E-Invoicing in Sweden: Peppol BIS, Svefaktura, and What You Need to Know
Sweden mandated B2G e-invoicing in 2019 and uses Peppol BIS 3.0 as its standard. Svefaktura is still around but fading. Here is the full picture.
Sweden was among the first EU countries to push electronic invoicing into government procurement. Since April 2019, all suppliers to Swedish public-sector buyers must send e-invoices in a structured format. The standard is Peppol BIS 3.0, and the older Svefaktura format is on its way out. There is no B2B mandate yet, but Peppol adoption is growing fast.
What is Peppol BIS 3.0?
Peppol BIS (Business Interoperability Specifications) 3.0 is the European standard for structured electronic invoices. It uses UBL 2.1 XML and follows the EN 16931 norm. In Sweden, Digg (the Agency for Digital Government) manages the Peppol Authority function.
Every Peppol invoice is a machine-readable XML file. No PDFs, no scanned images. The buyer's system can process it automatically without manual data entry.
| Format | Peppol BIS 3.0 |
| Standard | EN 16931 (UBL 2.1) |
| Legacy format | Svefaktura |
| File type | XML |
| Peppol Authority | Digg |
How Sweden uses Peppol
The Swedish government decided in 2018 that all public-sector entities must accept and process e-invoices. The law (2018:1277) took effect on April 1, 2019. Suppliers sending invoices to any government agency, municipality, or region must use Peppol BIS 3.0 or a compatible EN 16931 format.
Below the public sector, adoption is voluntary but steadily rising. Many large Swedish companies already require their suppliers to send Peppol invoices because it cuts processing costs.
Sweden uses SEK (Swedish Krona) as its currency. Peppol BIS handles multi-currency invoicing, so you can invoice in SEK to Swedish clients and in EUR to clients elsewhere, all within the same format.
Key dates for Swedish e-invoicing
Sweden's e-invoicing timeline is shorter than some EU peers because the country moved directly from Svefaktura to Peppol BIS without much intermediate complexity.
| Date | Milestone | Affected parties |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | SFTI recommendations for Svefaktura published | Public sector suppliers |
| April 2019 | B2G e-invoicing mandate takes effect (law 2018:1277) | All public-sector suppliers |
| 2026 | No B2B mandate announced; Peppol adoption growing voluntarily | All businesses (voluntary) |
The EU's ViDA (VAT in the Digital Age) directive may eventually push Sweden toward mandatory B2B e-invoicing, but no concrete date has been set.
Swedish VAT rates for invoices
Sweden has three VAT rates plus an exemption. You must specify the correct rate on each invoice line item.
| Rate | Name | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | Standard rate (moms) | Most goods and services |
| 12% | Reduced rate | Food, restaurant services, hotel accommodation |
| 6% | Lower reduced rate | Books, newspapers, cultural events, passenger transport |
| 0% | Zero / exempt | Healthcare, education, financial services, intra-EU supplies |
What happened to Svefaktura?
Svefaktura was Sweden's national e-invoice format before Peppol BIS arrived. It was maintained by SFTI (Single Face To Industry) and used primarily in B2G transactions. The format is based on UBL but predates the EN 16931 standard.
Since the 2019 mandate, Peppol BIS 3.0 has replaced Svefaktura as the recommended format. Some legacy systems still accept Svefaktura, but new integrations should use Peppol BIS. NormaForm generates Peppol BIS 3.0 invoices, which is the format you should use for Swedish clients.
Sweden vs. Norway: what is different?
Both countries use Peppol BIS 3.0 and share the same 25% standard VAT rate, but there are practical differences.
- B2B adoption – Norway has higher voluntary B2B adoption (around 50% of invoices) while Sweden's B2B use is growing but lower.
- Legacy format – Sweden's legacy is Svefaktura; Norway's is EHF, which was already a Peppol-aligned format. Norway's transition was smoother as a result.
- Currency – Sweden uses SEK, Norway uses NOK. Both are non-euro, so cross-border invoicing within the Nordics requires multi-currency handling.
Read more in our Norway e-invoicing guide
Getting started with Swedish Peppol invoices
To create a Peppol BIS invoice for a Swedish client:
- Enter your business details, including your company name, address, and VAT number
- Add your Swedish client with their company name, address, and organisationsnummer (organization number, format: xxxxxx-xxxx, scheme 0007)
- Add line items with descriptions, quantities, unit prices, and the correct Swedish VAT rate (25%, 12%, 6%, or 0%)
- NormaForm auto-selects Peppol BIS 3.0 as the format. Download the .xml file and submit it through your Peppol access point
NormaForm generates Peppol BIS 3.0 XML with correct UBL 2.1 structure, EN 16931 compliance, Swedish Peppol endpoint identifiers, and SEK currency handling.