Expanded powers for the Tax Agency to compare biometric data in population registration
What's at stake: The decision concerns how far authorities should be allowed to go in comparing biometric data between registers to ensure accurate population registration. It affects everyone whose information is in the population register, but particularly people who have applied for a residence permit or international protection, whose privacy may be more affected by the expanded data processing.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether Parliament should adopt the government's legislative proposal giving the Tax Agency and the Migration Agency expanded powers to compare fingerprints and facial images between their registers, in order to prevent false or multiple identities in population registration, or whether the proposal goes too far in its impact on personal privacy, particularly for people who have applied for a residence permit or asylum.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee agrees that inaccurate population registration enables identity fraud and crime, and considers that allowing the Tax Agency and the Migration Agency to compare fingerprints and facial images is an effective way to ensure correct identities. Parliament therefore adopts the government's proposal in full.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (V)
V largely supports the proposal but points out that comparing fingerprints and facial images between the Tax Agency and the Migration Agency will particularly affect the personal privacy of people applying for a residence permit or asylum, since it is not possible to establish exactly how common false identities actually are.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: adopting the government's legislative proposal and rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by V.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
Vown reservation
–
No 0/21/0/0
S
–
Yes 103/0/0/3
MP
–
Yes 18/0/0/0
C
–
Yes 24/0/0/0
L
–
Yes 16/0/0/0
KD
–
Yes 19/0/0/0
M
–
Yes 66/0/0/0
SD
–
Yes 70/0/0/0
Committee proposal
Parliament adopts the government's proposal for
1. law on amendment to the Population Registration Act (1991:481),
2. law on amendment to the Aliens Act (2005:716),
3. law on amendment to the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (2009:400),
4. law on amendment to the Alien Data Act (2016:27),
5. law on amendment to the Act (2018:1693) on the police treatment of personal data within the scope of the crime data act,
6. law on amendment to the Act (2022:1697) on coordination numbers,
7. law on amendment to the Population Registration Data Act (2026:126),
8. law on amendment to the Act (2026:000) on amendment to the Act (2026:000) on amendment to the Act (2025:945) on amendment to the Alien Data Act (2016:27).
Thus parliament approves proposition 2025/26:261 points 1-8 and rejects motion
2025/26:4187 by Ilona Szatmári Waldau et al. (V).
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen antar regeringens förslag till
1. lag om ändring i folkbokföringslagen (1991:481),
2. lag om ändring i utlänningslagen (2005:716),
3. lag om ändring i offentlighets- och sekretesslagen (2009:400),
4. lag om ändring i utlänningsdatalagen (2016:27),
5. lag om ändring i lagen (2018:1693) om polisens behandling av personuppgifter inom brottsdatalagens område,
6. lag om ändring i lagen (2022:1697) om samordningsnummer,
7. lag om ändring i folkbokföringsdatalagen (2026:126),
8. lag om ändring i lagen (2026:000) om ändring i lagen (2026:000) om ändring i lagen (2025:945) om ändring i utlänningsdatalagen (2016:27).
Därmed bifaller riksdagen proposition 2025/26:261 punkterna 1-8 och avslår motion
2025/26:4187 av Ilona Szatmári Waldau m.fl. (V).
Riksdag decision: The government wants to see expanded powers for the Swedish Tax Agency within civil registration activities and therefore proposes, among other things, that a new crime be introduced: promotion of incorrect population registration. Parliament approved the government's proposal.
The government considers it important that Sweden has correct population registration in order, among other things, to prevent identity fraud and to establish the identity of the persons who are present and resident in the country.
It is the Swedish Tax Agency that is responsible for questions about population registration and coordination numbers. The government therefore wants the Swedish Tax Agency to have expanded powers within civil registration activities through amendments to several laws.
The proposals mean, among other things, the following:
The crime-free area for minor population registration crimes is expanded.
A new criminal provision is introduced – promotion of incorrect population registration.
Opportunities for the Swedish Tax Agency to use and store biometric data are expanded.
Exchange of information regarding fingerprints, facial image, and biometric data between the Migration Agency and the Swedish Tax Agency.
The Police Authority can request biometric data from the Swedish Tax Agency for crime prevention.
The law amendments enter into force on 1 December 2026.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants to reject the proposal allowing the Tax Agency and Migration Agency to compare fingerprints and facial images between registers. (V) — Reservation 1
Motion 2025/26:4187 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:261 Utökade befogenheter för Skatteverket inom folkbokföringsverksamheten av Ilona Szatmári Waldau m.fl. (V)
Motion 2025/26:4191 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:261 Utökade befogenheter för Skatteverket inom folkbokföringsverksamheten av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP)
Proposition 2025/26:261 — Utökade befogenheter för Skatteverket inom folkbokföringsverksamheten