Sweden's Parliament has approved reforms to the tonnage tax regime that expand eligibility to specialised maritime activities, increase flexibility for bareboat rentals, ease depreciation fund requirements and align the system with EU State aid rules from 2027.
Sweden’s Parliament has approved a package of reforms to the country’s tonnage taxation system, broadening access to the regime and introducing more flexible rules for shipping companies.
The legislation was adopted on 11 June 2026 and is intended to strengthen the competitiveness of the Swedish maritime sector while aligning national rules with European Union State aid requirements.
The amendments, which are scheduled to enter into force on 20 July 2026 and apply to fiscal years beginning after 31 December 2026, expand the scope of the tonnage tax regime to cover a range of specialised maritime activities previously outside the system.
Expanded scope for specialised maritime activities
Under the new rules, tonnage taxation will be available for certain special shipping operations, including offshore construction, repair and maintenance services for wind farms and oil platforms. The expanded regime also covers cable and pipe laying, icebreaking, marine environment exploration linked to offshore construction projects, as well as towing activities where at least 50% of operations relate to transport. Salvage operations, bunkering services, environmental rescue activities, and support services such as providing workshop capacity or crew accommodation for qualifying activities will also be eligible.
More flexible bareboat rental rules
The reforms introduce greater flexibility for bareboat rentals. The maximum proportion of a shipping company’s total gross tonnage that may be rented out without a crew is increased from 20% to 50%, a change aimed at helping operators manage fluctuations in demand and vessel utilisation.
Updated vessel eligibility requirements
Changes have also been made to the criteria for qualifying vessels. The previous requirement that ships must mainly operate in international traffic will be replaced with a test based on whether the vessel is engaged in traffic exposed to international competition. In addition, the minimum size requirement for vessels engaged in special shipping activities will be reduced from 100 gross tons to 20 gross tons. Vessels operating exclusively on rivers, canals or lakes will remain outside the regime.
Relaxed rules for depreciation funds and fleet renewal
The legislation further relaxes rules governing depreciation funds (Överavskrivningsfond). Shipping companies will no longer need to demonstrate an increase in net tonnage to defer taxation; instead, they must show only that net tonnage has not decreased. Vessels covered by delivery contracts and scheduled for delivery within three years may also be counted as owned vessels, reducing the risk of unintended tax consequences during fleet renewal programmes.
State aid safeguards and blocking period changes
To ensure compliance with EU State aid rules, companies considered to be in financial difficulty will be excluded from the tonnage tax system. The reforms also revise rules governing blocking periods (Spärrtid), making re-entry conditions more consistent regardless of whether a company voluntarily leaves the regime or is removed by the Swedish Tax Agency.
European Commission approval and rejected proposal
The legislative package follows approval by the European Commission, which determined that the revised tonnage tax scheme is compatible with EU State aid rules for the period from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2036.
One proposal that did not gain support would have allowed unlimited intra-group bareboat rentals. Lawmakers concluded that introducing such a measure would require a more extensive legal definition of corporate groups and therefore fell outside the scope of the current reform package.
