Guide to Car Registration

The process of registering a car with the Swedish Transport Agency consists of several steps, and depending on how you buy your car, the steps may be more complicated. CARFAX Sweden has decided to explain how to register a vehicle with the Swedish Transport Agency in order to clarify any questions you may have and help you get on your way as soon as possible. The three different situations covered by this guide are: Registering a new car Registering a used car Registering an imported car Read through this to find out what you should do in your particular situation. Registering a new car with the Department of Transport The process of car registration when it comes to new cars is quite simple. The car's first registration is with the Swedish Transport Agency. A registration certificate then needs to be ordered. Registration certificate Registration forms are needed for all cars registered in Sweden. These can be ordered online or by phone (0771252525). These certificates have two parts which are ordered separately. Part 1 - Vehicle details & Registration information The first part of the registration certificate is sent to the person using the car. In most cases this is the owner. However, in some cases, such as leasing, the user is not the same person as the owner. Part 1 contains the following information: An authorisation code (Used on transportstyrelsen.se or when calling transportstyrelsen support). Technical vehicle data and owner/user data Information concerning credit purchase or leasing General vehicle data Part 1 can be used for registration for traffic, deregistration (if you do not use the car, if it is deregistered you do not have to pay traffic insurance and tax), when ordering part 2 or registration plates. Please note that when travelling abroad, Part 1 must be taken with the car. Part 2 - Owner-related information Part 2 is sent to the owner of the vehicle after ordering. This part of the registration certificate is very important, as it must always be attached in the event of a change of ownership when the car is sold and when it is deregistered. Part 2 of the registration certificate contains the following information: Current owner Previous owner (not always available) General vehicle data registration certificate Position of vehicle Before you can legally drive your car, it must be parked. To do this, you must register for motor insurance and pay vehicle tax. The two easiest ways to do this are either online or over the phone. Traffic insurance All parked vehicles in Sweden must have at least traffic insurance. This means that in order to take your car on the road, your vehicle must be registered in the Swedish Transport Agency's road traffic register. For owners who do not have traffic insurance, at least traffic insurance needs to be registered with an insurance company before impounding. Vehicle tax When it comes to car registration, vehicle tax must be paid when your car is registered. Immediately after you have parked your car, the Swedish Transport Agency will send you a payment card. The vehicle tax must be paid within 3 weeks of the date of registration. Please note that the vehicle tax is paid for whole months, regardless of when the car is registered to the new owner. In other words, if you register your car at the end of the month, you still have to pay for the whole month. Inspection Registration for new cars in Sweden does not require an inspection. This only needs to be done 3 years later. After this inspection, three years after registration, an inspection needs to be done 2 years later. Once the vehicle is five years old, an inspection needs to be carried out annually. When it is time for an inspection, the car must be inspected by an inspection body certified by Swedac (the Swedish Accreditation and Technical Control Board). To ensure that the vehicle meets all safety and functionality requirements, the following areas are checked: all lights (headlights, brake lights, indicators, reversing lights, hazard warning lights, fog lights, registration plate lights, etc.) windows and mirrors (cracks and other damage, etc.) Windscreen wipers Tyre patterns Seat belts Engine Brakes Warning triangle service history car Registering a used car/exchange of ownership If you have bought or sold a vehicle, you have steps to take when registering your car. First of all, both the buyer and the seller must register the change of ownership with the Swedish Transport Agency. This can be done via the internet, the Transport Agency's app. and the registration certificate. If you buy from a car dealer, they can usually take care of this for the buyer. Notification of change of ownership Completing the process of a change of ownership with the Swedish Transport Agency requires several steps. To do this by letter, it should be sent to the following address: Transportstyrelsen SE-701 81 Örebro, Sweden The following information must be included in this letter: Personal number/Organisation number of the buyer Buyer's name Swedish address of the buyer Date of change of ownership Signature of buyer and seller There are some things to keep in mind though. If the information on the exchange of ownership letter is not correct, the previous owner will continue to be the owner. As a buyer or seller of a car, it is very important to make sure that the other person is who they say they are. In addition, it is recommended to make sure that this is actually sent. This will help you avoid potentially costly problems. As mentioned earlier, registration can also be done via the Department for Transport's online service and their app. Both parties need to do this before it is completed. Registering a used vehicle When registering a used vehicle, there are a few things that need to be done in addition to just registering yourself as the owner. You need to remember road insurance and vehicle tax. Road insurance The new owner will need to take out motor insurance from the date the change of ownership was reported to the Department of Transport. Before the change of ownership has taken place, the previous owner is obliged to take care of any accidents or similar, regardless of who is driving the car. Vehicle tax If the change of ownership takes place in the same month as the tax is due, it is still the responsibility of the previous owner to pay the tax. Whether the change of ownership takes place before or after. As long as it is within the same month as the tax payment, it is always the previous owner who is liable to pay. Previously paid vehicle tax is not refunded if the car is not immobilised at the time of the change of ownership. If a car continues to be parked, the tax payment goes with the car, part of the tax, depending on how long ago the tax was paid, is only refunded if the new owner immobilises the car. calculate car tax Warning regarding cars bought on credit/with loans linked to the car When you buy a car from someone, it is your responsibility to check the vehicle's history before you buy. One very important thing to be aware of is whether the car was previously purchased on credit or with a loan attached to it. If it is the case that the previous owner did not pay this off, the buyer may have to pay for the car twice. Inspection Inspections must be carried out annually (except for cars less than 5 years old) and must be done within one year of the last inspection. In other words, you do not have to have the car inspected when you change ownership. Keep in mind that some vehicles have slightly different regulations. For example, leased vehicles, car purchases from a person without a Swedish identity number, if the seller is an estate or deceased person and/or the vehicle will be used for off-road driving or a taxi/corporate vehicle. Car registration of an imported car As you can imagine, registering a vehicle bought outside Sweden is a bit more complicated. Then you have some additional steps to go through to complete the registration process. To register an imported vehicle, whether new or used, you need the original registration certificate from the previous country. Customs clearance (non-EU cars) The first step in importing a car to Sweden is to go through customs. This process only applies to vehicles bought outside the EU. When the car is then brought onto Swedish soil, an import fee of 10% of the purchase price must be paid. In addition to this import charge, some cars are subject to VAT in Sweden when they are imported. Owners of vehicles classed as new have to pay VAT in Sweden on importation (a vehicle is classed as new in this case if it has been on the road for less than 6 months or if it has covered less than 600 miles). Temporary car registration Temporary car registrations are not always necessary, but not uncommon. If your new vehicle has an active registration and traffic insurance in another EU country, it can be driven in Sweden for one week. An exception to this week is if the car is only driven the shortest way to and from the registration inspection. In any case, if you have not insured the vehicle yet, you must apply for temporary insurance. For vehicles coming from outside the EU or EEA, you will always have a limited temporary registration valid from customs to the warehouse/location where it will sit and wait for inspection, in addition to to and from the registration inspection. The following nations are part of the EEA: Austria Estonia Iceland Luxembourg Romania Belgium Finland Ireland Malta Slovakia Bulgaria France Italy Netherlands Slovenia Cyprus Germany Latvia Norway Spain Czech Republic Greece Liechtenstein Poland Sweden Denmark Hungary Lithuania Portugal United Kingdom If you have not applied for temporary registration or if you do not have an appointment for a registration inspection, the car must be transported on a trailer. Please note that temporary registration can only be applied for at the time of the original inspection. Only after the origin check has been passed can you receive your temporary registration and temporary number plates. Temporary registration is valid for a period of three months. Download the application form for temporary import registration here. importing a car Control of origin The next step in the car registration process is usually done in conjunction with a temporary registration. Application for a check of origin. Either by downloading this form (online service), completing it and submitting it by post, or completing it online and then printing it out and submitting it by post. A check of origin costs 600 SEK and must be paid in advance. Required documents In order to complete your origin check, several documents need to be sent to the Transport Agency. Depending on your particular situation, there may be a few more or fewer. Documents that must always be sent: Signed application (or authenticated via BankID online) Original registration certificate from the first country the car was registered in (if available) Proof of purchase/change of ownership (documents must include specific vehicle information, e.g. chassis number) Additional documents required if the car was imported from a non-EU country: Customs clearance certificate (even if customs clearance took place in another EU country) For vehicles not previously registered in other countries, a so-called "Certificate of Conformity" may be required to prove that the vehicle complies with local standards. Registration inspection After a passed original inspection, an appointment for a registration inspection needs to be booked. The registration inspection checks that the car complies with Swedish rules and regulations. This includes emissions and safety. There are a few exceptions which may mean that you do not need to undergo a full inspection. If the vehicle already has a so-called "European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval" it means that it already complies with the rules and does not need to be modified in any way to be legal in Sweden. This also applies when you can prove by means of a registration certificate from a previous country that the car was registered in another EU country. If the car is right-hand drive, comes with UK speedometers or is part of a very small series of vehicles, this does not apply. In addition, it is good to know that a vehicle with one coming from or having a history in the US often needs to be modified to fit Swedish and European rules and regulations. Checking a car with a CARFAX report can inform you regarding a vehicle's possible US history. In addition, it contains very useful information regarding a vehicle's past, including odometer reading history, whether the car has been stolen or scrapped, and much more. Finding out these things before purchase can save you a lot of hassle when it comes to car registration. Finalising car registration Once the inspection(s) have been passed, the car is given a registration number. A registration certificate and licence plates are sent to the owner's address. Once you receive these, you can proceed with the steps we mentioned earlier to tune up your vehicle. Check a registration number with CARFAX If you want to check a registration number for any used car in Sweden to find out about the car's past, try the CARFAX identity check here. With information from the Swedish Transport Agency and many other unique sources, CARFAX offers the most comprehensive vehicle history report in Sweden.