Sweden’s COVID certificate: more than just a travel pass

Author: Louise Pieterse

Last update: December 16th, 2021.

Almost all European countries have introduced COVID passes as a way to limit contact between unvaccinated people, and Sweden is the latest country to follow suit.

Sweden’s EU vaccine passport has been available since July, but has until now only been required for movement between countries.

As variants of concern like Delta and Omicron become a more frequent occurrence, Sweden’s government has made the call to use vaccine passports under a select few circumstances.

How to get the Swedish COVID certificate

Having the Swedish vaccine pass ensures that you can travel the EU with limited COVID restrictions such as quarantine and testing.

The eHealth Agency in Sweden is responsible for the issuing of this certificate and their representative, Annemieke Ålenius, explains that it is important to understand the various methods of acquisition.

“To register in the vaccine registry, you either need to have a Swedish personnummer or a coordination number [samordningsnummer]”, said Ålenius.

Using a valid ID, Swedish citizens can log into the service and request their Swedish COVID pass at covidbevis.se.

The certificate can be presented either digitally or as a paper certificate. It can be delivered to a registered address for those who are unable to log onto the health services portal.

COVID certificate regulations in Sweden

Sweden has only introduced a few vaccine certificate regulations, much less than other countries in Europe where almost all movement is limited if a person is not vaccinated.

Sweden’s culture minister, Amanda Lind, explained that Sweden’s COVID passports won’t become a primary solution as in the rest of Europe.

“Being able to use vaccination certificates is something the government has been preparing for a long time. You have previously heard me talk about vaccination certificates as a “plan B”. Now that situation is here,” she said.

Establishments are not required to check Sweden’s vaccine passports but are exempt from stricter COVID restrictions since December.

This applies to theatres, concerts, cinemas, nightclubs, sports events, dance performances, funfairs, and amusement parks, markets, conferences, demonstrations, and religious services.

Those who have been vaccinated abroad and foreigners residing in the country are still not able to get the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Sweden.

A technical solution has been found but the government is reportedly still ironing out legal issues.

COVID-19 restrictions in Sweden

Sweden has introduced stricter COVID regulations since December as the arrival of winter brought about a rise in COVID cases.

Vaccine passports in Sweden can be used at indoor events with more than 100 people if the organizer wished to forego certain regulations.

If vaccine certificates are not required, all participants must have a designated seat.

Company cannot be more than 8 people and groups must be able to keep a distance of 1m from each other.

Sweden is just observing safe COVID practices and mask-wearing is only required on crowded public transport.

Travel regulations in Sweden: can I travel to Sweden with my local COVID certificate?

Sweden accepts all local vaccine certificates that are compatible with the EU Digital COVID Certificate platform.

Most recently this list has grown to include countries like New Zealand, Georgia, the UAE, and Singapore.

Ukraine and Singapore have both been removed from the EU’s “safe list” and Sweden has subsequently banned entry for unvaccinated travelers from those countries. Entry restrictions for people from Indonesia have been lifted.

Previously, travelers from the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland did not have to show any COVID certificate and could enter Sweden unrestricted. As of today, this is no longer the case: travelers from Nordic countries must show a COVID pass to cross Sweden’s border.

Travel to Sweden is allowed for vaccinated people from the following countries:

If a traveler has been to South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, or Eswatini (Swaziland) on the last 7 days they must self-isolate and take a PCR test before ending their quarantine.

Current COVID health situation in Sweden

Sweden was one of the few countries worldwide to not place their citizens under severe lockdowns, in the hope of reaching herd immunity.

Cases reached a peak of 11,376 new infections per day in December 2020. After a slight decline at the beginning of the year, a second wave hit its peak in April but has since declined rapidly.

By the middle of December 2021, less than 4,000 new cases per day have been logged.

The vaccine rollout in Sweden coincided with the sharp decline in cases and since April the inoculation rate has grown exponentially. More than 16,600,00 doses have been administered and over 70% of the Swedish population is fully vaccinated.