Every legal form in Sweden, each with its abbreviation, the kind of entity it is, liability and typical use where they are well established, and the values the Prometiam company object returns.
This guide lists the 26 legal forms the Prometiam dictionary knows for Sweden: what each is called, how it is abbreviated, what kind of entity it is and how it appears in the company object. Use it to read the legal_form of a company registered in Sweden, or to decode a form you meet in a contract or on an invoice. It is a general reference, not legal advice.
Coverage and limits for Sweden: company records only (no officers, no registry-compliance signal); sole traders are never served.
| Form | Abbreviation | Kind | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aktiebolag | AB | Private limited company | A private limited company: shareholders are not personally liable, the minimum share capital is SEK 25,000 (since 2020), and it may not offer shares to the public. |
| Publikt aktiebolag | AB (publ), publ | Public limited company (joint-stock company) | A public limited company: the minimum share capital is SEK 500,000, and it may offer shares to the public and be listed. |
| Handelsbolag | HB | General partnership | A general partnership: the partners are jointly and personally liable. |
| Kommanditbolag | KB | Limited partnership | A limited partnership: at least one partner is liable without limit, the limited partners only up to their contribution. |
| Bostadsrättsförening | Brf | Cooperative | A housing cooperative whose members hold a right to occupy an apartment. |
| Enskild näringsverksamhet | - | Sole proprietorship | A sole trader: no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable. |
Every company object carries four legal-form fields: legal_form (the standard abbreviation, null when the form is not mapped), legal_form_family (the cross-country family, so a private limited company compares across countries), local_legal_form (the register’s own value or code as stored) and local_legal_form_name (the register’s name for it, where it publishes one). Each form below shows the values the API returns for it.
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \ "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?country=SE&name=<company name>" # each result carries, for example: # "legal_form": "AB" # "legal_form_family": "private_limited_company"
Private limited company: a company with its own legal personality whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable for its debts and whose shares are not offered to the public.
A private limited company: shareholders are not personally liable, the minimum share capital is SEK 25,000 (since 2020), and it may not offer shares to the public.
ABlegal_form AB, legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form ABlegal_form Banking company (joint-stock bank), legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form BABlegal_form Insurance company (joint-stock), legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form FABlegal_form Occupational-pension company (joint-stock), legal_form_family private_limited_company, local_legal_form TPABPublic limited company (joint-stock company): a company with its own legal personality and share capital whose owners are, as a rule, not personally liable; the family of forms that can usually raise money from the public.
A public limited company: the minimum share capital is SEK 500,000, and it may offer shares to the public and be listed.
AB (publ), publlegal_form AB (publ), legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form the register’s own textSElegal_form SE, legal_form_family public_limited_company, local_legal_form SEGeneral partnership: the owners run the business together and, as a rule, answer personally for its debts.
A general partnership: the partners are jointly and personally liable.
HBlegal_form HB, legal_form_family general_partnership, local_legal_form HBLimited partnership: at least one partner answers without limit for the debts, the others only up to what they contributed.
A limited partnership: at least one partner is liable without limit, the limited partners only up to their contribution.
KBlegal_form KB, legal_form_family limited_partnership, local_legal_form KBSole proprietorship: one person trading in their own name with no separate company; the owner is, as a rule, personally liable.
A natural person, not a company. A sole trader: no separate legal person, and the owner is personally liable.
legal_form Sole trader, legal_form_family sole_proprietorship, local_legal_form the register’s own textCooperative: an organisation owned and run by its members.
A housing cooperative whose members hold a right to occupy an apartment.
Brflegal_form Brf, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form BRFek. för.legal_form ek. för., legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form EKu.p.a.legal_form u.p.a., legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form BFlegal_form Cooperative rental-housing association, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form KHFlegal_form Member bank (credit cooperative), legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form MBSCElegal_form SCE, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form SCElegal_form Joint-farming association, legal_form_family cooperative, local_legal_form SFAssociation: a membership body, usually non-profit.
legal_form Non-profit association carrying on business, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form Ilegal_form Religious community carrying on business, legal_form_family association, local_legal_form TSFFoundation: assets set aside for a purpose, with no owners.
legal_form Foundation carrying on business, legal_form_family foundation, local_legal_form SMutual: a body owned by its members, typical for insurance and guarantees.
legal_form Insurance association, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form FOFlegal_form Mutual insurance company, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form OFBlegal_form Mutual occupational-pension company, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form OTPBlegal_form Occupational-pension association, legal_form_family mutual, local_legal_form TPFBranch of a foreign company: an establishment or registration of a company incorporated abroad.
legal_form Branch of a foreign bank, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form BFLlegal_form filial, legal_form_family branch_of_foreign_company, local_legal_form FLOther entity type.
legal_form Savings bank, legal_form_family other, local_legal_form SBSee the Sweden company data API guide for the register behind these records and the free Organisationsnummer lookup to try an identifier. For the register states that go with these forms, read company status in Sweden. All countries: company legal forms.
Search by name or identifier and read legal_form, legal_form_family and local_legal_form on every result, or filter a bulk list by family.
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