All inclusive trips are an incredibly convenient way to travel for those who want to enjoy the sun and swim and want to leave the managing of the trip to someone else. That’s why the trips are also very popular. But there are a couple of things that are good to know when you book an all inclusive trip.

1. You may be entitled to get the trip cheaper

Did you know that you can get the trip cheaper if changes in taxes, fees, exchange rates or fuel costs are reduced after your purchase? In the conditions of many travel companies, it’s stated that changes in the price can take place up to 20 days before departure. This way, the travel companies are able to cover any increased costs. But if the costs are lowered, you’re also entitled to a deduction of the cost. This only applies to changes due to taxes, fees, exchange rates and fuel costs.

This doesn’t apply if the travel company doesn’t state in the conditions that minor changes in the price can take place. And if the travel company increases the price by more than eight percent of the total price for the trip, you have the right to cancel the trip altogether and get a full refund.

2. If what you pay for isn’t what you get

Many trips with all inclusive include excursions, events and the like. It’s not uncommon for there to be changes in the content of the trip after you’ve paid for it. Regardless of whether there are changes on site or if the changes are on the travel route itself, you’re entitled to a price deduction if the trip ends up in a worse standard because of the changes. How much you can deduct depends on the changes. You simply receive a deduction that’s equal to the cost of the changes.

If there are changes made that leaves you with extra costs, you may be able to claim damages from the travel company. And if the changes are so great that the contents of the trip doesn’t match what you’ve paid for at all, you have the right to cancel the trip and get your money back. In such cases, there’s no standard practice to say if you’ll get your claim for cancelling approved. It’s rather assessed on a case-by-case basis. Regardless, make sure to save all your receipts.

3. Should the flight in your all inclusive trip be cancelled

Sometimes it happens that the flight in your all inclusive trip is cancelled. If this happens, you should contact the travel company and not the airline in question. The travel company is obliged to rebook you on another flight. If that doesn’t work, you have the right to cancel the trip and get a full refund.

If your flight is cancelled, you might also be entitled to compensation for the time you have lost. The EU has special rules that apply to canceled flights. If you request compensation for your canceled flight, contact the airline and not the travel company.

4. If the travel company changes the date of your all inclusive trip

If the travel company changes the dates of your trip so that the trip is shorter, you’re entitled to a deduction for the days you miss. But they can also change the dates of the trip without you being entitled to compensation. This applies if it’s stated in the travel company’s terms and conditions that minor changes in dates can take place.

If the change of travel date is of great importance to you, you might have the right to cancel the trip and get a refund. This is also assessed on a case-by-case basis and you must be able to prove that the change affects you negatively in some way. You can do this by making sure to send in receipts or other documents to prove your case.

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Once you’ve planned your trip, the last thing you want to know is that your flight has been cancelled. Make sure to have the right information and be well prepared in case the worst would happen. Then you might at least be able to get compensation for your canceled flight.

There are specific rules that apply to canceled flights within the EU. This applies to both flights that take off from an airport in the EU and flights with EU-registered airlines that land within the EU. Regardless of the reason for the cancellation and when you have received the information, you always have the right to:

• get rebooked to the next possible flight, alternatively to a flight at a later time if it suits you better.
• get a refund for the trip that has been cancelled.

When you want money back for the canceled flight

If you choose to get a refund for the flight, the airline has to refund the ticket costs within seven days. The airline cannot pay you with, for example, credit receipts or gift cards unless it’s something you choose yourself. If the cancellation means that the purpose of your trip is lost, you might be entitled to a free flight to the place where you began your trip. This applies if the reason why you wanted to travel was to take part in an event that only takes place during specific dates, for example a conference, a wedding, a funeral and the like.

If you choose to get money back from the airline, you can’t ask for more compensation from them. However, if you choose to rebook your trip, you might be entitled to compensation for any accommodation and for food and drink. If choosing to rebook your trip to the next possible flight means you have to pay for an overnight stay in a hotel, the airline is obliged to cover those costs. If the hotel is outside the airport, the airline has to pay for transportation to and from the airport.

If another airline offers a trip sooner than the airline you have chosen, you have the right to demand to be rebooked with the other airline. However, it’s important that you always contact your airline before booking another trip. Otherwise, you risk missing out on compensation.

What happens if the airline refuses to compensate for a canceled flight?

If your airline refuses you in any way, you can demand compensation afterwards. Keep in mind, however, that you might not be reimbursed for all costs. Make sure to keep any costs to a minimum to be on the safe side. This applies for both if you rebook your trip with another airline and if you need to pay for food, drinks and hotel accommodation.

If you don’t get help from your airline, you can submit a case to the Swedish National Board for Consumer Disputes afterwards. You will have to send in a description of what happened, copies of all the receipts you claim compensation for and any other documents they need to receive to assess your case. The National Board for Consumer Disputes will then assesses whether you’re entitled and what you’re entitled to.

The website Hallå konsument has a handy flight calculator where you can quickly find out what you’re entitled to.

If the airline refers to force majeure

Force majeure is a common clause in all contracts. It means that the agreement doesn’t apply in extreme circumstances that are beyond human control. Examples of such circumstances are if a country becomes politically unstable in a short time, if a natural disaster or extreme weather conditions occur, if a strike breaks out and the like. In such circumstances, the airline doesn’t have to reimburse you. Technical faults on the aircraft aren’t a basis for force majeure.

When an airline refers to force majeure, they have to first show that they have tried to get the flight going as usual. Otherwise, the airline will primarily decide whether the canceled flight is due to force majeure or something else.

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If you buy tobacco and other products containing nicotine in a country within the EU for your own use, you don’t have to pay any extra fees. However, if you shop from a country outside the EU, there’s a limit to how much you can bring into Sweden without paying duty and tax on it. We’ll go through what you need to keep in mind if you plan to buy products with tobacco and/or nicotine on your next trip abroad. If you have any other questions about what you can bring in to Sweden and what you need to think about, you can easily ask our lawyers in the Kliently app.

Regardless of which country you’ve been in, you must be at least 18 years of age to be allowed to bring tobacco and products containing nicotine into Sweden. You also have to be able to show that what you’ve purchased is for your own or your family’s private use and you have to purchase and transport the products yourself. The customs official on site is the one who decides whether what you have bought can be considered reasonable for private use, but they do have some guidelines they follow. According to Swedish customs, these amounts are reasonable for private use:

• 800 cigarettes
• 400 cigarillos
• 200 cigars
• 1 kilo of smoking tobacco
• 1 kilo of other tobacco

How much tobacco can you bring into Sweden?

If you buy tobacco and products containing nicotine in a country outside the EU, you won’t have to pay any fees if you bring in less than:

• 200 cigarettes or
• 100 cigarillos or
• 50 cigars or
• 250 g of smoking tobacco or
• 250 g other tobacco products or
• a proportional mix of the products above

You can also bring duty-free snus to a total value of SEK 4,700 if you fly or take a ferry. Otherwise, you can only bring snus to the total value of SEK 3,300 duty-free. Snus is regarded a products along with goods like clothes, jewellery, technology, etc than you may buy on your trip. And so the total value of what you have bought on the trip cannot exceed SEK 4,700 and SEK 3,300 respectively.

There are certain products containing nicotine that, regardless of whether you have bought them from a country within the EU or outside, have a limit on how much you can bring into Sweden duty-free. Regardless of country, you can only bring with you:

• 20 ml e-liquid
• 200 g of other products containing nicotine, such as nicotine chewing gum and nicotine nasal spray.

Customs duties and taxes on tobacco and products containing nicotine

For any quantities above this, you have to declare the goods to the Swedish Customs and pay both customs duty and/or tax. Depending on what you want to bring in, the cost is different. Below you can see what the customs and tax charges are for different tobacco and nicotine products:

• For cigarettes, you have to pay 34 Swedish pennies/piece in customs duty and 202 Swedish pennies/piece in tax.
• For cigars, you have to pay 86 Serdish pennies/piece in customs duty and 226 Swedish pennies/piece in tax.
• For smoking tobacco, you have to pay SEK 428/kg in customs duty and SEK 2,495/kg in tax.
• For other tobacco products, you have to pay SEK 428/kg in customs duty and SEK 2,495/kg in tax.
• For snus, you have to pay SEK 104/kg in customs duty and SEK 785/kg in tax.
• For e-liquid from a country outside the EU, you have to pay SEK 320/liter in customs duty and SEK 3,300/liter in tax.
• For e-liquid from another EU country, you have to pay SEK 2,000/litre in tax.
• For highly concentrated e-liquids from a country outside the EU, you have to pay SEK 320/liter in customs duty and SEK 6,600/liter in tax.
• For highly concentrated e-liquids from another EU country, you have to pay SEK 4,000/litre in tax.
• For other products containing nicotine from a country outside the EU, you have to pay SEK 390/kg in customs duty and SEK 1,225/kg in tax.
• For other products containing nicotine from another EU country, you have to pay SEK 200/kg in tax.

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Most of what we shop within the EU, we’re allowed to bring back to Sweden without paying duty and tax. It’s mainly when you shop outside the EU that you need to know how much you can bring into Sweden. Many people know that you cannot bring large quantities of alcohol and tobacco duty-free into the EU. But did you know that you’re also not allowed to bring jewelery and designer clothes if the value is higher than SEK 4,700? It’s important to be prepared for your next trip abroad. Make sure to keep track of what you can bring into Sweden without declaring.

In order to bring goods into Sweden, you have to be the one transporting the goods. This is for goods such as jewellery, branded clothing, technical gadgets and the like. If you also want to bring in alcohol, tobacco and nicotine, there are other rules you have to follow.

This is how much you can take with you to Sweden

If you come back from another EU country where you have been shopping, you won’t have to pay duty or tax on your goods. If, on the other hand, you’re coming back from a country outside the EU and are traveling by plane or ferry, you can only bring goods with a total value of SEK 4,700 without paying duty and tax. If you travel by other means of transport, you can only take goods with you to a total value of SEK 3,300 without paying duty and tax. If you buy snus on your trip abroad, it will also be included with the goods you have bought. Note that snus is not grouped together with other tobacco and nicotine products in customs.

If you have bought goods from a country outside the EU for a value higher than what you’re allowed to bring with you, you have to report it to the Customs when you return. This can be done by going to the customs counter at the sign that says “Goods to declare”. This will allow you to pay duty, VAT and possibly other taxes on the goods you have bought. How much you have to pay depends on the goods you bring. You can easily check different fees on the Swedish Customs Administration’s website.

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There’s a lot of food many of us wish existed in Sweden. Whether it’s food from your former home country or something you discovered on a particularly good trip abroad, it can be tempting to bring food back to Sweden. If you have seen the popular program Border Security, you have probably seen a lot of food being seized by customs. At the same time, there are some foods that you actually are allowed to bring into the country. But it’s important to keep track of when you get to and what you’re actually allowed to take in.

As far as countries within the EU are concerned, you’re allowed to bring any type of food with you, as long as you don’t intend to resell it. So you can bring food with you as long as it’s for your or your family’s own use. In addition to that, you don’t have to pay duty and tax on the food. Exceptions apply to the Canary Islands. Although the Canary Islands are members of the EU, they’re regarded as an area outside the EU due to plant protection rules. Therefore, the rules for bringing in food from there are the same as for countries outside the EU.

When countries follow the EU’s guidelines

If you have traveled to a country outside the EU, the rules look different depending on the country. For the most part, the rules are very strict. This is to prevent the spreading of diseases and other things that can harm Swedish wildlife and nature. However, if you have been to a country that follows EU rules, such as Northern Ireland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the conditions are the same as if the countries had been EU members.

You’re also allowed to bring in food of animal origin from countries such as San Marino, Andorra, Iceland and Norway, even though they’re not EU members. If you shop from the Faroe Islands and Greenland, you’re allowed to bring in the food as long as you only bring in a total amount of maximum of 10 kg.

You may have to pay duty and tax on the food you have bought and so you have to present it at customs when you return to Sweden. Then the same rules apply as when you buy other goods, for example jewellery, technical gadgets, clothes etc.

Food from countries outside the EU

You aren’t allowed to bring in food of animal origin from countries outside the EU, except in the case of honey, live oysters, frog legs and snails. Then you’re allowed to bring in a maximum of 2 kg. You can also bring in infant formula, baby food and other special food that you may need for medical reasons. In that case, however, the food has to be refrigerated goods and it must be a packaged and unbroken product that is sold with a brand name. You’re only allowed to bring in food for your or your family’s own use.

Some foods are completely prohibited from being brought into Sweden. It can be anything from fruits and vegetables to potatoes. However, you can bring in fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and plants as long as you have a health certificate. You can get the certificate from the plant protection authority in the country you bought the food in. The certificate ensures that the food you’ve bought complies with EU guidelines.

You can easily find out which foods are prohibited on the Swedish Agricultural Agency’s website.

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How much alcohol you can bring into Sweden is something many people wonder about when it’s time to travel abroad. If you visit a country within the EU, you won’t have to pay duty or tax on the alcohol you bring back. In addition, you can buy large quantities if you’re going to serve alcohol at a wedding or party. But when it comes to countries outside the EU, it’s not always easy to know when you should and shouldn’t declare the alcohol you’ve bought during your trip. That’s why we’ve come up with a practical list that’s perfect to have with you when you’re on holiday abroad.

How much alcohol can you bring into Sweden?

Regardless of which country you buy the alcohol from, you must be 20 years old, transport or carry the alcohol yourself and be able to assure that the alcohol is for your or your family’s private use in order to bring the alcohol into Sweden. If you buy alcohol in a country outside the EU, you won’t have to pay any fees if you take in at the most:

• 1 liter of spirits or 2 liters of fortified wine (this includes sparkling wine)
• 4 liters of wine and
• 16 liters of strong beer

For all quantities in addition to this, you have to declare the alcohol to the Swedish Customs and pay both customs duty and tax. Depending on what kind of alcohol you want to bring in, the cost is different. Below you can see what the duty and tax charges are for different alcoholic beverages.

• For spirits, you have to pay SEK 4/litre in customs duty and SEK 265/litre in tax.
• For strong wine, you have to pay SEK 2/litre in customs duty and SEK 85/litre in tax.
• For wine, you have to pay SEK 1/litre in customs duty and SEK 38/litre in tax.
• For strong beer, you must pay SEK 3/litre in customs duty and SEK 21/litre in tax.

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Keeping track of the various concepts that have to do with migration is not easy. Some concepts are very similar and only differ in certain aspects, while other concepts deal with completely different things. Especially when it comes to residence permits and right of residence, many people wonder what the difference between them is. And what the benefits and obligations of each concept are.

Residence permit is a legal status non-citizens receive. When you get a residence permit in Sweden, you get the right to live and reside here. Your residence permit can be permanent or time-limited and only valid for a certain period of time. As long as you continue to live and meet the requirements for living in Sweden, your temporary residence permit can often be extended. The same applies if you have a permanent residence permit. However, if you move to another country or commit a serious crime, your residence permit can be revoked.

A permanent residence permit is in many ways very similar to having Swedish citizenship. In both cases, you can stay and work in Sweden for as long as you want and also vote in municipal and county council elections. However, you cannot vote in the parliamentary elections if you only have a residence permit in Sweden. You’re also not allowed to work as, for example, a police officer without Swedish citizenship.

So what is right of residence?

While a residence permit is something that non-citizens get to stay in the country, right of residence is something that citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland get. Thanks to the right of residence, anyone who is a citizen of the EU, EEA and Switzerland can move freely and work in other member states. Those who only have a residence permit do not have the same right to move freely to other Member States.

It’s important to remember that although the right of residence gives EU, EEA and Swiss citizens certain rights in other Member States, there can also be restrictions and conditions within those Member States. Make sure to check with the country’s embassy before you decide to travel or look for a job in another Member State.

Do you need legal help?

We have several lawyers who can help you with this. Book an appointment if you have questions and need counseling, or email us to hire one of the lawyers. We recommend: Anastasia Martin, Aja Wadii, Caroline Nabavieh

Many dream of reuniting with family members in Sweden after receiving a residence permit. It’s the start of a new life in the new homeland. This dream is not impossible, but it’s a process and often a lengthy one. Above all, it’s important that you meet the requirements for residence permits based family ties.

When you apply for a residence permit based on family ties, you have to:

• be married.
• or have been living together as common-law partners.
• or have entered into a partnership with each other.
• or plan to marry or become common-law partners in Sweden.

You also need to prove your relationship. This can be done by presenting a marriage certificate, certificate of partnership or other documents that show what kind of relationship you’ve had and how you intend to continue that relationship in Sweden.

You can also apply for residence permit based on family ties if you have children under the age of 18. If your child lives outside the EU, you as the parent has to apply for your childs residence permit. In some cases, other close family members can also apply for residence permit in Sweden based on family ties. This is possible if, for example, it’s a close family member with whom you’ve lived with in your home country.

Fulfilling the maintenance requirement is a must

The one of you with a residence permit in Sweden must live in a home large enough for, and be able to support, the both of you. And in some cases, even the person who wants to move to Sweden will have to show that they can support themselves.

It’s also important that your home is of sufficiently good standard. How large the home has to be and how large of an income you need to have depends on the amount of members in your family. If the one living in Sweden with a residence permit is a child under the age of 18, they don’t have to support the family member who wants to move here.

Another important requirement is that the person who wants to move to Sweden applies for and is granted visa or residence permit before coming here. You need to submit the application on time and with all necessary documents attached. You can easily make an application together with a lawyer to make sure you don’t miss anything important. Your application should be submitted to the Swedish embassy, a consulate or to the Swedish Migration Agency.

Do you need legal help?

We have several lawyers who can help you with this. Book an appointment if you have questions and need counseling, or email us to hire one of the lawyers. We recommend: Anastasia Martin, Aja Wadii, Caroline Nabavieh

Anyone who wants to visit Sweden from a country outside the Schengen area may have to apply for and get approved Swedish visa before the trip. You need a visa if you want to stay for a period shorter than 90 days. For periods longer than 90 days you’ll need a residence permit. There are several different visas to apply for:

• Visa to visit relatives or friends
• Visa for business or conference visits
• Tourist visa
• Visa for medical treatment
• Visa to visit Sweden for religious purposes
• Visa for studies, research or to visit as an exchange doctoral student
• Visa for volunteer work or internship

Which requirements do you need to fulfill to get a visa?

The requirements for Swedish visa can differ depending on your reason to visit Sweden, but for all visas you need to:

• have a passport that is valid for at least three months after your visa expires. There also has to be at least two blank pages in the passport.
• be able to describe why you want to visit Sweden.
• make sure you have enough money both to be able to live in Sweden during the period you’re here and to travel back to your home country when the time comes. In Sweden, this means that the person visiting Sweden must have at least SEK 450/day that the person intends to spend in Sweden.
• have travel insurance that covers individual medical care for at least 30,000 euros in case you need emergency medical attention, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons. The insurance must be valid in all Schengen countries.
• show that you intend to leave before your Swedish visa expires. This can be proved by sending a copy of your return ticket back to your home country.
• send a photograph in the same format as the one you took for your passport. The photo must be taken from the front and cannot be more than six months old.
• in some cases the Swedish embassy will have more requirements that you need to fulfill to get an approved visa. So make sure to contact them before the trip to hear what applies in your case.

Special requirements in some cases

When you’re going to visit family and friends in Sweden

• The person inviting you must fill in a special invitation form provided by the Swedish Migration Agency.
• You don’t need to have enough money to be able to live in Sweden as long as the person who invites you can pay for all costs.

Visiting Sweden for work purposes

• You have to be able to present an invitation from the company you intend to visit.
• You don’t need to have enough money to be able to live in Sweden as long as the company that invites you can pay for all costs.

If you need medical care in Sweden

• In your application for Swedish visa, when stating why you want to visit Sweden, you need to present a medical certificate from Sweden that states when you’ll receive your treatment and what it entails.
• You also need a medical certificate from your home country stating that you can’t receive the treatment there.
• You need proof that you have paid at least part of the sum for the planned care in Sweden.
• You need to fill in a special questionnaire from the Swedish Migration Agency.
• You don’t need to show that you have SEK 450/day to spend in Sweden if you’re going to spend some or all of the days hospitalized.

When visiting Sweden for religious purposes

• You have to be able to present an invitation from a religious organization or congregation in Sweden.
• You don’t have to have enough money to live here as long as the organization or congregation that invites you can pay for all expenses.

If you’re going to study, research or visit Sweden as an exchange doctoral student

• You have to present an invitation or a certificate of admission from a university in Sweden.
• If you’re already enrolled in a university in another country, you need a certificate from them as well.

Visiting Sweden for an internship or to volunteer

• In your application for Swedish visa, you have to be able to present an invitation from the place of your internship or volunteering organization.

Do you need legal help?

We have several lawyers who can help you with this. Book an appointment if you have questions and need counseling, or email us to hire one of the lawyers. We recommend: Anastasia Martin, Aja Wadii, Caroline Nabavieh

The end of a relationship, common law partnership or marriage is never easy for anyone. It’s even more upsetting when there are children involved. On the other hand, it may be best for all parties to go their separate ways. This way, you get a chance to start fresh on your own.
The circumstances are unique in each case, but legally one set of regulations applies to common law partners and another to married spouses.

When you and your partner are separating

It’s usually easier to separate when living as common law partners compared to being a married couple. A property division can be an option if one of you wants it to be. Then you’ll have to go through your joint assets, value your debts and divide everything between you. However, you don’t need to do this if there’s a cohabitation agreement signed by both of you, where it’s made clear what belongs to whom in case of a separation. If one of you owns a home since before you became common law partners, that person is entitled to keep the home. However, it’s important that the intention to the purchase of the home is made clear. If it was bought for both of you to live in, legally each of you own half of the home.

When your marriage ends

It’s a little trickier if you’re married and is thinking about separating. On the other hand, it can be done much more smoothly if you have a prenuptial agreement. You have to do a property division regardless, but what’s written in a prenuptial agreement, deed of gift or will won’t be included in the division. There’s also an opportunity here for you if you think you have more of a right to your home, to argue your case. If children are included in the picture, the home belongs to the parent who lives with the children. But it’s important to remember that if it’s a property or condominium, whoever leaves the home also receives a corresponding financial compensation for this.

Do you need legal help?

We have several lawyers who can help you with this. Book an appointment if you have questions and need counseling, or email us to hire one of the lawyers. We recommend: Marie-Louise Silfwerax, Samir Baraka