Got a Swedish number and now the electricity, broadband and magazine sellers have found you? Here is how Sweden’s block register works, why a “yes” on the phone doesn’t commit you to anything, and what to do with an invoice you never agreed to.
When you need this
Your new Swedish mobile or landline rings several times a week with offers. A caller tells you they are “just confirming” an electricity or phone deal you never signed. An invoice arrives for something you only talked about on the phone. Or you’re moving to Sweden and want to shut the door before the calls start. This guide is for anyone with a Swedish phone number: residents, exchange students and visitors on a Swedish prepaid SIM alike.
How NIX works
Sweden has no government “do not call” list. What it has is NIX-Telefon, a block register (spärregister) run by an industry association, Föreningen NIX-Telefon. Sellers, marketers and charities fundraising by phone check their call lists against it before dialing.
Registering, which Swedes call nixa, is simple:
| Route | How | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| By phone | Call 077-228 00 00 from the number you want to block and follow the instructions | Works for landlines and mobiles |
| Online | Register on nixtelefon.org | Mobile numbers only, verified by SMS |
| By letter | Send a signed letter to NIX-Telefon stating the number | Slowest route |
It costs nothing beyond the call itself, and the block lasts until you lift it. Be patient: companies scrub their lists at intervals, so it can take up to two months before every one of them has caught up.
NIX is self-regulation, but it has legal backing. The Marketing Act allows live sales calls only as long as the person hasn’t clearly objected, and Konsumentverket, the Swedish Consumer Agency, points to a ruling in which calling NIX-registered numbers broke that rule and good marketing practice. Registering with NIX is the clearest objection you can make.
Who can still call you
Registering doesn’t make your phone silent. The NIX rules allow some calls:
- Companies you are a customer of may call about the same type of goods or services. The relationship counts for up to one year after your contract ends.
- Companies you gave consent to may call for up to three months, or until you withdraw consent.
- Active sole traders’ numbers may be called about products aimed at them as a business.
- Calls that aren’t sales, marketing or fundraising, such as surveys, fall outside the NIX rules.
- Scammers ignore the register completely.
If a seller calls anyway, say clearly that you don’t want sales calls and ask for the company’s name. A short script helps: “I don’t want sales calls, please remove my number.” Most Swedes simply don’t pick up: Konsumentverket found that six in ten avoid sales calls by not answering unknown numbers.
Why a phone “yes” is not a contract
This is the rule that protects you most, and many guides get its date wrong. Since 1 September 2018, when a company calls you on its own initiative to sell something, no contract can be made during the call. The Distance Contracts Act (2 kap. 3 a §) requires three steps:
- At the start of the call the seller must say who they are, why they’re calling, their name and their relationship to the company.
- If you’re interested, the company must send its offer (anbud) in writing or another durable form.
- A contract exists only when you accept that offer in writing after the call ends.
A deal not made this way is void, and you don’t have to pay for anything delivered. The company’s written offer must tell you so. Konsumentverket counts e-mail, SMS, BankID and a signed paper as written acceptance, and it also applies the rule when the company urged you to call it back.
Good to know: the written-acceptance rule came in with SFS 2018:1321 on 1 September 2018. It is not a 2020 or 2022 rule, as some older pages claim.
Some details worth knowing:
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| The company called you to sell | Written acceptance after the call, or no contract |
| You called the company on your own initiative | No written-acceptance requirement; a phone deal can bind you |
| Financial services sold by phone | Same written-acceptance rule; since 19 June 2026 the caller must also say if the call may be recorded |
| Lotteries sold by phone | Written acceptance required since 1 June 2024 |
| Premium pension services | Telephone sales not allowed at all |
| You accepted in writing | A valid contract, normally with a 14-day right of withdrawal (ångerrätt) |
Warning: replying “yes” to a confirmation SMS or signing with BankID is written acceptance. If you don’t want the deal, don’t respond to the confirmation at all.
An invoice you never agreed to
Sometimes an invoice turns up anyway. Don’t pay it to make it go away, and don’t just ignore it either:
- Dispute it in writing (bestrida fakturan), for example by e-mail. Quote the invoice number, amount and date, and state that you never accepted any offer in writing after the call.
- Ask for the recording if the company insists you agreed on the phone. If an audio file exists, you have the right to hear it.
- Report the company to Konsumentverket. It doesn’t handle individual cases, but reports feed its supervision.
Without a written protest, you have no record that you objected.
Texts, robocalls and scams
NIX is a register for phone calls. Other channels have their own rules:
- Marketing texts and e-mails to a private person need your prior consent under the Marketing Act, NIX or not. The Act treats SMS as electronic mail. The one exception: a seller that got your e-mail address when you bought something may market its own similar products, provided you can opt out each time. Every marketing e-mail must give a valid opt-out address.
- Robocalls (automated dialers with no person on the line) also need your prior consent.
- Scam calls are not sales at all, and no register stops them. Calls from abroad that display a spoofed Swedish number are blocked under PTS rules, fixed numbers since 4 November 2024 and mobile numbers since 3 March 2025. Since 1 August 2026 operators must also stop calls and texts that traffic data suggests are part of a fraud.
Some still get through. Fake police and bank callers try to get you to log in with BankID or read out card details. The police never call asking for BankID identification or card numbers: hang up and report it on 114 14. Forward scam texts to 7726. Our guides to phone and BankID scams and tourist scams in Sweden cover the patterns, and phone numbers in Sweden explains which numbers to trust.
Is a ban coming?
Possibly, but not yet. In August 2025 Konsumentverket proposed banning telephone sales altogether, with an opt-in system replacing NIX as the fallback. It reported that complaints about misleading and aggressive marketing are markedly higher for phone sales than for other sales methods, with consumers with foreign backgrounds among the most exposed.
On 9 July 2026 the government ordered an inquiry into stronger protection, including an opt-in requirement and a possible ban, for all or some sectors. It reports by 15 January 2027. Any ban would then need a bill and a Riksdag vote, so for now NIX plus the written-acceptance rule is what you have.
Practical information
| Item | What to know | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| NIX-Telefon registration | Free apart from the cost of the phone call; lasts until you lift it | 2026-10-14 |
| Time until all companies stop | Up to two months | 2026-10-14 |
| Unconfirmed phone-sale contract | Void without written acceptance after the call; nothing to pay | 2026-10-14 |
| Withdrawal from a valid phone sale | Normally 14 days | 2026-10-14 |
| Reporting | Konsumentverket for sellers; police on 114 14 for scams; scam texts to 7726 | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
How do I stop telemarketing calls in Sweden?
Register your number with NIX-Telefon, the industry block register. Call 077-228 00 00 from the phone you want to block, or register a mobile online with SMS verification. It is free apart from the call and lasts until you cancel it. Allow up to two months before every company has updated its lists, and tell remaining callers clearly that you object.
Is a contract made over the phone binding in Sweden?
Not if the company called you to sell. Since 1 September 2018 the trader must send the offer in writing, and a contract arises only when you accept it in writing after the call, for example by e-mail, SMS or BankID. Without that, the deal is void and you owe nothing. If you called the company yourself, a phone agreement can bind you.
Why do I still get calls after registering with NIX?
Three reasons. Companies can take up to two months to update their lists. Companies you are a customer of may call about similar products for up to a year after the relationship ends, and anyone you gave consent to may call for three months. Scammers ignore the register entirely. Say no clearly and report persistent sellers to Konsumentverket.
What should I do if I get an invoice after a sales call?
Dispute it in writing straight away, for example by e-mail, quoting the invoice number, amount and date, and state that you never accepted any offer in writing after the call. Don’t pay and don’t ignore it. If the company says you agreed by phone, ask for the recording. You can also report the company to Konsumentverket.
Does NIX block marketing text messages?
No. NIX is a register for phone calls. Marketing by SMS or e-mail to a private person needs your prior consent under the Marketing Act anyway, apart from a narrow exception for a seller’s own similar products. Forward scam texts to 7726 and unsubscribe from genuine ones; every marketing e-mail must include a valid address for opting out.
Is Sweden banning telephone sales?
Not yet. Konsumentverket proposed a general ban in August 2025, with an opt-in system as the alternative. In July 2026 the government launched an inquiry into stronger rules, including a possible ban, due by 15 January 2027. Any ban would then need a bill and a Riksdag vote, so NIX and the written-acceptance rule are what apply now.
Related guides
- Phone numbers in Sweden — what 020, 07x and spoofed numbers mean before you pick up
- Phone contracts and broadband as a new resident — the new number you’ll want to register with NIX
- Pickpockets and tourist scams — fake police and bank callers, and how to react
- BankID for visitors — why “sign this for me” is the core of Swedish phone fraud
- ARN consumer disputes — where to go when a seller won’t drop an invoice
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Lag 2005:59 om distansavtal, SFS 2018:1321, Marknadsföringslag 2008:486, Lag 2022:482 om elektronisk kommunikation), Konsumentverket, Regeringen, NIX-Telefon, PTS and Polismyndigheten — 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.