5.2 Arrival and accreditation

The Protocol Department should be notified by note verbal of the arrival time of a new head of mission. The Protocol Department will make airport VIP service arrangements for the head of mission's arrival. A representative of the Protocol Department will meet them if they arrive Monday–Friday between 9.00 and 16.00. Outside those hours and on public holidays, an airport VIP service representative will meet the head of mission at Arlanda Airport.

Please note that the Protocol Department pays for a maximum of three people greeting to greet a head of mission at the VIP lounge. Embassies are welcome to invite more greeters to the VIP Lounge, but in that case, they should send a separate booking request to Swedavia for the additional number of people. Last-minute cancellations and no-shows will be billed to the mission according to Swedavia’s cancellation policy. More information, including price list and contact details, is available on the Swedavia website.

Non-resident heads of mission also receive VIP service upon arrival at the airport for the subsequent presentation of letters of credence in an audience with His Majesty The King. Non-resident heads of mission will be driven from the airport or seaport to their hotel free of charge. However transfer to the airport on the day of departure is not provided.

Once in Stockholm, the head of mission will be invited to visit the Chief of Protocol to present the copies of the letters of credence and the letters of recall of their predecessor. Please include an English translation.

Newly arrived ambassadors must not have any meetings in an official capacity before they have presented copies of their credentials to the Chief of Protocol. After this first meeting, ambassadors are welcome to contact and engage in meetings with all non-politically appointed government representatives (below the rank of state secretary). Ambassadors may not officially represent their country at any event until they have presented their credentials to His Majesty the King.

The head of mission will be offered an audience with His Majesty The King to present their letter of credence. On the day of the presentation, the ambassador and their accompanying suite are requested to arrange for their own transport to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. One of the marshals of the Diplomatic Corps will meet the head of mission and their accompanying suite outside the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The suite may consist of a maximum of four members of the embassy's diplomatic staff (no family members). A head of mission whose residence or office is situated outside central Stockholm will be asked to arrange for their own transport to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The head of mission will present their letters of credence to His Majesty The King and, where appropriate, the letters of recall of their predecessor. No speeches are made on this occasion, nor are any written speech texts exchanged. The audience will last for approximately 15 minutes and will be conducted in English or in Swedish, or with an interpreter provided by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. At the end of the audience, the head of mission may ask His Majesty The King for permission to introduce their accompanying suite.

Non-resident heads of mission also present their letters of credence to His Majesty The King.

The dress code for the ceremony of the presentation of credentials is diplomatic uniform, white tie (i.e. tails, white waistcoat, top hat, white gloves and decorations) or traditional national dress. Women ambassadors should wear a formal full-length gown with long or 3/4 sleeves or white gloves and/or a shawl (no hat) or traditional national dress. The same dress code applies to members of the suite although top hat and white gloves (for gentlemen) are optional. Defence attachés should wear full ceremonial dress uniforms.

Following the presentation of their letters of credence to His Majesty The King, heads of mission are officially recognised as ambassadors and are able to exercise their full functions. Resident ambassadors will be invited to a welcome luncheon hosted by a state secretary and will also meet with the Minister for Foreign Affairs for a 15-minute courtesy call.

The order of precedence among heads of mission is specified in 'Stockholm Diplomatic List' and Order of Precedence