Private Islands for Sale in Sweden
Table of contents
Anyone can buy an island in Sweden, foreigners included, with no permit. The real question is whether you may build on it. Almost every shore in Sweden is protected for 100 metres inland, and on a small island that can be all of the land.
So the price follows the building rights. A lake island with a cottage was listed at SEK 3 million (US$302,000) in autumn 2026, and a coastal island with houses and permits at SEK 36 million (US$3.6 million). An empty island can be cheap because nobody may build on it.
Anyone can buy
Sweden has no limits on foreign owners. You can buy in your own name or through a company, from inside or outside the EU. Ownership is registered with Lantmäteriet, the land registry, which gives you the title (lagfart).
Owning an island gives you no residence permit, visa or citizenship. Sweden has no residency scheme for property buyers.
The 100-metre shore rule
The shore protection rule (strandskydd) covers the coast, lakes and rivers. It applies 100 metres up onto land and 100 metres out into the water. In parts of the coast and around some large lakes, the county board has widened it to between 150 and 300 metres.
Inside the zone you may not put up a new building, change an existing one to a new use, or do anything that keeps the public away from the shore. To build, you need an exemption (dispens), and it is given only for a special reason. The most common one is that the land is already in use, for example an existing house and its garden.
This is why size matters so much. On a round island 200 metres across (about 3 hectares), every spot is within 100 metres of the water. Unless there is already a legal house, you should assume you cannot build there.
Before you offer, ask the municipality two things: does strandskydd apply to the whole island, and has an exemption ever been granted for it? Nature reserves add their own limits. On Tjurholmen in the Göta älv river, for example, part of the island is a reserve where only the owner may stay in spring and early summer.
The rules are slowly loosening. Since 1 July 2025 they no longer cover lakes under 1 hectare or streams 2 metres wide or less. A government inquiry has proposed replacing the exemption with a simpler permit, but that is not law yet.
Visitors may land on your island
The right of public access (allemansrätten) lets anyone walk, swim, land a boat and camp for a night on private land. That includes your island. They must keep out of the private zone around your house, but the law sets no fixed size for it: it depends on fences, terrain and how the land is used.
So you cannot close an island to everyone. In practice, few people land on a small island with a house on it, and an island far from the boat routes sees almost no visitors.
Prices in autumn 2026
| Island | Where | Size | What is on it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vilarön | Stora Högsjön lake, Hällefors | 0.1 ha (0.26 acres) | 40 m² cottage, sauna, electricity, no drinking water | SEK 2,995,000 (US$302,000), Sep 2026 |
| Norra Idskär | Vaxholm, Stockholm archipelago | 1 ha (2.4 acres) | Main house, 12 cabins, sauna, own water and sewage | SEK 22.5 million (US$2.27 million), Oct 2026 |
| Tjurholmen | Göta älv river, Kungälv | 181 ha (447 acres) | Two old houses, barn, bridge to the mainland | About SEK 26 million (US$2.6 million), Oct 2026 |
| Ulvön | Ljungskile, west coast | Not stated | Bridge, tennis court, permits for two holiday homes | SEK 36 million (US$3.6 million), Aug 2026 |
Prices as reported by Dagens PS, Kungälvs-Posten and Vladi Private Islands. In Sweden the listed price is a starting price (utgångspris), and bidding often goes above it.
The cheapest islands are lake islands inland, with a small cottage and a short boat trip. Islands near Stockholm and Gothenburg cost far more, and existing houses and permits push the price up more than size does. We have no Swedish island in our catalogue yet, so these are islands elsewhere in Europe. You can also browse all islands for sale.
Islands for sale elsewhere in Europe
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Buying and the costs
The agent collects bids, often by text message or online, and the seller picks one. A bid is not binding for either side. The sale becomes binding only when both of you sign a written contract, usually with a 10% deposit. Do your checks before you sign: the title, the building rights, the septic system and the mainland access.
On top of the price you pay stamp duty: 1.5% of the price, or of the tax value if that is higher, plus a small fee. A company pays 4.25%. If you take a mortgage, there is another 2% on the new mortgage deeds. On a SEK 3 million (US$302,000) island bought in your own name, the stamp duty is SEK 45,000 (about US$4,500).
Each year an island with a house pays a municipal property fee: 0.75% of the tax value, but never more than SEK 10,425 (US$1,050) per house in 2026. An island with no house pays 1% of the tax value of the land.
Getting there and the seasons
Most islands are used from about May to September. You need a boat, a berth and a parking place on the mainland. Good listings include them: Vilarön comes with a right to a berth and a parking space, Norra Idskär with three berths.
In winter, lakes and the northern coast freeze. Near Luleå the ice roads to the archipelago open when the ice is thick enough. During freeze-up and thaw, though, neither a boat nor the ice is safe, sometimes for weeks.
Many islands have no mains water, and lake or sea water is not drinking water. Read our guide to drinking water on a private island before you buy one without a well. For islands next door, see Norway and Finland.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Anyone can buy, foreigners included, with no permit. Whether you can build on it is a separate question.
Yes, mostly on inland lakes. Vilarön, a small lake island with a cottage, was listed at SEK 3 million (US$302,000) in September 2026. Cheaper empty islands usually have no right to build.
Only with an exemption from the 100-metre shore rule, and only for a special reason, usually that the land is already in use. On a small island with no house, assume the answer is no.
Yes. The right of public access lets people land, walk and camp for a night, but not in the private zone around your house.
No. In 2026 Visit Sweden ran a contest called Your Swedish Island. Five winners got the right to use a state-owned island for one year, plus a trip. They did not become owners, and the islands stay open to the public.
No. Property gives no residence permit, visa or citizenship.
Prices are asking prices unless marked sold, not valuations. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Sources
- https://www.lansstyrelsen.se/ostergotland/natur-och-landsbygd/aktiviteter-och-atgarder-i-naturen/dispens-fran-strandskydd.html
- https://www.naturvardsverket.se/vagledning-och-stod/skyddad-natur/strandskydd/fragor-och-svar-om-nya-strandskyddsregler/
- https://www.naturvardsverket.se/amnesomraden/allemansratten/sa-gor-vi-allemansratt/hemfridzon/
- https://resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com/en/resources/global-corporate-real-estate-guide/europe-middle-east-and-africa/sweden/topics/real-estate-law
- https://www.ekonomifakta.se/Fakta/Skatter/Skatt-pa-fastigheter-och-formogenhet/stampelskatt
- https://skatteverket.se/privat/fastigheterochbostad/fastighetsavgiftochfastighetsskatt.html
- https://thelocal.com/20240617/fact-check-can-you-get-a-residency-permit-if-you-buy-property-in-sweden
