Menu
Reservations
MILES
MILES
Login
My Menu
Support

Stockholm

on March 5th, 2024 (JST) current information.
Furthermore, the details under "Visa" and "Passport" are for Japanese nationals.
This information is likely to change suddenly, so please contact the relevant official authority (e.g., embassy) for the latest information.

Immigration and Visa

Visa

Not required for a tourism visit (up to ninety days in any 180-day period).

Passport

Your passport must be valid for at least three months from the planned date of departure from any of the member countries of the Schengen Agreement.

Schengen Agreement
As of March 2024, countries in the Schengen Area are Iceland, Italy, Estonia, Austria, Holland, Greece, Croatia, San Marino, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Vatican City State, Hungary, Finland, France, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Malta, Latvia, Lithuania, Lichtenstein, and Luxembourg. When entering from Japan or another country outside of the Schengen Area, complete immigration and customs clearance upon arriving at the first country in the area during your visit.
Visa, passport, and other information is subject to change without notice. Be sure to check with the Embassy, Consulate, or travel agency.

Quarantine

When visiting from Japan, it is prohibited to bring the following items into Sweden without the required application and permission.

a. Fruit, vegetables, plants, seeds, food, insects
b. Meat, meat products, milk, dairy products
c. Endangered animals and products made from them
d. Animals

Customs

Bringing in e-cigarettes

You can only bring e-cigarettes into Sweden for personal use and if you are 18 or older.
You can bring the equivalent of 4700 SEK duty free if you are entering the country by plane or ferry or 3300 SEK duty free if you are entering by another route. However, this does not apply to bringing in liquid for e-cigarettes that contains nicotine. The scope for tax exemption for liquid containing nicotine is up to 20 mL per person. Liquid exceeding that amount is not duty free.

Time difference and Daylight Saving Time

Time difference

Sweden uses Central European Time (CET) that has an 8-hour time difference with Japan. This means that the time is 8 hours behind the time in Japan. Daylight Saving Time is from the last Sunday of March until the last Sunday of October. During this period, the clocks go forward an hour, so there is only a 7-hour time difference. Be careful not to miss your flight or train.

Climate

Sweden is the largest of the Nordic countries. The northern part of the land, called Lappland, is in the Arctic Circle.
Forests cover 53% of the land and there are over 90,000 lakes as well as a roughly 2,700 km-long coast along the Baltic Sea. Scania County in the south is the only rich farm belt in the country.
Thanks to the Gulf Stream along the coast, the climate is quite mild despite the high latitude. It has four relatively distinct seasons.
The Lappland area north of the Arctic Circle experiences a midnight sun in the summer when the sun does not set and a polar night in winter when the sun does not rise.

High and low temperatures and monthly precipitation in Stockholm and Tokyo

Monthly average temperature and precipitation

The average maximum temperature in Tokyo and Stockholm, The average minimum temperature in Tokyo and Stockholm

month	The average maximum temperature in Tokyo	The average minimum temperature in Tokyo	The average maximum temperature in Stockholm	The average minimum temperature in Stockholm
Jan.	10℃	2℃	1℃	-1℃
Feb.	10℃	2℃	2℃	-1℃
Mar.	13℃	5℃	6℃	1℃
Apr.	18℃	10℃	8℃	1℃
May.	23℃	15℃	15℃	7℃
Jun.	25℃	18℃	18℃	13℃
Jul.	28℃	23℃	22℃	17℃
Aug.	31℃	24℃	22℃	17℃
Sep.	27℃	21℃	16℃	13℃
Oct.	23℃	15℃	10℃	7℃
Nov.	17℃	10℃	5℃	3℃
Dec.	13℃	5℃	3℃	0℃

The average precipitation in Tokyo and Stockholm

month	The average precipitation in Tokyo	The average precipitation in Stockholm
Jan.	50mm	30mm
Feb.	60mm	30mm
Mar.	110mm	50mm
Apr.	130mm	50mm
May.	130mm	20mm
Jun.	160mm	60mm
Jul.	160mm	30mm
Aug.	150mm	90mm
Sep.	210mm	90mm
Oct.	160mm	160mm
Nov.	90mm	80mm
Dec.	40mm	80mm

Currency and Exchange Rate, Tax, Currency exchange, Tip

Currency and Exchange Rate

You often see these four types of bills. All coins have a crown mark on them.

The currency is the Krona (singular). It is written as SEK.
There are six types of banknotes, for 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 SEK, and four types of coins, in 1, 2 (mostly out of circulation), 5, and 10 SEK. Cashless payment is becoming more common in Sweden and most ticketing machines for public transportation do not accept cash. Payment is mostly by credit card or a smartphone app called Swish and a growing number of shops and tourist facilities no longer accept cash. Be sure to bring a credit card when visiting Sweden.
As of March 18, 2024　1 SEK = 14.36 JPY

Tax

In Sweden, a 12 or 25% value-added tax (VAT) is applied to almost all products. Travelers living outside EU countries can receive a refund of up to 19% of VAT paid by completing a procedure for purchases of 200 SEK or more at one shop per day if the shop has a TAX FREE sign.

When shopping

At shops with a TAX FREE sign, if you spend 200 SEK or more, tell the vendor that you are a visitor and they will create a tax free form for you. You will need to show some ID and your passport number, so it is best to bring your passport with you when shopping. You cannot open purchased products for which you are requesting a tax refund until you have left Sweden or your final EU destination.

Departure

When leaving the country, if you will be traveling directly to Japan from Sweden or to a country outside the EU, you need to complete a procedure to receive the refund when leaving Sweden. The procedure is as follows.

If you are at the Arlanda International Airport in Stockholm, there is a Global Blue Counter on the Terminal 5 departure floor. Bring the tax free forms you had made for you when shopping and have them stamped. Be sure to attach the receipts for the products you purchased to the forms beforehand. If the counter is closed, get a customs stamp at the customs desk in the arrivals lobby or take the free Alfa/Beta shuttle bus to the customs building. You will be asked to present your plane ticket, passport, and the unused, unopened products you purchased, so have them ready. You must have your forms stamped within 3 months from the end of the month during which you made your purchase. For products purchased outside of the four Nordic countries, you must receive an official customs stamp and complete the procedure at the Global Blue Counter. For carry-ons, receive customs stamps after completing your departure procedure. If your forms were stamped by an agent (not an official customs stamp), attach a copy of your passport when submitting your tax free forms.
Complete the departure procedure after your forms are stamped. If you bring the tax free forms back to Japan, you can send them by special Global Blue post to receive your refund in JPY on your credit card or by cheque. Note that you can only do this procedure at Global Blue partner stores. To receive your refund at Arlanda International Airport, after having your forms stamped, complete your boarding procedure and submit the tax free forms at the tax refund counter in the transit area. You can also complete the procedure for refund to your credit card or to have a bank cheque sent to your home. The tax forms (with a customs stamp) must be submitted within a year from the date of purchase.

If you will travel to other EU countries after leaving Sweden, the procedure must be completed when leaving the last EU country to receive the tax refund, so you do not need to complete any procedures in Sweden. You can also complete the procedure for tax forms from several countries at once.
Terminal 2 is under construction until mid-2022. Times and other details may change.

Tip

A service charge is included in most prices, so tipping is not customary. You may provide a tip when receiving a special service such as having heavy baggage carried for you at a hotel.

Voltage and plug

Voltage

Voltage is 220V to 230V with a cycle of 50Hz. A transformer is needed to use electrical devices from Japan. Plugs are Type B and C which have two round pins.

Video and DVD

Sweden uses PAL, while Japan uses NTSC, so DVDs purchased in Sweden cannot be played on ordinary DVD players in Japan. The DVD region code is 2, the same as Japan, so it can be played on a computer equipped with a DVD player.

Mail

The post offices have been privatized and are run by a company called Postnord. Most are at a counter in supermarkets. When sending mail, write "Air Mail" or affix a blue sticker that reads PRIORITAIRE. When sending to Japan, postcards and letters up to 50 g cost from 36 SEK. Airmail goes in the yellow post box. The blue post box is for domestic mail only.
Stamps are sold at convenience stores like PressByrån and 7-Eleven and at gas stations and are available any time during business hours.

Phone Call

How to phone

Telephoning Japan from Sweden

When calling Tokyo (03) 1234-5678

STEP1

dial 00 (International telephone identification number)

STEP2

81 (Country Code, Japan )

STEP3

3 (Remove the first 0 for area codes)

STEP4

1234-5678(Other parties telephone number)

Telephoning Sweden from Japan

STEP1

International Telephone Company No.

001 (KDDI)
0033 (NTT Communications)
0061 (SoftBank)
005345 (au Mobile) *1
009130 (NTT DoCoMo Mobile) *2
0046 (SoftBank Mobile)*3

STEP2

010 (International Identification No.)

STEP3

46 (Country Code, Sweden)

STEP4

8 (Remove the first 0 for area codes)

STEP5

12-345678 (Other parties telephone number)

*1.au does not require 005345.
*2.Pre-registration to World Wing is required for NTT DoCoMo. Does not require 009130.
*3.Call are possible without dialing 0046 from SoftBank.

For the three cell phone carriers, hold down 0 until + appears, then add the country code and the phone number your wish to dial.

Holiday / National holiday

Please note that moveable feast dates (marked with an asterisk) may vary by city.

2024

January 1: New Year’s
January 6: Epiphany
March 29: *Good Friday
March 31: *Easter
March 1: *Easter Monday
May 1: May Day
May 9: *Ascension Day
May 19: *Whitsunday
June 6: National Holiday
June 21: *Midsummer's Eve
June 22: *Midsummer's Day
November 2: *All Saints' Day
December 24: Christmas Eve
December 25: Christmas
December 26: Boxing Day
December 31: New Year's Eve

Moveable Feast Dates

Language

Swedish. Sami and Finnish are also spoken. Most people can also speak English.

Business hours, etc

Business hours

Below is a guide for general business hours. Shops in major cities like Stockholm are often open on Sundays. Some privately-managed restaurants take a long vacation in July.

Banks

Mon. to Wed. and Fri., 10:00 to 15:00, Thu. 10:00 to 16:00 or 17:30. Closed on weekends. Some banks are open until 18:00 in Stockholm.

Post Offices

Mon. to Fri. 8:00 to 18:00. Closed on weekends.

Department stores (Stockholm)

Mon. to Fri. 10:00 to 19:00, Sat. 10:00 to 17:00, Sun. 12:00 to 17:00.

Shops

Mon. to Fri. 10:00 to 18:00, Sat. 10:00 to 14:00 or 16:00. Closed on Sundays.

Supermarkets

Mon. to Fri. 9:30 to 20:00, Sat. 9:00 to 16:00, generally closed on Sundays, but some open on Sundays in urban areas.

Age Limit

Drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco are prohibited for those under 18. Some car rental companies also require you to be at least 19 or 25 years of age.

Smoking

Tobacco is heavily taxed and is very expensive. Smoking is prohibited by law in public places and train stations and airports are completely non-smoking. Most hotels, restaurants, and bars are also non-smoking.