Debt Collection Agency Sweden: Kronofogden, Betalningsföreläggande & Nordic Precision
Debt Collection Agency Sweden: The Kronofogden System
Why Sweden Works
Sweden's debt collection system is built around one institution that has no equivalent anywhere else in Europe: the Kronofogden (Swedish Enforcement Authority). The Kronofogden is simultaneously a payment order court, an enforcement authority, and a public credit registry — combining functions that in other countries are split across three or four separate institutions. For creditors, this means a single application to the Kronofogden can produce a payment order, enforce it, and register the debtor's default — all through one agency.
Swedish B2B recovery rates reflect this efficiency: 70-80% for claims placed within 6 months. The Nordic payment culture does the heavy lifting, and the Kronofogden provides the institutional backbone.
The Collection Process
Phase 1 — Kravbrev (demand letter). Under the Inkassolagen (Debt Collection Act, SFS 1974:182), the creditor must send a written payment demand before any collection action. The demand must include the claim amount, basis, and a reasonable payment deadline. Swedish law requires the demand to be clear and factual — aggressive or misleading collection practices violate the Inkassolagen.
Phase 2 — Inkassokrav (collection demand). If the kravbrev goes unpaid, the licensed inkassobolag (collection agency) issues a formal inkassokrav with inkassokostnader (collection costs) added under the Förordning om ersättning för inkassokostnader. The debtor has 8 days to respond.
Phase 3 — Betalningsföreläggande (payment order). Filed at the Kronofogden. The authority issues a föreläggande (order) to the debtor, who has 14 days to contest. No contest? The Kronofogden issues a utmätning (enforceable order). Timeline: approximately 3-6 weeks from application to enforceable title. Filing fee: SEK 300 (approximately €26).
Phase 4 — Verkställighet (enforcement). The Kronofogden itself handles enforcement — no separate application to a different authority is needed. Bank account seizure (kontoutmätning), salary garnishment (löneutmätning), and property seizure are all executed by Kronofogden officers. Sweden's comprehensive public registers (folkbokföring, fastighetsregister, fordonsregister) make asset identification highly efficient.
Betalningsanmärkning
A betalningsanmärkning (payment remark) registered through the Kronofogden process appears on the debtor's record at UC AB and Bisnode/Dun & Bradstreet — Sweden's primary credit bureaus. For Swedish businesses, a betalningsanmärkning restricts access to bank credit, supplier terms, leasing, and public contracts. The commercial impact is severe and immediate.
Key Parameters
Statute of limitations: 3 years for commercial claims (Preskriptionslag, SFS 1981:130). 10 years if the claim has been confirmed by judgment or Kronofogden order.
Interest: Statutory default interest: Riksbank reference rate + 8 percentage points (Räntelagen, SFS 1975:635).
Sweden's Kronofogden system — combining payment order, enforcement, and credit registration in one authority — is the most streamlined collection framework in the EU. For documented B2B claims, it produces results faster and cheaper than any other Nordic system.
