FAQ

Yes, it has. The document and register investigation is now performed by a special group within the Swedish Transport Agency. This investigation was previously conducted by the Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company, the Swedish Machinery Testing Institute and the Swedish Customs Service. In contrast to previously, the methods of conducting the checks have changed and now also include an examination of authenticity and searches against several records:

• We conduct searches against several different national and international records for wanted/missing vehicles and documents, to which the Swedish Transport Agency has access. (The Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company and the Swedish Customs Service do not have access to such records)
• We conduct searches via EUCARIS (European Car and Driving License Information System) with the participating countries' road traffic registers. (The Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company and the Swedish Customs Service do not have access to this system)
• We contact vehicle registration authorities in other countries, if there are doubts in conjunction with our investigations. (The Swedish Motor Vehicle Inspection Company is not a government agency and for this reason cannot make these types of contacts)
• We contact other Swedish authorities, for example the Swedish Tax Agency and the Swedish police, if we discover any discrepancies.
  These checks mean that it is more difficult to bring stolen vehicles into Sweden as well as those with false origin.

Import from start to finish

A vehicle that are imported to Sweden, with the intention of registering it here, are only allowed to be used for seven days. This presumes that the vehicle has a valid foreign registration and traffic insurance.

All vehicles that are imported from a country outside of the EU, or from an EEA country, needs to be cleared through customs when brought in to the EU. Remember that some self governed areas, for example Aland Islands, that belongs to a EU country, have chosen to not be a part of the EU's tax union. Imported vehicles from these areas will therefore also have to be cleared through customs.

A certificate showing that you have cleared your vehicle through customs should be sent to us together with your application of verification of origin.

There are two ways of applying:

• via our e-service 'Apply for verification of origin'. The last step in our e-service will produce a confirmation that you must print out, sign and attach to your other documents
• via a form that you can obtain below or order from Vehicle Enquiries on +46 (0)771-14 15 16.
  Application for verification of origin

Regardless of how you choose to apply, there are always additional documents that you need to attach to your application.

When using the e-service you will be asked to fill in the same information that you would have to on a regular form. Roughly speaking, you will have to state your personal data, information about your vehicle and an import category.

The last step of the e-service generates a PDF-document with a summation of the information you have given us. You will have to print out this document, sign and send it to the Swedish Transport Agency together with the rest of the required documents.

On the summation you will find the information you will need to pay your application fee, which means that you can pay directly. Please note that an invoice will always be sent to you, regardless of when and how you choose to pay. If you already have paid your application fee, you can safely ignore this invoice.

The various documents that you need to send to us is described on the page 'Apply for verification of origin'.

No, it is always the owner of the vehicle that should apply for verification of origin.

Please note that it is the person that is applying for verification of origin, that later have to do the registration inspection and technical identity verification - and finally be the registered owner of the vehicle.

A verification of origin costs SEK 700. The verification therefore costs less for private individuals than it did previously, when it cost SEK 800. On the other hand, this represents an increase for car importers who were not charged in the past.

Furthermore, there is an additional fee if you also choose

• relocation goods - SEK 600
  More information about relocation goods
• inherited property - SEK 600
  More information about inherited property
• temporary registration - SEK 450
  More information about temporary registration

If you apply via a normal paper form, your application will be registered with us as soon as we receive your letter. Your application will then be assigned a job-id number, and it is only then that a charge is created. When this is done, an invoice will automatically be sent to you, containing the OCR-number tied to your application.

If you use our e-service, your application will be registered with us as soon as you are done with the last step. This means that you will be assigned a job-id number together with an OCR-number directly. This information will be presented to you in the form of a PDF-document, that are generated after the last step of the e-service. With this information, you can pay your fee directly. Please note that an invoice will always be sent to you, regardless of when and how you choose to pay. If you already have paid your application fee, you can safely ignore this invoice.

If you try to pay your application fee without stating an OCR-number tied to your application, for example by instead stating your Swedish personal number, it will often mean that your application will be delayed. This is because your payment is then not able to be automatically tied to your application, but must be handled manually. Please note that you also cannot attach cash, a cheque or similar to your application.

You can also pay your application fee from abroad.
More information about paying from abroad

The most common reason for an application to be delayed, is that the applicant has not sent us all the required documents. We will then have to send a letter asking for complementary documents or information.

Another common reason is that the application fee has not been paid. We cannot start the investigation of your application until the fee is paid.

If we for some reason have to contact a foreign authority, this can also create delays depending on the country.

If the investigator that handles your application finds that something is missing, a letter asking for additional documents or information will be sent to you. Carefully read what the investigator has written, and send us what is asked before the deadline.

If you have any questions regarding the letter, you can always find the telephone number directly to the investigator in the letter. Should the investigator for some reason not be reachable, you can contact our customer service instead; +46 (0)771-14 15 16 (open working days 09.00 to 15.00). Ask for verification of origin.

Should you fail to send us the required supplement, or if you do not contact us before the deadline, we will not be able to approve your application.

No. Original documents sent to a Swedish authority are usually regarded as public documents and the property of the authority. A vehicle is only supposed to have one set of registration documents at any given time. Your original registration documents are to be replaced by Swedish registration documents when the vehicle is registered here.

Please note that if your vehicle's foreign registration certificate consists of several parts, you will have to send us all of those parts before it can be regarded as a complete registration certificate. Read more about registration certificates from abroad.

According to an agreement between the EU- and EEA-countries, the country of origin is to be notified when a vehicle from that country is registered in another EU- or EEA-country. This means that the Swedish Transport Agency will send a signal to the country of origin containing information about the Swedish registration of the vehicle. The country of origin can then, based on this information, de-register the vehicle there. Because of this you do not have to keep any part of your original registration certificate for the de-registration in the country of origin, since this is handled automatically.

• Apply for verification of origin using our e-service.
• Make sure that all the necessary documents are attached to your application before sending it to us.
• Pay the application fee as soon as possible.
• Make sure that you state the correct OCR-number when paying. Remember that different means of payment can take different lengths of time.
• Should you receive a letter asking you to supplement your application - send us the requested documents or information as soon as possible.

If you have received a positive decision (approval) from us, the next step is to contact a vehicle inspection company and reserve a time for registration inspection and vehicle identity verification.

If you instead have received a negative decision, you can always choose to appeal that decision. A letter with instructions about how this is done is attached to your decision.

To be able to reserve an appointment for registration inspection (and vehicle identity verification), you have to have an approved verification of origin. In other words, you only contact the current inspection body after you have received a positive decision from us.

You are allowed to drive your vehicle to and from the place of registration inspection (and vehicle identity verification), if you have a written evidence of appointment together with valid traffic insurance. You can get the evidence from the vehicle inspection facility where you have the appointment. If you do not have a valid traffic insurance, you can always contact your insurance company to take out a one-day insurance.

In other words, you are not required to apply for a temporary registration in connection with your verification of origin, if you only need to drive your vehicle to and from the vehicle inspection facility before you have received your permanent registration plates.

The registration plates are ordered at the same time the registration inspection is approved, since it is then that your vehicle will be assigned a registration number. Please note that it usually takes a couple of days for the plates to be manufactured and sent to you.

If you have applied for temporary registration in conjunction with the verification of origin, you will receive red, temporary, registration plates. These plates are ordered as soon as your verification of origin is approved. A temporary registration can only be issued after the verification of origin is approved.

Registration plates, both temporary and permanent, are always sent to your Swedish address, and can never be sent abroad.

A decision regarding verification of origin is made on the basis of the documents that you send us only. At the registration inspection your vehicle is inspected physically and technically. This means that your vehicle is not guaranteed to pass the registration inspection, just because the verification of origin is approved.

A decision to not approve your vehicle at the registration inspection can be appealed. Such an appeal should be sent to the Swedish Transport Agency's vehicle unit, located in Borlänge. In other words, you should never contact us at the verification of origin regarding these matters.

The regulations used today have been in use since February 4, 2008.

Only a country's authority has the legal right to ask for information from various registers, to be able to find out if a vehicle is reported stolen or not. Since the Swedish Transport Agency is such an authority, we have the possibility to conduct such research. The registers the Swedish Transport Agency utilizes are the Swedish Police's inquiry system, Interpol, Schengen and EUCARIS (consists of several European countries' traffic registers).

As an authority we also have better possibilities to communicate with other countries' authorities, since they in many cases only answer questions regarding previously registered vehicles asked by another authority.

Yes, that is correct, but the EU also has demands regarding fight against crime within the EU. Verification of origin is a way to prevent stolen vehicles to be registered in Sweden. In the end, this means further safety for you as a consumer.

There are known cases where a person has bought a vehicle in good faith from a car dealer, that later has proven to be stolen. You as a buyer can then lose your vehicle. The verification of origin, with associated regulations, reduces the chance that a stolen vehicle is registered in Sweden.

The difference from before is that you have to contact the Swedish Transport Agency and send us some documents. What is positive, and the main reason behind the new regulations, is that it is safer to import a vehicle now. We prevent crime and protect the consumers. Our goal is to make the process as easy and fast as possible, without diminish quality and safety.

The regulations regarding verification of origin, that the Swedish parliament has decided, are to be used for all imported vehicles, except brand new vehicles imported by a professional importer. We cannot have a reliable system, if it is based upon how well the country of origin supposedly checks the vehicle when it is exported.

There are also several known cases, imports from the USA amongst them, where the country of origin's checks has proven to not be as thorough as rumored.

Yes, a verification of origin is not necessary for:

• new vehicles brought in by registered importers (including general agents)
• new vehicles manufactured by professional manufacturers in Sweden.