Legal registration - foreign citizen or Swedish citizen who has emigrated

We are missing some information

The difference is that we at Lantmäteriet do not have access to personal data for foreign citizens. In order for us to be able to check that you are of legal age, you need to enclose information about your date of birth in connection with the application.

We also do not have information on whether foreign nationals are married or divorced. This also applies to Swedish citizens who have emigrated.

I am a foreign citizen and have bought or received a property or plot of land as a gift

The application must contain

• Application for title deed or application for registration of land leasehold.
• Purchase document or gift document in original.
• Information about date of birth that shows that you are of legal age. The date of birth can be stated in, for example, the application for legal registration or the deed of purchase / gift certificate.

Requirements for the deed of purchase or gift

• The property's official property designation must be included (e.g. Gävle Torp 1: 1).
• It must be clear that the seller / gift giver transfers the property and whether it is the entire property or only a part of the one that is transferred (for example ½ if it is half).
• The purchase price must be included if it is a purchase.
• The purchase or gift document must be signed by both seller and buyer, or gift giver and gift recipient.
• Seller's / gift giver's signature must be witnessed by two people.

I am a foreign citizen / Swedish citizen who has emigrated and must sell or give away my property

When the person who bought or received your property is seeking legal registration, the application must also include:

• Date of birth which shows that you are of legal age. The date of birth can be stated in, for example, the application for legal registration or the deed of purchase / gift certificate.
• A document corresponding to Swedish identity card from the home country that shows your marital status, ie if you are unmarried, married or divorced. If it is difficult to obtain one, it is also a good idea for someone who knows you well to certify your marital status at the time of the transfer. Remember that the certificate must also cover the entire period that you owned the property.
• An approval from your spouse, if you are married or have been married during the time you owned the property. If you are divorced, a document must be sent with which shows that consent is not needed and that the property is your individual property (for example, a deed of division, gift certificate, will or other document) otherwise an approval from your ex-spouse is required.

I have inherited a property owned by a foreign citizen / Swedish citizen who emigrated

When a foreign citizen (outside the Nordic countries) dies, there have previously been requirements to establish a Swedish estate register which shows current assets in Sweden. Nowadays, no Swedish estate register is needed if the foreign citizen has died after 16 August 2015. Then you can instead apply for a European inheritance certificate.

The purpose of the EU's new Inheritance Regulation and the issuance of inheritance certificates is to make it easier for EU citizens in connection with inheritance. The inheritance certificate is valid in all EU countries, except in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Dan land. In Sweden, it is the Swedish Tax Agency that issues inheritance certificates for you who need to show in another EU country that you represent an estate or are heirs. This also applies if you are a testator and may only have inherited a special asset, such as a property.

An inheritance certificate can replace an acquisition document in connection with inheritance and application for legal registration.

Another novelty according to the inheritance ordinance is that now, as a main rule, it is the deceased's country of residence, not citizenship, that decides which country's law is to be used in connection with the inheritance. If, for example, a German citizen residing in Sweden dies, it was previously the case that German law would apply to the distribution of inheritance. Today, since it is the law of the country of residence that applies, it is now Swedish law that applies to distribute the inheritance.

Remember that if the person died before 16 August 2015, previous law applies. If the person had assets in Sweden, you should turn to the Stockholm s district court that appoints an executor who prepares a Swedish estate register.