Moving from Vietnam to Sweden (2026): Relocation Guide
Key takeaways
- Your pet sets the timetable. Vietnam is not an EU-listed third country, so a dog or cat entering Sweden needs a microchip, rabies vaccination, and a rabies antibody titration test (blood drawn at least 30 days after vaccination at an EU-approved laboratory, result at least 0.5 IU/ml), followed by a three-month wait before EU entry. Nothing else in the move takes longer, so plan the pet first.
- Swedish moving-goods relief waives duty and 25% VAT under flyttsaker rules if you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months and have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months — but not for alcohol and tobacco, and you must not sell the goods for a year after clearance.
- Residence permit before the personal number. As a Vietnamese citizen you need a residence permit from Migrationsverket (valid for at least 12 months) before you can register with Skatteverket for a personnummer, which is done in person.
- Sea freight from Cat Lai or Hai Phong to Gothenburg typically takes around 30-40 days port to port, plus packing and clearance. Air freight is faster and far dearer.
- Register in person. Swedish population registration (folkbokföring) cannot be done online; you attend a Skatteverket office with your residence permit.
- Your Vietnamese driving licence cannot be exchanged — Sweden exchanges only a very short list of non-EU licences, and Vietnam is not on it, so you must take the Swedish tests.
1. Leaving Vietnam: what to close out
A move from Vietnam to Sweden crosses from a non-EU country into the EU, so both governments treat it as a formal export and import. On the Vietnamese side, start early on two things that run on their own timelines: your immigration status and your pet’s paperwork.
Immigration and your residence card. If you hold a Temporary Residence Card (TRC), you may need to cancel it before a permanent departure. The Immigration Department (Cục Quản lý xuất nhập cảnh) applies a rule in some provinces (Hanoi and Dong Nai among them) requiring TRC holders to cancel the card before permanently leaving and then apply for a separate exit visa, during which your passport may be held for around seven business days. Start the cancellation at least three to four weeks before departure. If you hold a long-term visa, or a card issued elsewhere, confirm the process with the issuing office.
Customs export of your belongings. Your household goods leave Vietnam as an export shipment. Your international mover files the export declaration with Vietnam Customs (Tổng cục Hải quan), prepares the packing inventory and books the vessel. Keep copies of your passport, visa or TRC, and a valued inventory — Swedish Customs will want the inventory again to grant relief.
Pet export certificate. Separately from the EU entry rules in section 5, Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health (Cục Thú y, DAH) must endorse the export/health documentation for your dog or cat. The EU animal health certificate used to enter Sweden must be officially endorsed by the DAH shortly before travel, so plan a DAH-authorised vet visit in your final week.
2. How your household goods ship to Sweden
Nearly all moves from Vietnam to Sweden travel by sea container. The main loading ports are Cat Lai in Ho Chi Minh City (best for the south) and Hai Phong in the north (best for Hanoi and the surrounding region), with Da Nang serving central Vietnam. The usual destination is Gothenburg (Göteborg), Sweden’s largest port and the standard Scandinavian gateway, from which your goods are trucked to Stockholm, Malmö or wherever you are settling.
Transit time. Ocean transit between Vietnam and Northern Europe typically runs 25-35 days port to port; because most services from Cat Lai or Hai Phong transship at a hub such as Singapore, Port Klang or Tanjung Pelepas — and Scandinavian ports often involve a further feeder leg from a North Sea hub — plan for roughly 30-40 days on the water, or a little more. With packing, export clearance and Swedish customs added, a realistic door-to-door window is eight to twelve weeks.
Container, groupage or air. A 20-foot container suits a one- to two-bedroom home; a 40-foot container suits a larger family. For a partial load, groupage (LCL) shares a container with other shipments — cheaper, but slower and less predictable. If you need essentials quickly, air freight from Tan Son Nhat or Noi Bai reaches Stockholm Arlanda or Gothenburg in days, at several times the per-kilo cost of sea, so most people fly only the must-haves and ship the rest.
3. Sweden customs & transfer-of-residence relief
Goods arriving in Sweden from outside the EU normally attract import duty and 25% VAT (moms). People genuinely moving to Sweden can bring their personal effects (flyttsaker) in free of both under Swedish Customs’ moving-goods relief, administered by Tullverket.
The core conditions. You must have had your normal residence outside the EU for a continuous period of at least one year (12 months), and you must have owned the items for at least 6 months and used them in your home outside the EU. You declare the goods to Tullverket, normally with an inventory.
What counts and what doesn’t. Flyttsaker covers the things that make up your household — furniture, household goods, curtains, bed linen, clothing and personal effects, and can include your car or other vehicle and your pet. It does not cover alcohol and tobacco, which cannot be brought in duty- and tax-free as part of your personal effects.
The one-year restriction. For the first year from the date relief is granted, you must not sell, rent out, lend, give away or pledge the items you imported duty- and tax-free. If you do, duty and VAT can become payable.
Documents you will typically need: your passport; proof you lived in Vietnam for at least a year (residence card, tenancy contract, employer letter); proof you are settling in Sweden (residence permit, employment contract, rental agreement); and a detailed inventory. Your mover normally handles the Tullverket declaration on your behalf.
4. Arriving: registration, residence, driving, healthcare
Residence permit first (Migrationsverket). As a Vietnamese citizen (a third-country national) you must have a residence permit from the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) before entering to live in Sweden — most commonly a work permit tied to a specific job. Crucially, for population registration the permit generally has to be valid for at least 12 months; a shorter permit may only get you a coordination number (samordningsnummer) rather than a full personal number.
Personnummer (Skatteverket). Sweden’s civic life runs on the personal identity number (personnummer), issued when you are entered in the population register (folkbokföring) at the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). You must register in person at a Skatteverket office — it cannot be done online — showing a valid Swedish residence permit (at least 12 months). With a personnummer you can open a bank account with full functionality, access healthcare, and deal with employers and authorities.
Healthcare. Once you are registered as living in Sweden, you are generally covered by the public healthcare system run by your region; you pay modest patient fees per visit. Your personnummer is the key that connects you to it, so registration comes first.
Driving. Sweden recognises for exchange only a very short list of non-EU licences (essentially Japan and Switzerland). Vietnam is not on it, so your Vietnamese licence cannot be exchanged. Once you are resident, you must obtain a Swedish licence by going through the standard process — theory test and practical driving test — via Trafikverket. Non-EU/EEA licences may be used only for a limited period after you become resident, so plan lessons and bookings early.
5. Pets
Start here first, because the timeline is biological and cannot be compressed. Vietnam is an unlisted third country for EU pet travel, which triggers the strictest route. In order, your dog or cat needs:
- Microchip — an ISO 11784/11785 compliant chip, implanted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination and recorded on every subsequent document.
- Rabies vaccination — a valid rabies shot given after the microchip.
- Rabies antibody titration test — a blood sample taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination, sent to an EU-approved laboratory, with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml.
- Three-month wait — the animal may only enter the EU three months (90 days) after the date the successful blood sample was drawn, not when results arrive. From a standing start, the full microchip-vaccinate-wait-30-days-test-wait-90-days sequence takes roughly four to five months at minimum, which is what determines your earliest possible arrival date.
- EU animal health certificate — issued and officially endorsed by Vietnam’s Department of Animal Health, with a signed owner’s declaration of non-commercial movement, shortly before travel. It is valid only for a limited window, so it is arranged last.
Point of entry. Pets from unlisted countries must enter the EU through a designated Traveller’s Point of Entry (TPOE) for documentary and identity checks — Stockholm Arlanda is Sweden’s, or you might route through a hub such as Amsterdam Schiphol or Copenhagen and continue onward. Confirm your itinerary lands at a TPOE. Because of the titre timeline, many families fly the pet separately from the household shipment via a specialist pet-relocation service, once every deadline has been met.
6. Money, banking & tax basics
Banking. A full-service Swedish bank account generally requires your personnummer, so registration comes first. Before that, some banks offer limited accounts, and services like Swish (the ubiquitous Swedish payment app) also depend on a personnummer and a Swedish bank account — another reason to prioritise Skatteverket registration.
Tax residence. Being registered in Sweden and living there generally makes you a Swedish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income. Sweden has an “expert tax relief” scheme for certain highly qualified incoming workers — worth checking with your employer. If you have income or assets spanning Vietnam and Sweden, take advice on double taxation and on the timing of your move.
Currency. Sweden uses the krona (SEK), not the euro. Converting Vietnamese dong to krona involves exchange risk and transfer costs; compare a specialist transfer service with your bank, and keep records for large inbound transfers, which banks may query for anti-money-laundering checks.
Cost of the move. Budget for the shipping, marine insurance, destination charges at Gothenburg, any storage, the pet’s veterinary and flight costs, and the administrative side (permit, registration, driving tests). Sweden is a comparatively high-cost country, so factor first-month living costs and deposits into your plan too.
How Flyto handles your Vietnam to Sweden move
Flyto Relocation manages the entire corridor — export booking and clearance from Cat Lai or Hai Phong, the sea (or air) leg to Gothenburg, the flyttsaker declaration to Tullverket so your goods clear without duty or VAT, and final delivery to your Swedish address. Because we run our own hubs across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, your shipment stays inside one coordinated network rather than being handed between unconnected agents, and we plan the pet’s titre-test timeline alongside the freight so no deadline slips. Give us your dates, your origin city and your inventory and we will build a single plan and price. Get a quote and we will map out your Vietnam-to-Sweden move step by step.
Frequently asked questions
How early should I start the rabies titre test for my pet?
At least four to five months before arrival. The blood sample must be taken at least 30 days after the rabies vaccination and show at least 0.5 IU/ml, and the pet can only enter the EU three months after that successful blood draw. See the European Commission’s rules on bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country.
Do I pay duty and VAT on my household goods in Sweden?
Not if you qualify for flyttsaker relief: at least 12 months living outside the EU and goods owned and used for at least 6 months — but not on alcohol or tobacco, and you must not sell the goods within a year. See Tullverket — moving to Sweden.
How do I get a personnummer?
Register in person at Skatteverket with a Swedish residence permit valid for at least 12 months; it cannot be done online. See Skatteverket — non-EU/EEA citizens moving to Sweden.
How long does the sea shipment take?
Typically around 30-40 days port to port including a transshipment stop and possibly a feeder leg to Gothenburg, plus packing and customs at both ends — realistically eight to twelve weeks door to door.
Can I exchange my Vietnamese driving licence in Sweden?
No. Sweden exchanges only a very short list of non-EU licences (essentially Japan and Switzerland), and Vietnam is not included, so you must take the Swedish theory and practical tests. See Transportstyrelsen — driving licences.
Do I need to cancel my Vietnamese residence card before leaving?
If you hold a Temporary Residence Card, you may need to cancel it and obtain an exit visa before permanently leaving, which can take a week or more. Start three to four weeks ahead and confirm with the Vietnam Immigration Department.
Related moves
Sources
- European Commission (Food Safety) — Bringing a pet into the EU from a non-EU country
- European Commission — Non-commercial movement of pets from non-EU countries (legislation)
- Tullverket (Swedish Customs) — Moving to Sweden from a country outside the EU
- Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) — Citizen of a non-EU/EEA country
- Migrationsverket (Swedish Migration Agency) — Residence and work permits
- Transportstyrelsen (Swedish Transport Agency) — Driving licences
- Vietnam Immigration Department (Ministry of Public Security)
- General Department of Vietnam Customs
- Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Department of Animal Health)
Hiring an international mover? See our full International removals to Vietnam service — Flyto’s own European hubs, vetted local partners and one English-speaking coordinator, door to door.