All ships operating on international routes must have a valid sanitation certificate on board. The certificate must either show that the ship is free from infectious disease or other hazardous elements (Ship Sanitation Control Exemption Certificate), or that the ship has been decontaminated satisfactorily from a verified infectious disease or other hazardous elements (Ship Sanitation Control Certificate).

It must be possible, when requested, to present the sanitation certificate to the Swedish Coastguard or the Swedish Customs on arrival at the first port of call in Sweden.

Ships that do not need to present a sanitation certificate include ferries that operate as part of a regular service, and pleasure boats.

Further information about a ship sanitation certificate is available on the WHO website Ship Sanitation Certificates

The sanitation certificate must be renewed after six months

A sanitation certificate is valid for six months, after which it can be renewed at any port in the world where there is an authority that is accredited to do so. In Gothenburg, it is the Environmental Administration that is responsible for issuing a sanitation certificate after carrying out an inspection of the ship.

Extension of a valid sanitation certificate

Under special circumstances, a valid sanitation certificate can be extended by one month. This presupposes that there are no comments on the certificate and that there is no suspicion of any irregularities on board.

Fees – inspection and issuing of a certificate

The Environmental Administration charges a fee for inspecting a ship and issuing a sanitation certificate. The fee is in accordance with the tariff decided by Gothenburg City Council.

On weekdays, 8am-5pm, the fee is 1 376 kronor per hour (2024).

• Normally it takes two hours to carry out an inspection and issue a certificate. There is an additional charge to cover travelling time to and from the port where the ship is berthed.

To extend a valid sanitation certificate, a fee for one hour is charged for processing and administration.

Order an inspection online

You can order an inspection via the e-service available here - click the blue button:

Apply for a sanitation certificate

• Sanitation certificate inspections are carried out weekdays between 8am and 5pm.
• You must order an inspection no later than 11am three working days before the requested inspection date.
• If an inspection is cancelled or rescheduled,you will be charged an administrational fee.

Contact the City of Gothenburg

If you have questions about Application for a ship sanitation certificate, you can contact the City of Gothenburg, phone +46 31-365 00 00 (to the Contact center), telephone hours Monday to Friday 7-18.