Indian Driving Licence in Sweden: How Long It Is Valid and How to Get a Swedish Licence

Buddy Hive
6 min read · Oct 11, 2026

Your Indian driving licence works in Sweden for a while, but not for long. One year after you are registered (folkbokförd), it stops being valid, and since Sweden does not exchange Indian licences, you then need to pass the Swedish tests.

The tests are known to be strict, and test slots can be booked up for weeks, so it pays to start early. This guide covers what your Indian licence allows, each step to a Swedish licence and what it costs.

Photo: Ricky Esquivel on Pexels

The journey at a glance

1. Drive on your Indian licence for up to a year after you are registered.
2. Get an eye test at an optician.
3. Apply for a learner permit (körkortstillstånd) from Transportstyrelsen.
4. Do both parts of the risk course (riskutbildning) at a driving school.
5. Practise, with a driving school or an approved private supervisor.
6. Pass the theory test, which you can take in English.
7. Pass the driving test within a year of the theory test.

Step 1: Know what your Indian licence allows

You can drive in Sweden on your Indian licence if:

• It is valid in India. Carry the licence itself whenever you drive.
• You have not been registered in Sweden for more than a year. The clock starts on your folkbokföring date, not your arrival date. If you only have a coordination number (samordningsnummer), you are not registered yet.
• You can read it. If your licence is not in English, German or French, you need a certified translation. An International Driving Permit from your RTO counts as a translation, but it cannot be issued in Sweden.

Most Indian smart-card licences are printed in English, so no translation is needed.

No exchange: Sweden only exchanges licences from EEA countries, Switzerland, Japan, the UK and the Faroe Islands. Your Indian licence cannot be swapped for a Swedish one, whatever your driving experience.

Exemption for short stays: if you are here for a limited time, such as a fixed-term job or a study programme, Transportstyrelsen can let you keep driving on your Indian licence. Write to them with a copy of your licence, residence permit and work contract or study certificate, ideally a few months before your first year ends. A permit for work is not enough on its own, and long waits for a test are not a valid reason. Processing takes 8 to 12 weeks.

Official source: Transportstyrelsen: foreign driving licences in Sweden (in Swedish)

Step 2: Get an eye test and apply for a learner permit

You need a learner permit (körkortstillstånd) before you can book tests or practise with a supervisor.

1. Book an eye test with an optician. They issue a basic eye certificate (synintyg), which many can send to Transportstyrelsen digitally. The certificate must be less than two months old when you apply.
2. Apply for the learner permit in Transportstyrelsen's e-service with BankID, or order the paper form. You also fill in a health declaration.
3. Wait up to four weeks. It can take longer in summer or if Transportstyrelsen needs more medical information.

Applying is free. The permit is valid for five years. You need a personnummer or an active coordination number.

To get the licence you must also be permanently resident in Sweden (in practice, living here at least 185 days a year), or have studied here for at least six months. Someone who has moved here to work normally meets this.

Official source: Transportstyrelsen: learner permit (in Swedish)

Step 3: Do the risk course

The risk course (riskutbildning) is compulsory and has two parts:

• Part 1 (riskettan) covers alcohol, drugs, tiredness and other risky behaviour.
• Part 2 (risktvåan, often called halkbana) is done on a skid track and covers speed, safety and driving on slippery roads.

Both parts must be done before you take the theory test. Driving schools run them, and some teach Part 1 in English. The course is valid until you get your licence, or for up to five years.

Official source: Transportstyrelsen: risk course for cars (in Swedish)

Step 4: Practise

You have two options, and most people combine them:

• Driving school. Lessons are not compulsory, but even experienced drivers from India usually need a few. Swedish examiners look for things Indian roads do not teach: giving way to the right, roundabout lanes, cyclists and pedestrians at crossings, and smooth, economical driving.
• Private practice with a supervisor (handledare) who is at least 24, holds a Swedish or other EEA licence, has had it for at least five of the last ten years, and has been approved by Transportstyrelsen. The car needs an ÖVNINGSKÖR sign at the back.

New from 1 August 2026: neither the supervisor nor the learner needs to take the introduction course (introduktionsutbildning) before private practice. The supervisor still needs to apply and be approved.

While your Indian licence is still valid, you can also drive normally to get used to Swedish roads.

Automatic or manual? If you take the driving test in an automatic car, your licence is limited to automatic cars.

Step 5: Pass the theory test

• Book on Trafikverket's website with BankID, once your learner permit and risk course are done.
• The test has 70 questions in 50 minutes, on a computer at a Trafikverket test centre.
• Language: choose English, or one of 14 other languages, when you book. You can switch to Swedish during the test. There is no Hindi or other Indian language version.
• Valid for one year: since 19 August 2026, you have a year to pass the driving test after passing the theory test. Before that it was four months.

Practise with an app or website that has questions in English, and read up on Swedish road signs.

Official source: Trafikverket: theory test in another language (in Swedish)

Step 6: Pass the driving test

• The test starts with a safety check of the car, then you drive in town and on country roads.
• Language: the examiner speaks Swedish, and the test cannot be booked in another language. Watch Trafikverket's film about the test in English beforehand, and learn the common directions in Swedish (höger, vänster, rakt fram).
• The car: use a driving school car or your own car, if it meets the test requirements.
• Bring valid ID. Your Swedish ID card or residence permit card works.

Once you pass, your licence is produced and you are told by post where to collect it.

Official source: Trafikverket: driving test for a car licence (in Swedish)

What it costs

Retakes cost the full fee again, which is why most people take a few lessons before booking. Transportstyrelsen has proposed raising the licence fee to SEK 450 from January 2027.

Official source: Trafikverket: test fees (in Swedish)

Common problems

• Your year runs out before your test. Driving on an expired Indian licence counts as driving without a licence. Start the learner permit within your first few months.
• No test slots nearby. Check other test centres, early mornings and cancellations. Smaller towns often have earlier times.
• Failing on Swedish habits. Book a lesson with a driving school before the test, even if you have driven in India for years.
• Winter driving. Winter tyres are required from 1 December to 31 March when roads are icy or snowy (Transportstyrelsen: winter tyres, in Swedish). Practise in the dark and on slippery roads before your first winter.
• Your licence is not in English. Get an International Driving Permit from your RTO before you leave India.

Useful official links

• Transportstyrelsen: foreign driving licences in Sweden (in Swedish)
• Transportstyrelsen: exemption for non-EEA licences (in Swedish)
• Transportstyrelsen: learner permit (in Swedish)
• Trafikverket: theory test in another language (in Swedish)
• Trafikverket: test fees (in Swedish)
• Our guide: how to get a personnummer in Sweden
• Our guide: how to get a Swedish ID card