2026-06-152025/26:SfU32 · p.5SfUMigration & social insurance
Seizure of Electronic Communication Equipment
Maximum period for confiscating phones and other electronic equipment
What's at stake: The decision affects people whose phones or computers are confiscated in return-enforcement cases. Such equipment often contains sensitive information not only about the person concerned but about family and friends, and is for many the main way of communicating with work, school and healthcare - which makes the length of the confiscation a question of how intrusive the measure becomes in everyday life.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is how long an authority should be allowed to keep a confiscated phone or other electronic equipment in order to establish a person's identity - the government's proposal of up to three months, or a shorter period of up to one month with an exception for the Security Service.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee does not dispute the difficulties that can follow from being without, for example, one's phone, but stresses that a confiscation may only continue as long as there are grounds for it and expects that in most cases this will mean short periods. A maximum period of three months is nonetheless considered justified to handle cases where more time is needed to carry out the necessary procedures, and the committee therefore rejects the motions calling for a shorter period.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 5 (S, V, C, MP)
The reservation (S, V, C, MP) argues that the proposed maximum period of three months mainly appears to be motivated by the Police Authority's own long processing times rather than by the need in the individual case, and points to the Council on Legislation's view that the proposal too readily allows confiscations that fail to meet the proportionality requirement. The reservers instead want the limit set at one month at most, with an exception for the Security Service, which should continue to be allowed to hold equipment for three months, and want the government to come back with a proposal for a shorter confiscation period and for a less intrusive measure always to be used where possible.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 5 by S, V, C, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/0 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| S | No | No 0/105/0/1 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/18/0/0 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| C | No | No 0/24/0/0 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| L | No | Yes 16/0/0/0 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 19/0/0/0 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 66/0/0/0 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| SD | Yes | Yes 70/0/0/0 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2025/26:4152 by Ida Karkiainen et al. (S) demand 4 and 2025/26:4159 by Niels Paarup-Petersen et al. (C) demand 4.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2025/26:4152 av Ida Karkiainen m.fl. (S) yrkande 4 och 2025/26:4159 av Niels Paarup-Petersen m.fl. (C) yrkande 4.
Riksdag decision: The government wants to make return work more efficient and implement several changes to, among other things, the Aliens Act. The Riksdag voted yes to the government's proposal. To make return work more efficient, the government proposes that the Police Authority and the Migration Board shall receive better tools to enforce deportation and expulsion decisions. The government proposes a new obligation for the Employment Service, the Social Insurance Agency, the Prison and Probation Service, the Enforcement Authority, the Pensions Authority and the Tax Authority to on their own initiative provide information about an alien to the Police Authority, if there is reason to believe that he or she does not have the right to reside in Sweden. The proposal also means that the authorities are given additional tools to clarify an alien's identity. A possibility is introduced to take custody of and search an alien's mobile telephone, if it can be assumed to contain information about the alien's identity. Furthermore, fingerprints and photographs shall be allowed to be used in alien matters to a greater extent and more efficiently than today. The law amendments start to apply on 13 July 2026.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to raise the evidentiary standard to 'strong reasons' and exclude side information from the reporting requirement. (S, V, C, MP) — Reservation 5
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan establishes that all people have the right to protection of their personal integrity and that legal certainty must be upheld.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that all people have the right to protection of their personal integrity and that legal certainty must be upheld. Seizing someone's mobile phone for up to three months, when the time is principally justified by the authority's waiting times, is a disproportionate interference measured against that commitment. The counter-proposal's requirement for at most one month and that a less intrusive measure must always be chosen therefore follows the plan's line.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att alla människor har rätt till skydd av sin personliga integritet och att rättssäkerheten ska upprätthållas. Att omhänderta någons mobiltelefon i upp till tre månader, när tiden främst motiveras av myndighetens väntetider, är ett oproportionerligt ingrepp mätt mot det åtagandet. Motförslagets krav på högst en månad och på att en mindre ingripande åtgärd alltid ska väljas ligger därför i linje med planen.
- protection of personal integritydecisive»har rätt till skydd av sin personliga integritet.« (party programme ↗)“has the right to protection of their personal integrity.”
- legal certainty in authority decisions»Rättssäkerheten behöver upprätthållas genom rättshjälp, medborgerlig« (party programme ↗)“Legal certainty must be upheld through legal aid, civil”
- equitable treatment»Myndigheter har ett särskilt ansvar att möta alla människor« (party programme ↗)“Authorities have a special responsibility to meet all people”
The plan requires protection for personal integrity and for civil rights and freedoms.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan requires protection for personal integrity and for civil rights and freedoms. Confiscation of a mobile phone for up to three months justified by the authorities' processing times rather than by the need in the individual case is difficult to reconcile with that protection, which is why a shorter maximum time is closer to the plan. At the same time, the plan wants to give authorities effective tools, which makes the assessment uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver skydd för den personliga integriteten och för medborgerliga fri- och rättigheter. Ett omhändertagande av mobiltelefon i upp till tre månader som motiveras av myndighetens handläggningstider snarare än av behovet i det enskilda fallet är svårt att förena med det skyddet, varför en kortare längsta tid ligger närmare planen. Planen vill samtidigt ge myndigheterna verkningsfulla verktyg, vilket gör bedömningen osäker.
- personal integritydecisive»Skydd för den personliga integriteten.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for personal integrity.”
- civil rights»Skydd för medborgerliga fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for civil rights and freedoms.”
- principles of the rule of law»Slå vakt om rättsstatens principer.« (party programme ↗)“Safeguard the principles of the rule of law.”
- tools for authorities»Polisen behöver också fler verktyg, som bättre möjligheter till avlyssning och husrannsakan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The police also need more tools, such as better opportunities for wiretapping and house searches.”
The counter-proposal wants to shorten the longest time for confiscation of electronic equipment to one month and always use less intrusive measures when possible.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to shorten the longest time for confiscation of electronic equipment to one month and always use less intrusive measures when possible. The plan establishes that coercive measures must be weighed against personal integrity and that the state has a responsibility to respect integrity, as well as that new legislation shall be tested against fundamental rights. The proportionality requirement supports the counter-proposal's demand.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill korta den längsta tiden för omhändertagande av elektronisk utrustning till en månad och alltid använda mindre ingripande åtgärder när det går. Planen slår fast att tvångsmedel måste vägas mot den personliga integriteten och att staten har ett ansvar att respektera integriteten, samt att ny lagstiftning ska prövas mot grundläggande rättigheter. Proportionalitetskravet bär motförslagets krav.
- respect for personal integritydecisive»Staten har ansvar både för att skydda människor från brott och för att respektera« (party programme ↗)“The state has responsibility both for protecting people from crime and for respecting”
- oversight of coercive measures»personliga integriteten. Ett sätt att värna integriteten är en stark, oberoende tillsyn över« (party programme ↗)“personal integrity. One way to safeguard integrity is strong, independent oversight of”
- legally secure legislation»prövas noggrant utifrån rättssäkerhet och grundläggande fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“tested carefully based on legal security and fundamental freedoms and rights.”
- humane migration policy»Vi gröna står för en human och rättssäker migrationspolitik. I en tid där människor som« (party programme ↗)“We Greens stand for a humane and legally secure migration policy. In a time when people”
The party programme requires proportionality between legislation's restriction and its purpose and describes strong privacy protection as an indispensable part of a democratic society.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme requires proportionality between legislation's restriction and its purpose and describes strong privacy protection as an indispensable part of a democratic society. Confiscation of a mobile phone for three months motivated by the authority's waiting times rather than the need in the individual case does not meet that requirement. Setting the limit at one month and always choosing the least intrusive measure follows from the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet kräver proportionalitet mellan lagstiftningens inskränkning och dess syfte och beskriver ett starkt integritetsskydd som en omistlig del av ett demokratiskt samhälle. Ett omhändertagande av mobiltelefon i tre månader som motiveras av myndighetens väntetider snarare än av behovet i det enskilda fallet uppfyller inte det kravet. Att sätta gränsen vid en månad och alltid välja den minst ingripande åtgärden följer av planen.
- proportionality requirementdecisive»Det måste finnas en proportionalitet mellan lagstiftningens inskränkning av medborgarnas integritet och lagarnas syfte.« (party programme ↗)“There must be proportionality between legislation's restriction of citizens' privacy and the laws' purpose.”
- strong privacy protection»Ett starkt integritetsskydd är därför en omistlig del av ett öppet och demokratiskt samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Strong privacy protection is therefore an indispensable part of an open and democratic society.”
- personal privacy»Respekten för den enskildes personliga integritet är en grundsten i varje demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“Respect for the individual's personal privacy is a cornerstone in every democracy.”
- the rule of law is defended»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and the individual's rights against the state must be defended.”
The plan permits privacy infringement only when an opposing interest weighs significantly more heavily and the measure is effective, and requires that protection for individual privacy is strengthened.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan permits privacy infringement only when an opposing interest weighs significantly more heavily and the measure is effective, and requires that protection for individual privacy is strengthened. Seizing someone's communications equipment for up to three months due to government agency waiting times does not meet that requirement. A shortest possible time and always the least intrusive measure therefore follows directly from the plan's proportionality principle.
Original (Swedish)
Planen tillåter integritetsingrepp bara när ett motstående intresse väger uppenbart tyngre och åtgärden är effektiv, och kräver att skyddet för den enskildes integritet stärks. Att omhänderta någons kommunikationsutrustning i upp till tre månader på grund av myndighetens väntetider uppfyller inte det kravet. En kortaste möjliga tid och alltid den minst ingripande åtgärden följer därför direkt av planens proportionalitetsprincip.
- proportionality in privacy infringementdecisive»Åtgärder som påverkar den personliga integriteten negativt är endast berättigade om ett motstående intresse väger uppenbart tyngre och åtgärden är effektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Measures that negatively affect personal privacy are only justified if an opposing interest weighs significantly more heavily and the measure is effective.”
- strengthened privacy protection»Skyddet för den enskildes integritet ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for individual privacy shall be strengthened.”
- dignity and integrity»Den enskildes värdighet och integritet får inte kränkas.« (party programme ↗)“The individual's dignity and integrity must not be violated.”
- privacy analysis of legislation»Alla nya lagförslag ska analyseras ur integritetssynpunkt.« (party programme ↗)“All new legislation shall be analysed from a privacy perspective.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan states that intrusion into the private sphere violates personal integrity, that integrity shall have strong constitutional protection and that the public must exercise great caution.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that intrusion into the private sphere violates personal integrity, that integrity shall have strong constitutional protection and that the public must exercise great caution. Confiscating a person's communications equipment for up to three months, justified by the authority's waiting times, is difficult to reconcile with this. The counter-proposal's shorter time and requirement for the least restrictive measure follow from the documents.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att intrång i den fredade sfären kränker den personliga integriteten, att integriteten ska ha ett starkt grundlagsskydd och att det offentliga måste visa stor försiktighet. Ett omhändertagande av en persons kommunikationsutrustning i upp till tre månader, motiverat av myndighetens väntetider, är svårt att förena med det. Motförslagets kortare tid och krav på minst ingripande åtgärd följer av dokumenten.
- protection of the private spheredecisive»Intrång i den fredade sfär som varje person bör vara garanterad innebär att den personliga« (party programme ↗)“Intrusion into the private sphere that every person should be guaranteed violates personal”
- strong privacy protection»Den personliga integriteten ska ha ett starkt grundlagsskydd och det« (party programme ↗)“Personal integrity shall have strong constitutional protection and”
- constitutionally protected rights»Grundlagen ska säkerställa de rättigheter som alltid ska finnas för den enskilda människan« (party programme ↗)“The constitution shall secure the rights that should always exist for the individual”
- strict migration policy»Stram migrationspolitik krävs för att ta itu med integrationsproblem och utanförskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strict migration policy is required to address integration problems and exclusion.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan wants the state to be able to establish who lives in Sweden and that the person who lacks the right to stay quickly leaves the country; clarifying identity is a prerequisite for both.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wants the state to be able to establish who lives in Sweden and that the person who lacks the right to stay quickly leaves the country; clarifying identity is a prerequisite for both. To shorten the time for seizure of communication equipment to one month would limit that tool. The plan's integrity principle gives some support for the demand, but it is rejected.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill att staten ska kunna fastställa vilka som lever i Sverige och att den som saknar rätt att stanna snabbt lämnar landet; att klarlägga identitet är en förutsättning för båda. Att korta tiden för omhändertagande av kommunikationsutrustning till en månad skulle beskära det verktyget. Planens integritetsprincip ger visst stöd åt kravet, men det avvisas.
- control over who is present in the countrydecisive»Ett viktigt första steg är att fastställa vilka som lever i Sverige och att stoppa fusket med tillfälliga personnummer – samordningsnummer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“An important first step is to establish who lives in Sweden and to stop cheating with temporary ID numbers – coordination numbers.”
- quick return upon rejection»Av största vikt är att den som fått ett nej på asylansökan så fort som möjligt lämnar landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Of paramount importance is that the person who has received a no on their asylum application as quickly as possible leaves the country.”
- more deportations»Kraftigt öka antalet utvisningar genom fler EU-gemensamma återtagandeavtal« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Significantly increase the number of deportations through more EU-joint readmission agreements”
- protected personal integrity»Den personliga integriteten ska värnas, såväl från intrång« (party programme ↗)“Personal integrity shall be protected, both from intrusion”
The plan says nothing about time limits for impounded equipment, but it requires throughout that authorities get more and sharper tools and that procedural obstacles are removed.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about time limits for impounded equipment, but it requires throughout that authorities get more and sharper tools and that procedural obstacles are removed. Shortening the time from three to one month would restrict that tool the plan wants to strengthen. The nearest aligned commitment, lowered thresholds in alien cases and more checks, thus speaks against the counter-proposal.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger inget om just tidsgränser för omhändertagen utrustning, men den kräver genomgående att myndigheterna får fler och vassare verktyg och att processuella hinder undanröjs. Att korta tiden från tre till en månad skulle inskränka det verktyg planen vill stärka. Närmast liggande åtagande, sänkta trösklar i utlänningsärenden och fler kontroller, talar därför emot motförslaget.
- lowered thresholds in alien casesdecisive»Trösklarna för att ta i förvar och utvisa personer samt verkställa utvisningar behöver också sänkas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The thresholds for detaining and deporting persons and executing deportations also need to be lowered.”
- more checks»Bekämpa skuggsamhället och illegal migration med fler kontroller och fler utvisningar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Combat the shadow society and illegal migration with more checks and more deportations”
- remove procedural obstacles»Processuella hinder för att möjliggöra en ökad lagföring måste också undanröjas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procedural obstacles to enabling increased prosecution must be removed.”
- tools for the police»Ge polisen förutsättningarna för att bekämpa brottslighet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give the police the conditions to combat crime”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2025/26:SfU32)
- Committee report full text (HD01SfU32)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2025/26:4150 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:263 Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet av Tony Haddou m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2025/26:4152 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:263 Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet av Ida Karkiainen m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2025/26:4159 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:263 Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet av Niels Paarup-Petersen m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2025/26:4169 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:263 Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet av Malcolm Momodou Jallow m.fl. (-)
- Motion 2025/26:4173 — med anledning av prop. 2025/26:263 Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet av Annika Hirvonen m.fl. (MP)
- Proposition 2025/26:263 — Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet
Source: The Swedish Parliament