Arrested or called to a police interview?
You have the right to a defence lawyer and to an interpreter. Ask the police for a lawyer from Ejder Advokatbyrå – our lawyers work in English.
Call +46 10 173 18 50 Call me back
Boka ett möteArrested or called to a police interview in Sweden
A Swedish criminal case moves through fixed steps with strict time limits. Here is what happens if you are called to a police interview or arrested, and what rights you have at each stage.
Called to a police interview
If the police call you to an interview (förhör), you must attend. If you are suspected, the police must tell you so at the interview and inform you of your right to a defence lawyer. You have the right to have your lawyer present, and you have the right not to answer questions. Before the interview, you and your lawyer go through how to handle the questions.
If you want a particular lawyer, tell the police, for example when you are informed of the suspicion or at the interview. The person in charge of the investigation then notifies the court, which appoints the defence counsel. It is best to tell the police in good time before the interview. The court then has time to appoint your lawyer, and you and your lawyer can talk beforehand about how to handle the interview. You can ask for advokat Simon Boson or advokat Robert Klackenborn at Ejder Advokatbyrå – see Criminal defence lawyer in Stockholm.
Arrested and detained by the prosecutor
The police can arrest you (gripa) if there are grounds to detain you and the matter cannot wait for a decision by the prosecutor. You must then be interviewed as soon as possible, and the prosecutor decides immediately afterwards whether you will be detained (anhållen). When you are detained, you have the right to be told the grounds for the decision. Ask for a defence lawyer at once – a detained person is entitled to public defence counsel on request.
The remand hearing
If the prosecutor wants you remanded in custody (häktad), he or she must apply to the court no later than 12 noon on the third day after the decision to detain you. The court must hold the remand hearing (häktningsförhandling) no later than four days after you were arrested or taken into detention. Your lawyer is present and argues your case.
To remand you in custody, the court must find that there is probable cause to suspect you, and that there is a risk that you will flee, destroy evidence or commit further crimes. For crimes with a minimum sentence of one year and six months or more, remand in custody is the main rule unless it is clear that there are no grounds for it.
If you are remanded and no charges have been brought within two weeks, the court holds a new hearing at intervals of no more than two weeks.
Restrictions
At the prosecutor’s request, the court can allow restrictions (restriktioner) that limit your contact with the outside world – for example visits, phone calls and news. They may only be allowed if there is a risk that evidence is destroyed or the investigation is otherwise obstructed. Restrictions do not affect your right to meet your defence counsel in private.
Charges and trial
When the investigation is complete, you and your lawyer can go through the material and ask for further investigation before the prosecutor decides whether to charge you. If you are in custody when you are charged, the trial in the district court (tingsrätt) must normally begin within two weeks of the charges being brought.
Interpreter
You have the right to an interpreter, free of charge, at police interviews and in court. If none has been arranged, your lawyer asks for the interview or hearing to be postponed until an interpreter is present.
What your family can do
- The suspect chooses the defence lawyer. Relatives can tell the person which lawyer they would like him or her to ask for.
- If there are restrictions, visits and calls need the prosecutor’s permission, and an investigator who understands the language must be present at a visit. It can usually be arranged, but may take some time. Letters can be sent through the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården), but may be read.
- The defence lawyer has a duty of confidentiality and cannot share information about the case with relatives without the client’s consent.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I be held before a court decides?
At most four days. The court must hold the remand hearing no later than four days after you were arrested or taken into detention.
Do I have to answer the police’s questions?
No. You have the right not to answer. Before the interview, you and your lawyer go through how to handle the questions.
Can my family visit me in custody?
If the court has allowed restrictions, a visit needs the prosecutor’s permission, and an investigator who understands the language you and your family will speak must be present. On those conditions a visit can usually be arranged, but it may take some time. Your defence lawyer can often find out from the investigator or the prosecutor how a visit can be arranged in your particular case. Without restrictions, visits are arranged through the detention centre.
How long can I be remanded in custody?
Before charges are brought, you may be held in custody for at most nine months continuously, unless the court finds exceptional reasons to allow longer. Until charges are brought, the court reviews the remand at intervals of no more than two weeks.
Reviewed by advokat Robert Klackenborn, October 2026.