11.7 Swedish Enforcement Authority

The Swedish Enforcement Authority assists in collecting unpaid claims, applications for orders to pay, debt restructuring and supervision of bankruptcy.

The activities of the Swedish Enforcement Authority may become relevant for foreign missions if they fail to pay social security contributions for locally employed staff or similar contributions required under Swedish law.

While the area of State immunity and diplomatic immunity is complex, Swedish courts have delivered rulings that have allowed for enforcement measures against certain property belonging to foreign missions.

It should be noted that the Swedish Enforcement Authority makes its own assessment as to whether certain property is covered by diplomatic immunity or not. Moreover, the Swedish Constitution prevents the Swedish Government from interfering in how government agencies handle individual cases. All Swedish authorities take decisions independently, even of the Swedish Government. The main legal source for the enforcement of claims is the Enforcement Code, which is supplemented by the Enforcement Ordinance.

The Enforcement Authority carries out the enforcement of public claims (e.g. taxes, VAT, excise duties, social security contributions and parking fines) and private claims (e.g. titles of execution and judgments of general or administrative courts). How the enforcement procedures of public claims are handled differs depending on the claim. The main rule is that the debt should be paid immediately, regardless of wheter it is a debt to an individual, a company or the state. If there is no possibility to pay the whole debt at once, it is better to pay as much as possible so that the debt decreases.

The Enforcement Authority is obliged to launch an investigation if the debtor has failed to pay within the time limit. The purpose is to see if the debtor has any property that can be subject to enforcement. Third parties are also required to provide information about the debtor. 

Various authorities have registers that are used by the Enforcement Authority to gain knowledge about the persons or companies that are subject to it's actions. The Swedish Tax Agency administers the central tax register that the Enforcement Authority has direct access to. Both individuals and legal entities are registered. In addition, the Swedish Transport Agency keeps a national vehicle register that contains information about all registered vehicles and their owners. The real estate register administered by "Lantmäteriet", the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority, contains information about real estate and site leaseholds in Sweden.

For more detailed information: The Swedish Enforcement Authority - external website,