Rules for maritime traffic
Special rules apply at sea to prevent accidents and to make maritime traffic safe and secure. Here you can read more about the rules that apply, the fines that can be issued for breaches and what applies if you receive a penalty notice.
Maritime traffic within Swedish territorial waters and the Swedish economic zone is governed by, among other things, the international rules of the road at sea (Convention on the International Regulations for preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, COLREG) and the additions and exceptions to these rules set out in the Maritime Traffic Ordinance (1986:300)
The following fines apply to breaches of the Maritime Traffic Ordinance:
- Breaking the rules of the road at sea on lights, signals or traffic separation: SEK 1,200
- Anchoring where it is prohibited: SEK 1,000
- Using a prohibited area for water sports: SEK 1,000
- Mooring without permission to a lighthouse, sea mark or similar: SEK 1,000.
Penalty notices - frequently asked questions
If you have received a penalty notice and signed it, you must pay the fine within 90 days.
If you have signed a summary imposition of breach-of-regulations fine, it means you have accepted it.
You must pay the fine within 90 days of accepting it.
You must pay to the Swedish Police Authority's bank transfer account for penalty fines: 520-0878. State the notice number/OCR number when you pay. The number is at the top right-hand corner of the penalty notice and has 9-12 digits.
If you do not pay in time, you will receive a payment reminder. No extra fee is charged for the reminder.
If you pay at least half of the fine within 90 days, you have a further 90 days to pay the rest.
If you make a part payment, you will not receive a new payment slip. You use the same payment details that you received earlier.
To pay a penalty notice from another country, use the Swedish Police Authority's IBAN number for penalty fines: SE03 1200 0000 0128 1010 9842. BIC address: DABASESX, Danske Bank, Norrmalmstorg 1, 103 92 Stockholm.
State the notice number/OCR number. The number is on the payment slip.
If you do not pay the fine after receiving a reminder, the case is passed to the Swedish Enforcement Authority. A fee of SEK 600 is then added. Once the case has been passed on, it is closed at the police. If you have questions about the case, you must contact the Enforcement Authority, not the Swedish Coast Guard.
If you have lost the penalty notice, you can wait until you receive a reminder and pay it then. No extra fee is added for the reminder. You can email registrator@kustbevakningen.se or call 0776-707000, Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 16:00, to be directed to the right unit.
A signed penalty notice has the same effect as a final court judgment and can only be set aside by a court. Contact the district court where the offence took place if you have questions or want to appeal.
Contact details for all district courts in Sweden on domstol.se
If you have questions about the payment, contact the police by email at ordningsbot@polisen.se or call 114 14. Always state the case number, notice number or reference number when you contact the police.
