Vehicle import and verification of origin
If you own a vehicle that you would like to register in Sweden your first step in the registration process is to apply for verification of origin.
You should apply for verification of origin for all vehicles that are going to be registered in Sweden, with exemptions for new vehicles that are
- imported by registered importers (including general agents)
- manufactured in Sweden by professional manufacturers
How to apply for verification of origin
Go to the page which deals with the origin of your vehicle, read through and follow the instructions, and finally send in an application including all the necessary documents for a complete application for verification of origin.
I would like to apply for verification of origin. My application is for:
- Import from an EU country.
- Import from a non-EU country.
- Vehicle formerly registered in Sweden that has been deregistered.
- Army vehicle previously registered with the Swedish Armed Forces
- Self-assembled motor vehicle (passenger car or motorcycle)
- Self-assembled trailer
- Import category Miscellaneous (none of the other verification of origin categories fit)
The registration process step-by-step
The first thing you need to do when you are registering a vehicle is to apply for verification of origin. Depending on how you have imported the vehicle you may need to clear the vehicle through customs or pay value-added tax first. This applies if you have imported
- the vehicle from a non-EU country (customs clearance)
- a new vehicle from another EU country (pay value-added tax)
When this has been done you may continue following this simple step-by-step guide containing tips and useful information on how an application is done.
Send the application + documents by registered letter
When the vehicle has arrived in Sweden you may apply for verification of origin. You do this by completing an application and sending it, together with all other essential documents, to the Swedish Transport Agency. Note that these documents are valuable. Please contact the company in charge of delivering your mail to find out how you may send valuable documents by post.
Pay the fee in advance
The fee for application for verification of origin should be paid to the Swedish Transport Agency in advance. If you apply using our e-service you will receive payment details straight away, and if you apply using our form you will be sent an invoice when your case has been registered.
It is essential that the fee is paid in to the Swedish Transport Agency’s special account for verification of origin. Please note that you cannot pay your application fee in cash, with checks or similar to the Swedish Transport Agency. The current fee for verification of origin is SEK 1240.
Please ensure that your application is complete
In order for your application to be dealt with in a timely manner, it is important that you send us the right documents and provide us with the right information from the start. If your application is missing something, one of our investigators will send you a letter requesting additional information.
The owner of the vehicle must apply for verification of origin
Please note that it is the owner of the vehicle, i.e. the person who should be registered as the owner of the vehicle in Sweden, who should apply for verification of origin. If a transferral of ownership is carried out before the vehicle is registered in the Swedish Road Traffic Registry the verification of origin that has been carried out is no longer valid. The new owner will then have to send in a new application for verification of origin, together with a purchase document, referring to the previous application for verification of origin.
When the Swedish Transport Agency has approved your application for verification of origin a decision is sent to you by post. You may then make an appointment for a registration inspection or an individual approval test with a vehicle inspection company. State your case number for verification of origin when making your appointment.
Swedac may provide you with information regarding which vehicle inspection companies are available in your area.
You may need to bring more documents to the registration inspection
The vehicle inspection engineer can access the documents you have sent in to the Swedish Transport Agency electronically, but you may need to bring further documents to the inspection in order to have your vehicle pass the inspection. Please contact an inspection company to find out what is required for your vehicle.
A registration inspection is conducted as follows
The vehicle inspection engineer
- carries out a technical identification verification of the vehicle
- checks the vehicle from the perspective of environmental and traffic safety
- determines the vehicle data registered in the Swedish Road Traffic Registry.
What is the purpose of the registration inspection?
At the registration inspection a number of technical requirements are imposed on the vehicle, among other things on brakes, exhaust emissions and anti-collision safety. The purpose is to make sure that the vehicle is adapted to Swedish conditions.
A vehicle with an EC type approval meets all of the technical and environmental requirements imposed by the current EC directive. This means that the vehicle can be approved in Sweden without any requirement for further documentation concerning the vehicle’s technical status.
If the vehicle does not meet the EC whole vehicle type approval, but has previously been registered in another EU country and this can be verified by the registration certificate, the vehicle is regarded as satisfying the technical requirements to enable it to be registered in Sweden, subject to the precondition that the vehicle (this applies to passenger cars, light lorries and buses under 3 500 kg and motorbikes) is of a standard design for the series.
For vehicles originally manufactured in a non EU country you may need to prove further requirements
The provisions of the above paragraph do not apply to vehicles that are
- designed for left-hand traffic
- equipped with speedometers with British standards
- manufactured in small series.
Contact a vehicle inspection company to find out more about the provisions that apply to your vehicle.
In certain cases, exemptions may be allowed from the requirements relating to technical equipment and exhaust emissions. The import categories relocation goods, inherited goods, own use and diplomat all gives some exemptions from the demands put on your vehicle at the registration inspection. Although you choose import as your category, the vehicle inspection engineer may in certain cases decide to grant the exemption of own use at the registration inspection. Own use gives some exemptions from the technical demands and a milder assessment.
If your vehicle is EC type approved, or of model year 1968 or older, these exemptions are not necessary at the registration inspection. Please contact a vehicle inspection company to find out if your vehicle will need exemptions or not.
When the registration inspection or the individual approval test has been completed and passed the inspection company will register the vehicle in the Swedish Road Traffic Registry.
The vehicle will be allocated a registration number automatically, and The Swedish Transport Agency will send a registration certificate and registration plates to you, as the owner, by post. Please note that the registration certificate and the plates will be sent automatically to your registered permanent Swedish address. The registration certificate and plates can never be sent abroad.
Your vehicle’s registration number is randomly chosen. There are no possible ways for vehicle owners to request a specific registration number.
If you applied for temporary registration in connection with your verification of origin, you will keep the registration number that was allocated to your vehicle then, as long as the temporary registration is still valid when the registration inspection or the individual approval test is approved.
If the roadworthiness of the vehicle also needs to be tested, a roadworthiness test can be conducted at a vehicle inspection company immediately after it has passed the registration inspection. The inspection company should then have allocated the vehicle a registration number first.
If your vehicle has passed a roadworthiness test in an EU-/EEA-country, you are able to include this test when the vehicle is submitted to the registration inspection in Sweden. However, this only applies to mandatory roadworthiness tests carried out in accordance with Directive 2009/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
Please contact a vehicle inspection company to find out if a roadworthiness test, in conjunction with the registration inspection, is necessary for your vehicle.
When you have received your registration certificate and plates, you can activate your registration with the Swedish Transport Agency.
If the vehicle is subject to traffic insurance, you need valid traffic insurance in order to be able to activate your registration.
For activation, choose one of the following alternatives,
- e-serviceLicensing your vehicle (in Swedish only)
- Download our mobile app Mina fordon (in Swedish only)
- Request activation of the registration in writing using the registration certificate.
Once your registration is activated, we will send you information regarding payment of your vehicle tax.
For more information please contact our customer service for vehicle inquiries
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