Assisting exporters from developing countries

In order to facilitate trade and increase exports from developing countries to Sweden, we provide information on the official rules, technical requirements and market information applicable to Sweden.

We take exporters to trade fairs

Open Trade Gate Sweden participates in selected European trade fairs, taking companies from developing countries to meet with Swedish and European buyers. Prior to these events, the companies receive extensive training in presenting their businesses and products to Swedish and European buyers.

We organise webinars

At Open Trade Gate Sweden´s webinars, you receive practical information on EU requirements and standards. We also provide product-specific information for the targeted sectors and facts about Sweden and the Swedish market as well as consumer demands and trends.

See our previous webinars

We answer your questions on rules and requirements

Our services include answering questions from exporters in developing countries and from Swedish importers interested in importing from those countries. We answer in a user-friendly format, tailor-made for the exporter. We answer all the questions we receive, and if a question concerns an area we do not cover, we provide the exporter with contact information concerning the appropriate organisation.

If the enquiry is too general for us to answer, we will get back to you for more details. All the questions we receive are answered, and if a question concerns an area we do not cover, we provide the contact details to the appropriate organisation or provide information on a generic level with relevant links and suggestions.

You can reach us by email or telephone. We cooperate with visiting delegations and embassies in Stockholm and provide training in Sweden and abroad. We also participate in seminars and conferences held by other organisations.

The answer to an enquiry usually covers

• General customs procedures and documents.
• The customs tariff that the Swedish importer must pay for the product.
• Any reduction of the customs tariff through a preferential agreement.
• Any certificate of origin required to benefit from such an agreement.
• The value-added tax (VAT) applicable for the product on the Swedish market.
• Product-specific requirements, for example, regarding labelling and packaging.
• More information on exporting to Sweden and the EU

We help out if you run into problems

We also help exporters who encounter problems when trying to export to Sweden. Any obstacle reported to Open Trade Gate Sweden is analysed, and should we find that a requirement or procedure is unjust or too bureaucratic, we act on this information and contact the relevant authorities and ministries in Sweden in order to try to solve the problem.

Some of the most common barriers to trade are:

• technical barriers to trade (technical regulations, administrative and other non-compulsory provisions)
• dumped and subsidised imports
• quantitative import restrictions (quotas)
• complicated procedures for the registration of a new business.