Goods subject to special rules

Special rules apply to certain goods such as alcohol, tobacco, dietary supplements, medicines, foodstuffs and weapons. Some are prohibited or may only be brought in if you comply with special regulations. Sometimes, you may even need permits. There may be special charges. Under certain circumstances, you may be able to bring in goods free of customs duty and tax.

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Alcohol

Alcohol is subject to restrictions and may not be brought freely into Sweden.

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Inherited goods

Provided that your normal place of residence is Sweden or the EU, personal property that you inherit on someone’s decease may be brought into Sweden without paying any customs duty or tax.

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Funeral items

If you wish to bring items into Sweden for a funeral, you do not, in most cases, have to pay customs duty, VAT and other taxes.

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Vehicle fuels

Fuel in the standard tanks of private motor vehicles, commercial vehicles and motorcycles (as well as fuel in special containers carried by these vehicles) and lubricants necessary for the standard operation of motor vehicles for the journey that is being undertaken, can be brought (imported) into Sweden free of customs duty and tax.

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Drugs

Narcotics, doping agents (hormone preparations), other goods that are hazardous to health and substances of abuse are examples of drugs that may not be brought freely into Sweden.

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Explosives

Explosives may not be brought freely into Sweden.

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Dietary supplements

When bringing dietary supplements into Sweden for private use, different rules apply depending on whether the dietary supplements are being brought from an EU country or from a country outside the EU.

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Foodstuffs

When bringing foodstuffs into Sweden for private use, different rules apply depending on whether the foodstuffs are being brought from an EU country or from a country outside the EU.

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Medicines

There are rules for if and how you may bring medicines and syringes into Sweden. These rules vary depending on the nature of the medicines, the country they are coming from and how they are to cross the border.

Pirate copies

Owners of trademarks, copyrights, design rights and patents own the intellectual property rights in their products. Any other person or company that starts manufacturing and selling identical or similar products violates intellectual property rights.

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Product safety

Products released on the EU market must be safe to use. Special rules that apply to product safety.

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Red diesel (heating oil)

You do not have to pay Swedish excise duty if, from another EU country, you bring in heating oil for private use and transport it in a vehicle intended for this purpose (tanker). If you transport it in another way, you must pay excise duty.

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Collectors’ motor vehicles

You will here find the conditions for classifying a vehicle as a vehicle that is collectable for reasons of historic or ethnographic interest. The term collectable vehicle (or collectors’ vehicle) is not equivalent to vintage vehicle.

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Tobacco

Tobacco may not be brought freely into Sweden.

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Endangered animals and plants

Crossing Sweden’s border with endangered animals and plants is prohibited without special authorisation. This rule also applies to products made from such animals or plants.

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Weapons and dangerous objects

You must always give Swedish Customs notification that you are crossing Sweden’s border with a weapon. Failure to do this is punishable.

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Plants

As a private individual, you may bring/take many types of plants into/from Sweden without special authorisation. Other plants require authorisation or certificates; a few are subject to a transport prohibition.

Last updated: 2025-05-23

What is updated: Linguistic adjustment

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