Two kinds of uniformed guard work Swedish clubs, malls and stations, and they look alike. Their powers do not. Here is who may do what, how to tell them apart, and what to do when one of them stops you.
When you need this
A guard in a shop or mall tells you to stop, open your bag or come with them. A doorman refuses you entry or tells you to leave a bar. A uniformed person on the metro or a bus tells you to get off. Or you have just watched someone pocket something and wonder whether you may hold them. In each case the answer depends on one word on the back of the guard’s vest.
Who can do what
| Power | Police officer | Ordningsvakt | Väktare | Anyone, including you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refuse entry or remove you for disturbing order | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Temporary custody if removal isn’t enough | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Frisk you to establish identity when removing or detaining | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Take a very drunk person into custody | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Citizen’s arrest for a crime caught in the act | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works under police command | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Appointed or approved by | Police Authority | Police Authority | County board (via the employer) | Nobody |
The middle columns are the ones that confuse visitors. Everything in the ordningsvakt column comes from the Police Act. Everything in the väktare column is the same as yours.
The ordningsvakt: police powers on loan
The ordningsvakt (public-order guard) is appointed by the Swedish Police Authority for a fixed period. To be appointed, a person must be at least 20, have completed the prescribed training and be judged suitable. Serving police officers can’t be ordningsvakter. Once on duty, an ordningsvakt stands under police command and must follow an officer’s instructions.
Their powers are police powers lent to them by the Police Act (polislagen):
- Refuse entry or remove someone who disturbs public order or poses an immediate danger to it, or where that is needed to prevent a crime.
- Take the person into temporary custody if removal isn’t enough, and hand them promptly to the nearest police officer. The police may instead let ordningsvakter transport the person somewhere the police name.
- Frisk a person they remove or detain, so far as needed to establish identity.
- Handcuff someone they detain who acts violently, when absolutely necessary for safety.
- Take very drunk people into custody when they can’t look after themselves.
Every intervention must be proportionate: if a milder measure is enough, the ordningsvakt must use it. Polisen describes the uniform as a yellow reflective vest with “ordningsvakt” on the back, and the basic equipment as handcuffs and a baton.
Ordningsvakter can only be used under a police permit tied to a place, area or activity, or where the law provides for them. Licensed bars and restaurants and permitted public events need no separate permit when conditions for ordningsvakter are already in their licence or event permit. That is why you meet them at club doors, festivals, stations and city squares.
The väktare: a private guard with a citizen’s powers
A väktare (security guard) works for a private security company (bevakningsföretag). The company needs authorisation from the county administrative board (länsstyrelsen), and every member of staff is vetted for lawfulness, reliability and suitability before starting. The board checks the criminal-records register and refers cases to the Security Service.
None of that vetting comes with powers. Polisen’s own wording: väktare have no more right to intervene than anyone else, though they may carry a baton and handcuffs. Shop detectives, mall security and most bouncers who aren’t ordningsvakter belong in this group.
There is one thing that sets a väktare apart from you, and it protects them rather than empowering them. Since 1 August 2023, a väktare on duty has the same criminal-law protection as a public official. Violence or threats against one are charged as våld eller hot mot tjänsteman (violence or threats against an official), with a basic range up to three years in prison.
Citizen’s arrest: the rule everyone shares
Envarsgripande literally means “arrest by anyone”. Under the Code of Judicial Procedure, anyone may arrest a person who has committed a crime that can carry imprisonment and is caught in the act or fleeing, and anyone may arrest a person wanted for a crime. The arrested person must be handed promptly to the nearest police officer.
Three details matter:
- Shoplifting qualifies. Even petty theft (ringa stöld, colloquially snatteri) can carry up to six months in prison.
- Force must be defensible. If the arrested person resists, the Criminal Code allows force that is defensible in the circumstances, and no more.
- Prompt hand-over is part of the rule. A guard who keeps you without calling the police is outside it.
In shops and malls
A shop väktare or store detective may stop you only on the citizen’s-arrest rule: you must have been caught in the act of a crime that can carry prison. They can’t hold you just for questioning, and guards can’t fine you.
Your bag. No statute gives a väktare a power to search you or your bag; frisking is a police and ordningsvakt power tied to removal or detention. Opening your bag is your choice. If they arrest you for theft caught in the act, they call the police, and any search is then a matter for the police.
Being asked to leave. The owner’s right to decide who comes in stands. But a July 2026 government inquiry notes that staying on in a shop open to the public after being told to leave is generally not olaga intrång (unlawful entry) under current law, citing a 1995 Supreme Court case. Physical removal is a police and ordningsvakt power. In practice, leaving is the sensible choice; staff can call the police or an ordningsvakt.
Formal shop bans. A tillträdesförbud is decided by a prosecutor on the shop’s written application, for up to a year, where there is a risk of crime or serious harassment there. It can’t cover children under 15, and it never stops someone entering only to vote. Breaking a ban is a crime.
At clubs, events and on public transport
At a club door, a host who isn’t an ordningsvakt may still refuse you entry on the venue’s behalf, but has only the citizen’s-arrest power. An ordningsvakt can remove you and, if that isn’t enough, take you into custody. Arguing rarely helps; leaving does. Our nightlife guide covers door ages and coat checks.
Big concerts and public events often have ordningsvakter as a condition of the police permit. A venue or event may also make a bag check a condition of entry. Declining usually means you don’t get in, not that you are in trouble.
On the metro, trams, buses and taxis, uniformed transport staff may refuse entry to anyone drunk or likely to disturb order and tell them to leave. If the person doesn’t comply, a police officer or ordningsvakt may remove them.
What is new, and what is only proposed
| Change | Status |
|---|---|
| New Act on ordningsvakter, Lag (2023:421), replacing the 1980 Act | In force since 1 January 2024 |
| Appointments under the old Act | Lapsed at the end of 2025 |
| Ordningsvakter must report children at risk to social services | In force since 15 January 2026 |
| Väktare on duty protected like officials | In force since 1 August 2023 |
| Wider shop bans (cafés, restaurants, hotels) and police on-the-spot bans up to four weeks | Proposed July 2026 (SOU 2026:48); not law |
| Stronger right of self-defence | Inquiry reports by 10 September 2027; not law |
No law has widened a väktare’s powers. The Act on security companies was last amended in 2023. If a page you read still cites the 1980 Act, or presents the 2026 proposals as enacted, it is out of date.
Practical information
| Item | What applies | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Being stopped or handed to the police by a guard | No fee; guards cannot fine you | 2026-10-14 |
| Violence or threats against a väktare on duty | Fine to three years’ imprisonment (basic degree) | 2026-10-14 |
| Petty theft (ringa stöld) | Fine to six months’ imprisonment | 2026-10-14 |
| Breaking a shop ban | Fine to six months’ imprisonment; minor cases not punished | 2026-10-14 |
| Emergency | Call 112 | 2026-10-14 |
What to do when a guard stops you:
- Check the vest. ORDNINGSVAKT means police command and statutory powers.
- Leave when an ordningsvakt tells you to.
- Never push, grab or run through a guard of either kind.
- Ask a väktare who stops you whether you are under arrest, and ask them to call the police. You can call 112 yourself.
- Carry your passport or EU ID card; see carrying ID in Sweden.
- Seen a theft? Calling 112 with a description is usually safer than a citizen’s arrest. Then report the crime.
FAQ
What is the difference between an ordningsvakt and a väktare?
An ordningsvakt is appointed by the Swedish Police Authority, works under police command and may refuse entry, remove, detain and frisk for identity. A väktare is employed by a private security company vetted by the county board and has no police powers: only the citizen’s arrest anyone has. Look for the yellow vest marked ORDNINGSVAKT to tell them apart.
Can a security guard in a Swedish shop stop me?
A shop väktare or store detective may hold you only under the citizen’s-arrest rule: you must have been caught in the act of a crime that can carry prison, which includes shoplifting. They must then hand you to the police promptly. They cannot hold you just for questioning, and they cannot issue fines.
Can a väktare search my bag in Sweden?
No statute gives a väktare a power to search you or your bag; Polisen says väktare have no more right to intervene than anyone else. Opening your bag is your choice. If they arrest you for theft caught in the act, they call the police, and any search is then a matter for the police.
Can an ordningsvakt throw me out of a club or bar?
Yes. An ordningsvakt may refuse entry to or remove anyone who disturbs order or poses an immediate danger to it, and take them into temporary custody if removal is not enough. The intervention must be proportionate, and a detained person must be handed to the police promptly. Arguing rarely helps; leaving does.
What is envarsgripande, Sweden’s citizen’s arrest?
Anyone, not only guards, may arrest a person caught in the act or fleeing after a crime that can carry imprisonment, or a person wanted for a crime. The arrested person must be handed promptly to the nearest police officer. Force is allowed only to the extent that is defensible. For anything minor or uncertain, call 112 instead.
Can a Swedish shop ban me?
A shop can ask you to leave and decide who comes in. A formal ban with criminal backing is different: a prosecutor decides it on the shop’s application, for up to a year, when there is a risk of crime or serious harassment there. A July 2026 inquiry proposes wider and faster bans; that is not law yet.
Related guides
- The Swedish police — what officers, as opposed to guards, may ask of you
- Nightlife in Sweden — door ages, coat checks and ordningsvakter at the door
- Carrying ID in Sweden — what you must show, and to whom
- Reporting a crime as a tourist — the next step after a theft or an incident with a guard
- Pickpockets and tourist scams — why calling 112 beats chasing a thief
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Lag 2023:421 om ordningsvakter, Polislag 1984:387, Rättegångsbalken, Brottsbalken, Lag 1974:191, Lag 1976:511, Ordningslag 1993:1617, Lag 2021:34, SOU 2026:48), Polismyndigheten and Länsstyrelsen — 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.