1. law, govt and politics
2. immigration

Introducing Swedish Customs
Photo: Kristian Berlin
Working at Swedish Customs
Swedish Customs’ unique competence lies in its
knowledge of the flow of goods and traffic to and
from abroad. Its aim is to avoid any u­ nnecessary
disruptions to the legal movement of goods
across borders. The authority’s resources should
­instead concentrate on checking what needs to be
checked. Our job is to ”disrupt those who should
be disrupted”.
Customs Officers in Managing the Trade inform and train companies in customs information,
clear and check goods when passing borders, and
carry out retroactive checks on Customs declarations to ensure compliance with import regulations and payment of the correct duties.
Customs officers in Law Enforcement have
the power to stop, search, interrogate, investigate
and make searches of premises. They also have
p­ owers to intervene in cases of drink d­ riving
­crimes and to carry out breathalyser tests in
­connection with customs-related contacts with
drivers of motor vehicles.
Even though Customs must prioritise their
control measures, the whole flow of goods must
be monitored. This requires that Customs have an
overview of the movement of goods. The overall
picture, from which we prioritise certain c­ ontrols,
is based on information from our analytical
operations and from other supervisory authorities.
Customs officers in our analysis and intelligence
function work to ensure good analytical methods
regarding the risk assessment that lies behind our
checks, whether they are made for reasons of duty
collection errors or for restricted goods in the
fields of health, environment and safety.
Photo: Anders Dahlberg
Swedish Customs’ mandate
Swedish Customs has a mandate from the ­Swedish
Parliament and Government to c­ ollect customs
duties, VAT and other c­ harges. We m
­ onitor and
control traffic to and from other countries to
ensure compliance with the r­ egulations governing the import and export of goods. In doing so,
we contribute to the financing of the public sector
and a well-functioning society. The mandate also
includes facilitating trade with countries outside
the EU for Swedish c­ ompanies and citizens and
making it more difficult for c­ riminals to smuggle
illegal goods into the­country.
We simplify what is legal and prevent what is
illegal.
Quick facts
Director General
Deputy Director General
• About 2,100 employees.
• Our core activities are divided into
two processes: Managing the Trade
and Law Enforcement.
• We operate throughout the
country, but are concentrated
at border locations with large
flows of goods; in particular,
Stockholm, Göteborg
and Malmö.
Internal Audit
Law Enforcement
CoE North
CoE Stockholm
CoE Göteborg
CoE Malmö
CoE
Intelligence
Executive Office
Managing the Trade
Supportive Functions
CoE Authorisations &
Certification
Administration dept.
CoE Audit &
Follow up
Human Resources
CoE Customs
Clearance
IT department
Communication & PR
Legal department
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Photo: Mostphotos/Anders Dahlberg
An efficient and modern authority
Every day, hundreds of thousands of people
and goods pass across Swedish borders. Sweden
exports almost two-thirds of its total industrial
production. Every day, companies and private
­individuals import products that we feel are
­necessary for our daily lives.
Regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur and import a container with home electronics, or if you are a traveller and buy a camera
on your holiday abroad, you may have to pay
customs duty, tax and other charges. It is the task
of Swedish Customs to ensure that these charges
are paid. It is our duty to carry out our mandate in
an efficient, legally correct and secure manner.
We can help you with information about the
rules that apply when you shop in or trade with
countries outside the EU. By helping you to do
things correctly from the start, we simplify the
flow of goods. We have enabled electronic information exchange with companies in conjunction
with import and export, and we have developed
an automatic clearance system. We must be available to provide information and service, which
must be easy to access and easy to understand.
You can contact us via www.tullverket.se, by
e-mail or by telephone. We are located where we
are needed and can provide the greatest benefit.
However, the large flow of legal goods is
also used for smuggling illegal goods, which can
harm us and make our society unsafe. Swedish
Customs not only has a duty to prevent narcotics
from crossing Swedish borders, but also weapons,
dangerous chemicals, infected animals and plants,
and pirated goods.
Sweden is part of a customs union together
with the other EU countries. Within the union,
duties and other trade barriers have been removed
and common duties introduced for those countries
that are not part of the union. In principle, this
means that you should only pay duty and other
charges for goods bought in or from countries
outside the EU. Exceptions are regulated in
special agreements. The EU can enter into trade
agreements with countries outside the union, and
introduce penal duties against price dumping and
central government support.
L K O H O L I N T E R N E T H A N D E L K L A S S I F I C E R I N G K A T T K
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in doing the right things and doing them
M E D E L F Ö R T U L L A R E S A N D E B E S T Ä M M E L S E R I M P O R T
in the right way.
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P E N D E K L A R A T I O N T A R I C F Ö R A N M Ä L A N G R Ä N S S K Y D
Photo: Kristian Berlin
Simplifying what is legal and preventing what is illegal
Swedish Customs’ preventative work in
the trade of goods consists of information and
­training, for example via www.tullverket.se,
­courses tailored to companies, or p­ articipation
in trade fairs. We issue permits and inform
­companies about the various types of permits
needed for customs management. We also
­provide information to private individuals about
­import regulations relating to travel and Internet
­purchases.
In conjunction with border passage, we clear
goods and carry out goods checks. We can also
examine customs declarations retroactively and
carry out customs audits in order to check that the
correct amounts have been paid and that regulations governing import and export of goods have
been complied with. We also carry out random
excise duty checks to ensure that excise duty
has been paid on alcohol, tobacco and energy
­products transported inside the country.
We work to simplify legal trade and reduce
the administrative burden on businesses. The
simplification work includes developing tailored
information and services, and working towards
effective legislation in the customs area.
Our law enforcement work involves monitoring and controlling traffic to and from other
countries so that regulations governing the import
and export of goods are complied with. In conjunction with this, we work to prevent, discover,
obstruct, investigate and prosecute customsrelated crime. The work focuses on disabling or
seriously disrupting organised crime and fighting
economic crime. Combating narcotics has the
highest priority.
Border protection officers, customs investigators and customs prosecutors work together
in order to combat criminal activities. Suspected
smuggling crimes are investigated by specially
trained customs officers, who ensure that prosecutors and courts have sufficient documentation for a
legally correct assessment of the issue of guilt. The
investigations are led by a public prosecutor or, in
simpler cases, by Swedish Customs’ own preliminary investigation managers or customs prosecutors, who can also decide on fine-based sanctions.
K R E D I T T I L L S T Å N D I N F Ö R S E L T U L L N Y T T S K J U T V A P E
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ordinated approach, and to strengthen
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operations.
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Photo: Katarina Brodin
More efficient methods give better results
To achieve the objectives set up by the
Swedish Parliament and Government for
­Swedish Customs, we need to constantly d­ evelop
our ­working methods. We are increasingly
­concentrating on intelligence, risk analysis and
prevention to become even better at making the
right choices with our controls, thus avoiding
­unnecessary interference with the flow of goods.
of information and goods, it is able to obtain
benefits that are not available to non-certified
companies. Within the EU, there are several other
common systems that streamline procedures and
make customs management safer, such as the
pre-notification of import and export goods and
EORI, a system with identification numbers for
all customs players within the EU.
Swedish Customs’ operation and
­competence are an important link in the chain
of foreign trade. Trade with other countries is
a crucial factor for the Swedish economy and
­employment. That is why Swedish Customs’
work to facilitate companies’ foreign trade is so
important.
We are constantly working to improve
working methods and practices in order to
­achieve good results, at the same time as we
use our ­resources cost-effectively. Within Law
­Enforcement, we use various technical aids such
as X-ray and fibre optics, and in our work with
narcotics detector dogs we are constantly trying to
develop new, efficient ways of working.
Within the EU there is a common certification
programme called AEO (Authorised Economic
Operator). All the Member States use the same
certification programme to ensure increased
security in the world, as well as effective and
uniform customs management within the EU.
When Swedish Customs has certified a company
and approved a high level of quality in their flow
On a more long-term level, we have
­developed a set of goals that describe the d­ esired
state of our operations in 2020. This desired
state forms the framework for how we plan and
develop our operations strategically. The focus is
on internal efficiency, but the desired state also
include prioritisations for operational activities.
E N D E K L A R A T I O N T A R I C F Ö R A N M Ä L A N G R Ä N S S K Y D D I
A R E R A V A R U U N D E R S Ö K N I N G K R E D I T T I L L S T Å N D U P
A R A N D E T U L L R Ä K N I N G V A P E N E X P O R T D E K L A R A T I O
D T U L L T U L L R E V I S I O N L Ä K E M E D E L U P P B Ö R D R E S A N D
R U F L Ö D E N A R K O T I K A S Ö K H U N D K V A L I T E T S R E V I S I O
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R I M P O R T D E K L A R A T I O N I N F Ö R S E L V A R U M Ä R K E S I N
A N D T U L L M U S E E T R E S A N D E B E S T Ä M M E L S E R N O R M A
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in
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E O I N F Ö R S E L G R Ä N S S K Y D D from
T U L L T U L L R E V I S I O N L Ä K
threats to health, safety and the environment.
D E L K O N T R O L L V A R U F L Ö D E N A R K O T I K A S Ö K H U N D K V
Examples of goods that fall into these categories
K O H O L I N T E R N E T H A N D E L K L A S S I F I C E R I N G K A T T K R
are drugs, child pornography, environmentally hazardous
A R E S A N D E B E S T Ä M M E L S E R I M P O R T D E K L A R A T I O N I
waste, weapons, protected animals and plants, and war materials.
N G H U N D T R E D J E L A N D T U L L M U S E E T R E S A N D E B E S T Ä
U L L N Y T T S K J U T V A P E N D E K L A R A T I O N T A R I C F Ö R A N M
D E K L A R E R A V A R U U N D E R S Ö K N I N G E T T T U L L V E R K U P
O R M A L F Ö R F A R A N D E T U L L R Ä K N I N G V A P E N E X P O R T D
N M Ä L A N I N F Ö R S E L G R Ä N S S K Y D D T U L L T U L L R E V I S I O
D L Ä K E M E D E L K O N T R O L L V A R U F L Ö D E N A R K O T I K A S Ö
R A T I O N A L K O H O L I N T E R N E T H A N D E L K L A S S I F I C E R I N
E M E D E L F Ö R T U L L A R E S A N D E B E S T Ä M M E L S E R I M P O R
Together we are stronger
Cooperation is a crucial success factor in
­Swedish Customs’ work to simplify what is
legal and prevent what is illegal. This applies
to c­ ooperation with companies and other p­ ublic
agencies in Sweden and within the EU, but
also globally as a member of the WCO (World
­Customs Organisation) for example.
On a national level, Swedish Customs
­cooperates with the Swedish Board of
­Agriculture, the Swedish Tax Agency, the
­National Food Administration, the National
Board of Trade and chambers of commerce,
among ­others. As a border agency, Swedish
Customs checks the correctness of d­ ocumentation
that other public agencies require to be correct
when crossing borders, such as when someone
brings a dog into Sweden, or when a company
imports foodstuffs. We also cooperate with
trading companies, shipping agents, customs
agents, carriers and others working with trade in
countries outside the EU. Swedish Customs also
participates in committees and working groups
dealing with trade and customs issues in the EU
Commission.
Swedish Customs cooperates with other
law enforcement agencies such as the Police, the
Swedish Prosecution Authority and the Swedish
Tax Agency. Cooperation takes place on both
operational and strategic levels. The number of
complicated investigations is increasing, which
also places demands on rapid and efficient
­contacts with foreign customs authorities.
International cooperation partners include
Europol and OLAF (The European Anti-Fraud
­Office) and through the Nordic Police and
­Customs Cooperation, Swedish Customs has
direct contact with Nordic personnel around the
world. The Swedish law enforcement agencies
continuously take part in international operational
efforts against organised crime.
Within the framework for Combating Customs
Crime, MoU, Swedish Customs signs agreements
with companies to prevent customs crime. We
inform companies about how to avoid being used
by criminal operators, such as smugglers. The
companies become better at noticing risks and can
give us tip-offs about suspicious activities.
Sweden and helps make society safer and ensures fair competition for trade. We simplify l­egal
trade and prevent illegal trade by offering flexible customs procedures for i­nternational trade,
simple border passage for travellers and effective border protection. Our mandate is from the
Swedish Parliament and Government. Swedish Customs was founded in 1636.
P. O. Box 12854, SE-112 98 Stockholm
Telephone: +46 771 520 520
www.tullverket.se
Beställning: ISY Distributionsservice, 035-19 75 00 • Tv 101.6 • Oktober 2015 • Tryck: DanagårdLiTHO • Papper: Scandia 2000 Smooth White, 170g
Swedish Customs is a government authority that manages the flow of goods into and out of