Alcohol
Travellers from within the EU
When you enter Sweden from a country within the EU, you are only
allowed to bring in a certain amount of tax-free alcohol, "travellers
allowance". Importation of tax-free alcohol from another EU-country is only
possible under the following conditions: -that you purchase the alcohol in
another EU-country for private use, i.e. for yourself or for your family, and -
that you bring them in personally from the other EU-country, i.e. in your
luggage or hand luggage to Sweden.
Are there any levels of reference when estimating whether the
importation is for private or commercial use? In the European Union there are
certain levels of reference for estimating whether commodities are to be
considered imported for private or commercial purposes. The cut-off point
between private and commercial purposed are as follows:
Alcoholic beverages
10 litres of spirits
20 litres of
intermediate products (e.g. fortified wine)
90 litres of wine (though no
more than 60 litres of sparkling wine)
110 litres of beer
People under 20 are not allowed to bring in alcohol.
Travellers from outside the EU, including the Åland
Islands, the Canary Islands and similar territories
When you enter Sweden from a country outside the EU, you are only
allowed to bring in a certain amount of duty-free and tax-free alcohol,
"travellers allowance". You may bring in more than the duty- and tax-free
allowance but then you have to pay duty and Swedish selective purchase tax.
Duty-free and tax-free importation of alcohol from a country
outside the EU is only possible under the following conditions:
- that you
bring them in personally, i.e. in your luggage or hand luggage to Sweden, and
- that the importation is non-commercial.
If the traveller is resident in Sweden the right to duty-free and
tax-free importation only applies if
- the traveller arrives on commercial
flight, or
- the trip abroad has exceeded 20 hours, or
- the alcohol
has been taxed on the Åland Islands or in Norway
What quantities of alcoholic beverages may I bring in without
having to pay Customs duty or Swedish excise (the travellers allowance)?
There are different rules for exemption from Customs duty and
exemption from taxes. Exemption from duty is determined by EU rules and
exemption from taxes by Swedish legislation.
Exemption from taxes,
i.e. excise and VAT is granted for:
1 litre of spirits (i.e. an
alcoholic beverage with an alcoholic content exceeding 22 percent by volume) or
2 litres of fortified wine (i.e. an alcoholic beverage with an alco- holic
content exceeding 15 but not 22 percent by volume), or sparkling wine.
2
litres of wine (i.e. other wine than fortified as well as other alcoholic
beverages with an alcoholic content exceeding 3,5 but not 15 percent by volume,
and that is not strong beer). Please note that the value of the beer must be
included in the total value of 1 700 SEK that constitute the limit for certain
importation.
Exemption from Customs duty is granted for:
1 litre of
spirits (i.e. an alcoholic beverage with an alcoholic content exceeding 22
percent by volume) or
2 litres of fortified wine (i.e. an alcoholic
beverage with an alcoholic content exceeding 15 but not 22 percent by volume),
or sparkling wine, or a proportional selection of these beverages.
2 litres
of non-sparkling wine (i.e. other wine than fortified). A quantity of beer,
regardless of alcoholic contents, the value of which must be included in the
total value of 1 700 SEK that constitute the limit for certain importation.
People under 20 are not allowed to bring in alcohol.
Tobacco products
Travellers from within the EU
When you enter Sweden from a country within the EU, you are only
allowed to bring in a certain amount of tax-free tobacco products, the
"travellers allowance".
Importation of tax-free tobacco products from another EU-country
is only possible under the following conditions:
- that you purchase the
tobacco products in another EU-country for private use, i.e. for yourself or
for your family, and
- that you bring them in personally from the other
EU-country, i.e. in your luggage or hand luggage to Sweden.
Are there any levels of reference when estimating whether the
importation is for private or commercial use?
In the European Union
there are certain levels of reference for estimating whether commodities are to
be considered imported for private or commercial purposes. The cut-off point
between private and commercial purposed are as follows:
Tobacco products
800 cigarettes
400 cheroots
200 cigars
1 kg of pipe or
cigarette tobacco
People under 18 are not allowed to bring in tobacco
products.
Transitional regulations concerning the traveller´s
allowance from certain of the new EU member States
As of June 1 2004
there are transitional regulations in force concerning the traveller´s
allowance of tobacco products brought in from the new EU member states i.e. the
Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania.
The new rules imply that tobacco products referred to in the new
legislation may not be brought in free of charge in quantities exceeding the
statutory ones. If you bring in more tobacco products you must pay Swedish
tobacco tax on the excessive quantity. Also, if you fail to declare the
excessive quantity at the Customs, you will be liable to pay this tax as well
as a surcharge tax (for the excess tobacco products you have brought in), as
well as a fine.
Regarding tobacco products not included in the new transitory
regulations, the same rules apply to them as to tobacco products from the
remaining EU countries, i.e. no stipulated quantities, but guiding levels of
quantity. The tobacco products permitted referred to in the new legislation:
From the Czech Republic:
200 cigarettes, or 100
cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco.
Regarding
cigarettes the quantity remains in force until the end of 2007 and regarding
remaining tobacco products until 2006.
From Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania:
200 cigarettes (regarding remaining tobacco products, see the
regulations concerning the other EU countries). These quantities remain in
force until 2007 regarding Slovenia, 2008 regarding Poland, Slovakia and
Hungary and the end of 2009 regarding Latvia and Lithuania.
From Estonia:
200 cigarettes or 250 grams of smoking
tobacco (regarding remaining tobacco products, see the regulations concerning
the other EU countries). The quantities remain in force until the end of 2009.
If you bring in tobacco products exceeding the quantities
mentioned above from one of these countries you have to pay:
SEK 0.88 per
cigarette
SEK 0.56 for cigarillos and cigars
SEK 630 per kg
Travellers from outside the EU, including the Åland
Islands, the Canary Islands and similar territories
When you enter
Sweden from a country within the EU, you are only allowed to bring in a certain
amount of tax-free tobacco products, the "travellers allowance". You may bring
in more than the duty- and tax-free allowance but then you have to pay duty and
Swedish selective purchase tax.
Duty-free and tax-free importation of tobacco products from a
country outside the EU is only possible under the following conditions:
-
that you bring them in personally, i.e. in your luggage or hand luggage to
Sweden, and
- that the importation is non-commercial.
If the traveller is resident in Sweden the rights to duty-free and
tax-free importation only apply if
- the traveller arrives on a commercial
flight, or
- the trip abroad has exceeded 20 hours, or
- the tobacco
products have been taxed in the Åland, the Canary Islands or Norway
How much tobacco am I allowed to bring in (the travellers
allowance)?
Exemption from taxes, i.e. excise and VAT, is granted for 200
cigarettes or 100 cheroots, or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco, or a
proportional selection of these tobacco products. People under 18 are not
allowed to bring in tobacco products.
Pet dogs and cats
When arriving to Sweden with your pet dog or pet cat you must stop
at the Customs. You must also show all necessary documents as you can read
about in the links below to the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Import to Sweden
The Swedish Board of Agriculture
regulates the import of live animals. Information about the rules that apply
when you travel with pet dogs and cats and which documents you need to show us
on entering Sweden can be found on the Swedish Board of Agricultures web site
www.sjv.se. The regulations are
different depending on whether you enter Sweden from an EU/EFTA country or from
a non-EU/EFTA country (a third country). To find out more about the import of
live animals please contact the Swedish Board of Agriculture.
Export from Sweden
Each country has its own rules about
the importation of live animals. Please contact the veterinary authorities in
the country you intend to visit, or the embassy of the relevant country in
Sweden, in order to get up-to-date information. The veterinary authorities in
the EU/EFTA can be found on this link www.sjv.se. You can search for embassies in Sweden on this
link (opens in a new window).
Medicines
When you travel to Sweden you may bring in prescription drugs, but
only if you intend to use them for a medical reason and it is for personal use.
You are also allowed to bring medicine for pets that are travelling with you,
if it has been prescribed by a veterinary surgeon.
A travellers allowance (personal use only) for prescription drugs
that are not classified as narcotics:
From a country outside the EEA* you may bring in the equivalent
of three months use. • From another country within the EEA you may bring
in the equivalent of one years use.
* European Economic Area
consists of the 25 EU countries, and the EFTA countries Norway, Iceland and
Liechtenstein.
A travellers allowance (personal use only) for medicines that are
classified as narcotics:
• If the drugs are listed in the Medical Products
Agency´s list II or III you may bring in the equivalent of five days use
each time you enter Sweden.
• If the drugs are listed in the Medical
Products Agency´s list IV or V you may bring in the equivalent of three
weeks use. If the traveller is a foreign resident and is in Sweden only
temporarily, he may bring in enough for the duration of his stay in Sweden up
to a maximum of three months.
To find out if your drugs are listed please contact the
Medical Products
Agency.
How do I certify that the medicine is for my personal use?
• You must be able to certify that the medicine is for your personal use,
either by producing a written certificate from your doctor or veterinary
surgeon, or by showing the chemists label. Both your name and the name of the
prescribing doctor or veterinary surgeon must be on the label.
• If
you live in a country within the Schengen area and are being treated with
narcotics, you must bring a certificate from the relevant authority in your
country of residence when travelling to another country within the Schengen
area. The doctor who has prescribed the narcotics must have signed the
certificate. If you bring more than one type of narcotics you must have a
separate certificate for each narcotic. You may bring in the equivalent of up
to 30 days use.
Syringes and needles
You may bring in syringes and
needles (for personal use only) if you can certify that you need them by, for
example, showing us a certificate from your doctor.
Performance-enhancing drugs
Performance-enhancing drugs
refer to:
• synthetic anabolic steroids
• testosterone and
its derivatives
• growth hormones
• chemical substances which
increase the production and release of testosterone and its derivatives, or of
growth hormones.
Performance-enhancing drugs may not be brought to Sweden unless
they are for medical or scientific use.
You may bring in to Sweden a medicine that is classified as a
performance-enhancing drug (for personal use only) but only sufficient for
fourteen days use. Please contact the
Medical Products
Agency to find out more about performance-enhancing drugs.
Food stuffs of animal or vegetable origin
Food stuffs of animal origin, e.g. meat, fish and
shellfish
Permission to bring in food stuffs of animal origin for
private consumption is given only by the Swedish Board of Agriculture. More
information can be found on its web site.
Food-stuffs of vegetable origin
Potatoes from countries
outside the EU may be not brought into Sweden. Please contact the Swedish Board
of Agriculture for more information. Link to
Swedish Board of Agriculture web
site.
Arms and other dangerous articles
Firearms and ammunition
Firearms and ammunition may not
be brought into or taken out from Sweden without a permit. The term "firearms"
denotes arms by means of which bullets, buckshot, harpoons or other missiles
can be shot by gunpowder, carbon dioxide compressed air or similar propulsion
media. The term also includes CS gas canisters, crossbows, signal and starter's
guns for loading with cartridges. The term "ammunition" denotes i.a.
cartridges, missiles and percussion caps/detonators.
N.B. CS gas canisters and pepper sprays may not be brought into
Sweden without a permit from the Swedish Police
Travellers bringing in arms for hunting or for shooting
competitions
Well in advance of his/her arrival in Sweden, the
traveller must have applied for and been issued an Importation Permit by the
Swedish Police in the district of importation. If the traveller arrives from
country belonging to the European Union he/she must also present a European
Firearms Pass, issued by the proper authority where the person is domiciled.
The European Firearms Pass must include particulars concerning the
firearms brought in for hunting purposes or a shooting competition. If the
European Firearms pass also carries an Importation Permit by the Swedish
Police, it is valid as such. An Importation Permit may be valid for several
trips for a period of up to one year from the date of issue.
Upon arrival in Sweden the traveller must report to the Swedish
Customs Service, fill in a so-called Arms Declaration and present the
Importation Permit issued by the Swedish Police.
Exemptions from presenting an Importation Permit
-
Persons possessing a Swedish Arms Licence do not have to present an Importation
Permit as the licence in this case supersedes it. The Arms Licence, however,
must be presented to the Swedish Customs upon arrival.
- Travellers from
Denmark, Finland and Norway do not have to present an Importation Permit when
bringing in firearms for hunting or competition purposes, provided they have an
Arms Licence issued in their own countries and the arms are brought in for a
period not exceeding three months. The Arms Licence from their respective
countries must however be presented to the Swedish Customs and an Arms
Declaration duly filled in.
N.B. In order to obtain an Importation Permit from the Swedish
Police the owner of the firearms must have a licence issued in his/her own
country for each of the weapons that are to be brought into Sweden. He/she must
also present an invitation to a hunt or shooting competition from an organising
body in Sweden.
Upon departure
Upon departure the traveller must report
to the Swedish Customs that the arms are being taken out of the country, and
return the Arms Declaration to the Customs as a proof that the arms have been
taken out.
Importation of arms for permanent use
An Importation
Permit must be issued in advance by the Police in the district where the place
of importation is located, prior to the arrival of the importer in Sweden. An
Arms Licence, issued by the Police in the municipality where the importer is
registered/domiciled may, however, supersede it. An Arms Licence can be issued
in cases when an importer has prior knowledge of the identity of the weapons
he/she intends to bring in upon arrival.
In addition to this the importer must also present a Transfer
Permit, issued by the appropriate authority in the country of exportation, when
the firearms are brought in from another EU country.
The importer must report to the Swedish Customs upon arrival and
present the Importation Permit or the Arms Licence. No Arms Declaration has to
be filled in, as this is only compulsory in cases of temporary importation.
When arms are to be permanently taken out from Sweden, the owner
must contact the Police authority that issued the Arms Licence in order to
de-register the weapon in the local arms register.
Web Site of the Police. Upon
departure, an Exportation Permit from the Police shall be presented to the
Swedish Customs at the place of departure.
Dangerous articles
The term "dangerous articles"
denotes switchblade knives and stilettos, knuckle-dusters, truncheons, karate
sticks, blackjacks, ripping and riveted gloves, maces etc. Such articles may
not be brought into Sweden without special permits, issued by the Police at the
place of importation.
Plants
Permission to bring in plants is given only by the Swedish Board
of Agriculture. More information can be found on its web site.
www.sjv.se |
