Sweden on a French Licence — No IDP, but Drop to 0.02 and 110 km/h

For a French driver, Sweden is an easy country to take a car into — right-hand traffic like home, EU plates, no paperwork beyond the licence in your wallet. The differences are two specific limits, and both pull tighter than France.

The first is alcohol. France allows 0.05; Sweden enforces 0.02, which in practice is a no-drinking rule. The gap matters because the French habit of a glass of wine with a meal travels badly here — Sweden treats drink-driving as a criminal offence and runs random roadside breath tests as routine. Carry nothing in your system when you drive and the issue disappears.

The second is speed. French autoroutes run to 130 km/h; Swedish motorways cap at 110, with rural roads at 70 and towns at 50. That is a meaningful step down, and Sweden’s camera coverage is dense and consistent, so the cap is enforced rather than nominal. A speeding ticket starts around SEK 2,000 (≈ EUR 175) — the speeding fine calculator gives a quick estimate. Set the cruise to 110 and let the calm Swedish traffic carry you.

Documents are the simple part: your EU licence needs no IDP and has no holiday validity clock. Keep it with your passport and the rental agreement; the driving permit checker confirms the no-IDP position if you want it.

The rest is comfortable. Roads are excellent and lightly trafficked, winter tyres are mandatory in the cold months, and elk or reindeer near dawn and dusk are a genuine hazard the warning signs do not exaggerate. Fuel is about $1.88/litre and the emergency number is 112. For the full rules before you collect the car, see the Sweden driving guide.