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Safety in Sweden: what overland travellers should know

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 18 August 2026.

Safety

• Crime in city outskirts — Sweden has seen a resurgence of organised crime, with more armed violence, explosions and intimidation between rival criminal groups. It is concentrated in the outskirts of the main cities, in particular Stockholm, Malmö and Göteborg, where violent incidents including sexual violence are also up. Petty theft occurs above all in Stockholm, in public venues and on transport.
• Terrorism — The Swedish authorities have set the alert level at 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 and have tightened controls at busy places and at airports, stations, metros and large shopping centres. Bags of any type or size are banned at large sporting events, concerts and festivals, except for documented medical reasons.
• Minor offences taken seriously — Police take a very firm line on what can look like minor offences — drunk and disorderly behaviour, disturbing the peace, brawling. Venue security staff may hold anyone causing a nuisance until the police arrive, police custody for investigation can last up to 72 hours, and pre-trial detention is possible even for offences that are not serious.

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 18 August 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Sweden before you travel. GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 18 August 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 2026-09-20.