Moving from Sweden: customs and household goods
If you move within the EU, customs are not involved. If you move outside the EU, your household goods are declared twice: out of Sweden and into the new country. The Swedish part is the same everywhere. The other part differs a great deal.
Within the EU, no customs
If you are moving to Spain, Portugal, Finland or any other EU country, your household goods come with you without a customs declaration.
What remains is not customs. You notify the Swedish Tax Agency of the move, and the car must be registered in the new country under its rules. The rest of this page is about moving to countries outside the EU, where customs come in.
Out of Sweden, the same rules whatever the country
- Export declaration
- Your household goods are declared for export on a customs declaration, with commodity code 9905 00 00 for personal property.
- List of the goods
- Vehicles, TV, computer, fridge and other capital goods are itemised. The rest may be grouped together.
- You or a representative
- You can declare yourself at a customs office at the border, or let the removal company or a freight forwarder do it.
- Driving it yourself
- If you transport your household goods yourself, you do not need a pre-departure declaration.
Export from Sweden
If you take the car, it must be declared for export to Swedish Customs (Tullverket) before it leaves, and it must be deregistered with the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen). If you are moving to Norway, which is part of the EEA, the car is registered in Norway first and then deregistered here. For more on exporting the car itself, there is a separate page on exporting a car.
Into the new country
This is where the countries differ. Time requirements, forms, deadlines and what counts as household goods vary everywhere, and the car is often what costs the most. We have written about the three countries where we most often help with moves.
Read on
Moving to Sweden instead? Read about moving to Sweden.
Is your company exporting goods? Read about exporting from Sweden.
Common questions
Do I need to declare anything if I move within the EU?
No, not for customs. Household goods move freely within the union. What you need to think about is registering the car in the new country and notifying the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) of your move.
Can I get the VAT back on my belongings?
Tax free purchase applies to new goods. If you are going to live outside the EU for at least twelve months you can shop tax free in Sweden, but only for unused goods that you buy yourself and take out no later than the end of the third month after the month of purchase.
What about weapons and antiques?
Weapons that require a licence must be declared to Swedish Customs at the border. Certain cultural objects require an export licence from the Swedish National Heritage Board (Riksantikvarieämbetet), so if you have older art or antiques in the load you should check this before the move.
Moving to a country not listed here?
The Swedish export works the same way whatever the country. The receiving country's rules differ, and we find out what they are. Send us your enquiry with the country and your moving date.
