Verification visits pursuant to the Population Registration Act – general statements on the importance of the Swedish Tax Agency ensuring that the individual has understood that the measure is voluntary before a verification visit

Under the Population Registration Act, the Swedish Tax Agency may decide to make a verification visit to a property or apartment to check who can be considered to be resident there.

The Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman emphasises that for a verification visit to be justified, the person concerned by the visit must consent to it being carried out. It is important that the individual does not perceive the visit to be a coercive measure. It must actually be voluntary. In a case where a person – in the light of the official’s statements or behaviour – reasonably perceives that they are obliged to agree to the verification visit, it is not genuinely voluntary. In the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman’s view, the Swedish Tax Agency, on arrival at an address, should inform the persons concerned that they require consent and give them the opportunity to express their views on the measure. It is important for the Swedish Tax Agency to ensure that the individual has understood that the measure is voluntary and for the agency to document the information the person has received and their position on the measure. According to the Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman, the task description applied by the Swedish Tax Agency to verification visits of this kind does not clearly reflect the fact the measure requires consent. The document setting out the procedure should therefore be reviewed.