Laws are rules that everyone living in a country is obliged to comply with. One of the Riksdag's most important tasks is to take decisions about the laws that are to apply in Sweden.
A distinction is made between fundamental laws and other laws. The fundamental laws contain basic rules as to how the country is to be governed and take precedence over all other laws.
The Government can also take decisions about rules that are to apply in Sweden. These rules are known as ordinances. All new laws and ordinances are published in the Swedish Code of Statutes (SFS).
Search for laws in the Swedish Code of Statutes in Swedish
The Constitution
Like most other democracies, Sweden has a written Constitution which sets out the rules for how society shall be governed. The Constitution therefore has a special position in society.
The Constitution consists of four fundamental laws: the Instrument of Government, the Act of Succession, the Freedom of the Press Act and the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression. The Riksdag Act is not one of the fundamental laws but occupies a position between a fundamental law and an ordinary law.
The fundamental laws take precedence over all other laws. This means that other laws may never conflict with the provisions of the fundamental laws.
The Fundamental Laws and the Riksdag Act
The documents are in pdf format.
Please note that the translations are not always fully up-to-date and have no official, legal status. For the official authentic versions of the acts, please refer to the Swedish texts.