Duty exemption for returnees
As a returnee, you may be granted a duty exemption for your personal belongings if your normal residence is located in Sweden, but you have been staying in a country outside the EU for more than one year for professional reasons.
Duty exemption for personal property
You can be granted duty exemption for personal property that has belonged to you for at least six months before your departure to Sweden. The personal property must also have been used by you or a member of your household for at least six months during which you stayed outside the EU for work.
You must also intend to use your personal property for the same purpose in Sweden after your return.
During the first year from when you were granted duty exemption for the goods, you may not transfer any part of the personal property to anyone else in any way. If during this period you want to sell, lend, pledge, rent or give away any part of the property, you must first notify Swedish Customs. This is because you will have to pay customs duties, VAT and other taxes on the items. There is no exemption from this time requirement.
You have one year to bring your personal property home in order to apply for duty exemption.
Duty exemption for vehicles
To be granted duty exemption for your vehicle, the vehicle must have belonged to you for at least six months before your departure to Sweden. In addition, the vehicle must have been used by you or a member of your household for at least six months, during which you stayed outside the EU for work purposes.
You must also intend to use the vehicle for the same purpose in Sweden after your return.
During the first year from the time you were granted duty exemption for the vehicle, you may not transfer it in any way to anyone else. If you want to sell, lend, pledge, rent or give away the vehicle during this period, you must first notify Swedish Customs. This is because you will have to pay customs duties, VAT and other taxes on the vehicle. There is no exemption from this time requirement.
How to request exemption from duty as a returnee
You can register your personal belongings with Swedish Customs by completing a number of forms. Learn more about the respective documents:
- The Single Administrative Document (SAD) form
- The form “Declaration for obtaining relief from customs duty and tax on personal belongings when returning to Sweden”
- The packing list
- Supporting documents
You can submit the documents in the following ways:
- When you arrive with your personal belongings, you can present the documents to a Customs Officer at the border.
- If your belongings are being delivered by a removal firm, you must provide the firm with the documents along with a power of attorney for the driver to present them to a Customs Officer at the border.
- If you are to retrieve your personal belongings from a storage, present your documents to the customs clearance office at the warehouse where your items are located.
Where to find our customs clearance offices.
Power of Attorney For private individuals / sole proprietorships.
Pdf, 160.8 kB.
The form “Declaration for obtaining relief from customs duty and tax on personal belongings when returning to Sweden”
Once you have completed the form “Declaration for obtaining relief from customs duty and tax on personal belongings when returning to Sweden”, you need to print and sign the original document.
You can either submit the completed and signed form directly to the customs office or scan it and attach your electronic customs declaration. If you use a representative to lodge your customs declaration, the representative can also help you attach the declaration form to the file.
Packing list
A so called packing list should contain information regarding your personal belongings. Specify capital goods, such as vehicles, televisions, computers, refrigerators and similar items. Other items can be reported under collective terms, such as books, household goods, linen and clothing.
Supporting documents
If you belong to the returnee category, you may need to provide supporting documents, such as:
- Registration in the municipality where your residence has been located
- Residence permit and, where applicable, work permit
- Certificate from your employer
- Lease agreement or contract of sale for your residence
- Proof that you are moving back to Sweden (e.g. proof of residence permit or proof of right of residence, a decision from the Swedish Tax Authority concerning registration in the Population Register, employer’s certificate, lease agreement or proof of purchase for a residence)
You may also be asked to present documents proving that you have met the deadlines for owning and using a certain product in a country outside of the EU, such as:
- Purchase documents (i.e. receipts, invoices or hire-purchase agreements)
- Foreign insurance documents
- Registration and traffic insurance documents for vehicles
- Shipping documents
Import declaration with the Single Administrative Document (SAD) form
You can download the Single Administrative Document from the European Commission's website. You find the link to the document in the first line of the page Single administrative document (SAD) – European Commission.
When declaring imports on the Single Administrative Document (SAD) form, the following fields must be completed and the following codes used:
1. Declaration
In the first subdivision of this box, enter “EU” if you are moving from an EFTA country (Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein or Switzerland). Enter “IM” if you are moving from a country other than an EFTA country.
In the second subdivision, enter “A”.
2. Consignor/Exporter
Enter your full name and address.
5. Items
Enter the total number of items in the declaration. This must match the total you enter in box 33.
8. Consignee
Enter the consignee’s full name and address. Under “No”, you must enter an identity number comprising a country code (ordinarily SE), personal identity number and additional digits. For Swedish private individuals, the additional digits are 00. Thus, a Swedish identity number can here look as follows: SE123456123400.
For consignments with a value over SEK 10,000, you enter the country code and personal identity number. For consignments with a value under SEK 10,000, you can enter zeroes instead of the personal identity number.
Find the correct country code in a list of country codes.
In the menu, select Code Lists, Search codes. Under Code type, select Country codes.
If you do not have a Swedish personal identity number, enter the Country code (not SE) followed by the date of birth (YYYYMMDD) and the additional digits 00. A foreign identity number can look like this: DK1234567800. For shipments under SEK 10,000, you can write zeros instead of identity numbers.
14. Declarant/Representative
If you yourself are the declarant, enter “[1] Consignee”.
15. a) Dispatch/export country code
Enter the letter code for the country of dispatch, e.g. “US” for the USA.
24. Nature of transaction
Enter the code “9”.
30. Location of goods
Enter an authorised location of goods code. An authorised location of goods code comprises three letters and shows the warehouse in which the goods are located. If you do not know the authorised location of goods code, you can ask the warehouse operator.
31. Packages and description of goods
Marks and numbers – Container No(s) – Number and kind
- Enter the number of packages (i.e. the number of packages in your consignment). Distinguish between wrapped goods and unwrapped goods.
- Describe how the goods are marked (i.e. the markings on the packages).
- Enter the type of packages (i.e. how the goods are packaged, e.g. “CT” for carton and “CS” for case).
33. Commodity code
Enter the code “9965 00 00 00”.
In the third or fourth subdivision of this box, enter the supplementary code “X001” for means of transport (motor vehicles, caravans, vessels and aircraft) and “X002” for other belongings.
When declaring commodities that are subject to prohibitions or restrictions, remember to use the relevant commodity codes in chapters 1 to 97 of the Harmonised System and not those in chapter 99.
See which commodities are subject to import restrictions (information in swedish).
34. a) Country of origin, code
Enter the letter code for the commodities’ country of origin.
Find the correct country code in a list of country codes.
In the menu, select Code Lists, Search codes. Under Code type, select Country codes.
36. Preference
Enter the code “100”.
37. Procedure
- In the first subdivision, you enter a four-digit code. For standard import of belongings, the code is “4000”.
- In the second subdivision, you enter the code “40T”.
38. Net mass
For the commodities entered in box 31, enter the net mass (weight) expressed in full kilos.
44. Additional information/Documents produced/Certificates and authorisations
Always use the document code “401F” for the declaration for obtaining relief from customs duty and tax on personal belongings when moving to Sweden that you attach to the import declaration.
46. Statistical value
Enter the consignment’s statistical value in SEK. This value is the total amount of the commodities’ value plus freight and insurance.
48. Deferred payment
Write “Cash”.
54. Place and date, Signature and name of declarant/representative
Enter place and date. Sign the original copy of the document and also enter your name in block letters.
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