1 The kinds of registers that exist in the Member State, containing information relevant to successions
In Sweden, information that is relevant to succession is contained in at least the following registers:
- Civil status register (Swedish Tax Agency - Skatteverket)
- Marriage register (Swedish Tax Agency)
- Estate inventory register (Swedish Tax Agency)
- Land register (Swedish land registry - Lantmäteriet)
- Companies register (Swedish Companies Registration Office - Bolagsverket)
- Commercial register (Swedish Companies Registration Office)
- Business register
- Road traffic register (Swedish Transport Agency - Transportstyrelsen)
2 Information contained in each of the registers of the Member State, as listed under point 1
Civil status register - Folkbokföringsregister
Civil status records include information on residence, identity and family relationships. The register contains, among other things, information on where someone is registered in the population register, their marital status and spouse, children and parents. Civil status information is normally accessible to the public but may be confidential in certain specific cases. The Tax Agency is responsible for the register and can provide information from it on request. In order to facilitate the disclosure of information, it is important that the request clearly identifies the information sought and the person to whom the information relates.
The information can be requested by, for example, phone, letter or by filling in a form on the Tax Agency’s website. The Swedish Tax Agency can in principle be contacted in Swedish and English. The Swedish Tax Agency may charge a fee for issuing copies of official documents.
Contact details of the Swedish Tax Agency
Skatteverket
205 30 Malmö
Tel.: + 46 771 567 567
For more information: Skatteverket
Marriage register - Äktenskapsregistret
The Swedish marriage register is a national register containing information dating back to 1921 on the legal relationships between spouses and registered partners. The marriage register contains information on nuptial agreements, gifts between spouses, declarations of the division of property during marriage, acts of division of property and choice-of-law agreements. A nuptial agreement must be entered in the register in order to be valid.
Information in the marriage register is normally accessible to the public but may be confidential in certain specific cases. The Swedish Tax Agency is responsible for the register. The Tax Agency may, on request, issue copies of the documents in the register. When ordering documents or data from the marriage register, the following information must be provided for each of the spouses:
- If the person was born in 1955 or earlier: their full name and personal identity number together with their maiden surname, or both if the person has changed, for example, a family name;
- If the person was born in 1956 or later: their full personal identification number.
Documents and information can be requested by, for example, phone, letter or by filling in a form on the Tax Agency’s website. The Swedish Tax Agency can in principle be contacted in Swedish and English. The Swedish Tax Agency may charge a fee for issuing copies of official documents.
Contact details of the Swedish Tax Agency
Skatteverket
Äktenskapsregistret
871 87 Härnösand
Tel.: + 46 771 567 567
For more information: Skatteverket
Estate inventory register - Bouppteckningsregistret
The Tax Agency’s inventory register contains registered estate inventories, supplementary estate inventories and estate notifications dating back to 2001. Copies of older estate inventories should be requested from the National Archives.
An estate inventory includes information on the deceased, but also information on the heirs, successors, surviving spouses and surviving cohabitants. The Tax Agency’s estate inventory also issues European certificates of succession. Information in the estate inventory register is normally accessible to the public but may be confidential in certain specific cases.
The Tax Agency may, on request, issue, for example, a copy of a registered estate inventory or an additional estate inventory. In order to facilitate the disclosure of documents, it is important that the request clearly identifies the information sought and the person to whom the information relates, for example, by indicating the personal identification number of the deceased.
The information can be requested by, for example, phone, letter or by filling in a form on the Tax Agency’s website. The Swedish Tax Agency can in principle be contacted in Swedish and English. The Swedish Tax Agency may charge a fee for issuing copies of official documents.
Contact details of the Swedish Tax Agency
Skatteverket
Bouppteckningssektionen [Estate inventory section]
871 87 Härnösand
Tel.: + 46 771 567 567
For more information: Skatteverket
Land register - Fastighetsregistret
The land register provides information on the division of land into properties and who owns them. It also provides information on property rights, addresses, buildings and real estate taxation. Information in the register is normally accessible to the public but may be confidential in certain specific cases. The Swedish land registry is responsible for the register. Copies of title deeds drawn up before 1 June 2008 should be requested from the Swedish National Archives (Riksarkivet).
Standard information from the register can be obtained on the website of the land register. When ordering information, the cadastral reference must be provided. A register extract with standard information does not show the full contents on the property in question, but only the most frequently requested information from the land register. Examples of standard land registry data include who owns the property. Further information from the land register can be obtained from the Swedish Land Registry. The Swedish Land Registry can in principle be contacted in Swedish. The Registry usually charges a fee for providing property information, etc.
Registration as an owner in the land register is called a title deed. Title deeds serve as the formal proof of ownership of a property. In the case of inheritance, the person or persons who inherit a property or leasehold are registered as the owner. An application for a title deed or registration of a leasehold is then made to the Swedish Land Registry. It is possible to apply via the Swedish Land Registry’s e-service or by sending the application by post. The content of the application depends on whether it is the entire property or leasehold that is inherited by a will, whether a person is the sole co-owner of the estate or whether there are several co-owners of the estate. More information can be found on the Swedish Land Registry’s website. A service fee is charged for applications.
Contact details of the Swedish Land Registry
Huvudkontor:
Lantmäteriet
Fastighetsbildning [Land division]
801 82 Gävle
Tel.: +46 771 63 63 63
For more information: Lantmäteriet
Companies register - Aktiebolagsregistret and Commercial register - Handelsregistret
The companies register is a public list of all limited companies in Sweden. The commercial register is a public register which includes information on sole, traders, general partnerships and limited partnerships. The registers are managed by the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket), which has an e-service where it is possible to search for company information on Swedish companies free of charge. It is also possible to contact the Swedish Companies Registration Office by post, email or telephone. The Swedish Companies Registration Office can in principle be contacted in Swedish. The Swedish Companies Registration Office may charge a fee for issuing copies of official documents.
Contact details of the Swedish Companies Registration Office
Bolagsverket
851 81 Sundsvall
Tel.: + 46 771 670 670
Email: bolagsverket@bolagsverket.se
For more information: Bolagsverket
Swedish road traffic register
The road traffic register is a state register containing vehicle data, including information on who is registered as the owner or keeper of a car, motorcycle or other type of vehicle. Registered owners are presumed to be the owner of the vehicle. Information on a particular vehicle can be found via the Swedish Transport Agency’s free e-service for vehicles. The Swedish Transport Agency may also, on request, provide an extract from the register of vehicles registered with a deceased person’s estate in order to facilitate probate proceedings. The Swedish Transport Agency can in principle be contacted in Swedish.
There is no charge for submitting a notification that a vehicle has changed ownership, for example in the context of an inheritance. The change of ownership can be notified, among other things, by filling in the required information on the registration certificate and submitting it to the Swedish Transport Agency.
Contact details of the Swedish Transport Agency
Transportstyrelsen
701 81 Örebro
Tel.: + 46 771 14 15 16
Link to contact points on the Swedish Transport Agency’s website: Transportstyrelsens kontaktuppgifter
For more information: Transportstyrelsen
3 The availability of information on bank accounts
In Sweden there is no public register of bank accounts. Bank account details must be requested from individual credit institutions.
4 The availability of a register of intellectual property rights
The Swedish Patent and Registration Office (Patent- och registreringsverket) is the central authority in Sweden for the registration of intellectual property rights, such as patents, trademarks and designs. The Office manages the Swedish Patent Database (Svensk Patentdatabas), the Swedish Trademark Database (Svensk Varumärkesdatabas) and the Swedish Design Database (Svensk Designdatabas), which contain information on Swedish patents, registered trademarks in Sweden and protected designs.
Contact details of the Swedish Patent and Registration Office:
Patent- och registreringsverket
Box 5055
102 42 Stockholm
Tel.: +46 8 782 28 00
For more information: Patent- och registreringsverket
5 Other registers with information relevant to successions
Questions concerning taxes and income tax declarations are dealt with by the Swedish Tax Agency. For more information: Skatteverket
Questions concerning survivors’ pensions and survivors’ support are dealt with by the Swedish Pensions Agency. For more information: Pensionsmyndigheten
6 The availability of information on closed wills and wills not subject to registration
In Sweden there is no public register of wills. Testators may keep the will themselves or with a law firm of their choice, for example.