Importing a car from China to Sweden / EU: full landed-cost guide 2026

Importing a car from China to Sweden: duty, VAT, origin check and individual approval

A car imported from China into Sweden pays 10% EU customs duty and 25% VAT to Tullverket and, if it is a new Chinese-built battery electric car, the EU countervailing duty. Sweden has no one-off purchase tax at import; higher-emission cars pay a higher annual vehicle tax (malus) for three years. A car without EU type approval needs an individual approval before Transportstyrelsen's register will accept it.

Policy checked: 26 October 2026. Each rule links to the Tullverket, Transportstyrelsen or European Commission page it comes from. Valuation, approval and registration are decided by those authorities on the actual vehicle; nothing here guarantees the outcome.

Read Tullverket: buying a car across Sweden's border.

Who can import, and what the car must be

Individuals and companies may both import; Sweden drives on the right, so left-hand drive is no obstacle. A company needs an EORI number, and Tullverket notes that a private person also needs one, and must register in the F-gas portal, if the car contains fluorinated gases, as air-conditioning systems do. Transportstyrelsen requires a new vehicle not covered by an EU type approval to obtain an individual approval (enskilt godkännande). A Chinese-market car without an EU certificate of conformity (COC) takes this route; approval depends on the documents and tests and is not guaranteed.

Taxes and the landed cost

1. EU customs duty 10% on the purchase price plus freight, insurance and handling up to the EU border (Tullverket).
2. Countervailing duty on new Chinese-built battery electric cars, Regulation (EU) 2024/2754: BYD 17.0%, Geely 18.8%, Tesla (Shanghai) 7.8%, other cooperating producers 20.7%, SAIC and all others 35.3%. A producer's own rate needs its commercial invoice with the signed declaration; otherwise 35.3% applies. The regulation has been amended since, so check the current list. A car counts as used only if it has been registered for more than six months and driven more than 6,000 km, the definition of CN explanatory note C/2025/330. Petrol and diesel cars are not covered.
3. VAT (moms) 25% on the same customs value plus duty.

Two petrol SUVs, calculated live by the same rules engine as this site's calculator. The approval and registration rows are estimates, not official fees.

Landed charges come to about 50% of CIF, or 128–131% on top of the ex-works price. A new Chinese electric car adds the countervailing duty; run the calculator with the actual model. Tullverket's assessment prevails.

Origin check, approval and registration

Once the car is in Sweden and cleared, apply to Transportstyrelsen for an origin check (ursprungskontroll) with the original COC or registration certificate, purchase document and proof of customs clearance; the fee is SEK 1,240. Then book a registration inspection or, without an EU approval, testing for individual approval at an inspection company, which enters the car in the vehicle register. Transportstyrelsen charges no fee for the individual-approval application; the inspection company's testing fees vary with the work needed. Approval and registration are subject to Transportstyrelsen's and the inspection company's review.

Shipping and customs clearance

Cars ship from China to Gothenburg or Malmö by roll-on/roll-off or container; the calculator uses the current reference freight and insurance. A private importer notifies the car to Tullverket at the clearance office with the invoice, purchase document, proof of value and any foreign registration document. LandedCar delivers to the port (FOB or CIF) and handles the Chinese export declaration; clearance, taxes, approval and registration are in the importer's name. The responsibility for each step must be written into the quotation and pro forma invoice.

Frequently asked questions

I am moving to Sweden. Can I bring my car tax-free? Tullverket's conditions: the car belonged to you and was used by your household for at least six months outside the EU, you normally lived outside the EU for at least a year, and you may not transfer it in the first year. Approval and registration are still required.

Is there a registration tax? No one-off tax at import. Higher-emission cars, including plug-in hybrids, pay a higher annual vehicle tax for the first three years.

Does a used Chinese electric car avoid the countervailing duty? Only if registered more than six months and driven more than 6,000 km, with proof of both.

Sources, checked 26 October 2026: Tullverket: buying a car abroad · European Commission: countervailing duties on Chinese BEVs · Tariff notice citing C/2025/330 · Transportstyrelsen: malus · Transportstyrelsen: registration fees · Transportstyrelsen: import and origin check · Transportstyrelsen: imports from outside the EU · Transportstyrelsen: individual approval · Tullverket: moving goods. Approval, clearance and registration estimates are not official fees. Rules change; the decisions of Tullverket and Transportstyrelsen on the actual vehicle prevail.