How a proposal becomes law in Sweden

Who this guide is for

This guide is for anyone who reads about a new rule in Sweden and wants to know if it applies yet. At the end you will know what each step of the Swedish law-making process (lagstiftningsprocessen) means, and where to read the documents.

A new law in Sweden starts as a proposal. Most proposals come from the Government (Regeringen). Only the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) can decide a law. The law applies from the day it comes into force, not from the day it is decided.

Articles on this site about a law change show five steps: Proposal, Government bill, Riksdag vote, Law adopted and In force. This guide uses the same five steps. New rules apply only from step 5.

Step 1: Proposal

Before the Government proposes a law, it often appoints an inquiry (utredning).

The inquiry gives its proposals to the Government in a report. The report is published in a series called Swedish Government Official Reports (Statens offentliga utredningar, SOU). If a ministry did the work, the report comes in the Ministry Publications Series (Departementsserien, Ds).

The Government then sends the report out for comments. This is a referral (remiss). Agencies, organisations and municipalities that are affected are asked what they think. Anyone else can also send in comments, private people too. Those who are asked usually get at least three months to answer.

If many of the answers are negative, the Government may drop the matter or look for another solution, the Riksdag says on its website.

Next the Government writes its own draft. It often sends the draft to the Council on Legislation (Lagrådet). Judges from the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court sit on the council and look for legal problems in the draft. One question is whether it fits with Sweden’s fundamental laws (grundlagarna). A draft sent to the council is called a lagrådsremiss.

An inquiry report, a referral and a lagrådsremiss are all step 1. No rule has changed.

Step 2: Government bill

When the Government has finished its proposal, it sends it to the Riksdag. The proposal is now a government bill (proposition). The Government usually sends about 200 bills to the Riksdag in a parliamentary year.

Members of the Riksdag can answer a bill with their own proposals, called motions (motioner). Members have up to 15 days after the bill reached the Riksdag.

Every proposal then goes to one of the 15 committees (utskott) of the Riksdag.

A bill is still a proposal. The Riksdag has not voted.

Step 3: Riksdag vote

The committee writes a report that says how it thinks the Riksdag should decide. The report follows the majority in the committee, and members who disagree can add reservations. Its Swedish name is betänkande, the same word as for the report of an inquiry in step 1.

Then the 349 members of the Riksdag decide in the chamber, often after a debate. Each member can vote yes, vote no or abstain. Most decisions pass if more than half of those who vote say yes.

Step 4: Law adopted

After a yes in the Riksdag, the Government must see that the law is published in the Swedish Code of Statutes (Svensk författningssamling, SFS).

The law is decided, but it may not apply yet. Under Swedish law, every law and ordinance must say when it comes into force (träder i kraft). The law gives the date, or it says that the Government sets the day.

A law can also have transition rules (övergångsbestämmelser). Lagrummet, the public legal information website, describes them as temporary rules. They apply for a set period when a new law is brought in.

After the Riksdag has decided a law, only a new law from the Riksdag can stop or change it.

Step 5: In force

The new rules apply from the day the law comes into force. The Government must carry out what the Riksdag decided, and the state agencies put the decisions into practice.

Which Swedish word means which step?

The name of a document tells you how far a change has come.

Rules that do not pass the Riksdag

Not every rule is a law. The Government can decide rules that everyone in Sweden must follow without asking the Riksdag first. These rules are ordinances (förordningar).

A state agency can also decide rules, called agency regulations (myndighetsföreskrifter), when the Riksdag or the Government has given it that right.

For ordinances and agency regulations, articles on this site show “Decided” with a start date, or “In force”.

Laws that come from the EU

Some laws are made in the European Union. EU regulations apply directly. Other EU laws must first be brought into Swedish law. Sweden does that in the same way as for other laws, with a bill from the Government and a vote in the Riksdag.

How long does it take?

The Riksdag and the Government give no time for the whole process on their websites. In urgent cases the Riksdag can shorten its own steps. The Riksdag can then decide a few days after the bill arrived.

Where can you read the documents?

Inquiry reports, drafts sent to Lagrådet and government bills are on regeringen.se, the Government’s website. Referrals have their own page on regeringen.se.

Committee reports, debates and votes are on riksdagen.se, the website of the Riksdag.

New laws and ordinances are on svenskforfattningssamling.se, the website of the Swedish Code of Statutes. It holds laws and ordinances issued from 1 April 2018, in Swedish only.

Where to get help

The Riksdag Information Service (Riksdagsinformation) answers questions about the work and decisions of the Riksdag and the EU. Phone number, email address and opening hours are on the page Contact the Riksdag.