Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers about the TV Licence
If you are subletting a flat, and there is a TV receiver in the flat, you are required to pay the TV Licence fee.
If you sublet your flat, and let the TV receiver remain in the flat, it is your tenant who is required to pay the TV Licence fee.
If you no longer have a TV receiver, you can either submit a written deregistration to Radiotjänst i Kiruna AB, or simply telephone our Customer Service (11 § The Act on Financing of Radio and Television in the service of the public). State your customer or personal number, name, and we would certainly like to know the reason for your deregistration.
A deregistration cannot be made for back in time (special rules apply in cases of persons deceased). If you have not received a written confirmation of your deregistration within 2-3 weeks, please contact Customer Service.
A deregistration can result in a repayment of funds since the TV Licence fee is paid in advance. Radiotjänst do not repay amounts below SEK 150 (11§).
If you feel you are not required to pay the TV Licence fee, you can request a reassessment either by telephoning us or submitting a written request. Radiotjänst then investigates the matter and makes a decision. Invoices must be paid during the time you are waiting for a decision. If you do not pay, the debt will be sent to Kronofogden (Swedish Enforcement Authority) for collection (15 § The Act on Financing of Radio and Television in the service of the public).
The reassessment decision can be appealed in written form via Radiotjänst to the County Administrative Court of Norrbotten.
The TV Licence fee is SEK 2 076/year (fee for 2009).
This is how much you pay:
- SEK 2 076 (pay once/year)
- SEK 1 038 (pay 2 times/year)
- SEK 692 (pay 3 times/year)
- SEK 519 (pay 4 times/year)
- SEK 173 (pay every month via Autogiro/direct debit)
The TV Licence fee finances public service, the program companies of:
- Sveriges Television (SVT)
- Sveriges Radio (SR)
- Sveriges Utbildningsradio (UR, educational broadcasting)
It does not matter which channels you choose to watch. If you have a TV receiver, you are required to pay the TV Licence fee.
If you feel that you do not have to pay the TV Licence fee, you can request a reassessment. Radiotjänst will then investigate the matter and make a decision.
Invoices must be paid during the time you are waiting for the decision (15 § The Act on Financing of Radio and Television in the service of the public).
Those who do not report their possession of a TV receiver risk being reported to the police and fined, according to 22 § the Act on Financing of Radio and Television in the service of the public.
If the invoice recipient does not pay by the settlement date indicated, 12 section of the TV Licence act requires Radiotjänst to send a reminder, for which a reminder charge of 75 SEK is payable. If the invoice recipient does not pay within the time limit shown in the first reminder, a supplementary charge is made equalling 40 per cent of the TV Licence fee for the period. If payment is not forthcoming in spite of these reminders, Radiotjänst is forced to refer its claim to the Enforcement service (Kronofogden) for collection.
You must begin paying your TV Licence fee to Radiotjänst no later than 15 days after you have acquired a TV receiver, according to 2a § of the Act on Financing of Radio and Television in the service of the public.
The easiest way to notify us is directly on our website. You can also telephone Customer Service, daytime, at 0771-91 00 04, or 24-hours to our automatic telephone answering machine at 020-91 00 00. Our address is Radiotjänst i Kiruna AB, 981 80 Kiruna.
Everyone who owns, rents or borrows a television receiver has to pay a TV Licence fee.
The term "television receiver" includes:
- TV sets
- Video recorders with channel selector
- Video cameras with channel selector
- Computers with a TV-card making it possible to receive TV signals
- DVD player with channel selector
- Digital TV-selector
A single TV Licence fee is payable for all receivers in one and the same household. The definition of a household includes a second home (holiday/weekend cottage), caravan or temporary accomodation elsewhere.
Students living away from home, registered as residents where they are studying, must pay a separate TV Licence fee.
Sub-tenants must also pay the TV Licence fee. If a TV receiver is included in the sublet, the person who has access to the TV receiver is required by law to register with Radiotjänst.
Licence fee inspections
Our inspectors always show a personal Radiotjänst photo ID. They are not allowed to enter the household, not even if they are invited in. Neither do they accept any money when visiting. Instead, they document the information, which is then sent to the main office in Kiruna. There the decision is made whether one is required to pay the TV Licence fee, or not. If one is required to pay, the invoice will arrive within about 10 days.
The Licence inspections are done by telephoning, a visit from one of our Licence inspectors or a written letter from Radiotjänst.
Radiotjänst makes regular TV Licence inspections in different areas all over Sweden. The inspectors use a list of those who pay the TV Licence fee, and those not registered on this list are quite simply paid a visit.
Occasionally, households that are already customers are contacted by our inspectors, or receive a written letter. This may happen if one has recently changed address, post code, if we have recently been notified of TV possession or in the cases of cohabitation households (sambo). Concerning cohabitation households, the Radiotjänst register of customers only has one of the partners’ name and personal data for the registered address.
You have received a letter from us because you are for the time being part of one of our target groups for sending out letters. Radiotjänst uses the Swedish population and address register (SPAR), which is updated via the population register, and only enables the registration of married couples and those having entered into a registered partnership. We always check with the SPAR register to make sure we do not send letters to households where one of the partners already pays the TV Licence fee. As far as those who live together (sambo) or children over 18 in the household, it is not possible to acquire similar information. You can learn more about population registration and the SPAR register by downloading a brochure. Download PDF brochure here
We continually visit all households that are not listed in our customer register. We even contact those who have bought or rented a TV receiver, as well as those who have moved and not notified us of TV possession.