On December 1, the Police Agency will start issuing the government e-identification Sweden-id. The purpose is to guarantee a safe and accessible electronic identification for everyone who is registered in Sweden.
- Sweden needs a robust and long-term solution for electronic identification, said Minister of Civil Affairs Erik Slottner (KD) in a statement when the government presented the proposal in May this year.
But Dagens Nyheter's review shows that at the launch it will neither be possible to declare with the Tax Agency nor apply for parental allowance with Försäkringskassan with the help of Sweden ID. Private actors such as banks, payment services and e-commerce companies are also completely excluded.
The reason can be traced to the government assignment that in the spring of 2025 placed responsibility for the development of the Sweden ID on the Police Authority. According to it, the state e-identification must use something called an authorization system for electronic identification.
It is a type of procurement model provided by the Danish Agency for Digital Management (Digg) and which is currently used for logging in with Bank ID and Freja EID. Instead of each authority having to independently procure login with e-identification, they join the system to use the services at a centrally negotiated price.
But the authorization system has two problems. Partly, it is currently closed to private actors. In part, the Swedish Tax Agency, the Social Insurance Agency and the Swedish Transport Agency have requested exemption from using the system - despite the fact that since October 1 this year it has been mandatory for authorities to join.
DN has read the three authorities' letters to the Government Office, where they criticize the authorization system as both expensive and poorly designed. Among other things, they estimate that connecting to Digg's system would entail additional costs of between SEK 10 and 50 million.
"The authorization system must provide Försäkringskassan with sufficient conditions to fulfill the authority's responsibility for safety, availability and continuity in its own operations. We believe that it does not do so as the construction is today," writes Försäkringskassan's press service in a comment to DN.
The Swedish Police Agency has also criticized the system developed by Digg in two letters to the Ministry of Justice. On August 26, the police wrote that "Digg does not intend to offer private actors login with Sweden ID".
The police also highlight the fact that the Tax Agency, the Social Insurance Agency and the Swedish Transport Agency applied to stand outside the system. They state that Digg "does not seem to have succeeded in creating a service that even the very limited and by mandatory legislation connected" recipients see as useful: "Because several of the largest users have petitioned the government to avoid being connected to the service".
Digg replied in a reply on September 1 that it is not part of the authority's mission to allow private actors to connect to the system - and that the police would therefore themselves have to sign agreements with private companies that want to use Sverige-id.
When Dagens Nyheter contacts the authorities, both deny that there would be any kind of conflict in the matter.
- We have no mission to offer the authorization system for private actors, but only public actors. It is of course very important that there is a good alternative for private actors, but the police will initially only offer Sweden ID via the authorization system, says Anna Bünger who is head of department at Digg.
At the Swedish Police Agency, the work with Sweden ID is led by Paul Larsson, who is head of the service department.
- We have not intended to criticize, but to be clear that there is currently no opportunity for private actors to be able to connect to Sweden-id, and this is required for the service to be as widely spread as possible, he says.
Why don't you offer private actors another option to join Sweden-id?
- We have had no such choice, but our government mission indicated that we should use the authorization system.
The Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Transport Agency and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency have applied to be outside the system, does this mean that they therefore cannot join?
- That's how it is.
Right now, a dialogue is being held between the Government Office, Digg and the Swedish Police Agency about how Sweden-id can be opened up to more actors. But at the moment, no party can answer when a solution might be in place.
- This is an incredibly important reform, and we are very happy that we will soon be at the finish line. But it will be a gradual introduction, although the hope is to have as many actors as possible from December 1, says Paul Larsson.
However, with only three weeks left until that date, there is still a lack of a completed agreement between Digg and the Swedish Police Agency to connect Sweden-id to the authorization system. Both parties state that they hope it is signed before the end of the month.
- We hope so, but we have an ongoing dialogue between the Police and Digg and no decision has been made, says Anna Bünger.
Once the agreement is signed, government authorities have three months to introduce support for Sweden ID. However, Digg can grant exceptions to authorities that do not have time to implement the government e-identification within that time frame.
- I would say that the majority of the authorities will probably join in the spring of 2027, says Anna Bünger.
DN has asked Civil Affairs Minister Erik Slottner (KD) for a comment on the process. However, the press service only refers to written responses.
"How the e-identification will work technically is a question for the Police Authority and these questions must therefore be taken with them," writes the press service.
As for the three authorities' application for exemption, they are being prepared at the ministry, the press service states.
