Swedish addresses are short and logical once you know three things: how the postcode is written, what the four-digit apartment number encodes, and where c/o goes. Here is each one, plus how to find the actual door and the mailbox.
When you need this
You’re filling in a web shop’s checkout with your host’s address, or telling a friend where to send something. Maybe you’re writing a postcard to a Swedish friend. Or you’re standing in a stairwell holding an address that ends lgh 1203, with no idea which door it is. At a rural cabin, you might be wondering why no mail ever turns up at the house.
The address, line by line
A Swedish address has no state or region line. It runs top to bottom like this:
| Line | What goes on it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recipient’s name | Anna Smith |
| 2 (optional) | c/o and the name on the mailbox | c/o Andersson |
| 3 | Street, number, entrance letter, apartment number | Storgatan 12B lgh 1102 |
| 4 | Postcode and town | 123 45 STOCKHOLM |
| 5 (from abroad) | Country | SWEDEN |
The sample addresses PostNord supplies to the Universal Postal Union write the town and the country in capitals, with every line aligned left. Putting the apartment number after the street is common practice; no official addressing text fixes its position.
Postcodes and postal towns
The postcode (postnummer) is five digits with a space between the third and the fourth, written before the town: 114 55 STOCKHOLM. Don’t move it after the town and don’t drop the space.
Two bodies share the job. PostNord decides postcodes and postal towns (postort). The municipality decides the street address itself, the belägenhetsadress. Because they are separate systems, the postal town on a letter isn’t always the name of the municipality you’re standing in. PO box addresses (Box 1121) replace the street line and have postcodes of their own.
The four-digit apartment number
Where several homes share one address, each one has a four-digit apartment number (lägenhetsnummer, written lgh) from the national apartment register, introduced by a 2006 law. It’s part of the official address and appears on letters from authorities. Lantmäteriet, the mapping and land registry agency, sets out how the number is built:
| Digits | Meaning | Example: 1102 |
|---|---|---|
| First two | Floor, with the entrance floor set to 10 | 11 = one floor above the entrance |
| Last two | Door on that floor, from 01 at the flat left of the stairs, then clockwise | 02 = second flat clockwise |
Floors above the entrance are 11, 12 and so on; floors below are 09, 08. The entrance floor stays 10 even when it sits half a flight up from the street door. So 1102 is not “floor 1, door 2” in the sense many visitors expect. It’s one floor above the entrance, the floor Swedes call 1 tr (en trappa, one flight up).
One trap: landlords and housing cooperatives often keep their own flat numbers, sometimes called objektsnummer, and those can appear on a rental contract. Only the four-digit register number belongs in the address. A house with just one home at its address has no apartment number at all.
Staying with someone: c/o
C/o (“care of”) goes in front of the name of the person who will look after the mail. For a visitor, that means:
- Your own name first, exactly as on your passport.
- c/o and your host’s name on the next line.
- Then the host’s street address and postcode.
Keep your name first for a practical reason. At a parcel pick-up point, the name on your ID must match the name on the label. A parcel addressed only to your host can’t be collected with your passport.
On a long stay it’s different. The tax agency, Skatteverket, says someone actually living in a flat as a lodger or subtenant shouldn’t use c/o when registering a move. They should put their own name on the door and on the mailbox instead. PostNord says an unmarked mailbox can mean mail isn’t delivered.
Finding the right door
- Go to the right entrance. Every entrance has its own address, so 47A and 47B are different doors, often with separate door codes.
- Read the floor from the first two digits: 10 is the entrance floor, 11 is one floor up, 09 one floor down.
- Count doors clockwise, starting with the flat to the left of the stairs.
- Check the posted number. The property owner must display it visibly, on the door, the entrance board (porttavla) or the mailbox.
For door codes, intercoms and house rules once you’re inside, see staying in a Swedish apartment.
Where and how often mail arrives
Letters go into the recipient’s mailbox: a letter slot in the flat’s door (brevinkast), a mailbox unit in the entrance hall (fastighetsbox), a mailbox at the gate, or a roadside group of boxes (lådsamling). Items that need a signature or don’t fit go to a pick-up point instead.
In the countryside, the box is often at the road. Under the postal regulator’s rules, mail outside built-up areas goes into boxes along the carrier’s route on a main or side road. A home less than 200 metres from the main road gets its box on the main road. Rural addresses may also name a village or farm instead of a street (Nyby 10). At a summer cabin, look for the row of mailboxes at the nearest junction and ask your host which one is theirs.
Mail isn’t daily. The Postal Services Act still requires at least one delivery every working day, at least five days a week, at network level. In practice an individual address has had letters only every other weekday since PostNord rolled that model out nationwide in May 2022. A new postal ordinance in force since 16 June 2026 lets PostNord adapt frequency to demand. Despite press reports of every-third-day delivery, PostNord is keeping every other day for now and is testing two fixed delivery days a week in some areas, with a national rollout planned for early 2027. The official standard is now 85 percent of letters within three working days. Many pages still describe daily mail, so don’t plan anything urgent around a posted letter.
Parcels are a separate system. They usually wait at a pick-up point (ombud) inside a shop, not at your door. See collecting parcels in Sweden.
Step by step
- Write your name exactly as on your passport.
- Add c/o and your host’s name if the mailbox isn’t in your name.
- Write the street, number, entrance letter and four-digit apartment number.
- Write the postcode with a space after the third digit, then the town.
- From abroad, add SWEDEN as the last line.
- For parcels, choose a pick-up point near where you stay and give a mobile number for the text notice (see Swedish phone numbers).
- To find the door: right entrance letter, floor from the first two digits, doors clockwise from the left of the stairs.
Practical information
| Item | What to know |
|---|---|
| Postcode format | 5 digits, space after the third, before the town: 123 45 TOWN |
| Apartment number | 4 digits; entrance floor = 10; doors clockwise from left of stairs |
| c/o address | Free; your name first, then c/o and the host’s name |
| Collecting a parcel at a pick-up point | No charge to the recipient; ID name must match the label |
| Poste Restante | Only at listed postcodes; mail waits 30 days; no fee stated by the operator |
| Letter delivery standard (since 16 June 2026) | 85% within 3 working days, 97% within 5 |
| Delivery frequency | Not daily; every other weekday, with two fixed days a week being piloted |
| Rural mailbox | Along the carrier’s route; on the main road if the home is within 200 m of it |
| Stamps and postage | See sending postcards and parcels |
FAQ
How do you write a Swedish address?
Write it in four lines: the recipient’s name; the street with number and any entrance letter, followed by the four-digit apartment number if there is one; then the five-digit postcode with a space after the third digit and the town, for example 123 45 STOCKHOLM. From abroad, add SWEDEN as the last line. Add a c/o line under the name if needed.
What does lgh mean in a Swedish address?
Lgh is short for lägenhet, apartment, and the four digits after it identify the flat. The first two digits are the floor, where 10 is the entrance floor, 11 the next floor up and 09 the one below. The last two number the doors on that floor, starting left of the stairs and going clockwise.
Which floor is apartment 1102 on?
One floor above the entrance level. Sweden’s apartment register sets the entrance floor to 10, even when it sits half a flight up from the street door, so 11 is the next floor up, the one Swedes call one flight up. The 02 means the second flat counting clockwise from the left of the stairs.
How do I use c/o in Sweden?
Write your own name on the first line and “c/o” followed by your host’s name on the second, then their street address. The c/o tells the carrier which mailbox to use. Keep your name first: a pick-up point checks the name on the label against your ID, so a parcel in your host’s name alone cannot be collected with your passport.
What is the format of a Swedish postcode?
Five digits, written with a space between the third and the fourth, placed before the town name: 114 55 STOCKHOLM. PostNord decides postcodes and postal towns, while the municipality decides the street address, so the postal town is not always the name of the municipality you are in. PO box addresses carry their own postcodes.
Is mail delivered every day in Sweden?
No. The law still asks for delivery every working day at network level, but a given address has had letters only every other weekday since PostNord’s model went nationwide in May 2022. Despite press reports of every third day, PostNord is keeping that for now while it tests two fixed delivery days a week. Weekends bring no letters. Parcels usually wait at a pick-up point in a shop.
Where is the mailbox at a Swedish country house?
Often not at the house. Outside built-up areas mail goes into a box along the carrier’s route on a main or side road, and a home less than 200 metres from the main road gets its box there. Look for a row of mailboxes at the nearest junction; your host can tell you which one is theirs.
Related guides
- Collecting parcels in Sweden — pick-up points, which ID works, and lockers
- Sending postcards and parcels — stamps, delivery times and customs forms
- Staying in a Swedish apartment — door codes and intercoms once you’ve found the building
- Swedish phone numbers — the number format delivery texts need
- Long-stay rentals — when your own name goes on the door
Facts verified 2026-10-05. Sources: Lantmäteriet, Skatteverket, PTS (Post- och telestyrelsen), Sveriges riksdag (Postal Services Act, Postal Ordinance), the Universal Postal Union and PostNord — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.