For accessing general public documents concerning physical persons, the main provider is the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) through its service under “All population registration certificates”.
There are two main ways to access such documents.
1/ For accessing documents concerning information on someone else, these can be ordered online, but sent only by paper mail to the address of the person whose documents are requested (not the address of the person ordering it).
2/ Any person with a valid electronic ID can order and receive online some documents about him/herself. The five alternatives of presenting a valid electronic ID for access are:
- Bank ID. Necessary conditions is having a Swedish personal identity number and be customer in one of the Swedish banks that issue so called “BankID” and have reached the age of 18 (or lower with the consent of legal caregiver, depending on the individual bank policy).
- Mobile Bank ID. A bank ID for smartphones provided by the Swedish banks.
- AB Svenska Pass. If a person is not a customer in one of the banks that issue Bank ID, he or she may use the Tax Agency´s ID-card, that also holds an electronic ID.
- Freja electronic ID+, a free, state-approved mobile e-identification, which can also be used as a physical ID in the smart phone, including storing Covid certificates, and offers to log in to several private and public services online.
- Foreign eID according to the eIDAS-regulation.
For the more specialized services (to apply a consideration of impediments to marriage or to apply divorce, to lodge an application for legal aid, claims, to initiate a civil case online, formation of company, criminal record extract, etc.) please find information below.
Purpose and scope: Legal aid according to the Legal Aid Act is financial support for those who cannot afford a private legal counsel or have one public counsel appointed and paid by the state.
Competent authority: Swedish Legal Aid Agency (Rättshjälpsmyndigheten) and the district courts (tingsrätterna). In some administrative cases even the administrative court can grant an application for legal aid.
Conditions of access:
- Eligibility requirements: Residents and non-residents
- Identification and authentication requirements: No ID required
- Documents to be provided: The summons application or other document proving the legal case.
Legal effects of electronic document: None except valid application for legal aid
Possibility to complete the procedure fully online: No, the online procedure is for downloading application forms only. The application must be signed by hand of the applicant and his/her lawyer and submitted by the lawyer to the relevant court or, subsidiarily, to the Legal Aid Agency.
Cost: Free
Links:
More information available only in Swedish here and here.
Application form (in English), Application form (in Swedish)
Purpose and scope: When there are damages and a judgment has entered into force, compensation may be demanded from the person found guilty. Subsidiary, if the person liable to pay damages is unable to pay, and there is no insurance that can cover the damage, the application can be sent to the Crime Victims Authority.
If there is no known offender and there is no insurance that can cover the damage, the application can be sent to the Crime Victims Authority when the police investigation has been closed.
Competent authority: Crime Victims Authority (Brottsoffermyndigheten)
Conditions of access:
- Eligibility requirements: Residents and non-residents
- Identification and authentication requirements: Electronic ID required: Bank ID, Mobile eID, Telia eID, Foreign eID
- Documents to be provided: The application, which can be downloaded and returned signed with Electronic ID. The sentence, wherein claims for compensation are ordered by court.
Legal effects of electronic document: Valid application
Possibility to complete the procedure fully online: Yes. After log in, there is an option to register, receive the application form, fill it in and return it together with appendices.
Cost: Free
Link: The e-service is available only in Swedish here.
The form can also be filled on paper and sent by mail, including an English version.
Purpose and scope: It is possible to download, sign, scan (pdf format) and upload application forms for initiation of a civil case, a summons application form, to any district court. The e-service allows to sign, pay and submit the application directly to the court. However, all documents including the application form, must be converted to PDF-format before they can be uploaded to the e-service.
Competent authority: Each competent district court.
Conditions of access:
- Eligibility requirements: Residents and non-residents
- Identification and authentication requirements: Electronic ID required (Bank ID, Mobile eID, Telia eID, Freja eID+, Foreign eID)
- Documents to be provided: All legally necessary documents, including appendices, must be created first, then saved and scanned to Pdf-format. Thereafter they can be uploaded to the court.
Legal effects of electronic document: A valid application for initiating a civil case.
Possibility to complete the procedure fully online: Yes, however all the required documents must be scanned and uploaded in PDF-format to use the e-service.
Cost: For a case in which the disputed amount is more than a half-the base amount (= 24 150 SEK = EUR 2 465) the fee is 2 800 SEK (EUR 280). The fee is the same as for a paper application, which means that there is no extra fee or charge for initiating a civil court case online, as compared to doing it via post/filing it by mail.
Links:
To download a form for a Swedish Civil Case, please find the forms in the links.
To send the applications, the site is here and requires a valid electronic ID for proceeding further (The example uses Alingsås district court, but the same rules apply to all district courts).
Purpose and scope: According to the Swedish Code of Judicial Procedure, an individual party's first submission in the trial must contain, among other, information about the party including their e-mail address (33rd Chapter. 1 §, p 4). An application which, in accordance with a provision of this Code, must be signed by hand may be signed with an electronic signature such as referred to in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, in its original wording. Further, a party who submits documents shall, at the request of the court, provide hard (paper) copies (33rd Chapter 1a § and 2 §). As for the administrative courts, the requirement to provide an e-mail address is regulated in the Administrative Court Procedure Act (3§).
It is also possible for a party to court proceedings to sign and submit to the court documents in digital form by using an e-service.
Link: Ny e-tjänst för digitala handlingar - Sveriges Domstolar
The practical implication of this is that the Swedish Courts serve parties (through their representatives) via e-mail. Conversely, the parties use e-mail when addressing the court, unless they prefer to use paper mail.
Competent authority: Each court
Conditions of access:
- Eligibility requirements: Parties in a court case.
- Identification and authentication requirements: Stated e-mail address.
- Documents to be provided: The e-mail address should be stated in the first submission.
Legal effects of electronic document: Same as paper documents in a litigation.
Possibility to complete the procedure fully online: Yes, by receiving and sending through announced e-mail.
Cost: None
Link: None, as e-mail is the method for serving these documents.
Purpose and scope: Seized property is sold through the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogdemyndigheten). The property is sold at public auction or by private treaty. The sale of movables can be put in the hands of external auctioneers. Real estate can be passed on to estate agents for selling. The Swedish version of the website has several services online, such as an application for order to pay. However, the English version has no e-service, but just the possibility to download the forms. Note that the auction web site is provided below.
Competent authority: Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogdemyndigheten)
Conditions of access:
- Eligibility requirements: Residents and non-residents, who have a Swedish personal identity number. Not all auctions take place on-line. However, the following information concerns only on-line auctions.
- Identification and authentication requirements: No need for an electronic ID. An interested bidder/buyer registers on the site, and after approval will receive a log in password by SMS, which renders a mobile telephone necessary.
- Documents to be provided: None
Legal effects of electronic document: Binding bids in auction
Possibility to complete the procedure fully online: Yes, it is possible to give one or several bids and to conclude the buy online via e-mail.
Cost: Free
Link: Auction website
Purpose and scope: No central body is responsible for regulating the profession of mediator. However, the National Courts Administration (Domstolsverket) can be contacted for information on mediation. A list of persons who have expressed a willingness to mediate in the courts has been drawn up by the National Courts Administration and can be consulted at the same website.
In commercial matters, the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (Stockholms handelskammare) and the West Sweden Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Västsvenska industri- och handelskammaren) do work in the area of mediation.
Competent authority: The court that handles the case, when the parties wish to try mediation.
Conditions of access:
- Eligibility requirements: Residents and non-residents alike. However, both parties in the case must agree on accepting the mediation service and pay for it jointly.
- Identification and authentication requirements: None in addition to what was required to register as a party to a civil case.
- Documents to be provided: The court decides on mediation after the parties agree to try it. The initiative may come from one or both parties and is expressed to the court in a written plea.
Legal effects of electronic document: As in initiation of a civil case.
Possibility to complete the procedure fully online: As in initiation of a civil case.
Cost: Only the cost for the mediator
Link: Here
Purpose and scope:
- Forming a company: The Swedish government has, through a cooperation between some authorities, set up a digital platform to help persons start a company, Verksamt. A company must be registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket), which can be done online through the self-service at Verksamt. The forming process also involves a bank, for issuing certificate which proves that the share capital has been paid, It is possible to do all the steps online.
- Accessing information about a company: You can access, for free, basic information on registered companies both online and offline. Other information has to be paid for.
Competent authority: Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket), which also provides information about registered companies.
Conditions for forming a company
- Eligibility requirements: Swedish personal identity number, resident or non-resident
- Identification and authentication requirements: Electronic ID (Mobile BankID, Bank ID, Telia eID, Freja eID, Foreign eID)
- Documents to be provided: Information about intended company, such as name, capital, signers, address, purpose, etc. can be filled online.
Legal effects of electronic document: Full effect if digitally signed according to eIDAS-regulation.
Possibility to complete the procedure fully online: Yes.
Cost:
- Company formation: Fee to register a limited company online is 1 900 SEK (EUR 190), by paper it is 2 200 SEK (EUR 220).
- Access to information on companies: For basic information, none. Option to buy additional information.
Links:
- Swedish Companies Registration Office
- self-service at Verksamt
Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2016 means that register extract must be accepted without an apostille or legalisation in an EU country. In order for a person to avoid translating a register extract, the Swedish Tax Agency can also issue a bilingual document that explains the contents of the personal certificate or register extract. The bilingual document can only be used within the EU. No other translation services are available.
Link: Here