Entity Formation in Sweden

Ready for a permanent Swedish presence? We help you incorporate the right way, and stay alongside you for the accounting, payroll, and compliance that follow. Independent advice, including on the best time to incorporate.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest timing

What incorporating in Sweden means

An AB (aktiebolag, limited company) is the standard vehicle for a permanent business presence, formed by registering with Bolagsverket and depositing SEK 25,000 minimum share capital, with no notary required. At least half the ordinary board, half the deputies, the managing director, and all deputy MDs must be EEA residents (dispensation available from Bolagsverket). When you form one, you become the legal employer and operator in Sweden, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the setup time and the ongoing obligations.

01

Your own company

Your own AB makes you the legal employer and operator in Sweden, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower cost at scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

Setup takes time

Incorporation typically takes a few days to a few weeks once the share capital is deposited and the registered office is ready, and you cannot employ anyone until Bolagsverket’s registration completes. Timing the move matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How incorporating in Sweden works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm incorporation is right for you, then prepare the founding documents (stiftelseurkund and articles of association, bolagsordning), run the company-name availability check with Bolagsverket, and arrange your registered Swedish office address.

02 — Capital & registration

No notary is required. Minimum share capital is SEK 25,000, deposited in a Swedish bank account, which issues a certificate confirming the deposit before you file with Bolagsverket.

03 — Register the company

The company is entered in Bolagsverket’s register (online via verksamt.se, or by post), then registered for corporate tax and VAT with Skatteverket if required, so you can operate and employ compliantly.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Business bank account, then ongoing accounting, payroll, filings, and annual reporting, all of which we can run for you.

What incorporating in Sweden costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. Sweden’s formation cost is modest; the real commitment is the ongoing compliance. We give you a clear figure before you commit.

Share capital & formation

Minimum share capital for an AB is SEK 25,000, deposited in a Swedish bank account before you incorporate. The Bolagsverket registration fee is SEK 2,400 filed online (SEK 2,700 by post), with no notary fee since Sweden does not require one.

Corporate tax

Flat 20.6% since 1 January 2021 (Inkomstskattelagen 65 kap. 10 §). A proposed cut to 20% for 2026 was floated but not enacted; the rate remains 20.6%.

VAT

Standard VAT is 25% (reduced rates of 12% and 6%, with groceries temporarily moved from 12% to 6% from 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2027). Registration is mandatory once turnover passes SEK 120,000 in the current year or either of the two preceding years.

Ongoing obligations

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax and arbetsgivaravgift via AGI), VAT and corporate tax filings, and annual financial statements filed with Bolagsverket, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your Swedish company through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in Sweden through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

End-to-end, not just the paperwork

We do not disappear after registration. We stay on for the accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your company runs, not just exists.

  • Beyond registration
  • Ongoing compliance
  • One team throughout

The right specialists, in place

Registration, tax, and accounting partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Vetted specialists
  • Coordinated for you
  • Nothing gets missed

Two decades of formations

Two decades forming and running entities across global markets, with the local knowledge to keep you compliant and out of the common traps.

  • Incorporations
  • Legal & tax partners
  • Traps avoided

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, payroll, tax filings, and annual accounts, so your company operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Full back office
  • Accounting & payroll
  • Annual accounts

The incorporation trap nobody flags

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper Swedish company. It sounds responsible. It usually is not, yet. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & payroll obligations

Expectation: it takes a few weeks and is just admin. Reality: incorporation itself can be quick once the share capital is deposited, but a registered Swedish office and board members who meet the EEA-residency rule are also required, and you cannot legally employ anyone until Bolagsverket’s and Skatteverket’s registrations are live.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: we can always reverse it. Reality: dissolving a company needs a shareholder resolution, a liquidator, and a winding-up period through Bolagsverket. And once it exists, the obligations do not stop: annual financial statements, monthly AGI filings, corporate tax and VAT returns, and (unless the small-company exemption applies) a statutory audit. None of this is a reason not to incorporate. It is a reason to do it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your company

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your company.

Compliant payroll

Compliant Swedish payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with income tax and arbetsgivaravgift calculated, withheld, and filed each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: 25 days’ annual leave, sick pay, parental leave (across its three separate SGI-capped bands), notice.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on incorporating and running a company in Sweden.

How long does it take to incorporate in Sweden?

Usually a few days to a few weeks, once the founding documents, SEK 25,000 share capital, and the registered address are in place. You cannot legally employ anyone until Bolagsverket’s registration completes, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

SEK 25,000 minimum, deposited in a Swedish bank account before you incorporate. The Bolagsverket registration fee is SEK 2,400 filed online. The real cost is the ongoing accounting and compliance, which we can run for you.

Yes, for shareholders: there is no residency or citizenship requirement to hold shares. The board is different: at least half the ordinary board members, half the deputies, the managing director, and all deputy MDs must be EEA residents (Bolagsverket can grant dispensation if none of your people qualify). You will need a registered Swedish office, which we arrange.

Incorporate when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs. Use EOR while you are still validating the market or need people working quickly. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, monthly payroll (income tax and arbetsgivaravgift via AGI), corporate tax and VAT filings, and annual financial statements filed with Bolagsverket (plus a statutory audit unless the small-company exemption applies, which covers roughly three-quarters of Swedish ABs). We can run all of it so the entity stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your Swedish company operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in Sweden?

Tell us your plans for Sweden and we will advise honestly on whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified July 2026 (Skatteverket, Bolagsverket/verksamt.se, Försäkringskassan). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.