Before you start

Folkbokföring completed, which is what starts the one-year clock
Your existing licence, valid and not expired
A Swedish eyesight certificate and health declaration for the licence application
A körkortstillstånd (learner permit) before you may take lessons or tests, if you are testing rather than exchanging

Step-by-step

1
Check whether your licence is exchangeable at all
EEA licences are valid in Sweden indefinitely and can be exchanged on request. Swiss and Japanese licences can be exchanged. No other country's licence can — the answer is the Swedish tests, regardless of how long you have been driving.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
2
Note the date you were registered, because that starts the clock
The one-year validity runs from your entry in the population register, not from your arrival in the country and not from the date on the permit. Missing that distinction is how people end up driving unlicensed without realising it.
OnlineWho: You
3
Apply for a körkortstillstånd early if you must test
Before you can take lessons or book a test you need a learner permit from Transportstyrelsen, which requires an eyesight certificate and a health declaration. This step alone takes weeks and is the usual reason people run out of their year.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 2–3
4
Book the theory and driving tests with Trafikverket well in advance
Test slots in the Stockholm area are chronically oversubscribed and waits of months are normal. Book as soon as your learner permit is issued, and take a risk-awareness course (riskutbildning), which is compulsory before the practical test.
OnlineWho: You
5
Understand the congestion charge before you commute by car
Trängselskatt is charged automatically by camera on most crossings of the inner-city cordon on weekdays, at rates that vary by time of day and are highest at peak. It is billed monthly to the vehicle's registered owner. There is no way to pay at the barrier and no barrier to pay at.
OnlineWho: You
6
Fit winter tyres in the winter season, because it is a legal requirement
Winter tyres are compulsory on Swedish roads in winter conditions during the statutory period, and studded tyres are banned on some central Stockholm streets. Both rules are enforced and hire cars are not automatically compliant.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Existing driving licence
Passport and personnummer
Eyesight certificate from an optician or doctor
Health declaration for Transportstyrelsen
Proof of completed risk-awareness courses, for the test route

Things most newcomers don’t know

Only three jurisdictions outside the EEA can exchange a licence into a Swedish one: Switzerland and Japan, and that is it.

Sweden has no exchange agreement with the United States, Canada, Australia, India or any other major source of new residents, and — since Brexit — none with the United Kingdom either. Experienced drivers with decades on the road must pass the Swedish theory and practical tests like a seventeen-year-old. The most common failure is discovering this in month eleven, when there is no longer time to do anything about it.

Source: Transportstyrelsen

The one-year clock runs from population registration, not from arrival.

The validity of a foreign licence is tied to the date you were entered in the folkbokföring register. Someone who lived here for six months on a samordningsnummer before registering gets a full year from registration; someone who registered on arrival has less time than they think. It is a specific date on a specific document and it is worth writing down.

Source: Transportstyrelsen

The congestion charge is a tax on the owner, which matters if you buy a used car.

Trängselskatt is levied on the vehicle's registered owner and billed monthly, with no roadside payment option. Buying a used car means inheriting the registration — and any unpaid charges attached to it can become your problem. Check the vehicle's status with Transportstyrelsen before money changes hands, which takes a minute with the registration number.

Source: Transportstyrelsen

Stockholm is one of the few large European cities where car-free is genuinely the default for professionals.

SL runs metro, commuter rail, tram, bus and ferries on one card across the whole county, and the city's island geography means the road alternatives are often slower. Combine that with the congestion charge, central parking prices and the winter-tyre obligation and the total cost of a car is high for a marginal benefit. Most people who move here from car-dependent countries sell within two years.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a long-held licence from outside the EEA can be exchanged — it cannot.
Counting the one-year validity from arrival rather than from population registration.
Leaving the learner permit application until you need to book a test.
Buying a used car without checking outstanding congestion charges attached to the registration.
Driving on summer tyres into the statutory winter period.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.