Settle the dispute in court

Short information about making 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

Which court should you make your court claim to?

The district court is the first instance to turn to when you are making a court claim. The first step is to send an application for a summon to the district court. An application for a summon is a demand for the district court to settle a dispute between two parts. 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

How much does it cost to make a court claim?

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 26,250 (half a price base amount year 2023), the application fee is SEK 900. These kinds of cases are called small claims procedure.

If the amount is over SEK 26,250, 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 26,250 SEK) 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 need advice or help with your case

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.

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.