Swedish driving licence: process, tests, and costs

The process, step by step

1. 01

   Eye test and learner’s permit

   Get a vision certificate from an optician or doctor (issued no earlier than two months before you apply). Apply for a group 1 learner’s permit (körkortstillstånd) with Transportstyrelsen, including a health declaration. The permit itself is free and lasts five years.

2. 02

   Practise driving

   Book lessons at a traffic school, practise privately with an approved accompanying driver, or mix both. You need a valid permit before any practice. Private practice also needs an approved supervisor and a green-and-white ÖVNINGSKÖR sign visible from behind.

3. 03

   Risk training, parts 1 and 2

   Compulsory for category B. Part 1 covers alcohol, drugs, tiredness, and other risky behaviour. Part 2 is the skid-track day: speed, grip, and safety margins. Both must be valid before the theory test. They last until you get the licence, or five years, whichever comes first. Motorcycle risk training does not count for the car.

4. 04

   Book the two tests

   Log in to Trafikverket’s booking service (BankID). Book the theory test and the driving test together, but leave a few weeks between them so you can retake theory if needed. You cannot book without a valid learner’s permit.

5. 05

   Theory test (kunskapsprov)

   70 multiple-choice questions, 50 minutes. Five questions are trials and do not count, so the maximum score is 65. You need 52 correct to pass. Arrive early for your first photo. Bring valid ID. Phones stay off.

6. 06

   Driving test (körprov)

   About 45 minutes in Swedish: a safety check, special manoeuvres, then driving in town and on rural roads. You must already have a passed theory test that is still valid. You cannot use your own car — only a Trafikverket car or a school car.

7. 07

   Pay for the card and collect it

   Transportstyrelsen manufactures the licence (375 kr). The photo from your first theory visit is reused. The card is sent as registered mail to a pickup point. You collect it in person with ID.

What a category B licence lets you drive

Category B is the ordinary car licence. With it you may drive passenger cars and light lorries with a total weight of at most 3,500 kg. You may also tow a light trailer in the cases the rules allow (often up to 750 kg total weight on the trailer — check the car’s registration certificate for the combination limit).

• Heavier trailer combinations need extra entitlement: B96 (combined total weight up to 4,250 kg) or BE (trailer total weight up to 3,500 kg).
• You must be permanently resident in Sweden, or have studied here for at least six months, to be issued a Swedish licence.
• You must not already hold a licence issued in another EEA country — those are exchanged, not taken again.

Learner’s permit (körkortstillstånd)

You need a group 1 permit before you practise, take risk training, or book tests for AM, A, B, or BE. Apply in Transportstyrelsen’s e-service with e-identification, or order a paper form.

• Health declaration: you fill it in yourself.
• Vision certificate: optician or doctor; many opticians send it digitally. It must not be older than two months when you apply.
• Transportstyrelsen checks personal and medical suitability. Typical wait is up to about four weeks once everything is in. A digital mailbox speeds delivery.
• The permit is valid for five years and cannot be extended. If it runs out before you pass both tests, apply again.
• There is no minimum age to apply. There are age limits to practise and to receive the licence.

Transportstyrelsen does not charge for the B learner’s permit. You only pay the optician (typically a few hundred kronor).

Practising: traffic school, private, or both

Sweden does not force you through a traffic school. Many people mix school lessons with private hours. School-only is simpler; private practice is cheaper if you have a patient supervisor and a suitable car.

• Traffic school only: a valid learner’s permit is enough. The school provides the car and instructor.
• Private practice: permit + an accompanying driver approved specifically for you + valid ID + the ÖVNINGSKÖR plate well visible from behind. The supervisor is legally the driver.
• You may have several supervisors. A supervisor may be approved for at most five pupils at once.
• Passengers are allowed if the session stays traffic-safe.
• You cannot use your own car for the official driving test later — only a Trafikverket vehicle or an instructor’s car.

From 1 August 2026 the introduction course (introduktionsutbildning) is no longer required for private B practice. The supervisor must still apply and be approved. If an application is already pending, they do not need to apply again.

Accompanying driver (handledare)

The supervisor applies to Transportstyrelsen for approval tied to a named pupil. Carry the approval certificate whenever you practise.

• At least 24 years old.
• Holds a valid licence for the vehicle, issued in Sweden or another EEA country.
• Has held that entitlement for at least five of the last ten years. A recent revocation can block approval.
• Must have the approval document in the car. You need a valid ID.

Ages

Risk training (Risk 1 and Risk 2)

Both parts are mandatory for category B and must be completed and registered before you take the theory test. A traffic school usually books them for you. If you train privately, you contact an approved provider yourself. The provider reports completion to the authorities.

Part 1 (Riskettan)

Classroom: alcohol, drugs, tiredness, distraction

Part 2 (halkbana)

Skid track: speed, grip, stopping, safety margins

Validity

Until you get the licence, or 5 years

Order

Either order; do part 2 late in training

Part 2 expects you to already handle the car. Prices are set by the provider, not the state — budget roughly 500–1,100 kr for part 1 and 1,800–3,000 kr for part 2, depending on city and date.

Theory test (kunskapsprov)

Trafikverket runs the test at a computer with a touch screen. You get headphones (spoken questions in Swedish only) and a calculator. After ID check and a short film, you have 50 minutes.

Questions

70 multiple choice, one correct each

Scored

65 (5 trial questions do not count)

Pass

52 correct

Time

50 minutes

Fee (B)

420 kr day / 520 kr after 18:00 and weekends

Photo

120 kr at your first theory visit

The scored questions cover five areas. A given paper can vary a little; the mix below is the usual shape of a 65-question test.

• Both risk parts must be valid when you sit the test.
• You are photographed before your first theory test. Arrive at least 30 minutes early.
• Valid ID is required. If you have none, someone else may certify your identity under Trafikverket’s rules.
• If you are under 18 when you book, you must pay at least 25 hours before the start or the booking is cancelled.
• You get pass or fail on screen immediately. You see which areas were weak — not which questions you missed. The bank is reused, so leaking items would make later tests unfair.
• One attempt per day for the same licence category.
• Practice questions online are never the official items. Trafikverket says this explicitly.

Validity change: if you pass theory before 19 August 2026, it is valid for four months. If you pass on or after 19 August 2026, it is valid for one year. You must pass the driving test inside that window or you retake theory.

Languages and extra support

Category B theory can be booked in 15 languages. You pick the language when you book and can switch to Swedish during the test. The driving test is conducted in Swedish. If you do not speak Swedish, watch Trafikverket’s information film in another language before you start.

Translated theory languages: Albanian, Arabic (MSA), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, English (British), Finnish, French, German, Persian (Farsi), Russian, Somali, Sorani, Spanish, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish.

• Need more time, an oral test, or an interpreter? Apply to Trafikverket with a professional statement (for example a special-needs teacher, psychologist, or SFI teacher).
• An interpreter test for B is 100 minutes, in a separate room.
• If your language is already one of the 15, book the translated test rather than an interpreter unless you have a documented extra need.

Driving test (körprov)

The examiner explains the route in Swedish and sits with you for about 45 minutes. Sometimes a second examiner rides along for training or quality control. The test has three parts: safety check, special manoeuvres, then driving in urban and rural traffic.

• Safety check: lights, wipers, steering, brakes, tyres, fluids, warnings. Say what is wrong and what you would do. Then set the seat, headrest, wheel, mirrors, and belt.
• Manoeuvres you may get: effective braking from at least 50 km/h, parking, reversing, hill start, U-turn, moving off from the kerb.
• In traffic they watch attention, speed choice, positioning, junctions, roundabouts, lanes, vulnerable road users, independent driving to a destination, and adapting to weather or roadworks.
• Fee for B: 1,000 kr daytime, 1,400 kr after 18:00 and at weekends. Trafikverket car hire: 800 kr if you do not use a school car.
• Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours ahead for a refund. Later than that, you still pay.
• Minor slips can still pass if they are not a safety problem and you do not repeat them. Stalling once without danger can still be a pass; stalling often is not.
• You may use driver aids in the car (including a reversing camera) as a complement — you still have to show you see the surroundings.

Automatic gearbox: if you take the driving test in a car without a clutch pedal, condition 78 is printed on the licence and you may only drive automatics. To remove it you take a new driving test (and a new photo). If the restriction is medical, different rules apply.

Booking, paying, retakes

1. Have a valid learner’s permit.
2. Finish both risk parts before theory.
3. Book at Trafikverket (fp.trafikverket.se) or call 0771-17 18 19. Pay with Swish or card; if you are 18+ you can often pay by invoice after the test.
4. Book theory and driving at the same time, a few weeks apart.
5. Fail? You may not retake the same category the same day. You pay the full fee again.

Bots and automated booking tools are not allowed. Slots appear when others cancel — check often rather than paying a scraper.

After you pass

• Transportstyrelsen issues the card. Manufacturing fee: 375 kr.
• Your first Trafikverket photo (120 kr) is used for the card.
• Pay using the OCR number they send (also on Mina sidor).
• Collect the card in person at a postal agent with valid ID.
• The Swedish driving licence is also a valid ID document.

Trailers: B, B96, and BE

If you already have a foreign licence

This is the part most newcomers get wrong. Whether you can swap the card, keep driving, or must take the full Swedish tests depends on where the licence was issued.

Exchanges go by post to Transportstyrelsen in Örebro with the original licence. After approval you pay 375 kr, take a photo at a Trafikverket office, and collect the Swedish card. They return the old licence to the issuing authority.

What it costs

State fees are the same everywhere. Lessons and risk courses are not. Most people land between 15,000 and 30,000 kr. The cheap end is lots of private practice and first-time passes. Cities are usually dearer than smaller towns because lessons cost more and people have fewer passenger hours before they start.

Open the free cost calculator

• Compulsory pieces, first-time pass, no school lessonsabout 5,000–8,000 kr
• Common total with lessonsabout 15,000–30,000 kr

Official amounts: Trafikverket prices page (updated 7 January 2026) and Transportstyrelsen licence fees. Typical ranges are 2026 market estimates, not a quote. Every retake costs the full test fee again.

Common questions

Can I take the theory test in English?

Yes. Book category B theory in British English (or another of the 15 translations) in Trafikverket’s booking service. The driving test is still in Swedish.

Do I need a traffic school?

No. You need a learner’s permit, both risk courses, and the two tests. A school is optional. Private practice needs an approved accompanying driver. From 1 August 2026 you do not need the old introduction course.

Must risk training be done before theory?

Yes. Both parts must be completed and still valid when you take the knowledge test.

How long is a passed theory test valid?

Four months if you pass before 19 August 2026. One year if you pass on or after that date. Pass the driving test inside the window.

Can I use my own car for the driving test?

No. Only a Trafikverket car or an instructor’s car.

Are MinKörkort questions the real exam?

No. The official bank is secret. We write original English practice in the same shape (65 scored questions, 50 minutes, pass 52) so you can train the timing and the five areas.

I have a US / Canadian / Indian licence. Can I swap it?

No. After about a year as a registered resident it stops being valid in Sweden. You go through the full Swedish B process. Only EEA licences, plus UK, Faroe Islands, Switzerland, and Japan, have an exchange path.

Who do I call?

Tests, photos, booking: Trafikverket 0771-17 18 19. Permits, supervisors, the plastic card: Transportstyrelsen 0771-81 81 81. They will never SMS you a payment link.

Official sources

• Trafikverket — passenger car (B) tests
• Trafikverket — test and photo prices
• Trafikverket — booking, payment, cancellation
• Trafikverket — theory in another language
• Transportstyrelsen — I’m going to take my driving licence
• Transportstyrelsen — category B
• Transportstyrelsen — practising / introduction course removed
• Transportstyrelsen — risk training for cars
• Transportstyrelsen — licence fees
• Transportstyrelsen — exchange an EEA licence
• Transportstyrelsen — UK, Faroes, Japan, Switzerland

Public rules change. Fees, validity windows, and booking rules come from Trafikverket and Transportstyrelsen. Always confirm on their sites before you pay or book. This is not legal advice and not the official exam.