handle the weapon.
The police post a payment slip, and processing starts only after you pay. The median handling time is about 29 days, and the police warn that it may grow while the new act beds in. If you live in the EU but do not qualify for the pass exception, one permit can cover several trips over up to a year.
Whichever route you use, declare the guns to Swedish Customs (Tullverket), online or at the border when arriving from an EU country or Norway, in person at the border when arriving from outside the EU.
Warning: A gun you had no right to bring in cannot stay. Once declared to Customs, it must leave Sweden within four months, or it passes to the state. Under both exceptions, the guns may stay for at most three months.
The full procedure, forms and border steps are in bringing firearms to Sweden.
Hunting without your own gun
The easiest route needs no import paperwork at all. A Swedish licence holder may lend a gun on single occasions, for up to two weeks, without the borrower needing a loan permit, if the gun is used under the lender’s supervision. Naturvårdsverket calls this uppsiktsjakt and describes it as hunting within arm’s length of the lender. It is open from age 15 and needs no Swedish hunting exam, but you still need the state hunting card.
What about the exam? The Swedish hunting exam (jägarexamen) is a condition for a Swedish firearms licence, not for a visitor. When a visiting hunter applies to import guns for a hunt, the host’s certificate can stand in for those conditions.
For small game in the mountains there is a third route. In Jämtland, hunters living in Sweden get priority on state land above the cultivation limit until 15 September. From 16 September, anyone with a hunting permit may hunt there, and permits are sold through NatureIT. Operator-run hunts are covered in guided hunts in Sweden.
Moose season dates
The moose hunt (älgjakt) fills the forest with hunters, so its dates matter to everyone. The Hunting Ordinance sets fixed dates:
| Area | Moose hunt opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland; Torsby (Värmland); Malung-Sälen, Orsa, Rättvik, Älvdalen and northern Mora (Dalarna); Ljusdal, Ovanåker, Hudiksvall, Nordanstig (Gävleborg) | 1 September | 31 January |
| The rest of Sweden | 8 October (Thursday in 2026) | 31 January |
Where the hunt opens on 1 September, the county board may pause it for up to 14 days during the rut. Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg may move more of their area to the September start. In reindeer-herding mountain areas the hunt can also pause for herding or snow. Check your county board’s page for local decisions. Dates for other species are in hunting seasons in Sweden.
Hiking during hunting season
The forest stays open. Allemansrätten applies while hunts are running. You may walk and pick berries and mushrooms, as long as you do not disturb the hunt to any great extent. A Jakt pågår sign asks you to be considerate. It does not close the area: banning the public from land open under allemansrätten needs the municipality’s permission.
The law puts the safety burden on the hunter, who must hunt without endangering people. You can still make it easier:
- Be visible. The county boards’ advice is to wear clothing that stands out, such as a reflective vest.
- Make yourself known if you meet hunters, and move on calmly.
- Or go elsewhere. Naturvårdsverket’s simplest advice is to pick another spot for the day.
- Do not scare or drive game off someone’s hunting ground. Doing it on purpose is fined, and deliberately obstructing a hunt is prohibited.
Dog walkers: however loose the leash rules are in autumn, a dog must be kept from chasing game all year; see Sweden’s leash law. Autumn moose also cross roads more, so read moose and deer on the road before a dusk drive. More hiker detail is in hiking during hunting season.
Mistakes to avoid
- “The second Monday of October.” The southern start is a fixed 8 October; many pages still quote the Monday rule.
- Citing the 1996 Weapons Act. It was repealed on 1 June 2026.
- Assuming the host’s paperwork covers you. Their invitation supports your permit, but the hunting card and any import permit are yours.
- Reading Jakt pågår as “no entry”. It asks for consideration, not absence.
- Cutting across a neighbouring hunting area with a cased rifle. Stay on public roads.
Practical information
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| State hunting card (viltvårdsavgift) | 400 kr per hunting year | 1 July–30 June; PDF for foreign hunters |
| Police import permit | 990 kr | Charged even if refused; median handling about 29 days |
| Nordic licence or EU Firearms Pass entry | No Swedish permit fee | Max 3 months; carry the documents |
| European Firearms Pass | From your home country’s authority | Sweden issues it to Swedish licence holders |
| Hunts, guides, small-game permits | Set by the seller | See the guided-hunts guide |
FAQ
Can foreigners hunt in Sweden?
Yes. Nationality does not bar you, but you need someone who holds the hunting rights, usually the landowner or a hunting club, to let you hunt their ground. You also pay the state game-management fee for a hunting card, 400 kr per hunting year. A borrowed gun used under the owner’s supervision avoids import paperwork; bringing your own needs a permit or exception.
How much is a hunting licence in Sweden?
The state hunting card (jaktkort) costs 400 kr and is valid for the hunting year, 1 July to 30 June. It proves you paid the viltvårdsavgift, which everyone who hunts must pay, beaters and dog handlers included. Foreign hunters pay online through Naturvårdsverket’s hunter register, or a Swedish host pays through a guest list. The card comes as a PDF.
Can I bring my own rifle to Sweden for hunting?
Yes, with the right paper. An EU Firearms Pass holder may bring the guns listed in it for up to three months, carrying the hunt invitation. Holders of Danish, Finnish or Norwegian licences may too. Everyone else, including UK and US hunters, applies to the police for an import permit (990 kr, median handling about 29 days). Declare the guns to Customs.
Do I need a Swedish hunting exam to hunt in Sweden?
Not as a visitor. The Swedish exam (jägarexamen) is a condition for a Swedish firearms licence. When a visiting hunter applies to import guns for a hunt, the host’s certificate may show those conditions instead. If you hunt with a borrowed gun under the owner’s close supervision, Naturvårdsverket says no exam is needed, only the state hunting card.
When does moose hunting start in Sweden?
On 1 September in Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland and parts of Värmland, Dalarna and Gävleborg, and on 8 October in the rest of the country. Both run to 31 January. The southern start is a fixed date, not “the second Monday of October”: in 2026 it falls on Thursday 8 October. County boards may pause the northern hunt during the rut.
Is it safe to hike in Sweden during hunting season?
Yes, and it stays legal: allemansrätten continues while hunts run, and a “Jakt pågår” sign asks for consideration rather than closing the forest. Hunters must not endanger people. Help them see you: wear visible clothing such as a reflective vest, keep your dog under control, and move on calmly if you meet a hunting party.
Related guides
- Bringing firearms to Sweden: the import permit, forms and border steps in full
- Hunting seasons in Sweden: dates for every species, not just moose
- Guided hunts in Sweden: what an outfitter arranges and what stays your job
- Hiking during hunting season: staying visible and safe in autumn forest
- Allemansrätten: why hunting sits outside the right of public access
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: the Hunting Act and Hunting Ordinance, the Weapons Act and Weapons Ordinance of 2026 (Sveriges Riksdag), Polismyndigheten, Naturvårdsverket and the county boards (Länsstyrelsen) — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.