Getting Sick in Sweden: A Tourist's Guide to Healthcare
Which door to use when you fall ill, how to be seen without a personnummer, what it costs by entitlement, and the 1177 number that works abroad.
Health, Safety & Emergencies
Healthcare access
1177: Sweden's Medical Advice Line
Sweden's 24-hour nurse advice line. Dial 1177 from a Swedish phone, +46 771 11 77 00 from a foreign one. Press 5 for English. Life-threatening: 112.
EHIC and GHIC in Sweden: What They Cover
What the card buys in Sweden, what it never covers, why digital versions are refused, and the private-clinic trap that costs visitors the whole bill.
Emergency Rooms in Sweden: How Akuten Works
When to go to akuten, why the wait runs to hours, what to bring and what visitors pay. Triage, children's ERs and the EU card, from official sources.
Dental Emergencies in Sweden
Toothache or a broken tooth in Sweden: which dentist to call by day, weekend or night, what an EHIC really covers, and when it's a case for the ER.
Healthcare as a New Resident: Vardcentral, Fees and the High-Cost Cap
How to list at a vårdcentral, what you pay before and after registration, and Sweden's 2026 caps: SEK 1,450 for visits, SEK 3,800 for medicines.
Vardgarantin: Sweden's Healthcare Waiting-Time Guarantee
Sweden's care guarantee: same-day contact, 3-day assessment, 90 days to a specialist and treatment. Who is covered, what to do when waits run over.
Digital Doctors in Sweden: Video Appointments With Kry, Min Doktor and 1177
Kry, Min Doktor and 1177 video visits are public care behind a BankID login. Who can use them, what residents pay, and what visitors do instead.
Dental Care Costs in Sweden: Free Until 19, Then What?
Free dental care in Sweden now ends at 19, not 23. What adults pay, the state allowance, high-cost protection, the 2026 scheme for 67+, and visitor rules.
Giving Birth in Sweden: Maternity Care and What It Costs
Free midwife care, a SEK 130 daily cap for the hospital stay, what EU and non-EU visitors pay, and how a baby born in Sweden is registered.
Vinterkraksjukan: Norovirus in Sweden
Sudden vomiting in Sweden? Fluids, pharmacy rehydration salts, when to call 1177, why hand gel fails, how long to stay away, and the frozen-berry rule.
Mental Health Care in Sweden: Psychologists, Waiting Times and Costs
Start at the health centre: psychologists for the regional fee, capped yearly. What the 90-day guarantee promises, BUP waits, private therapy and visitors.
Medicines pharmacies
Pharmacies in Sweden: How Apotek Work
Supermarkets sell some medicine but not paracetamol tablets. A foreign paper prescription works here; an e-prescription does not. And the advice is free.
Buying Painkillers and OTC Medicine in Sweden
Ipren is on the supermarket shelf; paracetamol tablets are pharmacy-only since 2015. The brand table, the 18-year rule, and where to buy at night.
Alvedon, Ipren and Friends: Swedish Medicine Names Decoded
Alvedon is paracetamol, Ipren is ibuprofen. Find your usual medicine in Sweden by substance name, and why pack size decides prescription status.
Getting a Prescription Filled as a Visitor
Only a paper EEA prescription works in a Swedish pharmacy. E-prescriptions and UK or US prescriptions don't. How to get a Swedish one, and what it costs.
Sexual Health in Sweden: Contraception, Youth Clinics and the Morning-After Pill
Emergency pills over the counter, free youth clinics with local age limits, STI care and abortion rules, and what visitors pay versus residents.
Traveling With Medical Equipment: CPAP, Insulin and Dialysis in Sweden
CPAP batteries, insulin at security, oxygen approval and guest dialysis in Sweden: the rules from Transportstyrelsen and 1177, and what to book first.
Emergencies
112 and Sweden's Emergency Numbers
Call 112 free from any phone in Sweden, SIM or no SIM, answered in English. Plus 114 14, 1177 and 113 13 - and the numbers that work from a foreign SIM.
Lost or Stolen Passport in Sweden
Call 114 14 or visit a station (no online report for visitors), keep the case number, then go to your embassy. A police report won't get you on a plane.
Lost Wallet or Stolen Cards: What to Do
Block cards with your own bank, report on 114 14 and keep the case number. Why the online form and Swedish blocking lines won't work for visitors.
Car Breakdown and Roadside Assistance in Sweden
Broke down in Sweden? Warn, leave, alert: the 100 m triangle rule (compulsory, foreign cars too), who to call, your accident duties and who pays.
Sweden's Emergency Alerts: VMA and the 112 App
Siren, phone alert or radio VMA in Sweden? Go indoors, close up, listen to P4. The four siren signals, test times, SE-Alert and the 112 app for visitors.
Reporting a Crime as a Tourist
Visitors can't use Sweden's online police form. Call 114 14 or visit a station, ask for an interpreter, get the case number, know your compensation rights.
Lost Something in Sweden? Hittegods and Lost Property Explained
Left something on a train, plane or in a hotel in Sweden? Who holds it, how long they keep it, when a finder's fee applies and how to get it sent home.
Crisis Helplines in Sweden: Who to Call When You Need to Talk
In danger, call 112. To talk: 90101 and Hjalplinjen 90390, both 24/7, plus lines for violence, under-18s and LGBTQ+, with English and foreign-SIM notes.
Sweden's Total Defense and Civil Preparedness: What Visitors Notice
Orange shelter signs, siren tests, the war brochure, NATO exercises: what Sweden's total defense means for visitors, and the one rule that applies to you.
Rescue in Sweden: Who Comes and Who Pays
Mountain, sea and fire rescue in Sweden is not billed to the person saved. Where costs do start: ambulance fees, private helicopters and non-urgent tows.
Embassies and Consulates in Stockholm: What Your Embassy Can Do for You
Find the embassy that covers Sweden, what consular help really includes, and your right to have your consulate told if you're detained. No bills paid.
When Someone Dies While Traveling in Sweden
After a death in Sweden: doctor, police and autopsy, the one-month funeral rule, the permit to bring a body home, ashes, costs and your embassy.
Power Cuts at Cabins and in Storms: What to Do
Fuse box, neighbours, grid company, P4 radio. How to keep water, food and warmth, avoid carbon monoxide and fallen lines, and the 24-hour outage rule.
Forest Fires: Evacuation Warnings and What Visitors Must Do
See a fire: call 112 and warn others. Get a VMA: follow it. Told to leave: go, never cross a cordon. Swedish law, smoke advice and burnt-forest risks.
Insurance
Do You Need Travel Insurance for Sweden?
EHIC and GHIC holders pay the resident fee; almost everyone else pays full cost. What the card never covers, the Schengen visa rule, and rental-car cover.
Car Rental Insurance in Sweden: What You Actually Need
Traffic insurance is already in every Swedish rental. What CDW and the excess leave, what voids cover, and how to check your card before the desk.
Insuring Outdoor Gear on a Sweden Trip
Which policy covers your gear, the clauses that sink claims, the airline's 1,519 SDR cap, and how visitors report theft to Swedish police.
Home Insurance for Long Stays: How Hemforsakring Works
Subletters need their own policy, tenants are liable for damage, and travel cover stops at 45 days. The five parts of a hemförsäkring, explained neutrally.
Private Health Insurance in Sweden: Why Some Swedes Pay Extra
Why 826,000 people in Sweden pay for sjukvårdsförsäkring, what it covers and excludes, how it is taxed, and whether a newcomer needs or can get one.
Nature hazards
Ticks in Sweden: TBE, Lyme and How to Stay Safe
Lyme is common and curable; TBE is rare and vaccine-preventable. How to remove a tick correctly, when to see a doctor, and who the vaccine is really for.
Do You Need the TBE Vaccine for Sweden?
No vaccine is required. Who the TBE recommendation covers, why Stockholm city differs from the archipelago, and how many weeks the vaccine needs.
Mosquitoes in Sweden: How Bad Are They Really?
Coasts, cities and open fell stay mild. Forest, bog and floodplain from mid-June to August do not. Plus the two diseases Swedish mosquitoes carry.
The Huggorm: Sweden's Only Venomous Snake
Sweden's only venomous snake: call 112 at once after a bite, keep still, don't cut or tie off. How to tell adder from grass snake, and why it's protected.
Cold Risks: Hypothermia and Frostbite Basics
Spot hypothermia and frostbite, warm someone safely, survive a fall through ice, and know when to call 112 or 1177 — per Sweden's own health advice.
Ice Safety: Walking and Skating on Frozen Lakes
Walking or skating on Swedish ice: the official 10 cm core-ice rule, where ice is weak, why sea ice is riskier, and what to do if someone falls through.
Algal Blooms in the Baltic: When Not to Swim
Why the Baltic blooms every summer, how to read SMHI's free daily algae map, the symptoms 1177 lists, and what it means for dogs, drinking water and fish.
Swimming Safety and Life Jackets in Sweden
Most Swedish beaches and lakes have no lifeguard. The official bathing rules, which vest a child needs, beach flags, and what to do if someone is drowning.
SMHI Weather Warnings: What Yellow, Orange and Red Mean
What SMHI's yellow, orange and red warnings mean, which hazards reach which level, where to read them in English, and when to change your travel plans.
Pollen Season in Sweden: Allergy Tips for Visitors
Hazel from February, birch April–May, grass June–July, mugwort August, north later. Where the forecast lives now, OTC allergy meds, and when to call 112.
Heatwaves in Sweden: Heat Warnings and Staying Cool
When SMHI issues yellow and orange heat warnings, why Swedish rooms rarely have AC, how to stay cool, heat-stroke first aid and the hot-car rule.
Walking on Ice: Gravel, Ice Cleats and Winter Sidewalks
Falls cause over 95 % of serious pedestrian injuries in Sweden. Ice grips, gritted sidewalks, who clears them, and why to avoid roof-snow cordons.
Lost in the Swedish Forest: What to Do and How Search Works
Stop, call 112 early, stay visible and on roads. How your phone sends your position, why the police lead every search, and how Missing People helps.
Jellyfish in Swedish Waters: Lion's Mane and What to Do If Stung
Lion's mane stings hurt but stay local. Rinse with seawater, scrape with a card, skip the vinegar. Which Swedish jellyfish sting and when to see a doctor.
Weever Fish on the West Coast: The Hidden Sting in the Sand
Sweden's only dangerous venomous fish hides in west-coast sand. Soak the sting in 40-45 °C water for 30-60 minutes, and know when to see a doctor.
Horseflies, Wasps and Knott: Summer Insects Beyond Mosquitoes
Wasps, horseflies, knott and deer keds in Sweden: when each peaks, what works against them, and when a sting means 112 rather than the pharmacy.
Thunderstorms in the Mountains: Lightning Safety on the Fjall
Thunder is rare on the Swedish fjäll but you are the highest point. When storms come, why SMHI rarely warns, what to do in the open, and first aid.
Sun Protection in Sweden: UV on Snow, Water and Under the Midnight Sun
Swedish summer UV reaches 4-7, snow reflects up to 80% and the midnight sun is weak at night. Official advice on protecting skin and eyes.
Safety crime
Is Sweden Safe? An Honest Guide for Visitors
Yes, and the numbers show it: official Brå and police figures on crime and gang violence, what the UK and US advisories say, and the risks visitors meet.
Pickpockets and Tourist Scams in Sweden
Where Swedish pickpockets work, the fake police and parking texts going round in 2026, and how to avoid taxi, card-currency and cabin-rental traps.
LGBTQ+ Travel in Sweden
What Swedish law protects, how to report discrimination or a hate crime, HIV testing, PrEP and PEP for visitors, official statistics and 2026 Pride dates.
The Swedish Police: 114 14, Police Stations and What Officers May Ask
112 or 114 14, station hours, when officers may frisk you, what a säkerhetszon is and how to check police ID — the Police Act explained for visitors.
Ordningsvakt vs Vaktare: Who Can Stop You in Sweden
Ordningsvakter are police-appointed and may remove, detain and frisk you; väktare have only a citizen's arrest. Who may do what in clubs, shops, stations.
Phone and BankID Scams in Sweden: How They Work and How to Spot Them
How Swedish phone, text, QR-code and doorstep scams work, what police and banks never ask, what to do first if you were caught, and when the bank pays.
Arrested or Questioned by Police: Your Rights in Sweden
Lawyer, interpreter, consulate: what to ask for. The 6-hour and four-day limits, why Sweden has no bail, and the 2026 rule changes for suspects.