I have been so confused on how to get a Swedish driver’s license, that it has taken me almost 9 years to figure it out (and maybe care). But now that I have, I am here to give you a much needed step-by-step guide on how to get your Swedish driver’s license.
Look, it’s not that I am lazy and couldn’t figure it out – there are a couple reasons why I chose not to.
- Public Transportation is amazing where I live in Stockholm. In fact, all around Sweden the train, buses, planes, and ferries will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go. You don’t really need a car if you live in urban areas. Plus it’s more eco-friendly.
- It is expensive to get your license (or do you spell it licence, you British speakers, you). I paid about $600 for the U.S. driving school + $100 for the actual license. Right now, I am looking at 13,000 SEK ($1300) in Sweden – and that’s coming from someone who has been driving for 20 years (yes, it’s true!)
- Every time I looked up the process for the license, it was confusing on all the options. I wanted the cheapest option since I had driving experience, so I just never found it.
Step 1: Get your driving permit. Cost = 150 sek ($15). This is literally just filling out an online form + making an eye doctor appointment. You will most likely be getting ‘Class B/Group 1’ which is a car (or light truck). You can fill out the form at Trafikverket.se and contact your local Synsam, Smart Eyes or wherever to book an eye exam for körkort (driver’s license).
Step 2: Go with a driving school. Cost = 12,200 sek ($1,200). This should include Risk 1, Risk 2, 10 driving lessons, study books, theory test, driving test. I took mine at Barkarby Trafikskolan and took the ‘Lilla Intensiven’. It can be more expensive if you have more lessons (they are around 800 sek ($80) for 50 minutes). If you are looking to get your license without a school/private lessons, you’re joking yourself.
Keep in mind, you can take other routes, which is where I got confused when explained, so I don’t really want to go into much detail to confuse you. Other routes would be private lessons through a non-traffic school. Or, if you know someone who can drive, they can teach you if they attend a 3-hour course to get certified. Best option is just go through a traffic school because they can get everything organized for you.
Step 3: Driving lessons (included in step 2). Cost = 800 sek ($80). They are around 50 minutes. Do take at least 5-10 of them even if you’re a confident driver. They go through basic rules of Sweden and what will be on the test. For example, I needed help with: Roundabouts, getting used to signage, new rules (you can’t take free rights on reds🚦)
Step 4: Theory test. The theory test was more difficult than my U.S. equivalent. Mainly because I felt some of the multiple choice answers on the Swedish test were too similar. However, my driving inspector told me to always choose the answer that involved being a safe driver. This helped. Since there were no classes that I took, I crammed for 3 days and took about 15 practice tests through Elevcentralen.se (login was made by my traffic school). This was the key to me passing.
Step 5: Driving test. Due to coronavirus, it was difficult to find testing times. My advice is not to wait to book one. Keep in mind: you only have 6 months from when you pass your theory test to pass the driving test. If you’re reading this in non-covid times, you only have 3 months to pass.
That’s it! In the end, it took me 4 months to get everything done and passed!
Risk 1 = Mandatory alcohol/accident class
Risk 2 = Halkbanan, which is a hands-on ‘skid’ class to show you winter vs summer driving. It’s not a test, but so much fun.
