Border control

Merchant vessels must give the Swedish Coast Guard information about the vessel and the people on board. In addition to personal data on crew members, the vessel must state the time of its arrival at and departure from port. The control carried out by the Coast Guard is a register check of all named people against the Schengen Information System (SIS). This computer system contains a large amount of information about people and about stolen or missing objects. The result is sent to the Coast Guard's control centre and to the Swedish Police Authority in the region where the vessel is expected.

Passenger lists for cruise ships and ferries in scheduled traffic are checked by the Swedish Police Authority.

Crew changes

The Coast Guard only allows a crew change that requires entry and exit checks in exceptional cases. This applies to crew changes at a port other than those listed as border crossing points, or outside set opening hours.

It is very important that all crew changes are reported as early as possible in the MSW reporting portal, so that you get a decision on permission for border crossing before the vessel calls at port. Here you can find a user guide on the website of the Swedish Maritime Administration.

All border crossing points for vessels are listed on the website of the Swedish Police Authority.

Changes on 15 April 2026

The Government has decided on changes to Chapter 6, Section 1 of the Aliens Ordinance (utlänningsförordningen, UtlF) (2006:97). As a result, seven new municipalities (Stenungsund, Köping, Grums, Uddevalla, Nacka, Höganäs and Tjörn) have been added to the list of border crossing points.

Five municipalities (Söderköping, Skövde, Torsås, Västervik and Vänersborg) were removed. The changes to the UtlF and the new FAP (FAP:en) entered into force on 15 April.

The Swedish Police Authority decides which places in the municipalities concerned (airports, ports and so on) will be border crossing points. It does this based on the list of municipalities with border crossing points in the Aliens Ordinance.

Maritime security

The rules on maritime security aim to protect the shipping sector against serious violent crime, including terrorism. The rules require all merchant and passenger vessels with a gross tonnage over 500 tonnes that intend to call at a Swedish port to submit maritime security information under an advance notification system.

The rules that we apply in Sweden apply to ports all over the world. The aim is to create secure transport between ports for the vessel and its crew, passengers and cargo.

Maritime declaration of health

Before a vessel calls at the first Swedish port, or at the latest on arrival at the port, the master of the vessel must give the Coast Guard information about the state of health on board. This is required by the Act (2006:1570) on protection against international threats to human health (lagen om skydd mot internationella hot mot människors hälsa). The Coast Guard then informs the authorities concerned, for example the communicable disease control physician and the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten). Information about suspected infection must be given if:

  • the master has reason to believe that an infectious agent or other substances that may pose an international threat to human health are on board
  • the vessel comes from a port in an area that the Public Health Agency of Sweden has declared affected by an international threat to human health, and the arrival takes place within the incubation period
  • there is a person on board the vessel who has been affected by an international threat to human health at such a time that the incubation period for an infectious disease has not ended when the vessel arrives at the port.

Sanitation certificate

Sections 22 and 23 of the Act (2006:1570) on protection against international threats to human health state that, on arrival at the first Swedish port, the master of a vessel must show a certificate to, or submit a certificate to, Swedish Customs or the Coast Guard. The certificate must show that insects, rats and other animals that usually carry infectious agents posing a health risk to people have been exterminated on board, or that extermination of such animals is not needed (sanitation certificate).

The Public Health Agency of Sweden's regulations and general advice on protection against international threats to human health, HSLF-FS 2015:8, set out exceptions to the legal duty to submit or show a sanitation certificate. Under these regulations, the master of a vessel referred to in Chapter 4, Sections 21–24 of the Swedish Customs regulations and general advice (TFS 2000:20) on customs procedures etc. is exempt from the duty to show a sanitation certificate. This applies as long as Swedish Customs or the Coast Guard does not specifically ask for a sanitation certificate to be shown. The master of a vessel also does not need to show a sanitation certificate if Swedish Customs or the Coast Guard accepts that the master instead states that such a certificate exists.

Swedish Customs and the Coast Guard have an agreement that the Coast Guard is the recipient of information about sanitation certificates that arrives through the Single Window. If a certificate, or information about a certificate, is not shown or submitted, the Coast Guard must immediately inform the municipality. The municipality must have the vessel inspected and, if needed, take measures to exterminate such animals.

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