Settle the dispute in court

Logotyp för Konsument Europa och ECC-nätverket

Avgör tvisten i domstol - Engelska

When a dispute is settled in court the decision is binding. The court process costs money and the one who loses will have to pay the opposite party's court fees.

Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.

Brief guide to filing a court claim

  • The court can settle disputes between consumers and companies as well as disputes between private individuals.

  • You must always pay an admission fee, which is SEK 900 or SEK 2,800.

  • The one who loses the case must pay the opposites party's court fees, but in some cases, it is possible to limit the compensation.

  • The court's decision is binding, which means that it must be followed.

Read more about settling disputes in court

  • When you need to turn to a court, the district court is the first step.

    You submit a summons application to the district court. A summons application is a request for the district court to decide on a dispute between two parties.

    If your dispute is with a Swedish company, the general principle is that the application should be sent to the district court that is closest to where the company is registered. If the opposite party is a private individual, the application should be sent to the district court closest to where that person lives.

    Dispute with a foreign company

    If your dispute is with a company based in another EU-country, and the claim does not exceed EUR 5,000, European small claims procedure might be an alternative.

    Read more about European small claims procedure

  • There are different costs connected to settling a dispute in court.

    Application fee

    You must always pay an application fee to make your court claim.

    How much you must pay depends on the claim amount. If the amount is under SEK 29 400 (half a price base amount year 2025), the application fee is SEK 900. These kinds of cases are called small claims procedure.

    If the amount is over SEK 29 400, or if there is no set amount, the application fee is SEK 2,800.

    Litigation costs

    The part that loses a dispute must in most cases pay the opposite party's litigation costs. It might be travel costs to and from the trial, legal costs, costs for food and housing and lost income from work.

    In small claims cases (disputes where the amount is under 29 400SEK) the possibility to receive compensation is limited. The winning part can only receive compensation for one hour of legal guidance. There are also limits for how much that hour is allowed to cost. The limits are the same when it comes to European small claims procedures.

  • If you are unsure on whether you should make a court claim, or if you need help submitting your claim, you can hire a lawyer. We cannot tell you who you should hire, you need to decide who to contact to for yourself.

    Tips when hiring a lawyer or attorney (in Swedish)

    Contact your insurance company

    If you are considering hiring legal help it can be a good idea to first contact your insurance company. In some insurances there is a so-called legal protection, which means that the insurance can cover some costs associated with legal procedures. Legal protection is usually included in home, house, or holiday house insurance as well as in some boat and car insurances.

    The court can give you information on the process

    The court cannot give you legal guidance, but they can give you general information on the process, for example on how to fill out the application form or information on how a trial works.

  • On the Swedish Courts website, there is more information about how a court process works. There you can also search for which district court is relevant to hear the dispute.

    Swedish Courts website (in Swedish)

Proofread: 24 April 2025

The content is presented in collaboration with ECC Sweden, which is part of the ECC network and the Swedish Consumer Agency's information service. ECC Sweden is part-financed by the European Union.

The content of this website represents the views of the author only and it is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

EU flag with the text 'Co-financed by the European Union'