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Swedish Customs then and now

Tolls have been in existence for a very long time, in Sweden's case, since the 12th Century. Swedish Customs was founded as an authority in 1636 when Swedish administration was being developed at a time when Sweden was a great power. The first collector general or head of customs was Mårten Augustinsson.

Customs duties, known as fiscal tolls, were initially introduced to raise revenue for the state. Other tolls were introduced later to protect Swedish industry, so called protective tariffs. In earlier times, most goods were transported by boat. Vessels arriving in Sweden had to pass through the Great Sea Toll where customs duties were paid. There was also a domestic toll, known as the Little Toll. In the case of the Little Toll, Swedes were forced to pay duty on goods they brought into towns to sell. The Little Toll was an important source of income for the king.

In line with the arrival of toll charges, there was growing interest in ways to avoid paying these charges, namely smuggling. People have smuggled different goods at different times. From the 18th Century to the mid 19th Century, it was common to smuggle cloth. This was because the government was keen to encourage a textiles industry in Sweden and introduced customs duties and an import ban to prevent foreign cloth coming into the country. In the period between the two world wars, 1920-1939, alcohol above all was smuggled. From the 1960s drugs smuggling started to become a problem in Sweden too. Drugs smuggling remains a major problem today.

Another clear trend is the growing trade with other countries with the aid of new technology, such as the internet. The whole world is accessible to us at the stroke of a key. However goods ordered from countries outside the EU through the internet are also subject to duty and other charges. And it is not only legitimate goods that are easy to order online.

When Sweden joined the EU in 1995 we also became members of the EU customs union, which in principle means our customs regulations are the same as the regulations that apply throughout the EU. Membership also means that our frontiers, from a trading perspective, now extend to Norway in the west, Russia in the east and Africa in the south.

Customs museum

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