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Driving licence loan

Those who are unemployed and fulfil certain conditions can borrow money from CSN for the purpose of obtaining a category B driving licence. It is usually easier to get a job with a driving licence. Here you can find information on payments, conditions, and how you can apply for a loan.

Information in English and other languages

We provide information about our various forms of grants and loans in different languages. Quite a lot of information has been translated into English. The most important information has been translated into other languages, such as Arabic, Spanish, etc.

What is a driving licence loan?

The driving licence loan is a loan for those who are unemployed and between 18 and 47 years of age. You may take out a loan with CSN in order to take a category B Swedish driving licence, i.e. for passenger cars and light lorries. You can borrow a maximum amount of SEK 15,000. You must pay back what you borrow, and you will be required to do this even if you do not obtain a driving licence.

Amount you can borrow

You can borrow a maximum amount of SEK 15 000. The money is paid three times during your driving licence training, and each payment is SEK 5 000. If you want to borrow less, you can abstain from one or more payments.

You cannot apply for the loan again if you have already been granted it once. The decision on a driving licence loan is valid for one year from the date of the decision.

The driving licence loan may not cover the costs of your entire driving licence training, although it could help along the way. Talk to your driving school, so that they can help you to put together a plan. You will then see how much is covered by the loan.

Costs for which the driving licence loan may be used

The driving licence loan can be used to pay for:

  • teaching materials and aids for driving licence theory
  • introductory training
  • theory training
  • driving lessons
  • risk training
  • knowledge test and driving test
  • hire vehicles from an approved driving school or from the Swedish Transport Administration, so that you can take your driving test.

The loan may only be used for your costs while the decision is valid. This means that you will not be able to borrow money for costs that you had prior to or after the time your decision regarding the driving licence loan applies.

The loan may only be used for a Swedish category B driving licence. This is valid for passenger cars and light lorries.

Conditions for being granted a driving licence loan

You must meet the following conditions to apply for a driving licence loan:

  • You must not previously have held a Swedish B driving licence.
  • You must have turned 18 years old but not yet turned 48 years.
  • You must be unemployed and registered as a jobseeker with Arbetsförmedlingen. You are considered to be unemployed even if you are part of a job market policy programme or have an establishment plan. The unemployment requirements vary based on your age. You can read more about this below.
  • The driving school must have a permit from the Swedish Transport Agency to operate a driving school.
  • The driving school must have an agreement with CSN.

You can see which companies are licensed to operate a driving school on the Swedish Transport Agency’s website.

Find companies with permission to run a traffic school on the Swedish Transport Agency's website

Conditions for age and unemployment

Depending on your age, different conditions apply.

You are 18–24 years old

If you are 18, but not yet 25 years old, you must be registered as a jobseeker with Arbetsförmedlingen. You must also fulfil one of the following two conditions:

  • You are participating in the Job and Development Guarantee Programme or the Youth Job Programme at the Swedish Public Employment Service. You must be enrolled on the programme on the date that your application is received by CSN.
  • You have participated in Arbetsförmedlingen’s introduction programme or have had an introduction plan for at least three consecutive months up to and including the day before your application is received by CSN.
You are 25–47 years old

If you are 25, but not yet 48 years old, you must be registered as a jobseeker with Arbetsförmedlingen. You must have been a jobseeker for at least six consecutive months up until and including the day before your application is received by CSN. You must also fulfil one of the following two conditions:

  • You have been unemployed during the entire period.
  • You have participated in a labour market programme or have had an introduction plan during the entire period.

Apply for a driving licence loan

This is what you need to do to apply for a driving license loan.

Illustration med två personer som pratar med varandra

1. Visit a driving school. Tell them that you intend to apply for a driving license loan with CSN.

Illustration som visar Mina sidor på en dator

2. Apply for a driving licence loan on Mina sidor [My pages] at csn.se. Log in using mobile Bank‑ID or some other form of electronic‑ID.

Illustration på en dator

3. CSN processes your application and sends a decision to Mina sidor. You get a text message or e-mail when the decision has been made.

Illustration med ett formulär med gröna bockar

4. Tell your driving school that you have received a driving license loan decision, so that they can report to CSN that you are enrolled with the school.

Illustration med en dator

5. Report your account number to Swedbank’s account register. This lets us pay out the money directly to your account.

Illustration på pengar

6. Request payment from CSN when you start your driving lessons. You can do this on Mina sidor.

How to apply in Mina sidor

Click the yellow button above to log in. Fill in your application, sign it, and submit it to CSN.

When is the money paid out?

Payments are not made automatically. You must personally request payment once you have started your driving lessons. The loan is paid out directly to you, not to the driving school.

For CSN to pay out the money, we need reports from your driving school or the Swedish Transport Administration about your driving lessons and costs.

Remember to report your account number to Swedbank’s account register. This lets us pay out the money directly to your account.

You can request your first payment once the driving school has informed CSN that you have enrolled.

You can request your second payment once the driving school or the Swedish Transport Administration has informed CSN that you have had costs of at least SEK 4 300.

You can request your third payment once the driving school or the Swedish Transport Administration has informed CSN that you have had additional costs of at least SEK 5 000.

The costs associated with your theoretical test and driving test will be given to CSN directly from the Transport Administration once you have taken them. Therefore, you do not need to inform the driving school nor CSN of these costs.

How to request a payment

  1. Click the yellow button above and log in using mobile Bank‑ID or some other form of electronic‑ID.
  2. Sign and submit your request.
  3. CSN examines your request and sends you a decision via Mina sidor. You will receive a text message or e-mail when the decision has been made.
  4. It will take around two to three working days from the time we approve your request before you receive the money into your account.

Do not wait too long!

Do not wait too long to request your payments. You will not receive any money after you have passed your theoretical test and your driving test. You will also not receive any money when your decision regarding a driving license loan has expired.

How to register an account with Swedbank’s account register

To have the money deposited directly into your bank account, you must register the account in Swedbank’s account register. It is Swedbank that manages CSN’s payments. You can use a bank account with any Swedish bank. You do not need to be a customer with Swedbank.

If you have previously received payments from CSN, and it was more than one year ago, you will have to register your account again. If you do not register your account, or if you do not have a bank account, you will instead receive the money via a money order. Information is given on the money order with regard to where you can redeem it.

Register bank account with Swedbank

How long is the decision valid for?

Decision regarding driving license loans are valid for one year.

In some cases, we can extend your decision to cover more than a year. This may be possible if you are not able to complete your driving license training as planned due to unforeseen circumstances. For example, you may have broken your leg and are unable to drive.

If you want to extend your decision, you must contact CSN within eleven months of the original decision being made. The longest period of time we can extend a decision’s validity is two years. Extending the period of validity does not affect the amount you can borrow. You can still borrow a maximum of SEK 15 000.

You can no longer request payments after your decision has expired. You will also not receive any money after you have passed your theoretical test and your driving test.

You cannot borrow money for costs that you had prior to or after the decision’s period of validity.

Repaying the loan

You must pay back the money you have borrowed. CSN also charges interest on the loan amount. The interest rate for 2020 is currently at 1.74 per cent.

When it is time to repay the loan, you will receive information from CSN concerning when and how much you must pay. You will begin to repay the loan six months after your decision on a driving license loan has expired, at the earliest. Repayment always begins at the start of a new year.

Examples – when will Sarah start making repayments?

Sarah’s driving licence loan decision expires in May 2020. She will begin repaying her loan in January 2021.

If the decision had instead expired in September 2020, she would have started repaying it in January 2022.

You pay off your loan with SEK 300 a month. This means that if you have borrowed SEK 15 000, it will take a little more than 4 years to repay the loan. It is of course possible to pay back the loan faster if you want.

You can also start repaying earlier. Payments are made to bank giro number 5268-6011. State your personal identity number (ten digits without spaces or hyphens) as the OCR number.

Repaying your driving licence loan

Appealing against a decision by CSN

If you believe that CSN has reached an incorrect decision, you can appeal against it. CSN must be in receipt of your appeal within three weeks from the date on which you were notified the decision.

How to appeal against a decision

Frequently asked questions

What happens if the loan amount does not cover the costs of obtaining a driving licence?

Once you have borrowed the maximum amount, i.e. SEK 15,000, you cannot borrow any more money from CSN for your driving licence. Costs that exceed this amount must be financed in another way.

Can I apply for a driving licence loan and request payments in CSN’s app?

No. Those services are not available in the app. If you use a mobile device when you apply or request payments, you must answer no where you are asked if you wish to switch to a mobile-optimised page.

I cannot request my payment. What is the reason for this?

If you cannot request your first payment, this may be because your driving school has not notified CSN that you are enrolled with them.

If you cannot request your second or third payment, this may be because your expenses may not have been high enough for you to receive the next payment.

Does the driving licence loan affect other grants and loans from CSN?

No, the driving licence loan is a completely independent loan. This does not affect other CSN grants and loans, such as student aid, education entry grants and home equipment loans.

If I take out a driving licence loan, will the remaining weeks of my student aid be affected?

No, the number of weeks for which you are entitled to student aid or education entry loan is not affected by the driving licence loan.

Can I get a driving licence loan if I am studying?

No. To be able to be granted a driving licence loan, you must be registered as a job-seeker at Arbetsförmedlingen. However, if you have received a decision that you are entitled to a driving licence loan, this will not be affected by you beginning to study. The condition that you must be registered as a job-seeker at Arbetsförmedlingen applies only during the time before you apply for a driving licence loan.

Do you have any questions as to if you meet the unemployment condition to qualify for a driving licence loan if you study while you are unemployed? The best thing to do in that case is to contact Arbetsförmedlingen. You can also try applying for a driving licence loan on Mina sidor. When you apply you will be told whether you meet the unemployment condition.

What happens if I get a job while undergoing my driving training?

This will not affect your driving licence loan. The condition that you must be registered with Arbetsförmedlingen only applies at the time of applying for a driving licence.

What should I do if I lose my form for requesting payment?

You should then contact us so that we can send you a new form.

Can I cancel my loan?

You cannot cancel your loan, but you can choose not to request any payments or request fewer payments. Note that if you have been granted a driving licence loan once, you cannot apply for one again. This applies even if you have not requested any money.

I have already started taking my driving lessons, can I still apply for a loan?

Yes, if you meet the requirements and your driving school is approved by the Swedish Transport Agency. But you can only borrow money for future costs that you will have. You cannot get money for costs that you already had before your loan was approved.

My decision has expired, but I have not requested payment of any money. Can I apply again?

No, you cannot apply again if you have already received a driving license loan decision.

Will the money leant by CSN be enough for everyone applying for a driving licence loan, or can it run out?

Each year, CSN receives a sum of money for the purpose of the driving licence loan. The Swedish Riksdag decides exactly how much money CSN will get.

We decide on driving license loan applications in the order we receive them. If you apply late in the year, the money granted to CSN for the loans may have run out for the year. In that case, you can apply again next year.

Icon for updated Updated: 2020-04-08
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