International destination listing

An import permit is required for many goods. Before posting any item, senders should confirm that the addressee has any necessary permit. Senders should determine import restrictions from the country's authorities before posting:

• animal and animal products
• asbestos
• articles made of leather from endangered animals
• bees, leaches and silkworms
• collections (plants, stuffed animals)
• distillation equipment
• fish and crustaceans
• fruits (citrus, apples, pears, peaches, grapes, nuts, raisins and figs)
• flick knives
• footwear made of leather from endangered animals
• ground nuts
• pharmaceutical products
• plants and plant products
• plastic and rubber products
• perfumes, hairsprays and after shave products
• preparations containing meat, eggs, or milk
• precious stones and metals
• preparations such as sauces, soups,broths containing meat or animal products
• pipes of copper, steel or stainless steel
• pigs, hogs, boars bristles and hair
• rubber condoms
• raw skins and hides
• refrigerators or freezers
• soap
• soil
• strong beer
• securities
• seeds
• substances considered explosives
• toys with transmission apparatus for radiotelephony
• true hemp
• thermometers, syringes, gas masks
• used paper and paperboard articles
• used bags or worn clothes
• vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, cucumbers and mushrooms)
• vermouths
• wine
• watch straps made from leather from endangered animals
• wood and wood products.

Meat, meat products, milk and milk products must be accompanied by a veterinary certificate from the country of origin.

Gifts

Articles consigned as "Unsolicited Gifts" are acceptable and will be allowed entry free of any duty or VAT providing the shipment is valued at 500 Swedish Krone Approx ($68 USD), originated from and consigned to an individual, and are individually wrapped. Multiple gifts can be consigned in one shipment so long as the individual parcels enclosed are individually tagged with the recipients name, are individually wrapped and the value does not exceed the per person limit of 500 Swedish Krone. Shipments consigned to companies as gifts for an individual may be denied entry as gifts. They will be subject to full duty and VAT. Generally, most articles can be consigned as gifts, except those articles noted prohibited or restricted for import (see General Import Prohibitions and Restrictions).

Prohibited Items

In addition to items considered non-mailable matter, the following are prohibited:

• Alchohol and spirits
• Counterfeit products
• infectious substances
• pharmaceuticals (All pharmaceuticals are prohibited from being mailed in ordinary letter-post and parcel post items to private addresses. This includes synthetic or naturopathic items.)
• weapons, parts and accessories thereof and ammunition.
• butter
• cream
• fertilizers
• food supplement
• honey
• milk
• laser pointers
• live plants, flower bulbs and cut flowers
• meat and meat products
• prepared foodstuffs
• vegetables, roots and edible tubers.

Prohibited from being mailed as Xpresspost-International

• bank cards, credit cards, phone cards
• body parts and organs
• funeral urns
• human remains
• live and dead animals or birds and their parts
• live plants, flower bulbs and cut flowers
• refrigerated, frozen or fresh products
• tobacco
• valuables of any kind
• wine, alcohol.

NOTE: Items with a value exceeding 1,000SDR will be returned to origin.

Documentation Required

Information regarding Customs can be found in "Customs Requirements" of the Canada Postal Guide.

Commercial goods mailed to Sweden require a certified invoice.

Document Requirements

The documents required from the exporter for customs clearance include a commercial invoice, a bill of lading or other shipping documents. According to Swedish customs regulations the invoice must contain:

• the seller's name and address
• the buyer's name and address
• the date when the invoice was made out
• number and type of packages (cases, parcels or containers)
• gross weight plus marks and numbers
• name and quantity of the commodity according to general commercial terms along with the price for each product
• discounts together with conditions of delivery and payment.

Shipping documents are acceptable in English.

Some of the other shipping documents that may be required include the Certificate of Origin, an Import License or Permit and a Phytosanitary Certificate. The Certificate of Origin is usually required for textiles and shipments requiring preferential tariff treatment. Import licenses are required from specific countries for a number of commodities, such as textiles, iron, steel, animal products, and foodstuffs.

When customs declarations are sent in electronically, and invoice is not normally presented to customs. However, customs may require an invoice, and other supporting documents, if they find reason for it. As for restricted goods, a permit or license must be presented to customs before the goods are released for circulation. The Post Office Administration declares all consignments, except for gifts and low value consignments.

Ordering Goods by Mail from a country outside of the EU

Buying an item from a country outside of the EU is considered private import, and the buyer must pay customs duties and other charges. This applies to both new and used items bought from private individuals or companies, including internet auctions, mail orders, or any prizes won on the internet. The customs duty ranges from 0 to 20 percent, calculated from the price of the item, including shipping and transport insurance, where applicable. The VAT on most items is 25%. Exceptions to this are; foodstuffs (12%), and books, newspapers, and magazines (6%).

Value Added Tax (VAT)

The Import One-Stop-Shop (IOSS) is a program that allows the seller to collect the Value Added Tax (VAT) at the time of purchase, rather than have VAT collected by the recipient at the time of delivery. Under the IOSS program, VAT is remitted monthly by the seller directly to the European Union (EU) tax authority using an online portal. The IOSS can only be used for shipments with a value of less than €150. For shipments over €150, there are no changes to the collection of VAT, duties or other applicable fees on imported goods. The IOSS program also cannot be used for goods subject to excise duties (such as tobacco or alcohol) or gifts. More information on the program can be found here.

In order to register for an IOSS number, a business must have an address in one of the EU member states or hire an IOSS intermediary. If you sell through an online shipping platform or marketplace, you can contact them to see if they are registered for the IOSS program and have their own IOSS number.

If using the IOSS program, the IOSS number must be included when creating the electronic shipping label, entered in the “Tax ID” field (sender.identification.reference). This will allow for the number to be sent electronically. If the number is not present in the electronic data, VAT may be collected from the recipient at the time of delivery. The following Canada Post shipping systems can be used to capture and transmit the IOSS number:

• EST Desktop 2.0
• SnapShip
• Shipping Manager

The IOSS number cannot be transmitted electronically when using a retail location. IOSS numbers start with IM, followed by 10 numeric digits (ex: IM0123456789). When using the IOSS program, a minimum 6-digit Harmonized System (HS) code is required. To find the right HS code, visit the Canada Post HS Lookup tool.