Laws to know

Most laws are common sense wherever you're from, but a handful of Swedish rules are stricter, or simply different, than what's normal elsewhere — these are the ones that genuinely catch newcomers out.

• Driving under the influence: the limit is 0.2‰, effectively zero-tolerance — this also applies to e-scooters and boats.
• All recreational drugs, including cannabis, are illegal, with strict enforcement even for small amounts.
• Hitting children is a criminal offence — Sweden banned corporal punishment of children in 1979, the first country in the world to do so; norms from elsewhere are not a defence here.
• Buying sexual services is illegal (selling isn't) — the reverse of the more common model.

A few practical legal points come up often enough for newcomers that they're worth knowing in advance, even though none of them are dramatic.

• Crossing the border: alcohol/tobacco duty-free quotas apply from outside the EU — check Tullverket (Swedish Customs) before travelling with more than personal quantities.
• You're not legally required to carry ID daily, but you'll need it constantly in practice — banks, alcohol purchases, parcel pickup.
• Consumer disputes: Konsumentverket (Swedish Consumer Agency) and the free Konsument Europa service help with cross-border purchase problems.