Free help through Swedish airports and stations is a legal right, but it only works if the right company knows about it in time. Here is whom to call, how far ahead, and what actually happens on the day.
When you need this
You use a wheelchair, walk only short distances, have low vision or hearing loss, or have an invisible disability, and you are flying to Sweden or taking a Swedish train. Or you are booking for an older parent who cannot manage Arlanda’s long corridors. Or you bought a train ticket online, found no assistance box, and wonder who to tell. This page covers the booking itself. Parking cards, local transport and accessible nature are in our guide to accessible travel in Sweden.
Who takes the booking
The single rule that trips visitors up: the people who help you on the day cannot take your booking.
| You travel by | Book with | Deadline | Who helps on the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plane | Your airline, travel agent or tour operator | 48 hours before departure | Swedavia’s assistance team (at Sweden’s state airports) |
| Train | The company that sold your ticket | 24 hours before the first assisted leg | The national station-assistance service, ledsagning |
Swedavia, which runs Sweden’s state airports including Arlanda, Landvetter, Malmö and Visby, only acts on requests passed on by the airline. At stations, the assistance service is coordinated by Trafikverket, the Swedish Transport Administration, through stationsledsagning.se. That site explains the service and maps every meeting point, but it cannot take a booking either.
Both services are free under EU law, and both have fixed notice periods. Sweden asks 24 hours for trains, not 36. Some EU pages still warn that certain countries need 36 hours. Sweden never used that option, and it ended on 30 June 2026 anyway.
Booking assistance for a flight
Ask for assistance when you book the flight, and no later than 48 hours before departure. If you booked on a website, call or message the airline as well. Transportstyrelsen, the Swedish Transport Agency, advises this because an online booking does not always pass the need on.
Tell the airline exactly what you need, and if you use a wheelchair, give its type, size, battery type and how the battery disconnects. Not every electric wheelchair can be loaded. Two mobility aids fly free with airlines covered by the EU regulation, and so do a recognised assistance dog and medical equipment.
Know where the airline’s duty stops. Its assistance does not cover help with eating, lifting, communicating, medication or inside the toilet. If you need any of these, the airline can require a companion. That companion pays a normal fare, because the airline does not have to carry them free.
Arriving in Sweden? Book arrival assistance the same way, through the airline, at least 48 hours before you land.
On the day at a Swedish airport
Swedavia publishes one model for all its airports:
- Check in at least one hour before departure, then go to a marked meeting point and call. Staff come within 30 minutes, or at the time you agreed.
- Need help with check-in itself? Press the button at the help point outside the terminal entrance at least two hours before departure.
- Landing? Pre-booked assistance meets you within 5 minutes of the aircraft reaching the gate, and never more than 20.
- Not booked? Swedavia says help can take up to 45 minutes, and if you report less than two hours before your flight it cannot guarantee getting you there.
Staff take you through security to the gate and, if you cannot walk on board, to your seat in a cabin wheelchair. They help you to and from the toilet but not with medical or personal care. Airports lend wheelchairs. Pack cushions and other loose parts in your hand luggage.
Swedavia’s own page is inconsistent about electric wheelchairs: one answer says you may keep yours to the gate, another says you check it in with your baggage. Ask your airline which applies to your flight.
At Arlanda only, one family member or companion may go with you through security to the gate, free, on domestic and Schengen departures. You need pre-booked assistance. Tell the check-in staff; you both fill in a form, and your companion goes through the normal ID and security checks.
With low vision or hearing loss, tell the airline when you book. Swedavia notes that some airports limit loudspeaker announcements, and the assistance team brings you flight information. Invisible disabilities are covered too, though some airlines want a companion on board, so ask first. Stockholm Skavsta, which Swedavia does not run, joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower scheme in 2021, with free lanyards at its information desk. Swedavia’s assistance pages do not mention the scheme.
Booking assistance for a train
Contact the company that sold your ticket at least 24 hours before you need help, and book the whole journey in one call, including every change of train. Many companies want you to hold a ticket first.
Most bookings are by phone. SJ, the state-owned operator, and the regional transport authorities book through their phone lines. VR takes requests by web form or email. Trafikverket keeps the current list of booking lines on stationsledsagning.se; the main ones are in the table below. You get a confirmation by email or SMS with your meeting time, meeting point and an emergency number.
You do not need a doctor’s certificate. Anyone with a disability or reduced mobility who feels they need help can book it.
A few regions work differently:
- Östergötland: Östgötatrafiken offers help getting on and off the train only, with no station escort.
- Värmland: Värmlandstrafik runs its own service on its own number.
- Västra Götaland: Västtrafik runs its own escorts. The national service covers Göteborg C, the Nils Ericson Terminal and, since December 2025, the bus and tram stops around Göteborg C.
- Blekinge and Halland: station assistance to and from Öresundståg trains is new, from 1 May 2026 in Blekinge and 1 June 2026 in Halland.
- Stockholm: SL, the local transport authority, uses its own escorts for metro, tram and bus. See wheelchair-accessible Stockholm.
Your rights on the train are written into EU law, and Sweden’s partial exemption for journeys under 150 km does not touch them. Boarding help is a right where trained staff are on duty at the station or on the train. If a train company requires you to have a companion, the companion travels free, seated beside you where practical. If the company loses or damages your wheelchair, it pays the full repair or replacement cost and lends you a replacement meanwhile.
On the day at the station
Go to the signed meeting point at the time on your confirmation. The signs carry raised text and braille, and they are usually outdoors. Your assistant wears a yellow vest marked Ledsagare.
| The assistant does | The assistant does not |
|---|---|
| Walk you to the door of your carriage | Board the train |
| Meet you at the train door when you change or arrive | Buy your ticket or take you elsewhere in the station |
| Carry up to two bags weighing 20 kg together | Carry bags on board (ask the train company) |
| Push your own wheelchair | Lend a wheelchair (stations have none) |
| Wait with you if your train is late | Replace a personal assistant |
On board, train staff help you to your seat. If no staff come, you have to board alone, which is worth knowing before you book a quiet regional service. If your train is more than 30 minutes late, the coordination centre arranges another solution. Large stations have longer walks, so your meeting time there is set earlier; check where yours is at Stockholm Central Station or Göteborg Central Station.
Plane to train at Arlanda
Trafikverket and Swedavia coordinate at Arlanda, so station assistance works between the terminal and the trains. Book both ends: the airline for the flight, the train company for the train. On Arlanda Express, book by phone in office hours for the trip to the airport; from the train to the terminal, the on-board hosts order the escort. For the train options themselves, see Arlanda to Stockholm by train.
When assistance fails or equipment is damaged
If nobody comes, call the emergency number on your confirmation or on the meeting-point sign. At an airport, use the help point. Even without a booking, EU law requires the airline or train company to make all reasonable efforts, so ask anyway.
A damaged wheelchair is where air and rail differ most today. Train companies owe the full cost. Airlines must provide a temporary aid, but their compensation is capped under baggage liability rules, which may not cover a power chair. Check your travel insurance covers mobility aids.
That is changing, but not yet. The EU agreed revised air passenger rights in June 2026, and the European Parliament approved them on 7 July 2026. They promise full repair or replacement cost for mobility equipment, compensation and rerouting if a failed assistance service makes you miss a flight, and a free seat next to your companion. The rules apply 12 months after publication in the EU’s Official Journal, which had not been confirmed when we checked. We will update this page when the date is fixed. Complaints about assistance go to Konsumentverket, the Swedish Consumer Agency, which supervises these rules with Transportstyrelsen.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Flight assistance | Free; book with the airline at least 48 hours ahead |
| Train assistance | Free; book with the ticket seller at least 24 hours ahead |
| Swedavia airports | Check in 1 hour before; help point 2 hours before |
| Arlanda companion to gate | Free, one person, pre-booked assistance needed |
| SJ booking line | 0771-75 75 75, option 5 |
| Snälltåget booking line | 040-669 62 00, weekdays 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00 |
| Arlanda Express booking line | 0771-720 200, Mon–Fri 09:00–15:00 |
| VR | Web form or email at vrresa.se |
| Station assistance emergency line | 0774-44 55 55 (+46 774 44 55 55) |
| Swedavia Arlanda | +46 10-109 10 00 |
| Other companies | Full list at stationsledsagning.se |
FAQ
How do I book wheelchair assistance at a Swedish airport?
Through your airline, not the airport. Swedavia only acts on requests the airline passes on, so ask when you book the flight and no later than 48 hours before departure. If you booked online, call the airline to confirm. At the airport, check in an hour before departure and call from a marked meeting point.
How do I book assistance on a Swedish train?
Contact the company that sold your ticket at least 24 hours before you need help, and book every leg in one call. SJ and most regional authorities book by phone; VR uses a web form or email. You get a confirmation by email or SMS with a meeting time and an emergency number.
Can I book station assistance online?
Mostly not. Stationsledsagning.se explains the service and shows meeting points, but cannot take bookings, and most companies book by phone so they can check what help is available. VR accepts a web form or email. Booking a ticket through a third-party app does not book assistance; contact the company you travel with.
What if I forget to book 48 or 24 hours ahead?
Ask anyway. EU rules require the airline or train company to make all reasonable efforts without notice, but nothing is guaranteed. Swedavia says unbooked help can take up to 45 minutes, and help requested less than two hours before a flight may not get you there. On trains, ask staff or the company.
Can my family member come with me to the gate?
At Arlanda, yes. With pre-booked assistance, one family member or companion may go with you through security to the gate, free, on domestic and Schengen departures. They pass the normal ID and security checks and fill in a form at check-in. Swedavia offers this at Arlanda only.
What does the station assistant actually do?
Meets you at a signed meeting point, walks you to the carriage door, and helps you change trains or leave the station at the end. They carry up to two bags weighing 20 kg together. They do not board the train, buy tickets or lend wheelchairs; train staff help you to your seat.
What happens if my wheelchair is damaged?
On a train, the company must pay the full repair or replacement cost and give you a temporary replacement. On a flight, the airline must provide a temporary aid, but compensation is currently capped under baggage rules. The EU’s revised air passenger rights promise full cost, but are not in force yet.
Related guides
- Accessible travel in Sweden — parking cards, local transport and accessible nature, the rest of the travel chain.
- Wheelchair-accessible Stockholm — SL’s own escort line and the city at street level.
- Arlanda airport guide — which terminal you land at before you look for a help point.
- Assistance dogs on Swedish transport — guide and assistance dogs on trains, buses and planes.
- Lost or delayed baggage at a Swedish airport — what to do the moment a mobility aid goes missing.
Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: Swedavia, Trafikverket (stationsledsagning.se), Transportstyrelsen, Konsumentverket, VR, the European Commission (Your Europe, DG MOVE, AccessibleEU) and the European Parliament — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.