There are a lot of things to consider before you start exporting to Sweden. It’s essential to find out about local rules and regulations on tax and duty in your intended market.
VAT
If you’re registered for VAT, it may be possible to zero-rate the goods you export to Sweden, provided certain conditions are met.
Standard rate of VAT in Sweden is 25%. There may be reduced rates for certain products and services. For instance, food, accommodation and art is 12%.
Regulations
Rules and regulations depend on the goods. Special rules and regulations apply to living animals and animal products, plants, food, firearms and ammunition, alcoholic beverages, chemical products, medical products and narcotics, endangered species of animals and plants.
Services regulations
Information on rules for selling services and business travel to Sweden is available on gov.uk.
Trade barriers
Check for any reported barriers to trading with Sweden.
Report any trade barriers that are affecting your business so we can help fix them.
Check duties and customs
Find information on how to export goods from the UK. View the duties, rules, restrictions, and the documents you need for your products.
See current duties and customs procedures.
Routes to market
Sweden is an outward-looking and mature market. Overseas suppliers need to have a strong USP, sophisticated branding and a solid marketing strategy to succeed.
Options which may work well for you are
- agents and distributors – using local agents or distributors with native fluency in Swedish is an effective way to develop a presence in this market
- direct sales – due to the closeness of the market, a direct sales approach is possible
- e-commerce – selling online or through e-marketplaces may be a good option for your company. It’s relatively easy to deliver products into Sweden. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) can suggest online marketplaces to help you get started, see DBT’s Digital Exporting Programme.
Intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) rights are territorial and rights granted in the UK do not provide protection elsewhere. You should consider getting IP protection abroad if you want to trade overseas or sell to overseas customers via the internet.
The Intellectual Property Office provides practical information to help you protect, manage and enforce your IP abroad. Further support for businesses in Northern Ireland can be found through a network of IP attachés, based in key UK export markets.
Payment terms
Public authorities must pay for goods and services within 30 days or, in exceptional circumstances, 60 days.
Enterprises must pay within 60 days, unless agreed.
Business culture
Regular meetings and visits are important to build relationships. The market is competitive, and a strong unique selling point is helpful. English is commonly spoken in Swedish businesses.
Swedish companies tend to be less hierarchical than companies in many other countries when it comes to internal organisation. Swedish business culture tends to be focused around consensus decision making. Decisions can sometimes take a while to be made. Quite often meetings in market can involve a number of people from the organisation. Planning ahead is preferred by the Swedes. Appointments must be made in advance and meetings are clearly structured. Swedish companies prefer effective meetings with a little small talk. In negotiation, direct and straightforward communication is appreciated.
Punctuality is very important both when doing business and making social engagements. If late, it is recommended to phone.
Public procurement
Public procurement in Sweden follows the corresponding EU directive through the Swedish law on public procurement; Lagen om Offentlig Upphandling (LOU). The Swedish Competition Authority is the supervisory body.
