Moving in together in Sweden is a legal step, not just a practical one. Here is what the Cohabitation Act shares between you, what it leaves alone, which country’s law applies to a foreign couple, and what to sort out on paper.
When you need this
You’re moving in with a partner in Sweden, or your partner is moving into your flat. You’re buying a home together, or one of you is buying it alone for both. You’re splitting up and wonder who keeps the flat and the sofa. Your partner has died and you weren’t married. Or you’ve seen the word sambo on a residence permit application and want to know what it means.
Who counts as sambo
Sweden’s Cohabitation Act, sambolagen (2003:376), defines sambo as two people who live together permanently in a couple relationship and share a household, provided neither is married. There is no form, no register and no fee: the status follows from how you actually live, and the partners’ sex doesn’t matter. The act sets no minimum number of months.
A sambo relationship ends in three ways:
- either of you marries (each other or someone else)
- you move apart
- one of you dies
A tourist couple on holiday isn’t sambo, and as explained below, a couple who set up home abroad may not be under Swedish rules even after moving here. Being registered at the same address (see folkbokföring) is not itself the legal test; how you live is.
What gets split, and what doesn’t
The act exists to protect the weaker party when a couple splits up, typically the partner who earned less but helped furnish the home. It does this narrowly. Only the joint home and household goods acquired for shared use count as joint property, samboegendom.
| In the division | Outside the division |
|---|---|
| A home bought or rented for the two of you: house, co-op flat (bostadsrätt) or rental (hyresrätt) | A home one partner already had before moving in |
| Furniture, household appliances and other contents for the shared home | Things used only by one partner |
| Bank savings and cars | |
| Summer houses and other leisure property | |
| Gifts or inheritance the giver marked as the recipient’s separate property |
Nothing happens automatically. Division (bodelning) takes place only if one partner asks, and the request must come within one year of the relationship ending. On a death, the survivor must ask at the latest when the estate inventory (bouppteckning) is drawn up.
The arithmetic is simple. Each partner’s debts are deducted from what they own of the joint property, then the remaining value is added together and split equally, whoever paid. The partner who needs the home or the furniture most may keep it against its value, if that’s reasonable, and anyone may pay money instead of handing over property. If an equal split would be unreasonable, especially after a short relationship, the partner giving up property may keep more.
There is one more route to a home that isn’t joint property. If one partner rents or owns a co-op flat that the other moved into, the other can take it over on separation if they need it most and it’s reasonable. Without children together, that requires exceptional reasons (synnerliga skäl). The claim must be made within a year, or within three months of moving out.
While you live together, neither of you may sell, rent out or mortgage a home that is joint property, or sell or pledge joint household goods, without the other’s consent. For a house or other real property the consent must be in writing. A sale without consent can be reversed if the other partner goes to court within three months.
What sambo status doesn’t give you
This is where most people, Swedes included, get it wrong.
| Married | Sambo | |
|---|---|---|
| Inherit without a will | Yes, the surviving spouse takes the estate | No, a sambo is not an heir |
| Adjustment pension on death | Possible | Only with a child together, a child expected, or an earlier marriage |
| Custody of a child at birth | Both parents | The birth mother alone until joint custody is registered |
Sambos also owe each other no maintenance, even after a long relationship.
Inheritance needs a will. A surviving sambo inherits nothing by law. What they do have is a safety net: on a partner’s death, the survivor can request division of the joint home and goods, and always receives joint property worth up to two price base amounts, as far as it suffices after debts. The deceased’s heirs cannot request that division; only the survivor can.
Children change the sums. Children of sambos inherit directly when a parent dies, and half of a child’s statutory share is a reserved share (laglott) that no will can take away. So even with wills, a surviving partner may have to buy out the children’s share or sell the home. If you’d rather avoid that, read getting married in Sweden and inheritance in Sweden.
Reform watch: a government inquiry, SOU 2025:91 (August 2025), proposes stronger protection for surviving sambos. As of October 2026 nothing has been enacted; current law is that sambos inherit only by will.
The samboavtal: opting out
Current or future sambos may agree that no division will take place, or that certain property is excluded. This samboavtal (cohabitation agreement) must be in writing and signed by both. It needs no registration and no witnesses, and you can change it later with a new agreement. A term that is unreasonable may be adjusted or set aside.
It’s most useful when one partner pays for most of a home bought for both. The opposite tool also exists: when one partner buys a house alone for both, the couple can jointly notify the land registry that it is their joint home. Keep the two problems apart: a samboavtal decides the split, while only a will decides inheritance.
Foreign couples: which law applies
For couples with an international element, a separate act, Lag (2019:234), decides which country’s law governs their property. It replaced the older 1990 act that many pages still cite.
| Your situation | Law that applies |
|---|---|
| You agreed in writing on a country’s law | That law, if either of you lived there or was a citizen when you agreed |
| No agreement | The law of the country where you set up home together |
| You both then moved to a new country | That country’s law after two years there |
| You both lived there earlier as a couple, or are both its citizens | That country’s law from the moment you move there |
So a couple who moved in together in Berlin and then moved to Stockholm stays under the old country’s law for two years, unless they agree otherwise. Its rules for unmarried couples may be very different from Sweden’s, or absent. One protection applies regardless: for a home and household goods in Sweden, the Swedish rules on consent, takeover and the survivor’s minimum always apply.
The rule turns on where you lived, not on your passport. EU citizens, other foreigners and Swedes are treated the same way, apart from the citizenship shortcut in the last row.
Children and parenthood
For unmarried parents, Swedish law makes the birth mother the child’s sole custodian from birth. Parenthood must be confirmed, and joint custody needs a court decision or registration with Skatteverket after a joint notification.
For children born from 1 January 2022, Skatteverket’s e-service lets parents confirm parenthood and request joint custody within 14 days of the birth. Both parents must have been adults and registered as living in Sweden at the birth, and both need e-ID such as BankID. Otherwise, you confirm it with social services in the child’s municipality. How custody works after a split is covered in divorce and shared custody.
Sambo and partner permits
Migration law uses the word sambo too, but applies its own test. Migrationsverket grants residence permits to partners who are married, registered partners or sambo, or plan to be. It also expects both partners to be over 21, with exceptions such as a child together, documents showing you have lived together, and a partner in Sweden who can support you both and has a large enough home.
Changed on 1 October 2026: family-immigration rules were tightened. The maintenance requirement has a higher amount and is now also checked when a permit is extended, and a partner in Sweden on a time-limited permit must have lived here with a permit for two years. Pages written before October 2026 describe the old rules.
The details, including the current income figure, are in partner permits.
Practical information
| Item | What to know | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Becoming sambo | No registration exists; no fee | 2026-10-14 |
| Samboavtal | No state fee, no registration, no witnesses; a lawyer is optional and sets their own price | 2026-10-14 |
| Survivor’s minimum, deaths in 2026 | 2 x SEK 59,200 = SEK 118,400 | 2026-10-14 |
| Survivor’s minimum, deaths in 2027 | 2 x SEK 59,600 = SEK 119,200 (SCB calculation) | 2026-10-14 |
| Request for division | Within one year of separating; on death, by the estate inventory | 2026-10-14 |
| Digital parenthood confirmation | Within 14 days of birth; no fee stated | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
What does sambo mean in Swedish law?
Sambo means two people who live together permanently as a couple with a shared household, where neither is married. The Cohabitation Act then applies automatically, with no registration and regardless of the partners’ sex. Its main effect is that the home and household goods bought for shared use can be split equally if the relationship ends.
What is split when sambos break up in Sweden?
Only the joint home and household goods acquired for shared use, and only if one partner asks within a year. Debts are deducted, then the net value is split equally, whoever paid. Bank savings, cars, summer houses and a home one partner already owned before moving in are outside the division. A short relationship can justify an uneven split.
Do sambos inherit from each other in Sweden?
No. A sambo is not an heir under the inheritance code, so you need a will. Without one, a surviving partner can only request division of the joint home and goods and keep property worth up to two price base amounts, SEK 118,400 for deaths in 2026. Children’s reserved shares can limit what a will gives.
What is a samboavtal and do we need one?
A samboavtal is a written agreement, signed by both partners, that the joint home and goods will not be divided, or that certain items are excluded. It needs no registration or witnesses. It is most useful when one partner pays for most of a home bought for both. It does not create inheritance rights; wills do that.
Does Swedish sambo law apply to foreign couples?
It depends on where you lived when you moved in together. Without a written choice of law, that country’s law governs your property. If you both then live in Sweden for two years, Swedish law takes over, immediately if you lived here earlier as a couple or are both Swedish citizens. A holiday never makes you sambo.
Is sambo the same as cohabitation for a Swedish residence permit?
Not quite. Migrationsverket grants permits to partners who are married, registered partners or sambo, or plan to be. It also expects both to be over 21, evidence of living together, and a sponsor in Sweden who can support you both and has a large enough home. From 1 October 2026 the required income amount is higher.
Related guides
- Getting married in Sweden — the alternative that makes your partner an heir
- Partner permits — moving to Sweden to live with a Swedish partner under the 2026 rules
- Inheritance in Sweden — wills, reserved shares and the estate inventory
- Bostadsrätt vs hyresrätt — the two kinds of flat the act covers
- The house-buying process — whose name goes on the title when you buy together
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Sambolag 2003:376, Lag 2019:234, Ärvdabalk 1958:637, Föräldrabalk 1949:381), Regeringskansliet, Skatteverket, Pensionsmyndigheten, SCB and Migrationsverket — 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.