Connectivity — Sweden

Your American walkie-talkies are the trap. In Sweden a radio transmitter may be used only with a licence from the regulator (Lag (2022:482) om elektronisk kommunikation, 3 kap. 1 §); PTS then exempts specific bands by regulation under 3 kap. 4 §, and that exemption list is ordered by frequency. Handheld PMR446 sets on 446.0-446.2 MHz are licence-free at up to 500 mW e.r.p., integrated antenna only, no base station and no repeater (PTSFS 2025:1, 3 kap. 128 §) - and the very next licence-free band above it starts at 713 MHz (3 kap. 129 §). US FRS/GMRS radios transmit on 462/467 MHz, so nothing in the list exempts them: using one in Sweden is a criminal offence, not a paperwork problem. The one 467 MHz entry in the regulation is for radios on a FOREIGN SHIP in Swedish internal waters or territorial sea, for on-board communication on 457.525-457.575 and 467.525-467.575 MHz, and the flag state must have licensed the set (3 kap. 3 §) - it does not cover a handheld ashore. Receive-only gear and an ordinary phone on a Swedish network need no licence.

Fine or up to six months' imprisonment for intentionally OR negligently using a radio transmitter without a licence where one is required, or using it in breach of a licence condition - Lag (2022:482) 13 kap. 1 §: "Till boter eller fangelse i hogst sex manader ska den domas som med uppsat eller av oaktsamhet 1. anvander radiosandare utan tillstand". Negligence is enough, so not knowing your radio needed a licence is not a defence. Neither 3 kap. 1 § nor 13 kap. 1 § is future-dated in the consolidated text read this run.

Verified Oct 10, 2026