Importing cattle to Sweden from countries outside the EU
There are specific rules that you must follow when trading in cattle or with semen, ova and embryos from cattle.
You are only allowed to bring cattle into Sweden from certain countries outside the EU
Import of live cattle is permitted from the following countries:
- Canada – entire territory, cattle for continued animal husbandry
- Chile – entire territory, cattle for continued animal husbandry
- United Kingdom – GB-1 (England and Wales), GB-2 (Scotland), cattle for continued animal husbandry and intended for slaughter
- Guernsey – entire territory, cattle for continued animal husbandry
- Isle of Man – entire territory, cattle for continued animal husbandry and intended for slaughter
- Iceland – entire territory, cattle for continued animal husbandry and intended for slaughter
- Jersey – entire territory, cattle for continued animal husbandry and intended for slaughter
- New Zealand – entire territory, cattle for continued animal husbandry and intended for slaughter.
Contact us for more information
This page provides an overview of the rules that apply. You are welcome to contact us for more information.
New deforestation rules also apply to cattle
The new deforestation regulations, effective from December 30, 2026, may have an effect on your plans when exporting cattle to countries outside Sweden. These rules may also impact those who buy and sell cattle.
If you have questions, please contact the Swedish Forest Agency (Skogsstyrelsen).
The establishment must be registered
Any establishment where there are cattle must be registered. If cattle are to be received at the establishment from countries outside the EU, it is important that the establishment is registered in good time before the animals are received.
This is because the Swedish Board of Agriculture must enter the information about the establishment in the EU-wide computer system Traces, which is used in connection with the transport of animals.
You must be registered to bring in animals
In order for you to be permitted to bring in animals to Sweden, you must be registered for import with the Swedish Board of Agriculture. You have to register in our e-service at least 30 business days before the expected date of the first occasion of import.
The registration is valid for 2 years from the date on which you are registered. Registration costs SEK 150.
Health certificates and diseases
The EU common health certificate, which must be used for movement of animals to the EU, certifies that the animals do not carry serious diseases or diseases that affect different EU regions to variable degrees. It is the responsibility of the official veterinarian in the country of dispatch to ensure that the animals comply with the requirements of the certificate.
Upon arrival at your herd, the new animals must stay in the recipient herd in Sweden for at least 30 days before they may be moved out of the herd. If the new animals are placed directly in the receiving herd and not in an isolation facility, none of the animals in the herd may be moved for 30 days after the new animals arrived.
The animals must meet the requirements of the national salmonella programme as well as the national paratuberculosis rules which apply when you move new cattle into your establishment. If the animals you accept do not have the required status, they shall be isolated and tested according to the rules.
National control programme for salmonella
In accordance with the programme, cattle are to be examined for salmonella before they can be introduced to the recipient herd if they are brought in from a country which does not have a salmonella control programme which has been approved by the European Commission and which is equivalent to the Swedish salmonella control programme. Such examination should be carried out in an isolation facility at the receiving establishment. Contact us for more information.
National rules to prevent the spread of paratuberculosis
The national rules apply whether you bring animals from Swedish establishments or from establishments in other countries, but these are not entry requirements; they apply after the animals have entered Sweden, if they are animals from abroad.
The requirements differ depending on whether or not the establishment, from which the animals are coming, has a documented good status concerning paratuberculosis. Swedish establishments are considered to have a documented good status, provided that new animals are introduced in an epidemiologically safe manner. Animals that come from establishments which do not have a documented good status shall be isolated and tested, and must also be subject to follow-up testing in accordance with the requirements of the regulations.
More information about the national rules and criteria for a documented good status concerning paratuberculosis can be found on the page about diseases, hygiene rules and antibiotic resistance in cattle and in the regulations (SJVFS 2021:23). Contact us for more information.
Plan the transport carefully
There may be areas with restrictions on the transport of cattle, due to infectious animal diseases. There may be special rules for the transport of cattle in such areas. You must ensure that you know in advance about these areas, so that the animals are not stopped somewhere along the way.
Registering the transporter for the movement of animals between countries
If you are transporting animals to or from Sweden, you must be registered as a transporter. You register as a transporter using our e-service. Please note that a registration as a transporter is not the same as the transporter’s permit required to transport animals as part of your business activities.
Bring the animals in via an approved border control post
Animals from approved countries outside the EU, except for Norway, Andorra, the Faroe Islands and Switzerland, may only be brought in via an approved border control station.
There is currently no border control point in Sweden that is approved to receive these animals. Import must therefore take place via an approved border control post in another country. The animals will then be handled as an import from another EU country.
If the import takes place via another EU Member State, a notification must be made to the border control post where the animals will enter the EU.
When you bring in animals, you must notify the border control veterinarian at least one working day in advance of arrival to the border control post. You must also report the animals to the border control post in the Trace system via a CHED (Common Health Entry Document). The person who creates the CHED can be a private person, a company importing the animals, or a company in charge of organisation of shipping.
When the animals pass the border into Sweden, you must register the import with the Swedish Customs.
If the import takes place via another EU Member State, a notification must be made to the border control post where the animals will enter the EU.
Bring the animals in via a customs post
When the animals pass the border into Sweden, you must also register the import to the customs. Our recommendation is that you notify the customs post well in advance that the transport is on its way, and let them know when it is expected to arrive at the border.
Marking and reporting
The animals must be marked with an ID marking which is approved in the country from which the animals are coming.
Upon arrival at the receiving herd in Sweden, the animals must be additionally marked with Swedish ear tags. Previously, there was a requirement that this was done by a veterinarian, but you may now do this yourself.
Cattle which have been brought into Sweden must be reported to the central cattle registry at the latest 20 days after the animals have been tagged with Swedish ear tags.
Bringing in semen, ova and embryos from cattle from other countries
You may only import semen, ova and embryos from countries or establishments outside the EU if they are approved for import. A list of establishments in countries that are approved for import to the EU is provided on the EU’s website.
When you are importing to Sweden from countries outside the EU, other than Norway, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Monaco or San Marino, the import must pass through an approved border control post. You must notify the veterinarian at the border control post at the latest one business day in advance.
If the import to Sweden takes place from a country outside the EU via another EU Member State, a notification for border control must be made to the border control post where the animals will enter the EU.
