Traffic rulesSweden

The Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) handles permits, licence issue, renewals and withdrawals, while the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) conducts theory and practical tests.

Yes. A valid Swedish licence is recognised nationwide, subject to its categories, conditions and current legal status.

Yes. A valid Swedish EU-format licence is generally recognised throughout the EU and EEA.

No. EEA rules generally permit only one valid EEA driving licence at a time.

Yes. A valid Swedish driving licence is an accepted identity document in Sweden.

At Trafikverket driver-testing offices.

Yes. Trafikverket provides an online booking and payment service.

Yes. All active categories and numerical restriction codes are recorded on the same licence.

Yes. Code 78 limits the holder to vehicles without a manual clutch.

Yes. Government examination and production fees are nationally set, while tuition and lesson prices vary.

The minimum age is 18 years.

Normally from age 16.

The minimum age is 15 years.

The minimum age is 16 years.

The minimum age is 18 years.

Normally 24 years, or 20 after holding A2 for at least two years.

It is the Transport Agency decision confirming that the applicant is personally and medically suitable to learn and test for the requested category.

Yes.

Five years.

No. A new application is required when it expires.

Yes, or have studied in Sweden for at least six months.

Yes. Personal suitability is part of the learner-permit assessment.

An applicant for AM, A1, A2, A, B or BE submits a health declaration and eyesight certificate.

A medical certificate is required for C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE.

Yes. A numerical restriction code is recorded when corrective lenses must be used.

Yes. Codes can require hand controls, an automatic transmission or another adaptation.

No. Fitness is assessed individually and an adapted vehicle can be used for training and testing.

Yes. A licence can be conditional on periodic medical reporting.

Yes.

Yes. A licence can be withdrawn when a disease or medical condition makes driving unsafe.

Yes. Illness, medication, fatigue or another condition can make driving unsafe despite a valid card.

Yes, through Trafikverket’s adapted-vehicle testing procedure.

Yes. Private practice can be combined with or used instead of ordinary driving-school lessons.

Yes.

Yes, for private category B practice.

At least three hours.

Training goals and rules, planning of practice and important safety and environmental factors.

At least 24 years old.

The companion must have held the relevant category for at least five of the previous ten years.

Approval can be refused, particularly when the licence was revoked during the previous three years.

A maximum of five.

Five years.

The approved accompanying driver.

Yes. A green-and-white ÖVNINGSKÖR sign must be clearly visible at the rear.

Yes. Both parts must be completed before the theory and practical tests.

Alcohol, drugs, fatigue and other high-risk behaviour.

Speed, safety and driving in difficult conditions, including loss-of-control risks.

Yes. It includes practical risk experience on an approved training facility.

No.

Five years.

On the day the driving licence is issued.

Yes.

Yes, before taking new tests.

No. The provider must be approved by the Swedish Transport Agency.

There are 70 multiple-choice questions.

65, because five are unscored sample questions.

At least 52.

50 minutes.

One.

Immediately after the examination.

Yes. Category B can be booked in supported languages, and interpreter arrangements can also be requested.

Yes. Extended time, oral testing or interpreter support can be approved for qualifying needs.

For tests passed before 19 August 2026, it is valid for four months.

A category B theory pass obtained on or after that date is valid for one year.

No.

No. The candidate receives information about weak subject areas rather than the individual questions.

The allotted time is 45 minutes.

A safety check, special manoeuvres and driving in traffic.

Yes.

Speed adaptation, road position, observation, risk awareness, vehicle control and application of traffic rules.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Serious risk or necessary examiner intervention can result in failure.

No. The examiner speaks Swedish, although explanatory videos in other languages can be viewed beforehand.

Yes, resulting in code 78.

By passing a new practical test in a manual-transmission car.

Yes, in Sweden, if the result is complete and the driver carries valid identification until the physical licence arrives.

Two years.

No. Sweden’s general alcohol limit applies to all drivers.

0.10 mg/L in exhaled air, corresponding to about 0.2‰ in blood.

Normally 0.50 mg/L in exhaled air or about 1.0‰ in blood, although dangerous impairment can also qualify.

No. Licence action is based on offences, suitability and individual assessment rather than a fixed points total.

The driver must normally obtain a new learner’s permit and pass both theory and practical tests again.

Yes.

Normally from one month to three years, depending on the case.

Yes, in qualifying cases after an individual assessment.

Not always. They are usually required when the blocking period is longer than one year or when probation rules apply.

Yes.

No.

Class I mopeds and specified additional slow vehicles.

Light motorcycles up to 125 cm³, 11 kW and the prescribed power-to-weight ratio.

Motorcycles up to 35 kW within the prescribed power-to-weight and derivation limits.

Unrestricted motorcycles and qualifying three-wheel motorcycles.

Passenger cars and light lorries with a maximum authorised mass of 3,500 kg.

A trailer up to 750 kg, or a heavier trailer where the combined maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg.

A car-and-trailer combination above 3,500 kg but not exceeding 4,250 kg.

No. It requires a practical test.

A category B car or van towing one or more trailers whose combined maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg.

Yes. The vehicle’s technical towing limit and the licence-weight rules must both be satisfied.

Medium lorries and cars above 3,500 kg but not exceeding 7,500 kg.

Heavy lorries and heavy passenger cars without an upper weight limit.

Buses with no more than 16 passenger seats and a maximum length of eight metres.

Buses regardless of length or passenger capacity.

21 years, subject to lower professional-training routes.

24 years, subject to lower professional-training routes.

The Swedish professional-driver competence certificate required for many commercial lorry and bus drivers.

Five years.

35 hours.

No. The driver must hold both the appropriate licence category and professional competence.

10 years.

Five years.

Yes.

No earlier than one year before expiry.

The Swedish Transport Agency sends renewal documents to the registered Swedish address.

Yes. It can be taken at a Trafikverket test centre or supplied with the renewal document.

By recorded delivery for personal collection with valid identification.

The holder must report it and request a new licence.

Yes, unless a separate renewal or medical decision changes them.

No.

Yes, while it remains valid in the issuing country and has not been exchanged.

Yes, when the holder is permanently resident in Sweden.

Yes. Sweden returns it to the issuing authority.

Up to one year.

Licences from the United Kingdom and the Faroe Islands remain usable beyond one year while otherwise valid.

Yes, when the stay is time-limited and road safety is not endangered.

Qualifying licences from the United Kingdom, Faroe Islands, Switzerland and Japan.

When the licence is not convention-compliant and is not written in English, German or French.

It must be carried with photographic identification.

No. It is a translation or supporting document and must be used with the valid national licence.

This FAQ was prepared from current Swedish Transport Agency, Trafikverket and Swedish Police guidance.

This website is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with Transportstyrelsen, Trafikverket, the Swedish Police, a test office, medical provider or driving school.

Official legislation and current authority instructions always take precedence. Last reviewed: 4 August 2026.