Driving Permit for Sweden
Driving in Sweden with a foreign license: when an IDP is required, how long your licence is valid, rental car rules, congestion taxes, winter tyre law and Sweden's strict 0.02% drink-drive limit.
- Drive on
- Right
- Convention
- 1949 + 1968
- IDP validity
- 12 months
- Processing time
- 24-48 hours
Do you need an IDP to drive in Sweden?
Sweden is a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic and recognises International Driving Permits issued under it. If you hold an EU/EEA licence, it is valid in Sweden for as long as it is valid at home - no IDP or extra paperwork needed. Visitors from outside the EEA can drive on a valid home-country licence, but the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) requires an IDP or a certified translation if the licence is not laid out per the international conventions and is not in English, German or French (Swedish, Danish and Norwegian are also accepted). If your licence carries no photograph, you must carry photo ID such as your passport alongside it. For anyone whose licence uses a non-Latin script - Arabic, Japanese, Cyrillic and so on - an IDP is effectively essential.
Traffic drives on the right, and has done since Sweden famously switched sides in 1967. At the rental desk, expect stricter rules than the law itself: most firms rent from age 21 (often with a young-driver surcharge under 25), want the licence held for at least a year or two, and some require an IDP from every non-EU licence holder regardless of what the licence looks like. Police can ask for your licence, IDP and passport at checkpoints, so keep all three together.
A few Swedish rules catch visitors out. Dipped headlights are mandatory around the clock, all year. Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 31 March when winter conditions prevail. The drink-drive limit is a near-zero 0.02% BAC, and Stockholm and Gothenburg charge automatic congestion taxes by number-plate camera - nothing to pay on the spot, but rental firms will bill you afterwards. On rural roads, watch for moose and deer, especially at dawn and dusk.
Sweden recognises the IDP under both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Conventions.
Sweden is a signatory to both the 1949 Geneva and 1968 Vienna Conventions. In practice, an IDP issued by another signatory country is recognised for your permitted visitor stay — in Sweden, plan on 12 months.
What you need to drive in Sweden
Have these ready before you pick up the keys.
Minimum driving age is 18; rental companies usually require drivers to be 21+ (often with a young-driver surcharge under 25) and to have held a licence for 1-2 years
Carry your valid original home-country driving licence at all times, plus your passport if the licence has no photo
An IDP or certified translation is required if your licence is not printed per the international conventions and not in English, German or French (Swedish, Danish and Norwegian are also accepted)
Dipped headlights must be on at all times, day and night, and a warning triangle must be carried in the car
Sweden switched from left- to right-hand traffic on 3 September 1967 (known as 'Dagen H'); all traffic now drives on the right
Dipped headlights are compulsory 24 hours a day, year-round - a rule in force since 1977
Winter tyres with at least 3 mm tread are compulsory 1 December-31 March in winter conditions; studded tyres are banned from mid-April to the end of September unless winter conditions prevail
The blood-alcohol limit is 0.02% (0.2 per mille), among the lowest in Europe and well below the common 0.05% European standard
Non-EEA licences remain valid for one year after you register as a Swedish resident; EU/EEA licences remain valid as long as they are valid in the issuing country
Congestion taxes in Stockholm and Gothenburg are collected automatically by number-plate recognition - there are no toll booths, and charges on rental cars are billed to the renter
What to know before you turn the key
Sweden drives on the right — the driver sits on the left, and roundabouts flow anti-clockwise.
Carry your IDP and your original license together — rental desks and police checks will ask for both documents.
Rental desks apply their own rules: some firms require an IDP from all non-EU licence holders even when Swedish law does not, so carrying one avoids refusals at the counter
Stockholm and Gothenburg levy automatic weekday congestion taxes via number-plate cameras, and several bridges (Oresund, Motala, Sundsvall, Svinesund) are tolled - rental companies pass charges on to you
The drink-drive limit is 0.02% BAC, among Europe's strictest, and winter tyres are compulsory 1 December-31 March when winter conditions prevail
Traffic fines in Sweden are typically issued on the spot and enforcement is strict. Driving over the 0.02% alcohol limit is a criminal offence that can bring heavy fines, licence confiscation and, in serious cases, imprisonment. Unpaid congestion taxes and tolls are billed to the vehicle keeper, so rental companies pass them on to you, usually with an admin fee.
Local rules to watch in Sweden
Low-emission zones, tolls, and city-specific rules that catch visiting drivers out.
Stockholm: a weekday congestion tax is charged automatically each time you cross into the city-centre zone; parking is expensive, so many visitors park outside the centre and use the metro
Gothenburg: Sweden's second city also levies an automatic weekday congestion tax on vehicles entering central areas
Malmo: the Oresund Bridge to Copenhagen is tolled - and check that your rental agreement permits taking the car into Denmark before crossing
Signs you'll meet on the road
Eight internationally recognised signs — including which side of the road Sweden keeps.
Common questions about driving in Sweden
Drive Sweden, confidently.
Apply online in minutes and get instant digital access to your IDP translation — with an IDP PVC card option if you want one in your wallet.