Swedish checkouts put “pay later” first and card second. Here is why, why the invoice option almost always fails for visitors, how to pay a Swedish invoice that follows you home, and what the law lets a company charge if you pay late.
When you need this
A Swedish webshop shows Faktura, Betala senare or the Klarna logo before the card option, and you wonder whether to click it. Klarna has just declined you. An invoice from a Swedish campsite, guide or repair shop has reached your home address. Or a påminnelse (reminder) arrived with a fee and you want to know whether it’s legal.
Why Swedes pay after delivery
A faktura is simply a bill: it says what to pay, to whom and by when. Konsumentverket, the Swedish Consumer Agency, puts the attraction plainly: you get the item before you pay. More and more online shoppers also split payments (delbetalning).
The best-known provider is Klarna, founded in Stockholm in 2005 and a fully licensed bank since 2017. When you choose “pay later” in a Swedish checkout, the lender is usually Klarna Bank AB, not the shop.
| Checkout label | What it means | Cost if paid on time (Klarna) |
|---|---|---|
| Betala nu | Pay now by bank or card | Nothing extra |
| Faktura / Betala senare | Invoice, due 30 days after shipping | No interest or fees |
| Monthly invoice | All pay-later buys on one monthly bill | No interest or fees |
| 60-day invoice | Longer invoice | May carry fees or interest |
| Delbetalning | Instalments, 3 to 36 months | Interest may apply |
| Kort | Card | Nothing extra; card fees are banned |
Can visitors use Klarna?
Usually not for anything on credit. Klarna’s Swedish terms require that you:
- live in Sweden
- are at least 18
- have a valid bank account
- have a positive credit history
- can receive verification codes by SMS
Klarna also runs credit checks through the Swedish credit bureaus UC and Creditsafe for its invoice and part-payment products. A visitor fails at the first line, which is why the invoice option declines. It’s residence and credit history that block you, not your foreign card.
The fix is easy: choose card. Swedish shops may not charge a fee for card payment, in store or online, so the card is never the expensive route (see using cards in Sweden). Paying now through Klarna by bank or card is not credit, and Klarna lets people from 15 open an account for those methods.
If you use Klarna at home, it operates in many countries, but whether your home-country account works in a Swedish webshop depends on that shop’s setup. Moving to Sweden? Once you have a personnummer, a bank account and a credit history, the invoice options open up.
Reading a Swedish invoice: bankgiro and OCR
Two numbers matter at the bottom of a Swedish invoice:
| Field | What it is | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Bankgiro | The company’s payment address, 7 or 8 digits | Use it only from a Swedish bank |
| Plusgiro | Another giro address some companies use | Same: Swedish banks only |
| OCR-nummer | The payment reference, 2 to 25 digits ending in a check digit | Copy it exactly into the reference field |
| Förfallodag | Due date | Pay by this date |
The OCR number is what matches your money to your invoice. Depending on how the company has set things up, a Swedish internet bank will refuse a payment with a wrong OCR number outright. The commonest mistake is typing the invoice number instead.
There is no law saying how many days you get to pay; the due date comes from the terms you accepted. An invoice fee (fakturaavgift) is allowed only if it was in the agreement when you bought, and it must be reasonable and reflect the company’s real cost. It can’t be added afterwards.
Paying a Swedish invoice from abroad
Don’t try to pay the bankgiro number from a foreign bank: Bankgirot cannot receive payments from abroad. Instead:
- Reply to the sender and ask for their IBAN and BIC.
- Pay by international transfer.
- Put the OCR number in the payment message so the money is matched.
- Keep the invoice and your transfer receipt until the company confirms payment.
If you think the invoice is wrong, don’t just leave it unpaid. Dispute it (bestrida) in writing, ideally by e-mail, so you can prove you contacted the company. Parking fines, congestion tax and bridge tolls follow their own channels; see fines and invoices after the trip.
Late payment: what it can legally cost
Sweden caps collection costs in a 1981 statute, unchanged in its amounts since 2013. Unless there are special reasons, a creditor may charge at most:
| Step | Maximum | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Written reminder (påminnelseavgift) | 60 kr | Only if agreed at the latest when the debt arose; Konsumentverket says once |
| Debt-collection demand (inkassokrav) | 180 kr | A proper collection letter |
| Repayment plan | 170 kr | Drawn up with you, in writing |
Contract terms that make you pay more collection costs than the act allows are void. If no interest rate was agreed, late-payment interest (dröjsmålsränta) is the Riksbank reference rate plus eight percentage points a year; the Riksbank resets that rate twice a year.
Don’t ignore a Swedish invoice because you’ve gone home. Unpaid debts can go to debt collection or to Kronofogden, the Enforcement Authority. A missed Klarna payment can also lead to a betalningsanmärkning, a payment-default record, which Klarna warns can affect renting a home, subscriptions and loans. That matters most if you live in Sweden or plan to.
What changes on 20 November 2026
Worth knowing: many pages still describe “pay later” as outside Sweden’s credit-assessment rules. That changes on 20 November 2026.
Under the 2010 consumer credit act, interest-free credit repaid within three months, with at most an insignificant fee, was exempt from much of the act. For credit purchases that included the duty to assess whether you can afford it. A new Konsumentkreditlag (2026:1011), issued in June 2026, replaces it from 20 November 2026:
- A thorough credit assessment in the consumer’s interest, and credit only if you can afford it.
- One narrow carve-out, the särskild fakturakredit: the seller’s own credit, at no cost, repaid within 50 days. For online sales by a business that isn’t a small company, it’s 14 days and the seller may not sell the claim. On our reading of that definition, a third-party pay-later provider’s credit falls outside it.
- Moderate marketing: credit ads may not suggest that credit replaces savings or raises your living standard, or that payment defaults hardly matter.
- Explicit consent: you are bound by a credit agreement only after explicitly agreeing to it.
Contracts and marketing from before 20 November 2026 stay under the old act. Konsumentverket’s own warning holds either way: costs often make credit dearer than paying directly, and one-click credit has pushed more people into debt.
Practical information
| Item | Amount or rule | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Card surcharge in a Swedish shop or webshop | Not allowed | 2026-10-05 |
| Klarna pay now, 30-day or monthly invoice, paid on time | No interest or fees | 2026-10-05 |
| Invoice fee | Only if agreed at purchase; reasonable, cost-based | 2026-10-05 |
| Reminder fee | Max 60 kr, only if agreed in advance, once | 2026-10-05 |
| Debt-collection demand | Max 180 kr | 2026-10-05 |
| Repayment plan | Max 170 kr | 2026-10-05 |
| Late-payment interest, no agreed rate | Reference rate + 8 percentage points a year | 2026-10-05 |
| New consumer credit act | In force 20 November 2026 | 2026-10-05 |
FAQ
Can tourists use Klarna in Sweden?
Usually not for its credit products. Klarna’s Swedish terms require you to live in Sweden, be 18, have a valid bank account, have a positive credit history and receive SMS codes, and it runs credit checks through Swedish credit bureaus. A visitor fails the residence test, so the invoice and part-payment options decline. Pay by card instead; Swedish shops may not add a card fee.
What does “faktura” mean at a Swedish checkout?
Faktura means invoice: you receive the goods first and pay the bill afterwards by its due date. Delbetalning means part-payment and betala senare means pay later. Behind them is usually a credit provider such as Klarna, which checks your credit. An invoice fee is allowed only if it was stated in the agreement when you bought.
What is an OCR number on a Swedish invoice?
It is the payment reference that matches your money to your invoice, usually printed at the bottom of the payment slip. It is 2 to 25 digits long and ends in a check digit. Copy it exactly into the reference field: depending on the company’s setting, a Swedish internet bank can refuse a payment with a wrong OCR number.
How do I pay a Swedish invoice from abroad?
Not to the bankgiro number: Bankgirot cannot receive payments from abroad. Ask the company for its IBAN and BIC and pay by international transfer, putting the OCR number or invoice number in the payment message so it can be matched. Keep your transfer receipt until the company confirms payment, and dispute errors in writing.
What happens if I pay a Swedish invoice late?
The company may charge a reminder fee of at most 60 kr, once, and only if it was agreed when you bought. A debt-collection demand costs at most 180 kr. Late-payment interest, if no rate was agreed, is the Riksbank reference rate plus eight percentage points. Unpaid debts can go to debt collection or the Enforcement Authority.
Is Klarna a bank?
Yes. Klarna was founded in Stockholm in 2005, took its current name in 2010 and has held a full banking licence since 2017. The lender named on its Swedish pay-later products is Klarna Bank AB. Its parent, Klarna Group plc, listed on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2025. Being a bank also means Swedish consumer credit law applies to its loans.
What changes for “buy now, pay later” in Sweden in November 2026?
On 20 November 2026 a new consumer credit act replaces the 2010 one. The old exemption for interest-free credit repaid within three months disappears. Only the seller’s own cost-free invoice credit keeps a carve-out, with 50 days, or 14 days for larger online sellers that don’t sell the claim. Other pay-later credit needs a thorough credit assessment.
Related guides
- Using cards in Sweden — the payment that always works at a Swedish checkout.
- The personnummer explained — the residence key behind credit checks and invoices.
- BankID for visitors — the other wall you meet when shopping online.
- Shopping in Sweden — your 14-day right to cancel online purchases.
- Fines and invoices after the trip — parking fines, congestion tax and tolls that arrive by post.
Facts verified 2026-10-05. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Lag 1981:739, Räntelag 1975:635, Konsumentkreditlag 2010:1846 and 2026:1011), Konsumentverket, Bankgirot and Klarna — 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.