🇸🇪 Business register in Sweden

Overview

Sweden operates a constitutionally open business information system, with the Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket) at the center.

Almost every legal person active in Sweden has some form of public footprint, whether through Bolagsverket (companies, partnerships, economic associations), the tax office Skatteverket (sole traders, non-profits, foundations), or the statistical business register SCB. The guiding principle of offentlighetsprincipen, freedom of access to official documents, means that most filings are public (but not free to access). UBO information is restricted in line with EU data-protection rulings.

The Swedish environment is characterized by:

• Publicity: filings at Bolagsverket are considered public knowledge once registered and gazetted in PoIT.
• Digitalisation: filings, extracts, and APIs are available online, with weekly refreshed open datasets.
• Diversity of registers: different legal forms fall under different authorities, notably foundations and non-profits.

For KYB and AML professionals, Sweden offers rich and reliable company intelligence, though more limited regarding sole traders and associations.

Official Registers

Bolagsverket (Swedish Companies Registration Office)

Bolagsverket is the statutory registrar of companies, partnerships, economic associations, and branches of foreign companies. It publishes the mandatory legal notices in the Post- och Inrikes Tidningar (PoIT), the official gazette that is freely searchable online.

The register provides a wide scope of information, including legal name, organisation number, seat, board members, signatories, articles of association, annual reports, mortgages and liens, insolvency filings, and changes.

Access to the online search is free; official documents such as certified extracts and annual reports are available for a fee. Bulk “high-value datasets” –the EU-mandated subset of company information that all Member States are supposed to publish– are free and updated weekly.

Various APIs provide structured access to information, though not to documents at this stage; the Bolagsverket API is supposed to be updated in the summer of 2026 to cover documents as well as data.

Beneficial Ownership Register

Registret över verkliga huvudmän is the repository of declared beneficial owners, i.e. the natural persons owning/controlling companies and associations. It is maintained and published by Bolasgverket.

Most entities must file within 4 weeks of incorporation or change. Exemptions include publicly listed companies, non-profits without UBOs, and sole traders.

Online access to the register is gated; users must authenticate (e.g. via BankID) and declare purpose of use.

Skatteverket

The Swedish Tax Agency issues organisation numbers to legal entities (foundations, non-profits, businesses); registers VAT, F-tax approval, and employer status.

Every entity conducting taxable activity, including sole traders and associations, must register.

Organisation number and tax-status data are widely used but deeper tax records are not public.

County Administrative Boards

The Länsstyrelser are in charge of registration and supervision of foundations (stiftelser). They hold the foundations' charters and annual accounts, accessible upon request.

Registration and publication requirements

Obligations for businesses

Share companies both public and private (Aktiebolag – AB), Partnerships (Handelsbolag – HB, Kommanditbolag – KB), branches of foreign companies, and economic associations are all mandated to register with Bolagsverket. Reports and change notices are public and available online.

All these legal forms have to file annual accounts within 7 months after financial year end, even if dormant. The exception is with partnerships that only involve natural persons and are under a revenue size threshold. Filed accounts are public.

As regards UBO, a declaration must be filed within 4 weeks of incorporation or update (even if no UBOs are identifiable).

Obligations for sole traders (enskild näringsidkare)

Registration of sole traders is not required with Bolagsverket, unless a protected trade name is desired, for procurement or regulatory purposes. However all legal entites must always register with Skatteverket for taxes (F-tax, VAT, employer status).

Bookkeeping is required, but no Bolagsverket filing of Annual accounts.

UBO requirements are not applicable as they are natural persons.

Non-profit associations (ideella föreningar)

Not for profit association acquire legal personality by adopting statutes and electing a board. They usually obtain an organisation number from Skatteverket. Registration with Bolagsverket is optional and mainly for name protection if conducting business.

Obligations to file Annual accounts depend on size and activities; if the association is registered with Bolagsverket, filings become public.

Associations must notify if a beneficial owner exists (if no UBO they are exempt).

With Topograph

Available Data

Company profile

• Legal name, organisation number, legal form, registered seat
• Date of incorporation and registration status
• Board members, signatories, and managing directors
• Articles of association and amendments

Directors and legal representatives

• Names, roles, appointment/resignation data for board members and signatories

Beneficial owners

• UBO names, dates of birth, nationalities
• Access subject to legitimate interest request

Available documents

Topograph provides access to key KYB documents in Sweden.

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Topograph's API and webapp enable automated data retrieval, simple document ordering, and compliance-ready integrations.