Planning Contact with Your Child in Sweden

If a child does not live with one parent, contact can mean visits, overnight stays or calls. In Sweden, the arrangement should fit the child’s needs and be safe for them.

Seen from inside a car, a child in a purple raincoat runs with open arms toward an adult crouching in the driveway

Sweden · Checked 17 September 2026

What is umgänge?

Umgänge is the Swedish word for this contact. There is no standard timetable giving every parent half the child’s time or a fixed share of nights.

For a child, contact may include a weekend together, a shorter visit or another way of staying in touch.

What makes a practical plan?

  • School, sleep and time to recover between activities.
  • Handovers and travel.
  • Holidays and contact between stays.
  • The child’s feelings and wishes.
  • Any support needed to make contact safe.

If parents agree

A written contact agreement approved by the municipal social welfare committee can be enforced like a court judgment. The committee checks that it is suitable for the child.

A private calendar entry does not have the same effect. Familjerätten, the municipal family law service, can explain agreements and voluntary cooperation talks.

If a court needs to decide

A parent bringing a disputed claim normally first attends an information meeting within the previous year. This can be an individual meeting. Exceptions are possible, including urgent protection needs.

The district court can decide contact and make a temporary arrangement while a case continues. The child should be informed and heard without being made responsible for choosing.

When contact is unsafe

Swedish law gives particular weight to risks of violence, abuse and other harm. Contact can be adapted, limited or stopped where necessary. Supported contact means help is provided during contact for a period; it does not make an unsafe arrangement suitable.

Travel costs may also need to be shared reasonably, taking both parents’ finances and other circumstances into account.

This guide explains general rules and services. It does not assess your individual case.

Official guidance and sources

Information checked on 17 September 2026.

Based on the original article by Elisabeth Scholander.

The app's calendar on a phone, showing each parent's weeks with the children as coloured bars

The app that frees up time for what's important

"The turning point came when we found the Every Other Week app. There's less fuss and both of us have a better handle on things. It feels so great!”

"Thank you so much for this app, it has finally gotten us to communicate!”

 

App ratings: 4.4 on the App Store and 4.7 on Google Play, four of five stars filled on each

Related reading

Research

Book Interview: Vardag med Varannan Vecka

Psychologist Maria Farm and journalist Lisa Bjärbo wrote a Swedish-language book about everyday life after separation. In this interview, they explain why they wanted to discuss the questions that keep returning as children grow, from money to routines and new family relationships.

Read article

For Children

Living in Two Homes: Help for Children Finding Their Routine

Living in two homes can feel good sometimes and difficult at other times. You might enjoy time with each parent and still hate packing. You do not have to choose one feeling, and you do not have to make the arrangement work on your own.

Read article

Research

Everyday Parenting in Two Homes: A Swedish Perspective

The Swedish term växelvis boende describes a child living alternately in each parent’s home. One useful idea in the original discussion by child psychologist Malin Bergström is to look beyond visits: what ordinary care and relationships does the child need to keep?

Read article