Moving to Sweden from a country outside the EU

If you are moving to Sweden from a country outside of the EU and want to be exempt from paying customs duty on your personal belongings, one of the basic requirements is that you intend to live in Sweden for at least one year. If you are moving to Sweden from a country outside of the EU due to studies, one basic requirement is that your studies are full-time.

The regulations vary depending on the circumstances under which you move to Sweden. You also need to be familiar with the term “your normal residence”.

Learn more about the meaning of “normal residence”.

Define which of these four groups you belong to:

Immigrant

If your situation corresponds to one of the following circumstances:

• You have never resided in Sweden or another EU country.
• You are single and do not have any connection to Sweden or another EU country. This could mean that you are registered as emigrated by the Swedish Tax Agency and have neither residence nor employment in Sweden.
• You have been permanently living with your family and have worked in a country outside of the EU for at least one year.

Learn more about duty exemption for personal belongings as an immigrant.

Returnee

You are classified as a returnee 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.

Learn more about duty exemption for personal belongings as a returnee. (in Swedish)

Marriage

You belong to the group “moving due to marriage” if you move to Sweden as part of your marriage arrangement. Your normal residence must have been located outside of the EU for at least one year prior to you moving.

Learn more about duty exemption for personal belongings for those moving due to marriage.

Student

You belong to the group “moving due to studies”. If you are coming to stay in Sweden to study full time at a school or university, you can bring certain items without having to pay customs duty and VAT. If you are a Swedish student studying in a country outside of the EU and returning to Sweden, you do not qualify for customs exemption for personal belongings as a returnee. For that to be the case, you need to qualify as an immigrant.

Learn more about customs duty and tax exemption for students.