🇸🇪 Moving from the US to Sweden: Logistics, Customs & Relocation Guide.
Swedish Customs (Tullverket) waives duty and the 25% VAT on flyttsaker, but alcohol in household shipments is tightly restricted and Population Register enrolment gates everything else.
Average shipping cost
from $4,600
Door-to-door, 20ft FCL entry point
Transit timeline
4–6 weeks
Ocean freight 18–30 days to Gothenburg, or via Bremerhaven feeder
Major ports of entry
Gothenburg
Gothenburg · Stockholm-Norvik · Bremerhaven (feeder)
Sweden customs & Transfer of Residence: step by step
Required registration: Personnummer + Tullverket flyttsakstillstånd
- 1
Enrol in the Population Register
Your personnummer from Skatteverket is required for customs clearance, housing contracts, banking and healthcare.
- 2
File the flyttsaksanmälan with Tullverket
Declare the shipment with a valued inventory and proof of 12 months of residence outside the EU before arrival at Gothenburg.
- 3
Respect strict alcohol import limits
Alcohol is excluded from relief and subject to Swedish excise duty and Systembolaget rules — most agents refuse to load it at origin.
- 4
Plan for winter delivery conditions
November to March deliveries need snow-clearance access, and inland trucking from Gothenburg to northern cities adds 2–4 days.
Import VAT avoided with relief
25%
Filed with Swedish Customs (Tullverket) via Flyttsaksanmälan (Tullverket).
Primary visa pathways
- • Work permit (SEK 28,480/month minimum)
- • Academic and research permits
- • EU Blue Card
Social infrastructure, tech innovation, work-life balance focus.
Importing a vehicle into Sweden
Transportstyrelsen registration requires a Swedish origin inspection at Besiktning. Winter tyre rules apply from December to March.
Calculate landed vehicle taxesPopular expat destinations in Sweden
| City | Profile | Cost index |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | Tech unicorns and finance, apartment lifts often undersized | $$$$ |
| Gothenburg | Main container port, automotive and logistics sector | $$$ |
| Malmö | Öresund commute to Copenhagen, best value housing | $$ |
| Uppsala | Universities and life sciences, 40 minutes from Stockholm | $$$ |