Getting a Swedish driver’s license can potentially take a lot of time, as even a cursory search on Google will indicate. First action towards getting a license (the first step is to get an eye examination), and while the process and required formalities are very well documented.
How much is it going to cost?
1. Apply for a körkortstillstånd
This document is a permit (Learning License) to let you take driving lessons with a qualified instructor. In case you already have a valid license (such as an Indian driving license up to 1 year after moving to Sweden), you don’t need this permit to take your driving lessons. However, you do still need it to be able to take your final driving test. Apply here https://etjanst.transportstyrelsen.se/extweb/kktillstgrI
It doesn’t cost you anything. Fill out and submit this form online and head over to the next step!
2. Get an eye test done
An optician needs to clear you before you can get the körkortstillstånd that you applied for in the previous step. You can have this done at almost any optician (like Synsam) and it doesn’t take more than 15 minutes. The test is to make sure you are able to see well enough and read text from a distance, and also to ensure that your peripheral vision is sufficient. You can ask the optician to send the test results (which will of course be made known to you right away) digitally directly to Transport Styrelsen. Once the transport authority receives both your application for a körkortstillstånd and the results of your eye test, they will dispatch the permit to your registered address.
3. Bookmark https://korkortonline.se/en/theory/
Read these pages whenever you get time. I found the information on this website reliable and up to date with the latest driving rules in force. Set a target for how many sections you want to read each day, and keep making a separate note of points that you find tough to understand or memorize right away. This will come in handy to run through a day before you head for your theory test.
4. Book a test driving lesson
Contact a driving school near you and book a test lesson with them. A test lesson is an introductory lesson that you take with an instructor (you still pay for this lesson, though usually a reduced fee) to determine how many classes you need.
Hold your horses! Have you made up your mind on whether you want to work towards a license for an automatic gearbox or a manual one? If you qualify to drive a manual transmission car, you can use your license to also drive automatic transmission cars — but the reverse does not hold true! You cannot use an automatic car driving license to drive a car with a manual gearbox.
Tip: Confused about which one to pick? Driving an automatic car is easier in many ways for a beginner -- the car won’t stall on upward slopes, for example. However, even if you own an automatic transmission vehicle (or are eying one to buy soon) my recommendation would be to go for a manual transmission license. While one obvious reason is that more vehicles become available for you to drive, another reason is that car rental costs are usually cheaper for manual transmission cars. If you frequently rent cars when you travel, this will save you a lot of money over time.
Be careful though! There are some driving schools that will try to rip you off in this step. They will try to sign you up for a more intensive (read expensive) package and try to get you to pay the whole amount upfront too.
5. Buy the driving license theory books
If you decide to buy a ‘package’ of lessons with a driving school, it is very likely that the price you pay includes the price of the theory book and perhaps other supplements too. In case it doesn’t, you should go ahead and buy the “Driving License Theory Book” and the “Swedish Road Signs” supplement at the very least. Or from the commune library you can borrow it.
6. Book Risk Education Part 1 (Theory)
This is a single class that your traffic school will conduct every now and then in batch. Talk to them and sign yourself up for one that is on a date convenient for you. The point of this class is to primarily make you aware of the dangers and risks associated with alcohol and drugs in conjunction with driving. Agreed, this is not the most fun way to spend your time, but I am happy to note that Sweden sees value in making this class mandatory.
7. Book Risk Education Part 2 (Practical)
In a stark contrast to Risk Education Part 1, I found Part 2 to be an incredibly engaging and fun experience. It was nothing close to what I expected at first from ‘just another mandatory class’. This 4-hour lesson on a closed driving track is meant to give you a hands-on experience of how it feels to be driving a car that isn’t entirely in your control. The track includes sections of road that are constructed with a material different from the usual asphalt, specifically to make it extra slippery.
The price for this course does pinch a bit, but you will not “fail” this lesson unless you intentionally disregard the instructor’s instructions. You will be asked to drive at various speeds (ranging from 50kmph to 90kmph) and then brake with full force, so be sure you are confident enough to do this before booking your Risk Education Part 2.
Pro-Tip: Make sure you book Risk 2 as soon as possible, as classes in English are very few compared to ones in Swedish and tend to fill up fast.
8. Take your driving lessons
I had my driving lessons at 7 in the morning. I don’t think I would have agreed to any classes other than driving so outrageously early in the day! Anyway, make sure you clarify all the doubts that you have with your instructor. If you are unsure about specific topics (like parking or engine braking), be sure to bring it to your instructor’s attention so that you spend some extra time perfecting them.
9. Schedule your theory and driving test
Ask your driving school instructor if they can help you out with booking the test (as part of a package that you might have purchased from them). Otherwise, you can head over to https://fp.trafikverket.se/Boka/ and book the test on your own. Make sure you specify the right transmission type here (automatic vs. manual).
10. Buy korkortonline.se/en/theory-test/
At a cost of just 129kr for 7 days, this is one purchase that will prove to be worth much more than what you’re paying. For this price, you get 1000 questions that you can practice answering. For every question, there is a detailed explanation to tell you why an option is right or wrong, and this was very helpful. Though I didn’t feel like the style of questions exactly matched with what I actually got in my final test, they definitely did help in going in better prepared.
11. Nail the theory test!
Head over to the test center at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Before you take your test, you need to get your photograph taken at one of the automatic photo kiosks (just enter your personnummer, look into the camera, and sign), and then head over to the counter where they’ll verify that the picture is OK. To get to the counter, you need to take a ticket (Oh, Sweden) and wait for your turn.
Pro-Tip: I tried to get into the test hall after having only had the photo done at the automatic kiosk. I didn’t realize I had to also additionally get the photo verified at the counter. An anxious few minutes ensued, when I tried to enter the hall. I was asked to go back to the counter and get the photo verified first. By the time I could take care of that and get back to the test hall entrance, everyone else was already seated and ready to take the test!
Pro-Tip: Getting the photograph taken costs 80kr, however noone at the test center mentioned this to me (or maybe I just failed to notice it posted somewhere), and there is no “invoice” or notification that you receive for this due payment. I just happened to notice it online on Trafikverket’s website by chance, so make sure you don’t forget about it!
Pro-Tip: You’re not allowed to carry any paper inside, and neither will you be provided with any. However, there will be a calculator available at every desk in case you need it for some of the calculation-based questions, like the ones to do with alcohol concentration and braking distance.
12. Nail the driving test!
This is what literally kept me up at night. Before my test, I had read a lot of stories online about examiners being unreasonably strict, especially if you’re taking the test for the first time. However, from my experience, as long as you are driving defensively (as one should, especially in a test!) and sticking to the rules, you have nothing to worry about.
My test started with me having to sign a document to declare that I didn’t aready have a license from another EU country. My examiner and I then proceeded to the car, and she showed me a shiny almost-new white Volvo V60 and told me that that’s the car I would be driving that day. We got into the car, and she first gave me a quick summary of how the next 20 minutes would pan out. I assume these instructions are common across examiners and test centers. I was asked to continue driving straight, unless asked to head in any other direction. Also, I was told that I was expected to drive independently without asking any questions and that I would be judged based on criteria like lane placement, eco-driving and general consideration towards other road users. Easy peasy! (Or?)
“I want you to do a general internal safety check. In the interest of time, just check if the brakes, power steering and horn work as expected”. Both my driving school instructor and this page on körkortonline.se told me exactly how this is to be done, and this went smooth.
How much is it going to cost?
- Eye Test: 150kr
- Test lesson: 600kr
- Risk Education 1 (Theory): 500kr
- Risk Education 2 (Practical): 1.900kr
- 10x 40-minute lessons: 6000kr approx. (depend on where you take the classes)
- Mock theory questions online: 129kr
- Driving License Theory Book: 350kr
- Theory Test: 325kr
- Driving Test: 1200kr
- Car rental for driving test: 400kr
- Fee for getting a photograph taken for the license card: 80kr
- Fee for printing the license card: 250kr
1. Apply for a körkortstillstånd
This document is a permit (Learning License) to let you take driving lessons with a qualified instructor. In case you already have a valid license (such as an Indian driving license up to 1 year after moving to Sweden), you don’t need this permit to take your driving lessons. However, you do still need it to be able to take your final driving test. Apply here https://etjanst.transportstyrelsen.se/extweb/kktillstgrI
It doesn’t cost you anything. Fill out and submit this form online and head over to the next step!
2. Get an eye test done
An optician needs to clear you before you can get the körkortstillstånd that you applied for in the previous step. You can have this done at almost any optician (like Synsam) and it doesn’t take more than 15 minutes. The test is to make sure you are able to see well enough and read text from a distance, and also to ensure that your peripheral vision is sufficient. You can ask the optician to send the test results (which will of course be made known to you right away) digitally directly to Transport Styrelsen. Once the transport authority receives both your application for a körkortstillstånd and the results of your eye test, they will dispatch the permit to your registered address.
3. Bookmark https://korkortonline.se/en/theory/
Read these pages whenever you get time. I found the information on this website reliable and up to date with the latest driving rules in force. Set a target for how many sections you want to read each day, and keep making a separate note of points that you find tough to understand or memorize right away. This will come in handy to run through a day before you head for your theory test.
4. Book a test driving lesson
Contact a driving school near you and book a test lesson with them. A test lesson is an introductory lesson that you take with an instructor (you still pay for this lesson, though usually a reduced fee) to determine how many classes you need.
Hold your horses! Have you made up your mind on whether you want to work towards a license for an automatic gearbox or a manual one? If you qualify to drive a manual transmission car, you can use your license to also drive automatic transmission cars — but the reverse does not hold true! You cannot use an automatic car driving license to drive a car with a manual gearbox.
Tip: Confused about which one to pick? Driving an automatic car is easier in many ways for a beginner -- the car won’t stall on upward slopes, for example. However, even if you own an automatic transmission vehicle (or are eying one to buy soon) my recommendation would be to go for a manual transmission license. While one obvious reason is that more vehicles become available for you to drive, another reason is that car rental costs are usually cheaper for manual transmission cars. If you frequently rent cars when you travel, this will save you a lot of money over time.
Be careful though! There are some driving schools that will try to rip you off in this step. They will try to sign you up for a more intensive (read expensive) package and try to get you to pay the whole amount upfront too.
5. Buy the driving license theory books
If you decide to buy a ‘package’ of lessons with a driving school, it is very likely that the price you pay includes the price of the theory book and perhaps other supplements too. In case it doesn’t, you should go ahead and buy the “Driving License Theory Book” and the “Swedish Road Signs” supplement at the very least. Or from the commune library you can borrow it.
6. Book Risk Education Part 1 (Theory)
This is a single class that your traffic school will conduct every now and then in batch. Talk to them and sign yourself up for one that is on a date convenient for you. The point of this class is to primarily make you aware of the dangers and risks associated with alcohol and drugs in conjunction with driving. Agreed, this is not the most fun way to spend your time, but I am happy to note that Sweden sees value in making this class mandatory.
7. Book Risk Education Part 2 (Practical)
In a stark contrast to Risk Education Part 1, I found Part 2 to be an incredibly engaging and fun experience. It was nothing close to what I expected at first from ‘just another mandatory class’. This 4-hour lesson on a closed driving track is meant to give you a hands-on experience of how it feels to be driving a car that isn’t entirely in your control. The track includes sections of road that are constructed with a material different from the usual asphalt, specifically to make it extra slippery.
The price for this course does pinch a bit, but you will not “fail” this lesson unless you intentionally disregard the instructor’s instructions. You will be asked to drive at various speeds (ranging from 50kmph to 90kmph) and then brake with full force, so be sure you are confident enough to do this before booking your Risk Education Part 2.
Pro-Tip: Make sure you book Risk 2 as soon as possible, as classes in English are very few compared to ones in Swedish and tend to fill up fast.
8. Take your driving lessons
I had my driving lessons at 7 in the morning. I don’t think I would have agreed to any classes other than driving so outrageously early in the day! Anyway, make sure you clarify all the doubts that you have with your instructor. If you are unsure about specific topics (like parking or engine braking), be sure to bring it to your instructor’s attention so that you spend some extra time perfecting them.
9. Schedule your theory and driving test
Ask your driving school instructor if they can help you out with booking the test (as part of a package that you might have purchased from them). Otherwise, you can head over to https://fp.trafikverket.se/Boka/ and book the test on your own. Make sure you specify the right transmission type here (automatic vs. manual).
10. Buy korkortonline.se/en/theory-test/
At a cost of just 129kr for 7 days, this is one purchase that will prove to be worth much more than what you’re paying. For this price, you get 1000 questions that you can practice answering. For every question, there is a detailed explanation to tell you why an option is right or wrong, and this was very helpful. Though I didn’t feel like the style of questions exactly matched with what I actually got in my final test, they definitely did help in going in better prepared.
11. Nail the theory test!
Head over to the test center at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Before you take your test, you need to get your photograph taken at one of the automatic photo kiosks (just enter your personnummer, look into the camera, and sign), and then head over to the counter where they’ll verify that the picture is OK. To get to the counter, you need to take a ticket (Oh, Sweden) and wait for your turn.
Pro-Tip: I tried to get into the test hall after having only had the photo done at the automatic kiosk. I didn’t realize I had to also additionally get the photo verified at the counter. An anxious few minutes ensued, when I tried to enter the hall. I was asked to go back to the counter and get the photo verified first. By the time I could take care of that and get back to the test hall entrance, everyone else was already seated and ready to take the test!
Pro-Tip: Getting the photograph taken costs 80kr, however noone at the test center mentioned this to me (or maybe I just failed to notice it posted somewhere), and there is no “invoice” or notification that you receive for this due payment. I just happened to notice it online on Trafikverket’s website by chance, so make sure you don’t forget about it!
Pro-Tip: You’re not allowed to carry any paper inside, and neither will you be provided with any. However, there will be a calculator available at every desk in case you need it for some of the calculation-based questions, like the ones to do with alcohol concentration and braking distance.
12. Nail the driving test!
This is what literally kept me up at night. Before my test, I had read a lot of stories online about examiners being unreasonably strict, especially if you’re taking the test for the first time. However, from my experience, as long as you are driving defensively (as one should, especially in a test!) and sticking to the rules, you have nothing to worry about.
My test started with me having to sign a document to declare that I didn’t aready have a license from another EU country. My examiner and I then proceeded to the car, and she showed me a shiny almost-new white Volvo V60 and told me that that’s the car I would be driving that day. We got into the car, and she first gave me a quick summary of how the next 20 minutes would pan out. I assume these instructions are common across examiners and test centers. I was asked to continue driving straight, unless asked to head in any other direction. Also, I was told that I was expected to drive independently without asking any questions and that I would be judged based on criteria like lane placement, eco-driving and general consideration towards other road users. Easy peasy! (Or?)
“I want you to do a general internal safety check. In the interest of time, just check if the brakes, power steering and horn work as expected”. Both my driving school instructor and this page on körkortonline.se told me exactly how this is to be done, and this went smooth.