Temporary registration when importing a vehicle

After this week, if you do not need to use this vehicle before the vehicle undergoes a registration inspection (at the Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company or the Swedish Machinery Testing Institute), you can request a 'Certificate of inspection appointment' when you make an appointment for a registration inspection. With this certificate, you may drive the shortest appropriate route to and from the registration inspection. In this case, you do not have to apply for temporary registration. However, bear in mind that your vehicle must have traffic insurance cover (does not apply to trailers).

Please note that a temporary registration when importing a vehicle, only can be applied for in conjunction with a verification of origin. This means that a decision to issue a temporary registration is made first after the verification of origin is approved, and your temporary registration plates are ordered and manufactured after that.

Vehicles that do not have a valid registration abroad or which have been in Sweden for more than one week may not be used

Without temporary registration or a 'Certificate of inspection appointment', the vehicle may only be transported on a trailer. What happens if you need to use the vehicle for a longer period of time, for example driving it to and from a workshop? In this case, you should apply for temporary registration.

Does the vehicle have a valid registration abroad?

If the vehicle has been registered abroad in such a way that it may be used without restrictions and you can produce a registration document issued by the registration authority of that country, the vehicle may be used without restrictions in Sweden (for a maximum of one week from entry, without temporary registration). When using a vehicle with a valid foreign registration, you should have a registration certificate with you showing:

• the registration number,
• the date of the first registration or the vehicle's year of manufacture,
• the name and address of the person to whom the certificate has been issued,
• the name or trademark of the manufacturer,
• the manufacture or series number of the vehicle,
• the vehicle's total weight, if the vehicle is intended for transporting goods,
• the certificate's period of validity, if this is not indefinite.

These documents should be produced at the request of a vehicle inspector, police officer or customs official. The information should be provided either in just Latin letters or in English italics, or also repeated in this form. The documents must be in such a condition that they can be read without any difficulty.
 
Please note that some kinds of temporary foreign registration are not valid in Sweden, for example the German provisional registration (also known as the '5-day plate'), which is only valid in Germany. Nor are non-Nordic plates corresponding to the Swedish trade vehicle licence (with a green plate) valid.

Application fees

The Swedish Transport Agency will charge a processing fee for an application for temporary registration. This fee is SEK 450 and is paid on top of the fee of SEK 700 that you will have to pay when applying for verification of origin. (You will not get this money back if we do not grant your application.)

You will receive a remittance slip for this fee when we have received your application. We will start to process the matter as soon as we have received payment.

Things to bear in mind when applying

It makes sense to apply for both temporary registration and verification of origin at the same time. If you have already applied for verification of origin and realise that you also have to apply for temporary registration, you can do this using a special form - Application for temporary registration for imports. You must be living in Sweden permanently in order to be able to apply for this kind of temporary registration.

In addition to documents that have been sent to us in conjunction with applying for verification of origin, you should also send in

• a Swedish traffic insurance certificate for temporary registration, or for entry/import from a country within the EU/EEA: a 30-day insurance certificate issued by a Swedish insurance company (does not apply to trailers).

Note: If you use a 30-day insurance certificate when applying for temporary registration, the vehicle will become uninsured for the rest of the period during which the temporary registration is valid (that is to say, from and including day 31, counted from the commencement date of the certificate), unless new insurance is taken out with a Swedish insurance company.
 
The application should be sent to:
The Swedish Transport Agency
SE-701 96 Örebro, Sweden

When the temporary registration has been granted

When the temporary registration has been granted, you will receive a temporary registration decision, a registration certificate and special number plates (red with white text). You should have the temporary registration decision with you when driving the vehicle.

Period of validity

The temporary registration applies for three months. During this period, the vehicle should undergo a registration inspection. The temporary registration ceases two weeks after the vehicle has passed its registration inspection, unless the original period of validity ceases within this time. The period of validity cannot be extended. The special number plates must be destroyed when the period of validity ceases.

The temporary registration ceases when the ownership changes. It may also be discontinued in advance, for example owing to collision damage. The owner should then notify the Swedish Transport Agency of this in writing, preferably on the registration certificate. The special plates should be returned to the Swedish Transport Agency at the same time.

How may you use the vehicle in Sweden?

You may not use a vehicle with temporary registration for commercial transport. In the case of temporary registration owing to import, the Swedish Transport Agency will grant either unrestricted or restricted use. If use of the vehicle is restricted, this will be indicated both by the plates and by the temporary registration decision.

Unrestricted use will be granted if the vehicle

• has been brought in from a country within the EEA,
• has valid foreign registration whereby it may be used without restriction in that country, which is indicated by the documents submitted.

In the case of unrestricted use, the vehicle may be used in normal traffic during the period of validity.

Restricted use will be granted if the vehicle

• has been brought in from a country outside the EEA,
• is a new vehicle that has not previously been registered in any country.

In the case of restricted use, the vehicle may only be used to travel the shortest appropriate route: 

• from a port, railway station, customs clearance point, repair workshop, storage premises or the like to such a place or premises where the vehicle can be kept pending a registration inspection,
• to or from an inspection.

However, after passing its registration inspection, a vehicle that has been registered as being subject to restricted use may be used in normal traffic for the rest of the period of validity. This applies provided the vehicle has not been modified in such a way that the design no longer corresponds with the registration inspection conducted.

The following countries form part of the EEA (which includes all EU countries and some others):

• Austria 
• Belgium 
• Bulgaria 
• Cyprus 
• Czech Republic 
• Denmark 
• Estonia 
• Finland 
• France 
• Germany 
• Greece 
• Hungary 
• Iceland 
• Ireland 
• Italy 
• Latvia 
• Liechtenstein 
• Lithuania 
• Luxembourg 
• Malta 
• Netherlands 
• Norway 
• Poland 
• Portugal 
• Romania 
• Slovakia 
• Slovenia 
• Spain 
• Sweden 
• United Kingdom

Are you going to use the vehicle abroad?

The rules for how a vehicle with temporary registration may be used differ from country to country. For this reason, check which rules apply in the country or countries where you are going to be using the vehicle.

Final registration

The Swedish Transport Agency is entitled to refuse both an application for temporary registration and an application for final registration. The application will be rejected if the vehicle is listed as missing, is wanted by the police or its identity is uncertain owing to the information that we have obtained, for example, if previous registration or identification numbers (chassis numbers) could not be verified from an inspection.

Please note that a temporary registration will not automatically mean that the vehicle will be approved for permanent use in Sweden. It must also pass a registration inspection.
 
If the vehicle has passed a registration inspection, you may use the vehicle for up to two weeks on the basis of the temporary registration (see also under 'Period of validity'). During this time, the Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company or the Swedish Machinery Testing Institute will report the vehicle for final registration and you will get a new registration certificate and the ordinary white plates. If you wish to continue to use the vehicle, you will need to fit the white plates and apply to license your vehicle for use.

Documents

• Application for temporary registration for imports

Links