REGULATIONS / SE
Sweden: drone rules for inspection
Sweden applies the EU drone rules through the Transport Agency, and outdoor flights need an operator ID for drones of 250 g or more or with a camera; since January 2026 flying without a required certificate is a criminal offence. BVLOS inspection uses STS-02, PDRA-G01 to G03 or SORA (version 2.5 since September 2025). Publishing inspection imagery may need a dissemination permit from Lantmäteriet, and protected objects under a photography ban are never exempt.
Checked against official sources
Fields are recorded in the language of the research notes.
| Authority | スウェーデン運輸庁 (Transportstyrelsen)、国土測量庁 (Lantmäteriet、空撮画像の公開許可) / Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen); LFV publishes the drone map (Drönarkartan); Lantmäteriet issues dissemination permits for aerial imagery; Sjöfartsverket for seabed imagery |
| Main framework | EU Regulations 2019/947 and 2019/945, plus Swedish national rules, including the Act (2016:319) and Ordinance (2016:320) on protection of geographic information (in force 1 May 2016) and the Protection Act (skyddslagen) for protected objects. |
| Registration | An operator ID is required for outdoor flights if the drone weighs 250 g or more, can transfer more than 80 J on impact, has a camera, microphone or other sensor, or is used in the Specific category; the drone should be marked and programmed with the operator ID. Fees per Transportstyrelsen: 190 SEK application and 250 SEK annual (unchanged since 1 Jan 2025). A national insurance threshold was not stated on the page read (it links to Regulation (EC) 785/2004) (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Remote ID | EU direct Remote ID rules apply (EASA). Swedish detail (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Pilot licensing | Drone pilot certificate (drönarkort) required for drones of 250 g or more; Specific and Certified categories need category-specific training and a theory test. Since 1 Jan 2026 flying without a required certificate is a criminal offence. |
| Risk categories | Open (A1/A2/A3; under 25 kg, VLOS, 120 m) / Specific (STS-01 with C5 and STS-02 with C6 by declaration with declaration and annual fees; PDRA-G01, G02, G03, S01, S02; SORA, with SORA 2.5 in effect from 30 Sep 2025 while SORA 2.0 is not yet withdrawn; LUC) / Certified. |
| BVLOS | BVLOS requires the Specific category: STS-02 declaration (C6), PDRA-G01 to G03, or a SORA-based authorisation from Transportstyrelsen (SORA 2.5 since 30 Sep 2025; applications far advanced under SORA 2.0 need not be redone). |
| Night & over people | Flying over crowds is prohibited, including with drones under 250 g. A3 (250 g-25 kg): at least 150 m horizontally from residential, industrial and recreational areas and 30 m from uninvolved people, with the 1:1 rule. National night rules (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Near structures | Check the LFV drone map before every flight; flights in control zones may need permission from the local ATC unit; restricted areas (e.g. ESR130 Malmö, published May 2026, 400-1,200 ft AMSL) need a permit application. Protected objects (skyddsobjekt) under the Protection Act, often with a photography ban marked by signs, are excluded from imagery exemptions. Dropping material, and water-spray roof/facade cleaning, are not allowed in the Open category. A national rule on distances to power or industrial facilities was not found on the pages read (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Indoor & confined | Registration duty is tied to outdoor flights; whether indoor flights are otherwise outside the rules (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Imaging & privacy | Publishing drone photos or film may require a dissemination permit (spridningstillstånd) from Lantmäteriet under the 2016 geographic-information law, which aims to protect total defence; exemptions include certain information types and areas (e.g. public places, residential plots, farmland, construction sites when ordered by the builder, open-pit mines) and nadir images of 0.5 m resolution or coarser, but not objects under a photography ban. Seabed imagery needs a permit from Sjöfartsverket. GDPR also applies (not verified against an official source, 2026-10-22). |
| Recent changes | 1 Jan 2025: registration fees set (unchanged since). 30 Sep 2025: SORA 2.5 in effect. 1 Jan 2026: flying without a required certificate becomes a criminal offence. May 2026: Malmö restricted zone ESR130 published. 27 Jul 2026: EU amendment to Regulation (EU) 2015/1018 (new Annex VI) adds occurrence-reporting requirements for unmanned aircraft under certificates or declarations. |
Sources
- DrönareFull text read
- Information om ny lag och föreskrifter (skydd för geografisk information), 2018Full text read
- LMFS 2019:3Search snippet only
Sources checked: 2026-10-22