Dog insurance in Sweden: what is included, and what changes as your dog ages?

STEP BY STEP

How to check your cover

1. 01

   Tell veterinary cover and life cover apart

   Veterinary cover pays for examinations and treatment by a licensed vet when the dog is ill or injured. Life cover pays a lump sum if the dog dies or has to be put down before a certain age. According to Konsumenternas, the life amount matches what the terms call market value, and it falls as the dog gets older.

   Check in the policy schedule when the life part ends. According to Konsumenternas, it usually ends when the dog is 8 to 12, depending on breed and insurer. In one insurer's pre-purchase information from June 2025, life cover ends at age eight for a list of large breeds, such as the Bernese mountain dog and the Great Dane, and for other breeds in the year the dog turns eleven.

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2. 02

   Check age limits and waiting periods

   According to Konsumenternas, most insurers accept dogs from six weeks old with no upper age limit, but some do not offer a new policy once the dog has turned 7. In another insurer's pre-purchase information from May 2026, a dog can only be insured before it turns seven. There, the dog can keep veterinary cover for life, while life cover is cut by 20 percent a year from age seven and ends when the dog turns ten.

   Waiting periods differ too. In the June 2025 pre-purchase information, the waiting period is 14 days, but 12 months for conditions such as hip and elbow disease unless the dog has been insured without a break since before four months of age. In the May 2026 information, the policy covers only injuries caused by external force during the first 20 days. Also read the breed-specific exclusions: according to Konsumenternas, some limitations apply to all breeds and others only to certain breeds.

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3. 03

   Read how the premium changes with age

   Konsumenternas writes that insurers set the premium based on factors such as breed, age, sum insured and where you reside, and that the price will rise as the dog gets older. A puppy discount normally applies in the first year but not after that. The June 2025 pre-purchase information says the premium may need to rise if the animal has become older, or if the insurer pays out many large claims.

   In its annual report for 2025, Konsumenternas writes that many consumers were unhappy that pet insurance premiums had risen sharply, in some cases more than doubling. A significant share of the complaints concerned an insurer that has left the Swedish market. When customers had to take out a new policy with another insurer, the price was often considerably higher.

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4. 04

   Check marking and registration

   By law, a dog owner must have the dog marked and register as its owner. According to Jordbruksverket, the dog must be marked with a microchip or tattoo and registered in the central dog register before it is four months old. If you buy an unmarked dog older than three months, it must be marked within four weeks, and a change of owner must be reported within four weeks. Registration costs SEK 40 through the e-service and SEK 100 by paper form. Registration with the Swedish Kennel Club is not enough.

   Marking also matters for the insurance. In the June 2025 pre-purchase information, the dog must be identifiable by its ID number. Check that the ID number in your policy schedule matches the dog's chip or tattoo. From 22 April 2026, according to Jordbruksverket, a dog needs an approved chip to get a pet passport and travel abroad.

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