Sweden is an easy place to be pregnant on holiday. Its limits come from your airline and your insurer, not from Sweden. Know which hospital door to use, and read the Swedish food list, which differs from most generic ones.
When you need this
You’re booking flights, a ferry or a road trip while pregnant. You want to know whether your travel insurance or EU or UK health card covers pregnancy care here. You’re already in Sweden with bleeding, pain or a worry and don’t know which door to use. Or you’re looking at a Swedish menu, a julbord or a supermarket shelf and wondering what’s safe.
This page covers the trip. Antenatal care for people moving here, the birth itself and registering a baby born in Sweden are in giving birth in Sweden.
Getting here: flights, ferries and the car
1177, the regions’ national health service, says most people can travel as usual while pregnant. It also suggests talking to your midwife before a trip. The Swedish health system sets no limits. Your transport operator and your insurer do.
| Who sets it | What to check | Typical rule |
|---|---|---|
| Your airline | Latest week you may fly | Most often no flying in the last two months |
| Your ferry operator | Route-specific limits | Varies by route |
| Your travel insurer | Pregnancy-related care | Often not covered after week 28 |
Flights. Airlines set late-pregnancy limits because a plane may have to land if labour starts, not because flying is harmful. Check the rule against your return date. It’s the later week, and it’s the one that catches people out.
Ferries. Rules differ by operator and route. Stena Line’s UK customer page, for example, sets no pregnancy limit on its sailings except one North Sea route, which allows travel up to 36 weeks, or 34 with more than one baby. Ask your operator about your own crossing.
Long journeys. Sitting still for a long time slightly raises the risk of a blood clot in pregnancy. Support stockings, walking around and drinking water help.
In the car. Swedish traffic law requires everyone in a car with seatbelts to wear one, and it names no exemption for pregnancy. 1177’s advice: the lap part goes under the bump, as close to the hips as possible, and the diagonal part goes over the shoulder and across your body. Skip products sold to reposition the belt for pregnancy; 1177 advises against them.
Who pays if you need care
Swedish law requires every region to offer immediate care to anyone staying there, resident or not. What you pay depends on your entitlement, not your nationality:
- EU, EEA, Swiss and UK card holders pay the resident fee for care that becomes necessary during the stay. Pregnancy and childbirth count as necessary care. Bring the EHIC, GHIC or a provisional certificate.
- Unless the care was the purpose of the trip. A trip made to give birth in Sweden is outside the card, and you pay the full cost.
- Visitors from countries without an agreement pay the real cost of acute and planned care, invoiced by the region.
That’s why the insurance check matters. If your policy stops covering pregnancy care after week 28, a late-pregnancy trip without a health card can leave you paying a hospital invoice yourself. See EHIC and GHIC in Sweden and travel insurance for Sweden.
If something goes wrong: the week-22 rule
Sweden routes pregnancy problems by week, and the split catches visitors out.
| Your pregnancy week | Where to go with bleeding |
|---|---|
| Before week 22 | Emergency department (akutmottagning) or gynaecology department |
| Week 22+0 or later | Labour ward (förlossning), even if the bleed is small |
| Any week, with pain on one side of the abdomen | Seek care at once |
Phone ahead where you can, because many units want a call before you arrive. For advice, ring 1177. From a foreign phone the short number may not connect, so use +46 771 11 77 00; press 5 for English. For an emergency, dial 112.
Bring your health card and the pregnancy records from your midwife clinic. 1177 advises carrying them, and an English copy saves time at a Swedish ward. For how the rest of the system works, see getting sick in Sweden as a tourist.
Eating in Sweden while pregnant
Livsmedelsverket, the Swedish Food Agency, publishes Sweden’s pregnancy food advice. It last reviewed the list in June 2026. It is narrower than many lists from abroad in some places and stricter in others. Don’t “correct” it against a generic list.
| Food | Swedish advice |
|---|---|
| Sushi and sashimi from a restaurant or shop | Fine; don’t choose fresh tuna every time |
| Smoked or cured (gravad) salmon | Fine if packed within the last week |
| Pickled herring (inlagd sill), farmed salmon | Fine |
| Baltic herring (strömming), surströmming, wild Baltic salmon and trout | 2–3 times a year in total (dioxins and PCBs) |
| Pike, perch, burbot, fresh tuna, swordfish | 2–3 times a year in total (mercury) |
| Liver and liver dishes | Avoid; leverpastej (liver pâté) is fine |
| Sliced cooked ham, pâté | Packed within the last week, or heated until piping hot |
| Salami, cold-smoked ham, air-dried meat | Freeze at least three days first, or eat heated |
| Hard cheese | Fine, even from unpasteurised milk |
| Blue and smear-ripened cheese (mögelost, kittost) | Avoid, pasteurised or not |
| Mozzarella, feta, halloumi, cream cheese | Fine |
| Unpasteurised milk | Avoid |
| Meat | Cooked to at least pink |
| Game (moose, deer, boar) | Steak and fillet fine; avoid mince and sausage unless you know the meat was cleaned around the bullet wound |
Mercury in lake fish varies by lake. County boards and municipalities hold the figures, so ask before eating perch or pike you caught yourself. At a julbord, pickled herring, the hot dishes and freshly carved ham are the easy choices; see the julbord guide. For the lead advice on game, see game meat on Swedish menus.
Drinks: coffee, alcohol and the lättöl trap
Caffeine: at most 200 mg a day. That’s about two to three cups of brewed coffee of 1.5 dl, or four cups of tea of 2 dl. A Swedish fika adds up fast; see coffee in Sweden.
Alcohol: Livsmedelsverket advises none at all in pregnancy. It accepts moderate amounts of drinks with at most 0.5% alcohol, meaning up to a litre a week. Cooked dishes with wine or beer are fine if boiled at least 30 minutes or reduced to under half. Flambéed dishes and uncooked desserts with spirits are not.
The lättöl trap. Lättöl, the “light beer” in every Swedish supermarket, is not alcohol-free. Under the Alcohol Act a lättdryck may contain up to 2.25% alcohol. Only above that is it legally an alcoholic drink. That’s far above the 0.5% Livsmedelsverket accepts. Look for alkoholfri and the percentage on the label.
Herbal teas, rooibos included, are a “be careful” item: a cup now and then is fine, but not as your everyday drink.
Medicines, ticks, heat and the outdoors
Painkillers. 1177 says to use products that contain only paracetamol. Don’t take NSAIDs such as ibuprofen at all in the last three months, and not in the first six without a doctor’s advice. Swedish brand names hide the active ingredient, so check the pack (Swedish medicine names decoded). Pharmacy staff can help; 1177 suggests asking a pharmacy, midwife or doctor when unsure.
Ticks and mosquitoes. Approved repellents may be used in pregnancy as directed; Kemikalieinspektionen, the Swedish Chemicals Agency, doesn’t advise against them. The TBE vaccine hasn’t been tested in pregnancy, but many pregnant people have had it with nothing suggesting harm. Discuss it with your midwife before a trip into tick areas (do you need the TBE vaccine?).
Heat and saunas. 1177 lists pregnant people among those especially sensitive to heat. In a hot spell, drink extra water. 1177 has no sauna-specific advice, so ask your midwife and keep sessions short.
Adders. 1177 lists pregnant women as especially sensitive to an adder bite. Call 112 at once.
Distance. In the sparsely populated north, the nearest labour ward can be hours away. Plan late-pregnancy trips with that in mind.
Practical information
| Item | What applies (checked 2026-10-15) |
|---|---|
| Immediate care during the stay | Always offered; the fee depends on your entitlement |
| Unplanned pregnancy care with an EU, EEA, Swiss or UK card | The region’s resident fee |
| Pregnancy care without an agreement or cover | Real cost, invoiced by the region |
| Travel insurance pregnancy cover | Set by your policy; often ends after week 28 |
| 1177 advice line from a foreign phone | +46 771 11 77 00 (press 5 for English) |
| Emergency | 112 |
| Caffeine | Max 200 mg a day |
| Lättöl | Up to 2.25% alcohol by law |
FAQ
Can I fly to Sweden while pregnant?
Usually, yes. 1177 says flying is generally fine in pregnancy, but each airline sets its own limit, and the most common rule is no flying in the last two months. Check your airline’s rule for the date of your return flight, since that is the later week. The limits exist because a plane may have to land if labour starts, not because flying itself is unsuitable.
Does my EHIC or GHIC cover pregnancy care in Sweden?
Yes, if the care becomes necessary during your stay. Pregnancy and childbirth count as necessary care, and you pay the same fee as a resident. The card does not cover care you travelled to Sweden to receive, such as a planned birth. Visitors from countries without an agreement pay the real cost, so check your travel insurance.
Where do I go if I bleed while pregnant in Sweden?
Before week 22, go to an emergency department or a gynaecology emergency department. From week 22+0, contact a labour ward (förlossning), even if the bleed is small. Seek care at once in any week if you also have pain on one side of the abdomen. For advice, call 1177 on +46 771 11 77 00. In an emergency, dial 112.
Is lättöl safe to drink when pregnant?
Not as an alcohol-free drink. Swedish law lets lättöl and other light drinks contain up to 2.25% alcohol. Livsmedelsverket advises no alcohol in pregnancy, but accepts moderate amounts of drinks with at most 0.5%, up to a litre a week. Choose bottles labelled alkoholfri and check the percentage on the label.
Can I eat sushi, smoked salmon and pickled herring in Sweden while pregnant?
Yes, with conditions. Restaurant and shop sushi is fine; just avoid fresh tuna every time. Choose smoked or cured salmon packed within the last week. Pickled herring is fine. Baltic herring, including surströmming, and wild-caught Baltic salmon are limited to two or three times a year because of dioxins and PCBs.
Which painkillers can I take while pregnant in Sweden?
1177 says to use painkillers that contain only paracetamol; check the active ingredient on the pack, since Swedish brand names differ from home. Do not take NSAIDs like ibuprofen in the last three months at all, and not in the first six without talking to a doctor first. If unsure, ask a pharmacist, midwife or doctor, or call 1177.
Do I have to wear a seatbelt in Sweden when pregnant?
Yes. Swedish traffic law requires everyone in a car with seatbelts to wear one, and it names no exemption for pregnancy. 1177 advises placing the lap part under the bump, as close to the hips as possible, with the diagonal part over the shoulder and across the body, and avoiding products sold to reposition the belt.
Related guides
- Giving birth in Sweden — if the baby comes early: labour wards, fees and registering a newborn.
- Getting sick in Sweden as a tourist — the four doors of the system and how 1177 routes you.
- EHIC and GHIC in Sweden — what “necessary care” covers and what it doesn’t.
- Travel insurance for Sweden — what to check before a late-pregnancy trip.
- Do you need the TBE vaccine? — timing, if you’ll be in tick country.
Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: 1177, Livsmedelsverket, Sveriges riksdag (Trafikförordningen 1998:1276, Alkohollag 2010:1622, Hälso- och sjukvårdslag 2017:30), Transportstyrelsen, Försäkringskassan, Västra Götalandsregionen, Region Västmanland, EUR-Lex, Krisinformation.se, Kemikalieinspektionen, Stena Line — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.