The sale of alcohol is regulated in Sweden by the state-owned company Systembolaget, which was founded on 1 October 1955.
Despite the monopoly on sales in Sweden, however, it is entirely possible to order alcoholic beverages from outside the country’s borders via external importers. But during 2023, the Customs Service’s seizure of alcohol in the mail and parcel flow increased significantly. It was then common for alcohol of a cheaper variety to be seized that was bought from foreign websites.
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There is, however, an increasingly common risk with buying alcohol from foreign sites precisely when the price of the goods is low. It is then about alcohol tax, which is not included in the sales price.
Buying alcohol from foreign websites is in itself neither illegal nor a problem. But if you order cheap alcohol in the hope of getting away as cheaply as possible, it can instead result in the exact opposite.
– It becomes a problem for the individual when the Swedish Customs Service discovers the package. In addition to paying the Swedish alcohol tax, a transport fee of 40 percent of the amount is also imposed. So this alcohol you ordered online can be significantly more expensive, says Martin Peterssonexpert at the Swedish Customs Administration to TV4.
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If you buy alcohol from foreign websites, you must be vigilant if alcohol tax is included in the price. Photo: Torstein Bøe
In total, the Customs Service made 378 seizures in the mail and parcel flow in 2023, which was then twice as many compared to 2022. In addition, the actual volume of alcohol seized was seven times higher than the year before.
– Then you can suspect that you do not intend to drink it yourself, but to sell it on. In such cases, the Swedish Customs Administration has initiated a preliminary investigation on suspicion of smuggling.
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If you don’t pay alcohol tax, it can be a much more expensive and troublesome story. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT Then smuggling can result in prison
How should you think when you surf foreign websites in the hope of ordering cheaper alcohol, but at the same time not avoiding the alcohol tax?
According to the authority, they want to counteract the development of missed alcohol tax or smuggling through information about the rules. However, it is up to you to check whether the company pays Swedish alcohol tax.
– You can take a look at the prices on websites, for example. If a bottle of vodka costs SEK 100, you can assume that Swedish alcohol tax is not included in that price, says Petersson.
The penalty scale for smuggling alcohol is a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of two years. Should it instead be considered serious smuggling, for example when importing alcohol in a systematic or extensive manner, the penalty could instead be imprisonment for six months and up to six years.
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Serious smuggling can result in a multi-year prison sentence. Photo: Lise Åserud