Swedish passport

Swedish passport
Front cover of a Swedish biometric passport
Date first issued	2 January 2012 (current version)
Issued by	Sweden
Type of document	Passport
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	Swedish citizenship
Expiration	5 years after issue
Cost	350 SEK (1400 at embassies)

Swedish passports are issued to nationals of Sweden for the purpose of international travel. Besides serving as proof of Swedish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Swedish consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Swedish consular is absent, if needed (every Swedish citizen is also a citizen of the European Union).

An ordinary Swedish passport allows for free rights of movement and residence in the EEA and Switzerland, and short-term visits without arranging a visa in advance to more than 130 other countries.

Swedish passports are issued by the Swedish Police and applications are filed at police stations equipped with a passport terminal for taking photographs and fingerprints. Passports issued since 1 October 2005 are biometric, and valid for five years. Earlier passports are valid for ten years (adults) or five years (children). The blue cover passports issued up until 1998 (and not valid after 2008) are not valid as identity documents in Sweden due to insufficient security features which resulted in widespread forgery.

It is possible for a Swedish citizen to hold two valid passports at the same time if it is needed for work or "other special reason" The validity time of an additional passport is "as long as the necessity applies", but never longer than the ordinary passport. This can be useful when travelling to states which reject a passport with an entry stamp or visa of another state in it (Israel vs several Arab states). Also it is useful when one needs to travel when the ordinary passport is handed in for a visa application.

In 2013, Swedish passports were reported to be among the most frequently sold passports on the black market. The reason cited was that there was no upper limit on the number of replacement passports being issued to the rightful holder. This prompted calls for legislation to limit the number of times replacement passports could be issued to each Swede. On April 15, 2016, a new law was enacted limiting holders to have three passports.

The Swedish passports issued since 1 October 2005 are burgundy, with the words "EUROPEISKA UNIONEN" (EUROPEAN UNION), "SVERIGE" (SWEDEN) and "PASS" (PASSPORT) inscribed at the top of the front cover, and the Swedish lesser coat of arms emblazoned on the bottom of the front cover. The Swedish passport has the standard biometric symbol emblazoned below the coat of arms and uses the standard European Union design. Diplomatic passports are dark blue, with the words "DIPLOMATPASS" (DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT) and "SVERIGE" (SWEDEN)