Frequently asked questions about shopping online

No, Swedish Customs does not handle any parcels in that way. This is taken care of by the transport company.

Does Swedish Customs have my package?

When purchasing via an e-commerce platform, you can sometimes choose which forwarding agent is to send your parcel.

However, when Chinese postal services are the forwarding agent, Postnord automatically handles all mail-order parcels in Sweden.

Postnord is the only body in Sweden that complies with the convention regulating, amongst other things, the importation and exportation of mail parcels (the UPU Convention). Consequently, if anything is sent by post in another country, it is Postnord that carries the goods in Sweden.

However, this role does not mean that Swedish Customs has any collaboration with Postnord. We deal with Postnord in the same way that we deal with other companies.

Postnord is the only operator in Sweden that is subject to the convention that regulates, among other things, the import and export of postal items, the UPU Convention. This means that Postnord has been appointed to hold this role and is subject to audits by the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority to ensure the quality of mail handling.

According to the Postal Services Act (2010:1045) Chapter 4, Section 7, a postal service provider may participate in international postal cooperation within the framework of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) if the company has operations and an organisation that guarantee that it can perform international postal services in an acceptable manner, the company applies the provisions of the treaties, and the government has approved the company's participation in such cooperation.

The Government has appointed Postnord to be the postal operator that fulfils Sweden's obligations under the Universal Postal Union Convention (UPU Convention) and represents Sweden in matters relating to operational activities in the postal sector. This took place on 24 February 1994.

The possibility of conducting postal operations (which around 30 companies do in Sweden) – and where the Post and Telecom Authority grants licences – shall be distinguished from the appointment of a postal operator that fulfils Sweden's obligations under the UPU Convention.

According to Regulation (2007:951) containing instructions for the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, Section 7(2), the Authority handles matters relating to Sweden's participation in the activities of the UPU.

Furthermore, only Postnord is a ‘postal operator’ within the meaning of the UCC Delegated Regulation. And only a postal operator handles postal items (containing goods). This is linked to the UPU. However, it should be noted that there are other postal services within the UPU – such as courier services – which Postnord does not have a monopoly on.

Normally, Postnord or another carrier will process your customs declaration. You can make the active choice to handle your customs declaration yourself.

Here we describe step by step how to proceed:

Handle your own customs declaration

Manufacturing and selling pirated products, i.e. identical or similar products, is a violation of intellectual property rights and also contributes to unfair competition.

For you as a consumer, it may be dangerous to buy pirated products because they are usually not tested and can therefore be hazardous to your health and the environment. There are no guarantees associated with the product, and as a consumer, you cannot make any demands regarding how the product is produced. Swedish Customs can stop shipments that we suspect contain pirated copies, which usually leads to the goods being destroyed.

Pirate copies

Find out more about rules governing CBD from the Swedish Medical Products Agency.

There is no difference. The same rules and fees apply regardless of whether the product is new or used.

Dropshipping means that you buy a product online from a company that does not have its own warehouse. Instead, the goods are sent directly to you from a manufacturer, wholesaler or other retailer. These companies are usually located in a country outside the EU.

Dropshipping – Swedish Consumer Agency