Identity documents are needed in Sweden in certain commonly occurring situations, e.g. purchases using debit- or credit cards when not using a PIN, or picking up a package at the postal service representatives, or for age checking when purchasing alcoholic beverages, or to get medical care and medicines.
It is a bad idea for a wanted criminal or illegal immigrant to ride without a ticket or shoplift in Sweden, since their identity must be investigated if caught.
Historically in Sweden, it was the banks and the Swedish postal service that first saw a need that people should have identity documents.
Swedish passports were banned as an identity document during several years because they were relatively easy to forge, and allowed again after they were made more secure in 1998.
For example, handling payment for sick leave, driver's licence tests or police arrests.
In e.g. Norway and Denmark, immigrants could get a bank id card based on the residence permit and foreign passport, but not in Sweden, since no rule regulated it and the Swedish Migration Board did also not want to guarantee the identity.
As a consequence of this, the Swedish Tax Agency started issuing certified identity cards in August 2009.
It is a valid identity document within the European union, since 1 July 2015 also including member states which are not part of the Schengen Area.
Certified identification cards can be obtained by anyone who is population registered in Sweden, that is over 13 years of age,[7] and has a Swedish personal identity number.
The Swedish Tax Agency[8][9] issues identity cards for anyone fulfilling the requirement of being population registered in Sweden, and can provide an accepted means of identifying oneself.
Foreigners using a residency permit to verify their identity face longer wait times due to the fact that the immigration board does not collect digital captures of signatures, and in order to instantly approve an application, the employee taking the application must be able to match the signed signature to something on file.
Some businesses and government authorities issue SIS certified identification cards to their employees, accepted as identity documents.
The test requires possession of a valid Swedish identity document (such as one issued by the Tax agency) or an EU/EFTA passport (EU/EFTA ID cards not accepted).
The blue passports issued up until 1998 are not accepted as identity documents due to insufficient security features.
Since 2009, EU/EEA passports (but not ID cards) have been accepted as identification documents in Sweden owing to EU legislation.
Banks still (2011), for theft check and Swedish personal identity number verification reasons, often still reject foreign EU passports, and recommend getting a Swedish id card issued by the tax authority, which can be obtained on the basis of an EU/EFTA passport (but not ID card).
Still identity documents might be needed for services like air or train travel, hotel stays, credit card purchase, age verification and more.
For this a passport, a driver's licence (needed for car driving), or a national identity card (which Norway and Denmark don't have) can be used.
Since January 2016 border controls have been re-instated for travelers coming from Denmark across the Oresund strait meaning that also Nordic citizens need to show an official document showing citizenship; for Danes and Norwegians this means that a passport for their part is required, although a Nordic driver's license (but no other id card) is accepted.