Sweden Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Swedish Business

TL;DR. Sweden’s Bolagsverket is free for basic company searches. Certified registration certificates (Registreringsbevis) cost SEK 90 (approximately USD 8.40) and can be ordered online. The main ordering path requires BankID, which Swedish residents use easily but creates friction for foreign buyers. The English interface covers the search function but not the full ordering workflow. APIs and open data are available.

What is the official Sweden business registry?

Sweden’s company registration authority is Bolagsverket (the Swedish Companies Registration Office), a government agency operating under the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise. Bolagsverket was established in its current form in 1990 following administrative reforms that separated company registration from the patent and trademark functions. Its statutory basis is the Aktiebolagslagen (Companies Act, 2005:551) and a series of partnership and trading company acts.

Bolagsverket maintains the companies register (bolagsregistret) for registered companies, and operates additional registers including: the trade names register (handelsregister, for sole traders and trading names), the economic associations register (foreningsregistret), and the beneficial ownership register (registret over verkliga huvudman) implementing EU 5AMLD requirements.

The primary public access portal is bolagsverket.se. The e-services section (etjanster.bolagsverket.se) provides digital ordering for registered certificates and other extracts.

Entity types covered include: AB (Aktiebolag, private limited company), Publ AB (public limited company), HB (Handelsbolag, general partnership), KB (Kommanditbolag, limited partnership), EF (Enskild firma, sole trader above VAT threshold), ekonomisk forening (economic association), and branches of foreign companies. Swedish foundations (stiftelser) have their own register administered by county administrative boards (lansstyrelserna), not Bolagsverket directly.

Sweden participates in the EU Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS).

What can you search?

Bolagsverket’s free search at bolagsverket.se covers the basic company record.

Free search (no account required):

• Search by company name or organisationsnummer
• Returns: company name, organisationsnummer, legal form, registered address, registered county, company status (active, dissolved, struck off, in liquidation)
• Names of board members and the CEO for AB companies are shown in the basic record
• Share capital and date of registration are visible

Paid documents (online ordering via e-services portal):

• Registreringsbevis (registration certificate, SEK 90 ~ USD 8.40): the official certified extract confirming company details, directors, share capital, and registration status. The most commonly requested document for KYC and due diligence purposes.
• Utskrift ur bolagsregistret (register extract print): a more detailed printout of the full register entry
• Bolagsordning (articles of association): the company’s constitution as filed with Bolagsverket
• Arsbokslut (annual accounts): filed annual accounts, available through the Bolagsverket portal for AB companies meeting the filing threshold

The beneficial ownership register (verklig huvudman) at Bolagsverket is searchable. Swedish companies are required to identify and register their beneficial owners under the 2017 Penningtvattslag (Money Laundering Act), implementing EU 5AMLD. Access to the beneficial ownership register is public at bolagsverket.se/etjanster/foretagaren/registrera-och-andra/verklig-huvudman.

How much does it cost?

SEK/USD conversion used: 0.093 (approximate, May 2026; verify at point of purchase). Payment on the e-services portal accepts credit card and Swish (mobile payment). Institutional buyers with accounts can be invoiced. No Swedish bank account is required for credit card payment, but Swish requires a Swedish bank-registered phone number.

Do you need a local account or ID?

For the free basic search, no account or Swedish identity is required. The search function at bolagsverket.se is publicly accessible to all.

For ordering certified documents through the e-services portal, the standard path requires authentication via BankID. Swedish BankID is tied to a Swedish personal identity number (personnummer) and a Swedish bank account. This makes the full e-service path unavailable to foreign buyers who do not have a Swedish bank relationship.

Alternatives for foreign buyers without BankID:

• Email order: Bolagsverket accepts document orders by email at bolagsverket@bolagsverket.se with payment by credit card. No BankID is required for this path, though the process is slower than online ordering.
• Postal order: Documents can be ordered by post with payment by credit card or invoice.
• Commercial supplier: Local data suppliers (see below) provide Registreringsbevis-equivalent data without BankID requirements.

No Swedish personal identity number or company registration in Sweden is required from foreign buyers. The BankID barrier applies only to the self-service online ordering portal.

Is the website in English?

Partially. Bolagsverket’s main website has an English section at bolagsverket.se/en that covers general information about Swedish company types, registration processes, and forms. The English section is informative but not a mirror of the full Swedish site.

The search function returns results in both Swedish and English labels for field names. Company names and purpose clauses are recorded in Swedish. The e-services ordering portal (for certified extracts) is primarily in Swedish, which creates a language barrier for foreign buyers navigating the ordering process.

Registreringsbevis certified extracts are issued in Swedish. Bolagsverket does not provide officially translated documents. For use in non-Swedish legal proceedings, notarial translation of the Registreringsbevis may be required.

Sweden participates in BRIS, which allows basic English-language company status checks through the European Business Register network.

What’s the turnaround time?

Electronic document downloads via the e-services portal are instant following authentication and payment. The Registreringsbevis PDF is generated immediately and made available for download.

For orders placed by email or post (used by foreign buyers without BankID), turnaround is typically 1-3 business days for email orders and 3-5 business days for postal orders, depending on processing volume.

Bolagsverket processes registration changes and filings within 1-3 business days for standard transactions, though urgent registrations can be expedited for a fee under the snabbservice (expedited service) option.

Is there an API?

Yes, through several channels:

Bolagsverket Open Data: Bolagsverket provides open data on company registrations and changes under its open data initiative at bolagsverket.se/etjanster/oppna-data. This includes structured data feeds on new registrations, changes, and struck-off companies. The data is available in machine-readable formats.

Bolagsverket e-services API: Bolagsverket offers integration APIs for professional users (notaries, law firms, banks) under the e-series API framework. These require a formal agreement with Bolagsverket and are designed for high-volume institutional users.

Third-party API via commercial suppliers: Bisnode and UC AB (see suppliers below) offer API-based access to company data sourced from Bolagsverket with credit enrichment. These are the practical API path for most commercial compliance buyers.

For cross-border integrations, Sweden’s BRIS connection provides standardized company data in EU cross-border format.

What you legally cannot do

Bolagsverket data is public, but Swedish law and GDPR apply to its use:

• Personal data in company records: Names of directors, board members, and beneficial owners are personal data under GDPR (Regulation 2016/679) and the Swedish Data Protection Act (Dataskyddslag, 2018:218). Processing personal data extracted from Bolagsverket records requires a documented legal basis. Article 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest) applies for legitimate compliance due diligence; direct marketing use of director data requires separate consent.
• Systematic bulk extraction of company records is not permitted under Bolagsverket’s terms of service. The open data initiative provides the legitimate path for bulk access.
• Redistribution of certified Registreringsbevis without disclosure that the document originated from Bolagsverket is not permitted. The Registreringsbevis carries Bolagsverket’s official stamp as the issuing authority.
• Beneficial ownership data from the verklig huvudman register is subject to the Penningtvattslag’s use restrictions. It is intended for AML/compliance purposes and cannot be used for purposes outside those parameters.

Sweden’s AML framework is governed by the Penningtvattslag (2017:630) and related Finansinspektionen regulations. FATF (fatf-gafi.org) assessed Sweden’s AML framework and noted strong technical compliance with FATF standards. Sweden is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026.

GDPR Recital 47 and Article 6(1)(f) provide the standard basis for B2B due diligence use of personal data appearing in public company registers, subject to the proportionality test.

Practical tips for foreign users

• Organisationsnummer is the master key. Swedish company identifiers follow the format XXXXXX-XXXX (10 digits with a hyphen after the 6th digit, for example 556123-4567). This number is permanent and does not change with company name changes or address moves. Always confirm by organisationsnummer rather than name alone.
• F-skattsedel (F-tax approval) is a key indicator. A Swedish company with F-skatt approval is registered with Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) for tax and VAT purposes, meaning it has passed basic tax compliance checks. For supplier due diligence in Sweden, confirming active F-skatt status via Skatteverket’s online check (skatteverket.se) provides an additional verification layer beyond the Bolagsverket record.
• Check the beneficial ownership register. Sweden’s verklig huvudman (beneficial owner) register at Bolagsverket is publicly searchable. For any counterparty where UBO is a compliance concern, a direct search here is faster than requesting data through an intermediary.
• AB vs. HB vs. KB distinctions matter for liability. In an AB, shareholders’ liability is limited to their share capital contribution. In an HB (general partnership), all partners have unlimited personal liability. In a KB, the general partner (komplementar) has unlimited liability while limited partners (kommanditdeltagare) have liability limited to their committed capital. For credit risk assessment, the legal form determines the available recourse.
• Allabolag.se for free aggregated data. The commercial site allabolag.se aggregates Bolagsverket and annual report data and presents it in a searchable, English-accessible format. It is not an official registry but provides a quick overview without BankID requirements.
• Status “pa obestand” indicates insolvency. This status, visible in Bolagsverket records, means the company is unable to pay its debts. It may precede a formal bankruptcy filing (konkurs). “I likvidation” means in voluntary liquidation. “Avregistrerad” means struck off.

Alternatives if you cannot access the registry directly

The BankID barrier for certified extract ordering is the main friction point for foreign buyers.

• Local data suppliers (see section below): UC AB and Creditsafe offer English-language report delivery with Registreringsbevis-equivalent data and no BankID requirement. Bisnode provides API access for volume users.
• Allabolag.se: A commercial Swedish site providing aggregated Bolagsverket and financial data in a more accessible format. Free for basic searches; premium features require subscription.
• BRIS portal: For basic name and status confirmation in English, the EU BRIS network provides Swedish company data in standardized cross-border format.
• OpenCorporates: Indexes Swedish company data from Bolagsverket, providing free basic records at opencorporates.com including historical changes.

Local data suppliers

• Bisnode Sweden / D&B (bisnode.se). Bisnode Sweden is now part of the D&B network following the 2021 acquisition. Provides credit risk scores, company profiles, payment performance data, and monitoring for Swedish and Nordic companies. Offers API-based delivery and is widely used by Swedish banks and credit managers. Coverage extends to the full Nordic region through the D&B DACH/Nordic data network.
• Creditsafe Sweden (creditsafe.se). Creditsafe’s Swedish entity provides company credit reports with English-language delivery, real-time Bolagsverket monitoring, and sanctions/PEP screening. Used by compliance teams that need Swedish coverage alongside other European jurisdictions through a single API.
• UC AB (uc.se). UC (Upplysningscentralen) is Sweden’s oldest and largest business credit bureau, owned by the major Swedish commercial banks. UC provides the Upplysning (credit reference), the standard Swedish credit check used by banks and leasing companies. Covers the full Swedish company universe including smaller sole traders and economic associations. UC data is the most deeply integrated with Swedish banking credit decisions.
• Allabolag.se (allabolag.se). A publicly accessible commercial aggregator providing free basic company data, officer information, and filed annual accounts for Swedish companies. Strong for quick free lookups. Subscription plans add credit scores, event alerts, and bulk export.

FAQ

Can a foreign company order a Swedish Registreringsbevis without BankID?

Yes, through the email or postal order path. Bolagsverket accepts document orders by email at bolagsverket@bolagsverket.se; the buyer provides the company name and organisationsnummer, pays by credit card, and receives the document without BankID. The process takes 1-3 business days instead of the instant online delivery available to BankID users. Local data suppliers also provide Registreringsbevis-equivalent certified data without BankID requirements.

What is the Swedish organisationsnummer format?

The organisationsnummer is a 10-digit number in the format XXXXXX-XXXX. The first 6 digits encode the date format historically but now serve as a sequential series for companies. The digit in position 3 indicates legal form for certain entity types. For practical purposes, the full 10-digit number including the hyphen is the identifier. For VAT purposes, Sweden’s EU VAT number is SE followed by the 10-digit organisationsnummer with two zeros appended (SE556123456701 for example), verifiable through the EU VIES system.

Where do I find the beneficial owner of a Swedish company?

Sweden’s beneficial ownership data is in the registret over verkliga huvudman maintained by Bolagsverket, implementing EU 5AMLD requirements. The register is publicly searchable at bolagsverket.se. Companies are required to identify and register their verklig huvudman (real principal owner). For companies where no individual controls 25% or more, the register entry will reflect this and may list senior management as the default contact.

What does F-skatt mean and why does it matter for supplier checks?

F-skattsedel (F-tax certificate) is issued by Skatteverket to companies that have registered for independent contractor tax status, meaning the company is responsible for its own tax withholding. When hiring a Swedish supplier or contractor, confirming active F-skatt status protects the buyer from being required to withhold tax on payments. F-skatt status can be checked free of charge at skatteverket.se. A company without active F-skatt in a situation where services are being procured creates tax liability risk for the buyer.

Is Sweden on the FATF grey list?

No. Sweden is a FATF member and is not on the FATF grey list as of May 2026. Sweden’s AML framework is rated as broadly compliant with FATF standards. For current country status, see fatf-gafi.org.

What is the difference between an AB and a Publ AB in Sweden?

An AB (Aktiebolag) is the standard private limited company form. Its shares are not publicly traded. A Publ AB (Publikt Aktiebolag) is the public limited company form, and its shares may be listed on a stock exchange or offered publicly. The minimum share capital for a Publ AB is SEK 500,000, versus SEK 25,000 for a standard AB. Public companies have more extensive reporting obligations and stricter governance requirements under the Companies Act and, if listed, the rules of the relevant exchange and Finansinspektionen (Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority).

Last verified: May 2026. Sources: Bolagsverket (bolagsverket.se), Finansinspektionen (fi.se), Skatteverket (skatteverket.se), EU 5AMLD (Directive 2018/843/EU), FATF (fatf-gafi.org).