Registration of ownership - foreign citizen or Swedish citizen who has emigrated

Special procedures for foreign citizens

What is different is that we at Lantmäteriet do not have access to personal data for foreign citizens and therefore must ask you who are a foreign citizen to always enclose a certificate that you are legally competent. This can for example be a copy of your passport or an official proof of identity or birth certificate from an authority in the country in which you live.

Nor do we have information on whether foreign citizens are married or divorced. This also applies for Swedish citizens who have emigrated.

I am a foreign citizen and have bought or received a property or site leasehold as a gift

The application must include:

• Application for registration of ownership.
• Original document of sale or deed of gift.
• Information about your date of birth showing that you are of legal age. The date of birth can be stated, for example, in the application for registration of ownership or in the document of sale or deed of gift.

Requirements for the document of sale or deed of gift:

• The property's official property designation must be included (e.g., Gävle Torp 1:1).
• It must be clearly stated that the seller/donor is transferring the property and whether it is the entire property or only a share of it being transferred (e.g., ½ if it is half).
• The purchase price must be included if it is a sale.
• The document of sale or deed of gift must be signed by both the seller and the buyer, or the donor and the recipient.
• The seller's/donor's signature must be witnessed by two persons.

I am a foreign citizen or a Swedish citizen who has emigrated and intend to sell or gift my property

When the person who bought or received your property applies for registration of title, the application must also include:

• Information about your date of birth showing that you are of legal age. The date of birth can be stated, for example, in the application for registration of ownership or in the document of sale or deed of gift.
• A document equivalent to a Swedish personal certificate from your home country showing your marital status, for example, whether you are unmarried, married, or divorced. If it is difficult to obtain such a document, it is also acceptable for someone who knows you well to certify your marital status at the time of the transfer. Note that the certificate must also cover the entire period during which you owned the property.
• Approval from your spouse, if you are married or have been married during the time you owned the property. If you are divorced, a document must be included showing that consent is not required and that the property is your separate property (such as a division of property, deed of gift, will, or other document); otherwise, approval from your former spouse is required.

I have inherited a property that was owned by a foreign citizen/Swedish citizen who had emigrated

When a foreign citizen (outside the Nordic countries) dies, there used to be a requirement to draw up a Swedish estate inventory showing current assets in Sweden. Nowadays, no Swedish estate inventory is needed if the foreign citizen has died after August 16, 2015. Instead, you can apply for a European Certificate of Succession.

The purpose of the EU's new inheritance regulation and the issuance of a certificate of succession is to facilitate citizens within the EU in connection with inheritance. The certificate of succession is valid in all EU countries, except in Ireland, and Denmark. In Sweden, the Swedish Tax Agency issues the certificate of succession for you if you need to demonstrate in another EU country that you represent an estate or are an heir. This also applies if you are a testamentary heir and may have inherited only a specific asset, such as a property.

A certificate of succession can replace an acquisition document in connection with inheritance and application for ownership.

Another novelty according to the inheritance regulation is that now, as a main rule, it is the deceased's country of habitual residence, not citizenship, that determines which country's law applies in connection with the inheritance. For example, if a German citizen residing in Sweden dies, previously German law would apply to the distribution of the inheritance. Today, because it is the law of the habitual residence country that applies, Swedish law now governs the distribution of the inheritance.

Note that if the person died before August 16, 2015, previous law applies. If the person had assets in Sweden, you need to contact the Stockholm District Court, which appoints an estate administrator who prepares a Swedish estate inventory.