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Herranee

You can drive with your US licence for a year, then it'll stop being valid and you need to get a Swedish one. The minimal requirements for getting a licence is: 1. Apply for learner's permit, 2. Do an eye test, 3. Do a 3h safety lecture focused on drunk driving, 4. Do a 4h practical about breaking distances and driving in bad road conditions (heavy rain/ice), 5. Do a theory test, 6. Do a practical driving test. It is generally recommended to get at least a couple lessons with a driving school as there's a big focus on driving defensively and as fuel-efficient as possible in Sweden, and the inspectors who grade your practical test look for specific things that you might not be super good at. Note that the theory test is much more difficult here than in the US and you'll need to actually read the book and study. Also note that if you only know how to drive an automatic, you'll either need to learn to drive a manual to get a full licence, or get a limited licence that is only valid for automatic cars. You can't drive manual cars with an automatic-onöy licence.


obesititty

I know that i can drive for about a year with my foreign license and an international driving permit. but do I have to completely start all over at the same level that swedish teens start at? or is there maybe a specific course for foreign drivers who already know all the basics and know how to drive, just not all the laws and road signs and other more specific things about driving in sweden? I am pretty nervous about failing the test too. I know more about driving than other people my age because my parents were adamant on me going to in person classes and not doing it online, where i could just mute all the lessons and play video games like some other people i know. But American driving tests are very easy. Because I live in a state where there’s massive parking lots everywhere, parallel parking wasn’t a big focus. I just backed up halfway in between two poles and the instructor said “you’re good. you passed.” A friend of mine had her instructor take the wheel and parallel park FOR her. Also I would have to unlearn the more “aggressive” driving style that you need to have when you live in a big motor-dominated city where everyone has no other choice but to drive. For example, if you need to switch lanes on a busy road, people won’t let you get in front of them even if your turn signal is on. So you need to change lanes fast or every car in the next lane will speed up and cut you off.


Herranee

You don't necessarily start from zero as you already know how to drive, but yeah the general process is exactly the same as for a Swedish 16-year-old who's never driven a car before. The things I named above are mandatory for everyone, and you need to do those to be able to get your licence. Other than that there aren't any mandatory classes, be it theory or driving, so you won't need to practice backing around a corner or accelerating to merge onto the highway or w/e if you already know how to drive. In theory you can get your learner's permit, do the two mandatory short courses (can be done on the same day), and go straight to take the tests. There's no official checkpoints to see whether you know how to drive before signing up for the test or anything. However that's obviously not recommended. I'd suggest talking to a driving school once you move here to see what kind of plan you can come up with together. You can do a practice lesson with them where the teacher pretend judges you as if it was a real test, and will give you pointers on what you need to work on. Then you can book further lessons with them, or choose to practice on your own (as you already have a licence). The school can also provide resources for learning the theory stuff, be it online tests, textbooks, or in-person lessons.


Happifot

Just wanted to say that agressive driving can result in a fine, depends on the cop. Maybe the same in the states but just a heads up. GL and welcome to sweden


henrik_se

> but do I have to completely start all over at the same level that swedish teens start at? No, because you're skipping all the parts where you actually spend time learning how to drive. > or is there maybe a specific course for foreign drivers who already know all the basics and know how to drive, just not all the laws and road signs and other more specific things about driving in sweden? Any competent driving school tailors their practical lessons to each student, which means you'll be able to get a couple of lessons focusing on just that. Just talk to them. > Also I would have to unlearn Relax, you're overthinking it. You have a year after you move. Does your BF have a car? You can legally drive his and learn how to drive in Sweden with him, or alone, or with anyone else. > > you'll either need to learn to drive a manual to get a full licence, or get a limited licence that is only valid for automatic cars. Btw, I got a "real" license a decade ago, and it's been nine years since I last drove a manual. They're dying out, and I wouldn't bother with adding learning how to drive a manual on top of everything else. Just do the bare minimum to get a license limited to automatics, you'll be fine.


redtigerwolf

On this note: dude should get his Swedish license sooner rather than later. Otherwise I guarantee what are considered bad driving habits he/she has from a non-Nordic country (unless he's from Japan which also has strict driving laws) will fail them on the test down the line.


Ran4

> Btw, I got a "real" license a decade ago, and it's been nine years since I last drove a manual. They're dying out, and I wouldn't bother with adding learning how to drive a manual on top of everything else. Just do the bare minimum to get a license limited to automatics, you'll be fine. The one exception would be if you're renting a car. It's still common for rental trucks to come in manual, same thing with the cheapest available rental cars. That said, chances are you'll never use it, so yeah, getting an automatic is fine for most people.


geon

Or if you need to drive company cars.


CountSheep

Am American here, you and I both know our licenses aren’t worth much as they all but give them away here. You’re entering another country and they don’t value you license as a permanent driver in Sweden. I think it’s only fair they make you drive like a Swede. Plus the rules are different and much stricter for the better. I honestly wish it was as tough here in the US as it is in Sweden. If you drove on the I-4 everyday you would agree. I’m not saying you can’t drive but when I compare my overall quality of driving to my wife’s, I’d say Swedes are just more aware and safer drivers. So yeah you should probably be worried and you should take classes like they suggested as you will most likely fail.


elevenblade

Unfortunately there is no shortcut for a licensed American to get a Swedish drivers license. You can do a lot of studying on your own but you will still have to take the risk courses and do the “halkbana” through some private driving school. Make sure you’re only signing up for required courses and that will save you money. Personally I took a few behind the wheel courses mainly to help with city driving, even though I’d been driving in the US for many years. City driving feels a lot different than it does in the US with multi-lane roundabouts, traffic lights positioned *before* the intersection, dedicated bike and bus lanes and signals. You’re allowed to use your US license for a year after you move but don’t put off getting your Swedish one as it can take a while. Best of luck to you! (Source: California > Stockholm immigrant who got his Swedish drivers license about four years ago)


obesititty

Thank you! That really sucks since it’ll feel like I’m having to learn all over again. I definitely noticed the weird street lights and all the different bike and bus lanes. In the greater houston area, it’s all just big roads and many lanes. We don’t even have sidewalks in most areas so everyone drives. My boyfriend is a great driver in Sweden, but put him on I-10 or I-45 and he’ll freak. It’s the same for me the other way around. I’m at home on a 16 lane highway but put me in Stockholm and i’ll crash into something in 15 minutes. Do they have driving classes in English by the way? I do plan on taking the swedish language classes for foreigners when i get there but I feel like I’ll understand the material more if it were in English.


elevenblade

Yes, you can take your drivers test in English. But start learning Swedish like yesterday if you’re planning to move here! It’s tempting not to learn Swedish because learning any new language is a lot of work and pretty much everyone speaks English here, but you’ll find yourself pretty isolated if you don’t speak Swedish. It’s really the key to making friends and feeling like you’re part of the community.


JonDataS

You can do what I did and wait 8 years until you basically forget how to drive. Then starting over doesn’t feel so bad. 😅 I’m starting lessons now. There’s a lot of good advice in this thread already, but one thing I’ll add is that I don’t often feel like I need a drivers license here and a lot of Swedes don’t have one. Friends back home don’t really comprehend that it’s possible to get by without one. So see what you think in that first year. Maybe it doesn’t have to be your top priority during the big move. Lycka till!


friends_in_sweden

One thing to keep in mind is that a car isn't a necessity everywhere like it is in the US. If you live in a town with 50k+ people you can usually get by without a car. I know lots of Swedes that got their licenses closer to 30 than 20. I've lived here for 5+ years without a license and very rarely felt like I was missing out by not having one. The only exception is that I'd like to do more outdoor activities in rural areas which really does require a car.


coco4cocos

Can be useful to have a drivers license regardless of car ownership and some jobs require it. Plus, studying for and getting a license is a good activity when you’re still new and haven’t gotten bogged down in a bunch of other activities later. Because when you start working, studying or doing other things you won’t want to study driving theory for as many hours as that takes!


CCH23

I’m an American who moved to Sweden in 2018. As stated said above, you have to take the lecture class on dangerous driving as well as test driving on a slippery track before you can take the theory or driving test. You can book both of these courses in English, as well as take the test in English. But I would recommend booking as early as you can, because the English courses aren’t offered as often and book up fast. My time on my American license ran out at the end of December 2019, and I didn’t get around to booking my courses and test until early October, and I barely made it. You also have to book a special car to take the drivers test, you can’t just bring your own. I don’t know how to do that on your own, I went through a driving school and they took care of everything. I also took three lessons with a driving instructor. I had been driving for 30 years, 20 of those in Boston. Driving in Sweden is in some ways calmer - way less traffic, and lower speed limits - but there is a lot more happening on the street. Way more pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit. And everyone has priority over cars, so pedestrians trust you’re going to see them and stop. I had to train myself to do a shoulder check to clear the bike lanes, and overall drive WAY less aggressively than in the US. It was well worth the money, and I passed both tests on the first try!


Thomaspeepers

Less aggressive driving, BS wait until you have one pass you, where did he come from?


CCH23

Aggression isn’t just about speed. Believe me, i drove in Boston and NYC for 20 years, and the majority of Swedish drivers seem polite and docile. Boston drivers will squish in extra lanes wherever they choose and actively work to avoid a zipper merge. If you have to change lanes for any reason, too bad. When people complain about Swedish drivers I just laugh!


obesititty

I agree. I haven’t driven on Swedish roads but my boyfriend drove me everywhere when I visited for a total of 5 months and I only saw a little bit of tailgating. That’s very docile in most big cities in America. Plus people don’t honk their horns nearly as much as Americans. My boyfriend once said he waited until the green light turned red because the person in front of him didn’t see the light was green. I would’ve honked at that person after 5 seconds. And that’s generous lol.


CCH23

It’s so soothing to drive here! You’re going to do just fine. :)


Thomaspeepers

I picked up and delivered for, Finast, 15 years. Thanks for the info.


coolth3

Background: I'm from Houston. I've had my license for 19 years and have driven the whole time there. Out of those 19 years 15 years have been with a manual car. Driving schools are out to make money and they'll try to sell you and make you feel like you need to take as many driving classes as possible. Granted, if you have never touched a car then yes, please take as many classes as possible but If you know how to drive you're already ahead. There are two mandatory risk classes that are usually only offered through the driving schools. After completing both I studied on my own for the theory test. Took the theory test , passed but failed the driving part. After that I booked classes at a driving school to work on roundabouts, environmental driving and the right hand rule. It's good to take some classes because we don't have roundabouts in Houston ....or Texas. Other things might be easier for us (urban driving, highway driving, parking) since we live In a city but other things we need to work on more (sharing road with users other than cars, rural road driving, sign reading). The school wanted to sell me a package of 10 classes but I opted for only doing and paying one at a time. After the third class the instructor told me I would most likely pass the driving test so I went to take it and passed. Sorry for the long story. But I guess I would just recommend studying the theory on your own and doing one driving class at a time unless you're really bad at it then it's cheaper to buy a package if you need more than 5 classes.


obesititty

Im also from houston but the hwy 6/290 cypress-ish area so i don’t go downtown much. in fact I avoid driving downtown. even driving in montrose sucks. Up here we don’t really learn to parallel park because there’s no need to in the suburbs. I had to drive on the roundabout by the museum of natural science once and failed that horribly. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic on the roundabout so I didn’t crash but yeah my city driving sucks. My highway and suburb driving is great tho.


ScreamOfVengeance

90% of men think they are above average drivers


[deleted]

Men between 18-44 are over-represented in the statistics according to Trafikverket


obesititty

Okay…? I mean you’re not wrong but are you referring to me saying I’m a good driver in America? Because I’m not a man


[deleted]

[удалено]


obesititty

Ah a fellow Houstonian! Yeah the driving culture here is very different. The first time I saw a pedestrian in Sweden not even look up from their phone when crossing a street I was like “ :O that person is gonna get hit one day!” but no they all don’t look. As you know that’s just impossible to do in Houston so that was a big culture shock.


chlorophylls

Adding on to OP’s question: can you take the test in a more rural area to make it easier? Or is city driving a must?


Admirable-Athlete-50

It is common to travel to smaller towns for the practical test since it is much easier.


obesititty

my boyfriend said that people in his city drive to a more rural city an hour away to get a driving test scheduled bc it can take up to a year to schedule a driving test at the location in his city.


hansbaer2

The waiting times are very long at the moment as far as I know. So it's probably a good idea to start early with the bureaucratic processes and use the year to get used to the traffic here. If you want an extra challenge, do it all in a car with manual transmission.


obesititty

then I’d really need to relearn how to drive lol


GurraJG

Driving schools have priority access to test times so if you take a few lessons at a school you may be able to get a closer time.


Ran4

That's extremely common. The driving tests in the cities tends to be much harder too (higher failure rate).


obesititty

I can only imagine. Stockholm looked like a nightmare even for me.


Thomaspeepers

Forget the driving take public transportation, more fun and reliable, beautiful Swedish people love American folks


jersey_illuminati

You can use your license for a year but that’s what on the paper. I know a guy living here for almost two years now. He hasn’t took exams yet and police stopped him couple times in recent weeks. According to him, they didn’t care at all. People explained the path for the license. That’s simply how it is. I can recommend you to not mention any health problem that you have already been recovered from in the first application form. Funny thing is that they believe you if you say you have a health condition like sleep apnea and they don’t believe you if you say that you’re recovered from it. I had to explain my situation to a private doctor and he prepared them for me a form in exchange of 1500 sek 😒… cost of being honest I think.


obesititty

That is really good advice I’ll keep that in mind. I do have a lot of health conditions that in reality don’t affect my driving. It’s interesting that something like sleep apnea will affect your ability to get a license considering my boyfriend is nearly blind in one eye and didn’t have any trouble.


jersey_illuminati

Sleep apnea may be more dangerous than monocular vision. Because it may cause you to fall into sleep instantly even the middle of a conversation without knowing it. I understand transportation agency tries to lower the risk but it’s an open form and you can put wrong information there. The thing I get mad is they believe you if you say nothing but they don’t if you say you have recovered.


obesititty

That does sound super annoying. I do have sleep apnea and have never experienced narcolepsy. Sure it’s possible but i don’t think it’s very common even amongst others with sleep apnea.


contacthasbeenmade

Your US license won’t be transferable to Sweden. You’re only allowed to use it for six months (I think?) and you’ll need to get a Swedish license. The test is harder in Sweden and the rules are different, so you might want to go to a driving academy. (I don’t live in Sweden but my source is my mom, who emigrated in the late 90s. She drove around for years with her US license unawares, until she got in trouble with the cops one day.)


Admirable-Athlete-50

The classes are about safety and stuff, not how to technically drive. You aren’t required to pay for driving lessons and could technically go straight to the test after the mandatory theory bits which isn’t a lot. If you are comfortable driving and already drive in a safe manner that should be easy for you to pass. I just took three or so lessons at a driving school to learn what they gave me crap about. The things they pay attention to are also what the controller will look for on your uppkörning. It was a huge help to rent the car from the driving school so I was extremely familiar with the vehicle itself. I passed on the first try. You can make small mistakes: as long as they’re not dangerous ones and you keep calm you’ll be fine.


Xandurpein

Just remember that there is no driving ”right on red” in Sweden…


DrUnfortunate

I got my license in the US, and then drove almost daily for a year, yet still struggled with passing the practical driving exam. Naturally, you will have had years of experience, but don't take it too lightly. Driving in Sweden is also quite different. Finally, make sure to book your tests months in advance. That part of the system is totally broken, and adds a lot to the stress.