The nine ways you can lose your driving licence in Sweden
There are nine official reasons you can be stripped of your driving license in Sweden, from the obvious – drunken driving or speeding – to less obvious ones, like being involved in a bar fight, drug dealing, or being a known alcoholic. We explain the system.
1. Driving too fast (and breaking other rules which are important for traffic safety)
According to the guide on the website of the Swedish Transport Agency, the most common reason people have their driving licences seized and withdrawn is if they are driving between 31km/h and 40km/h too fast.
For this the penalty is normally to have your driving licence suspended for two months.
If you are speeding in a village with a 30km/h speed limit, then you only need to drive between 21km/h and 30km/h too fast to have your licence temporarily taken away.
You can also lose your licence for two months if you drive through a red light, and sometimes for as long as four months for general "careless driving".
Other transgressions which risk your licence include:
- Driving over a zebra crossing when there are people on it
- Driving illegally (for instance when your car is uninsured, or without having passed your test)
- Not keeping sufficient distance from the car in front
2. Drink or drug driving
If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or suspected of committing a drink-driving offence, your licence can be suspended.
The suspension is usually for 12 months for both drug driving or drink driving, but can be extended to 24 months or more in cases of severe or repeated offences.
If you register less than 0.15mg/l of alcohol on a breathalyser, you might get away with a warning.
3. Repeated traffic offences
If you commit repeated minor traffic offences within the same two-year period, such as minor speeding offences or failing to use a seatbelt, you can have your driving licence suspended, normally for two months if you have been previously issued with a warning.
4. Hit-and-run driving
If you are involved in a traffic accident and instead of stopping to exchange your details and check that any others involved are OK, you drive off, you can have your licence suspended for between two and six months.
5. Unreliability when it comes to sobriety
If you have an alcohol or drug problem, you don't even have to be caught drink driving to lose your license. If you are taken in by the police for public drunkenness "a number of times", or the Transport Agency receives other information that you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, it can suspend your licence on the grounds of "unreliability when it comes to sobriety".
Your licence will normally be suspended until a year has passed since your last caution for being under the influence.
6. Committing another serious crime
You don't need to commit a driving offence to have your licence suspended, sometimes any serious offence will be enough. If you, for instance, commit a serious bodily assault, get convicted of serious drugs crimes, or allow others to drive illegally, this can be grounds for suspending your driving licence.
Your licence can be suspended for anything between a month and three years, but, according to the agency, a year is most common.
7. Your driving licence was issued on illegal grounds
If it turns out that you were cheating during your driving test, or submitted false information to the Transport Agency, you can have your licence withdrawn indefinitely.
8. Sickness or injury
If you are diagnosed with a sickness or suffer an injury which means that you no longer meet the minimum medial requirements to have a driving licence, you can have your license withdrawn indefinitely.
This could happen, for instance, if your eyesight deteriorates severely, or you are diagnosed with ADHD, autism, or similar neurological conditions.
According to the agency, having ADHD or autism is "in the majority of cases no problem for having a driving licence". But if you have a diagnosis, you need to send in a doctor's note which lays out how severe your condition is. You can find the form here.
When it comes to eyesight, you need to have visual acuity of at least 0.5 when you see with both eyes to keep your licence.
If you are prescribed medicine for diabetes, you also need to send the agency a doctor's note laying out the severity of your condition. Find that here.
9. You haven't sent in a doctor's note
If the agency asks you to send in a doctor's note and you fail to do so, your driving licence an be withdrawn indefinitely.
What do I have to do to get a new driving licence after it has been withdrawn?
Even if you only lose your licence for two months, it's actually more a withdrawal than a suspension, so you will need to get a entirely new licence. You can't just start using your old one again.
If your driving licence is suspended for less than a year
If your driving licence is suspended for less than a year, and was suspended for speeding or other traffic offences, you can receive a new driving licence without any addition assessment.
When your suspension is over, the transport agency will automatically send you an application form for a new driving licence. You can also apply digitally here.
If, however, it is suspended for one year or less for drink-driving, severe careless driving, unreliable sobriety, or other serious crimes, you need to also apply for a new provisional driving license or körkortstillstånd, which you can do up to six months before your ban expires, and which can be awarded within two months of your ban expiring.
If the agency gives you a provisional driving licence, you will then be sent an application form for a new driving licence.
If your driving licence is suspended for more than a year
If your driving licence is suspended for more than a year, then you need to take a new driving test.
To do this you must first be issued with a new provisional driving license or körkortstillstånd, which you can apply for when you have less than six months of your suspension remaining, and can be awarded with two months' suspension remaining.
As well as passing a driving test, you will also have to undergo a special course on driving risks.
Comments
See Also
1. Driving too fast (and breaking other rules which are important for traffic safety)
According to the guide on the website of the Swedish Transport Agency, the most common reason people have their driving licences seized and withdrawn is if they are driving between 31km/h and 40km/h too fast.
For this the penalty is normally to have your driving licence suspended for two months.
If you are speeding in a village with a 30km/h speed limit, then you only need to drive between 21km/h and 30km/h too fast to have your licence temporarily taken away.
You can also lose your licence for two months if you drive through a red light, and sometimes for as long as four months for general "careless driving".
Other transgressions which risk your licence include:
- Driving over a zebra crossing when there are people on it
- Driving illegally (for instance when your car is uninsured, or without having passed your test)
- Not keeping sufficient distance from the car in front
2. Drink or drug driving
If you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or suspected of committing a drink-driving offence, your licence can be suspended.
The suspension is usually for 12 months for both drug driving or drink driving, but can be extended to 24 months or more in cases of severe or repeated offences.
If you register less than 0.15mg/l of alcohol on a breathalyser, you might get away with a warning.
3. Repeated traffic offences
If you commit repeated minor traffic offences within the same two-year period, such as minor speeding offences or failing to use a seatbelt, you can have your driving licence suspended, normally for two months if you have been previously issued with a warning.
4. Hit-and-run driving
If you are involved in a traffic accident and instead of stopping to exchange your details and check that any others involved are OK, you drive off, you can have your licence suspended for between two and six months.
5. Unreliability when it comes to sobriety
If you have an alcohol or drug problem, you don't even have to be caught drink driving to lose your license. If you are taken in by the police for public drunkenness "a number of times", or the Transport Agency receives other information that you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, it can suspend your licence on the grounds of "unreliability when it comes to sobriety".
Your licence will normally be suspended until a year has passed since your last caution for being under the influence.
6. Committing another serious crime
You don't need to commit a driving offence to have your licence suspended, sometimes any serious offence will be enough. If you, for instance, commit a serious bodily assault, get convicted of serious drugs crimes, or allow others to drive illegally, this can be grounds for suspending your driving licence.
Your licence can be suspended for anything between a month and three years, but, according to the agency, a year is most common.
7. Your driving licence was issued on illegal grounds
If it turns out that you were cheating during your driving test, or submitted false information to the Transport Agency, you can have your licence withdrawn indefinitely.
8. Sickness or injury
If you are diagnosed with a sickness or suffer an injury which means that you no longer meet the minimum medial requirements to have a driving licence, you can have your license withdrawn indefinitely.
This could happen, for instance, if your eyesight deteriorates severely, or you are diagnosed with ADHD, autism, or similar neurological conditions.
According to the agency, having ADHD or autism is "in the majority of cases no problem for having a driving licence". But if you have a diagnosis, you need to send in a doctor's note which lays out how severe your condition is. You can find the form here.
When it comes to eyesight, you need to have visual acuity of at least 0.5 when you see with both eyes to keep your licence.
If you are prescribed medicine for diabetes, you also need to send the agency a doctor's note laying out the severity of your condition. Find that here.
9. You haven't sent in a doctor's note
If the agency asks you to send in a doctor's note and you fail to do so, your driving licence an be withdrawn indefinitely.
What do I have to do to get a new driving licence after it has been withdrawn?
Even if you only lose your licence for two months, it's actually more a withdrawal than a suspension, so you will need to get a entirely new licence. You can't just start using your old one again.
If your driving licence is suspended for less than a year
If your driving licence is suspended for less than a year, and was suspended for speeding or other traffic offences, you can receive a new driving licence without any addition assessment.
When your suspension is over, the transport agency will automatically send you an application form for a new driving licence. You can also apply digitally here.
If, however, it is suspended for one year or less for drink-driving, severe careless driving, unreliable sobriety, or other serious crimes, you need to also apply for a new provisional driving license or körkortstillstånd, which you can do up to six months before your ban expires, and which can be awarded within two months of your ban expiring.
If the agency gives you a provisional driving licence, you will then be sent an application form for a new driving licence.
If your driving licence is suspended for more than a year
If your driving licence is suspended for more than a year, then you need to take a new driving test.
To do this you must first be issued with a new provisional driving license or körkortstillstånd, which you can apply for when you have less than six months of your suspension remaining, and can be awarded with two months' suspension remaining.
As well as passing a driving test, you will also have to undergo a special course on driving risks.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.