Companies in Sweden are registered with Bolagsverket (the Swedish Companies Registration Office), a state agency based in Sundsvall. Bolagsverket keeps the company, partnership, association and branch registers, the register of beneficial owners, the business-mortgage register and the official gazette, and it is the body that gives a Swedish limited company its legal personality and its organisationsnummer (organisation number). Registry data on more than a million Swedish companies and associations is searchable through the agency’s Sök företagsinformation (Search company information) service.

The company registry in Sweden

Bolagsverket does not keep one single list but a family of registers, each governed by its own statute. Limited companies are entered in the aktiebolagsregistret (register of limited companies) under the aktiebolagslagen (Companies Act); sole traders, trading partnerships and limited partnerships are entered in the handelsregistret (trade register); economic and tenant-owner associations are entered in the föreningsregistret (register of associations); and branches of foreign undertakings are entered in the filialregistret (branch register). Alongside these sit the registret över verkliga huvudmän (register of beneficial owners), the företagsinteckningsregistret (business mortgage register), the insolvency registers from which a konkursfrihetsbevis (certificate of no bankruptcy) is issued, and Post- och Inrikes Tidningar (PoIT, the Official Swedish Gazette), in which statutory company announcements are published.

Sweden therefore does not maintain separate institutions for companies and for sole traders — both are handled by Bolagsverket — but it does use separate registers. A limited company must be registered and becomes a legal entity only on registration. An enskild näringsidkare (sole trader), by contrast, is not a separate legal person; registration in the trade register is generally voluntary and is chiefly used to protect the business name, whose protection for a sole trader or partnership extends only to the county (län) concerned, whereas a limited company’s name is protected nationwide.

Registering a limited company follows a fixed sequence set out by Bolagsverket: drawing up the stiftelseurkund (memorandum of association) and bolagsordning (articles of association); subscription and payment for the shares; issue of the bankintyg (bank certificate); signature of the memorandum; application and payment of the fee to Bolagsverket; registration; and finally registration of beneficial ownership information. Newly registered companies and associations must file their beneficial-ownership notification within four weeks of the registration date.

Access to beneficial-ownership data is changing. Bolagsverket has announced that from 1 July 2026 the rules on access to information from the register of beneficial owners are altered as a consequence of the European Union’s new anti-money-laundering framework, with stricter conditions on obtaining data electronically and corresponding changes to the search e-service during the autumn of 2026.

Legal forms that can be registered in Sweden

  • Enskild näringsidkare / enskild näringsverksamhet (Sole trader) — a natural person trading in their own name; no separate legal personality, unlimited personal liability, no capital requirement.
  • Handelsbolag (Trading partnership) — two or more partners; a legal entity, but the partners are jointly and severally liable for its obligations without limit.
  • Kommanditbolag (Limited partnership) — a trading partnership with at least one general partner with unlimited liability and at least one limited partner liable only up to the amount contributed.
  • Enkelt bolag (Simple partnership) — two or more parties agreeing to co-operate without forming a legal entity; each party contracts in their own name.
  • Privat aktiebolag (Private limited company) — the standard company form; minimum share capital SEK 25,000 (or the equivalent in euro), at least one board member (with a deputy if the board has one or two members), a managing director optional.
  • Publikt aktiebolag (Public limited company) — may offer shares to the public; minimum share capital SEK 500,000, at least three board members with a chair, and a mandatory managing director and auditor.
  • Filial (Branch) — a registered branch of a foreign undertaking; not a separate legal person, but with its own Swedish registration and managing director.
  • Ekonomisk förening (Economic association) — the Swedish co-operative form; members participate in the association’s activity and their liability is limited to their contribution.
  • Bostadsrättsförening (Tenant-owner association) — a special economic association that owns residential property and grants tenant-ownership rights to its members.
  • Europabolag, SE (European company) — the EU public limited company form, registered in Sweden with Bolagsverket.
  • Europeisk ekonomisk intressegruppering, EEIG (European economic interest grouping) — cross-border co-operation vehicle for the activity of its members, who are liable without limit.
  • Europeisk gruppering för territoriellt samarbete, EGTS (European grouping of territorial co-operation) — a body for cross-border co-operation between public authorities.
  • Banker och försäkrings- och tjänstepensionsföretag (Banks, insurance and occupational pension undertakings) — regulated undertakings registered by Bolagsverket and authorised separately by Finansinspektionen.

Non-profit associations (ideell förening) and foundations (stiftelse) fall outside this list: foundations are registered and supervised by the county administrative boards, and a non-profit association acquires legal personality through its own statutes rather than through registration in the business register.

Information available from the Swedish registry

The Sök företagsinformation service — the successor of the Näringslivsregistret interface — shows the latest information on over a million Swedish companies and associations. Basic information and statistics are free of charge; documents and certificates are purchased separately and delivered digitally. A parallel service shows information on individuals, including their registered positions, and issues extracts from the insolvency register.

For a limited company the register will normally show the registered name and any secondary names, the organisation number, the legal form, the date of registration, the registered office (säte) and address, the corporate object as stated in the articles of association, the share capital and number of shares, the accounting currency (SEK or EUR), the members of the board, the deputy members, the managing director, the signatory rights (firmateckning), the auditor where one is appointed, the financial year, and the status of the company — active, in liquidation, in bankruptcy or struck off. Ongoing cases and the arrival of an annual report can be followed through the same service.

Financial statements are public. A limited company must file its årsredovisning (annual report) with Bolagsverket within seven months of the end of its financial year — the obligation applying also to dormant companies and companies in liquidation — and late filing attracts statutory penalty fees. Annual reports may be filed digitally. Certain large companies and branches must in addition file a public income-tax report.

Beneficial ownership is the one clearly restricted layer. The registret över verkliga huvudmän can only be searched after logging in with an electronic identification such as Mobilt BankID, and the searcher must state the purpose for which the personal data will be used; results are available only for entities that have actually filed a notification. From 1 July 2026 these access rules become stricter still under the EU’s new anti-money-laundering rules.

Documents that can be obtained from the registry

  • Registreringsbevis (Certificate of registration) — the standard proof of a company’s existence and current registered particulars: name, organisation number, registered office, board, signatory rights and corporate object. Used for banking, tenders and cross-border transactions.
  • Bolagsordning (Articles of association) — the registered constitution of a limited company, including the corporate object, share-capital limits and any transfer restrictions.
  • Stadgar (Statutes of an association) — the equivalent registered constitutional document for an economic or tenant-owner association.
  • Årsredovisning (Annual report) — the filed financial statements for a given financial year, with the auditor’s report and, where required, the cash-flow statement.
  • Stiftelseurkund (Memorandum of association) — the founding document of a limited company, showing the founders and the terms of subscription.
  • Bestyrkta kopior, avskrifter och utdrag (Certified copies, transcripts and extracts) — certified reproductions of documents held on the company file, for use where an original cannot be produced.
  • Konkursfrihetsbevis (Certificate of no bankruptcy) — an extract from the insolvency register confirming that a person or company is not subject to bankruptcy proceedings; often required in tenders and for professional licences.
  • Företagsinteckningsbrev (Business mortgage certificate) — evidence of a floating charge registered over a business, used as security for credit.
  • Kungörelser i Post- och Inrikes Tidningar (Announcements in the Official Swedish Gazette) — the officially published notices, such as mergers, reductions of share capital and calls on creditors, which are free to consult.
  • Utdrag ur registret över verkliga huvudmän (Extract from the beneficial ownership register) — the recorded beneficial owners of an entity, obtainable only through the identified and purpose-limited search service.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official business register in Sweden?

Bolagsverket, the Swedish Companies Registration Office. It keeps the register of limited companies, the trade register, the register of associations, the branch register, the beneficial ownership register and the Official Swedish Gazette.

How much share capital does a Swedish company need?

SEK 25,000 for a private limited company and SEK 500,000 for a public limited company, or the equivalent in euro. Sole traders and partnerships have no capital requirement.

Do sole traders have to register in Sweden?

Registration in the trade register is generally voluntary for a sole trader and is used mainly to secure the business name, whose protection extends to the county in which the business is registered. Registration with the Swedish Tax Agency for tax purposes is a separate matter.

Are Swedish company accounts public?

Yes. Limited companies must file an annual report with Bolagsverket within seven months of their financial year end, including dormant companies and companies in liquidation, and the filed reports can be ordered from the registry.

Can anyone look up the beneficial owners of a Swedish company?

Only through an identified search. The user must log in with an electronic identification and state the purpose for which the personal data will be used, and from 1 July 2026 access rules tighten further under the EU’s new anti-money-laundering framework.

How long does a foreign company have to register a branch?

A foreign undertaking that wishes to trade in Sweden through a permanent establishment registers a filial with Bolagsverket; the branch receives its own Swedish registration number and must file its own annual accounts, but it remains part of the foreign legal person.

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Keywords

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