Swedish passport

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 members in case a Swedish consular is absent, if needed. For travel into and staying in countries that have implemented the Schengen Agreement, a passport is not required if one has a Swedish national identity card.

The passports are issued by the Swedish Police and applications are filed at police stations which have a passport office. Passports issued since October 1, 2005 are of a biometric variety, and valid for five years.cite web|title=Fakta om nya passet|publisher=Swedish Police Service|url=http://www.polisen.se/inter/nodeid=33373&pageversion=1.jsp|accessdate=2007-08-19] Earlier passports are valid for ten years (adults) or five years (children). The blue cover passports issued up until 1998 are not valid as identity documents in Sweden due to insufficient security features which resulted in widespread forgery.Fact|date=November 2007

Physical appearance and data contained

The Swedish passports issued since October 1, 2005 are burgundy, with the words _sv. "EUROPEISKA UNIONEN" (English: "EUROPEAN UNION"), _sv. "SVERIGE" (English: "SWEDEN") and _sv. "PASS" (English: "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 bellow the coat of arms and uses the standard European Union design.

Identity information page

The Swedish Passport includes the following data:

* Photo of Passport Holder
* Type (P)
* Code (SWE)
* Passport No.
* 1 Surname
* 2 Given Names
* 3 Nationality
* 3a. Height
* 4 Date of Birth
* 4a. Personal Id. No.
* 5 Sex
* 6 Place of Birth
* 7 Authority
* 8 Date of Issue
* 9 Date of Expiry
* 10 Holder's Signature

The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.

Biometric data

The biometric passports contain an RFID chip containing the passport's printed data in a digital format along with the photograph in a JPEG format along with a digital key to verify the that the data contained is authentic and hasn't been tampered with. The data in the chip can only be accessed after using the printed codes on the lower part of the passport's person page.cite web|title=Datachippet|publisher=Swedish Police Service|url=http://www.polisen.se/inter/nodeid=33375&pageversion=1.jsp|accessdate=2007-08-19] The European Union requires fingerprint data to be stored on the member state's passports at latest in June 2009. As of 2007 it hasn't been decided yet when to implement this in Swedish passports.cite web|title=Frågor om nya passet|publisher=Swedish Police Service|url=http://www.polisen.se/inter/nodeid=33377&pageversion=1.jsp|accessdate=2007-08-19]

Languages

The data page/information page is printed in Swedish, English and French. The page containing the guide to check the security features of the data page is printed only in English.

Visa-free and Visa-on-arrival Travel

According to a study done by Henley & Partners, Sweden has a Henley Visa Restrictions Index of 129, which means that Swedish citizens enjoy visa-free access to 129 countries and territories for short-term tourism visits. Sweden is ranked 2nd in the study in terms of international travel freedom, sharing the same place with Ireland and Germany. [http://www.henleyglobal.com/visa_restrictions.htm]

It is estimated that 190 countries and territories granted visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Swedish citizen passport holders of which 154 countries and territories are visa free accessible. (visa on arrival for free counted) [http://www.klm.com/travel/hk_en/travel_information/travel_planning/travel_clinic/visaform.htm] Visa issued prior to arrival or pre-arrangement required for countries or territories not mentioned below.

Where visa-free access is permitted, such access is not necessarily a right, and admission may technically be at the discretion of border enforcement officers. Visitors engaging in activities other than tourism, including unpaid work, may require a visa or work permit.

Africa

Europe

Oceania

References