Bolagsverket — the Swedish company register explained
Published: 2026-07-23
Bolagsverket is the Swedish Companies Registration Office, which keeps the central company register in Sweden. This is where every company receives its organisation number (organisationsnummer) and where its legal form, board, status and annual reports (årsredovisning) are recorded. Tax matters — VAT (moms) registration and F-skatt approval — are handled by a separate authority, Skatteverket. The data is public, but kept in Swedish and split between two authorities, so it is easy to misread a status or look in the wrong place. Below we explain what Bolagsverket is and what the individual terms mean. We describe the step-by-step process in our guide on checking a Swedish company.
What is Bolagsverket and what is it responsible for?
Bolagsverket is the Swedish authority that keeps the business registers (including Näringslivsregistret) and receives annual reports (årsredovisning). This is where you confirm that a company exists, its legal form, who sits on the board and what its status is.
Note: tax matters lie outside Bolagsverket. VAT (moms) registration, F-skatt approval and the employer register are handled by Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency). A full picture of a Swedish company therefore always combines two sources: company data from Bolagsverket and tax status from Skatteverket.
Unlike Norway, Sweden is part of the European Union, so you can check a Swedish VAT number (moms) in the EU's VIES system.
What does the organisation number (organisationsnummer) mean?
The organisation number (organisationsnummer) is a 10-digit identifier of a Swedish entity, usually written with a hyphen (NNNNNN-NNNN). It is the equivalent of a national company registration number. The number is assigned by Bolagsverket at registration.
A Swedish VAT number (moms) is built from the organisation number: the prefix SE, the ten digits of the number, and the suffix 01. Because Sweden is in the European Union, you can verify this number in the EU's VIES system. Note: being in the register does not mean the company is VAT-registered or has F-skatt — those are separate statuses held by Skatteverket.
What do the most common terms and statuses mean?
The register uses Swedish terms that are easy to confuse. Below are the most common terms and statuses worth knowing.
| Term (Swedish) | What it means | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| organisationsnummer | 10-digit company number | VAT number = SE + number + 01; Sweden is in the EU, so it is in VIES |
| Bolagsverket | companies registration office | company data and reports (not tax) |
| Skatteverket | the Swedish Tax Agency | here: moms (VAT), F-skatt, employer register |
| AB / HB / KB | limited / general partnership / limited partnership | AB is the most common company form |
| F-skatt | approval to handle its own tax | a Swedish speciality; lack of F-skatt can matter for cooperation |
| konkurs / likvidation | bankruptcy / liquidation | significant warning signs; easy to confuse in Swedish |
Bolagsverket vs a NordScan report — what's the difference?
Bolagsverket is public, but kept in Swedish, and company and tax data sit with two different authorities (Bolagsverket and Skatteverket). To build a full picture of a company you need to read Swedish, know where to look for what, and correctly interpret the statuses and financial figures. For one company that is a fair amount of time; across many counterparties it becomes a real risk of error.
A NordScan report pulls this data into one readable whole in your language: registry data, legal form, board, status and financials — in a single PDF, without needing Swedish. We are not a public authority or a state register; the fee covers preparing and delivering the report in your language, based on publicly available registry data.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Bolagsverket available in English?
- No. Bolagsverket is kept in Swedish. The data is public, but to understand it correctly you need to know the Swedish terms. A NordScan report presents the same data in your language.
- What is the difference between Bolagsverket and Skatteverket?
- Bolagsverket is the company register — identity data, legal form, board and annual reports. Skatteverket is the tax agency — VAT (moms) registration, F-skatt approval and the employer register. A full picture of a company combines both sources.
- What is F-skatt?
- F-skatt is a Swedish approval meaning the company is responsible for its own tax and contributions. It is held with Skatteverket. It is a Swedish speciality — its absence in a business you deal with can be a meaningful signal worth checking.
- Is a Swedish VAT number (moms) in VIES?
- Yes. Sweden is part of the European Union, so a Swedish VAT number (format SE + organisation number + 01) can be verified in the EU's VIES system. This differs from Norway, whose VAT number is not in VIES.
- Is the data in Bolagsverket current and reliable?
- Bolagsverket is the official state register, and in case of discrepancies its entry prevails. Bear in mind, however, that annual reports (årsredovisning) describe a closed financial year and some statuses change with a delay — always check the date.
Check a company — your first report is free
Registry data, management, owners and financials — in a single PDF report in your language.
Related guides
This guide is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Laws and registry rules may change — the information held in the relevant country's official registers is always decisive.