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Buying a car in Sweden

Formal requirements

Andrey Kiselev
post 3.Jan.2012, 04:24 PM
Post #1
Joined: 2.Jan.2012

Hey, All!

I am going to move to Sweden and thinking about buying a car. Is it mandatory to have a Swedish drivers license for this? And are there any other formal requirements?

Best regards,
Andrey
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Puffin
post 3.Jan.2012, 05:18 PM
Post #2
Location: Dalarna
Joined: 5.Apr.2006

no you don't need a Swedish drivers licence - EU drivers licences are automatically recognised but non-EU are only valid for 1 year

As well as the cost of the car you also must budget for car tax, insurance and registration costs
+ the cost of roadworthyness inspections - depending on the age of the car
+ the cost of tyres - winter tyres must be fitten from 1 december to 31 march - but can be longer depending on weather
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Andrey Kiselev
post 3.Jan.2012, 06:40 PM
Post #3
Joined: 2.Jan.2012

Thanks a lot for your answer!
So it seems to be approx the same as anywhere else. And that's great.
I have a non-EU license and I will have to acquire a Swedish one. The problem is that it will take some time, and I want to have a car from the very beginning. So buying a car is a good solution for me...
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nicoletastan
post 26.May.2012, 12:43 PM
Post #4
Joined: 26.May.2012

Hy! I also have a question about the same problem.I want to buy a car from Sweden too, but I was wondering can I buy it even though I don't have that swedish personal number? Can this affect me buying a car?
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Micardo
post 26.May.2012, 05:58 PM
Post #5
Joined: 22.May.2006

You may be told you cannot buy a car without a person number, this is not correct. When you purchase the car if you do not already have a temporary number the traffic authority will create one for you in order to register the car. When you get a permanent number this is automatically registered and a new document will be issued. Done it.
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Bender B Rodriquez
post 27.May.2012, 12:42 AM
Post #6
Joined: 25.Mar.2006

You don't even need a driver's license to buy a car in Sweden.
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GCB8
post 27.May.2012, 01:28 PM
Post #7
Joined: 25.May.2012

Without a swedish license, one can buy a car , but what about the car insurance, will any Swedish insurance company insure the car if they know the driver is a legal swedish resident with another country's license but not a Swedish DL? In Sweden insurance companies insure the car versus insure the driver, am I correct?

What if later, that driver (swedish resident) gets a Swedish DL, will he then have to inform the insurance company? Does that make a difference?
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Yorkshireman
post 27.May.2012, 02:58 PM
Post #8
Joined: 22.Nov.2011

Insurance companies will insure the car even though You do not have a Swedish license. How do I know? I have been running on my old pink paper with no photo UK license in Sweden for over 20 years! biggrin.gif It's no problem. Raises a few eyebrows when I test drive cars though, and gets a few good laughs. biggrin.gif

And as other posters have said, you actually do not need a driving license at-all to buy the car, but do to test drive.
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pathoy
post 18.Oct.2012, 06:16 PM
Post #9
Joined: 18.Oct.2012

Hello, I am also in the process of moving to Sweden on a work placement for five years and I will be needing to buy a new car. Does anyone know if there are Internet Car Brokers in Sweden (as in the UK where they will arrange the purchase on your behalf with an actual dealer, but at a greatly discounted price)? Thank you.
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cristymartine
post 6.Nov.2012, 09:42 AM
Post #10
Joined: 6.Nov.2012

In my opinion you don't need to have Swedish drivers license. After purchasing a car whenever you want to drive it, then you need to have a license.

used cars in ireland for sale
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timmah
post 6.Nov.2012, 10:26 AM
Post #11
Joined: 19.Oct.2012

With regards to Yorkshiremans pink paper license if he did not change the address on it to one which he is residing at (presumably a swedish one, if this is even possible) if he has been living here for 20 years that is technically an offence which can result in a fine from the DVLA.

Also (again technically, possibly not in reality depending on situation) if he loses it he can not replace it with a photo card license if he is non-resident in the UK. In a nutshell, if you want an easy life and you have a pink paper license get a photo card if you are moving here permanently beforehand. I only changed mine before I came as my pink paper license fell to bits, and I knew I probably was not going back.
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Yorkshireman
post 6.Nov.2012, 11:37 AM
Post #12
Joined: 22.Nov.2011

QUOTE (timmah @ 6.Nov.2012, 10:26 AM) *
With regards to Yorkshiremans pink paper license if he did not change the address on it to one which he is residing at (presumably a swedish one, if this is even possible) if ... (show full quote)

@timmah, ask the DVLA ... it is not possible to have a non UK address on the license, and they will also point out that it is perfectly OK for a non resident to hold a UK license with an incorrect address on it, and that is also acceptable under EU law.
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Mpf
post 6.Nov.2012, 03:33 PM
Post #13
Location: Stockholm
Joined: 5.Jul.2006

Same thing happened to me. Before departing the UK I informed DVLA I was moving to Sweden and tried to change my address on my license (I think the UK might be the only EU country to have your address on your licence) because it states that an incorrect address will result in a fine of £1000. They told me that they couldn't put overseas addresses on UK licences so it is all a bit of a nonsense really.

Yorkshireman has the old licence which doesn't need renewing until he's about 65 at which time he will need to apply for a Swedish licence. Those of us who had the new UK EU style licenses have to renew them every 5 years and EU rules stipulate that you MUST renew it in the state in which you are resident.

There is normally some bitching on here about the cost of getting your license exchanged for a Swedish one (about 600kr) but Swedes resident in the UK have to do the same and it costs them about £50. This fee is only payable for the first exchange, future renewals are cheaper.

I've changed mine now, it was pretty painless and now have more classes on my license than I did previously as C1+E becomes C+E etc which is a bit of a bonus. Also I don't get pulled over by the old bill anymore (car registered to a Swede but no license recorded due to holding a UK EU style license) and also as and when I hire trailers and vans they nolonger take photocopies of my license, if you go back to the UK and drive and get caught speeding they can't put points on your license either, that said, go to fast and get caught, especially on a weekend you might find yourself locked up till the court opens on a Monday LOL. All in all everything is mostly positive for changing your license and not many negatives.
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Pursuivant
post 6.Nov.2012, 04:02 PM
Post #14
Joined: 12.Aug.2008

Well, one morning Yorkshireman runs out of bogroll and in the dark flushes his pink paper down the drain. He has no licence. So he goes to the police station, they look in the computer "you have no record of ever having a licence, so go to driving school". He contacts DVLA - "you don't live in UK, and we don't serve foreigners". Yorkshireman cries.

So even if you don't have to change your licence - you might want to, as they don't have to give you one either.
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Mpf
post 6.Nov.2012, 08:32 PM
Post #15
Location: Stockholm
Joined: 5.Jul.2006

Even if you lose your UK license you just go through the same system and just quote your license number. The Swedes will check with DVLA anyway, that's why it takes some time to get your Swedish license first time round.
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