Exporting vehicles

Alternative 1: Deregistration through temporary registration

If you sell a used vehicle to someone who lives in another country, we recommend that you apply for temporary registration. The seller should give notice that the vehicle is to be deregistered at the same time as the buyer applies for temporary registration. To be able to be granted this kind of registration, the buyer must be living abroad permanently. It may also be granted for used vehicles that are unregistered. 
  
However, the Swedish Transport Agency will not grant temporary registration if

• the vehicle may not be used owing to unpaid taxes or charges, or
• the vehicle is subject to a driving ban or an order (that is, an obligation according to law) concerning a roadworthiness test. (The vehicle must have passed a test for the period during which the temporary registration applies.)

More information about temporary registration
 
Please note that this method of exporting a vehicle means that the foreign buyer must be able to provide a Swedish address, c/o or other, because the Swedish Transport Agency will then send the new special temporary number plates that are issued for this kind of registration. This may take some time, as original copies of the application and traffic insurance certificate, etc., must be submitted and the matter processed. Furthermore, you should also expect it to take some time for the new owner to receive their temporary number plates in the post. Consequently, this method cannot be used if the buyer is, for instance, only in Sweden for the day and also does not have a Swedish address. Instead, see Alternative 2 below.

Alternative 2: Deregistration through export

If one sells a used vehicle to a person living in another country and is unable to choose Alternative 1 above, this will involve greater responsibility on the part of the Swedish seller. This is because the matter will be regarded as an export and not a change of ownership. If the vehicle is to be deregistered, the seller must send the following to the Swedish Transport Agency, SE-701 81 Örebro, Sweden:

• both of the vehicle's number plates; if the vehicle only has one number plate (for example a motorcycle, tractor, Class I moped, all-terrain quad bike, other off-road vehicle, snowmobile, mobile machinery or trailer), only that number plate should be sent in)
• the original copy of Part 2 of the last registration certificate issued for the vehicle, if one has been issued. Otherwise you will need to send in the registration certificate that you currently have. You can check whether a new registration certificate has been issued by contacting the Swedish Transport Agency. The seller should indicate on the document that the vehicle is to be deregistered, stating the reason ('export'), and should sign the document. As no registration of change of ownership will be made owing to the buyer not having a Swedish personal identity (ID) number, there is no requirement for the buyer to provide their signature or to be named, but of course this is a good opportunity to note the name of the buyer if you subsequently need to get in contact with them for other reasons.
• a copy of the recipient country's customs document clearly showing that the vehicle in question has been cleared for customs, or a copy of a registration certificate issued by the recipient country when the vehicle was registered there instead.

The vehicle will be deregistered when the Swedish Transport Agency has received all three of these items. If any of the documents is missing, the vehicle will not be deregistered but will remain in the Swedish Road Traffic Registry (until all of the requirements have been satisfied) with the seller still entered as the registered owner. It may take some time for the buyer to get the vehicle registered in the recipient country and consequently obtain a copy of the registration document. There may also be difficulties if the vehicle is going to be renovated or put in order first, which may all consequently take a long time.
 
The seller is then ultimately responsible for the three items mentioned in the bullet list above being sent to the Swedish Transport Agency.
 
Please note that the vehicle is subject to both vehicle tax and compulsory road traffic insurance if it is not subject to an off road notification.

Are you moving to another EU or EEA country and want to register the vehicle there?

If you are going to register your vehicle in another country, the vehicle should be registered there before being deregistered in Sweden. When registering a vehicle in another country, it is important that both Part 1 and Part 2 of the registration certificate are submitted to the registration authority to certify the right to register the vehicle there. The new country's registration authority has an obligation to notify Swedish authorities that the vehicle has been registered and in that case the notice may be a supporting document to enable the vehicle to be deregistered by the Swedish Transport Agency.

If you choose to deregister the vehicle in Sweden first, the vehicle cannot be registered in the new country until its registration authority has received confirmation from the Swedish Transport Agency that the vehicle can be registered despite the fact that Part 2 of the registration certificate is missing. This type of procedure may take much longer than if the vehicle is registered in the new country first.

The method referred to in the first paragraph is used when the vehicle is going to be registered in the new country immediately; otherwise it is advantageous to deregister the vehicle in Sweden first.