Emergency preparedness in Sweden: the official guidance

Short answer. In Sweden, the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (Myndigheten för civilt försvar, MCF, formerly MSB) asks every household to manage on its own for at least one week ¹. The country has about 64,000 public shelters for about 7 million people ², warns through sirens, radio and SE-Alert cell broadcast ³⁴, and pre-distributes iodine tablets near its three nuclear plants ⁵. Facts on these pages were verified on 2026-10-20.

Who is responsible for civil preparedness in Sweden?

MCF is the responsible civil defence agency and runs the crisis portal krisinformation.se ³. County administrative boards (länsstyrelser) handle nuclear emergency response and iodine tablets ⁵, and municipalities must tell residents which shelters exist locally ⁶.

What is on each page?

• Emergency supplies — at least one week of self-sufficiency, 3 to 5 litres of water per adult per day, one month of long-term medicines, 1,000 SEK cash per adult ¹.
• Kit — MCF's home preparedness list, item by item.
• Public shelters — about 64,000 skyddsrum, no assigned shelter, MCF's shelter map, readiness within 48 hours at heightened alert ².
• Alerts — VMA, emergency alarm, air raid warning and all-clear signals; siren tests at 15:00 on the first non-holiday Monday of March, June, September and December ³; SE-Alert since 2026 ⁴.
• Iodine — potassium iodide 65 mg posted to homes within about 25 km of Ringhals, Oskarshamn and Forsmark; take it only on official instruction ⁵¹².
• Build a shelter — Act 2026:440, in force since 1 June 2026: no permit regime for a voluntary private shelter, duties for owners of registered ones ⁶.
• Shelter standards — MCF's handbook Skyddsrum SR 15 (2025) and related regulations ⁷.
• Emergency contacts — 112 for emergencies, 113 13 for crisis information, 1177 for healthcare advice ³⁸.

What is the brochure "In case of crisis or war"?

Om krisen eller kriget kommer is the brochure the Swedish state sends to households. The fifth edition, after 1943, 1952, 1961 and 2018, was presented on 8 October 2024, and more than 5 million copies were mailed to residents between 18 and 29 November 2024 ¹⁰. MCF reissued the English version as publication MCF0180 (2026), free, 32 pages ¹¹; it can be downloaded or ordered from MCF ⁹. MCF also offers Seven days (Sju dagar), a free scenario-based exercise ⁹.

Where do I start?

Build the one-week supply first (kit), find your nearest shelter (public shelters), learn the signals (alerts) and write down the numbers (emergency contacts). For a household plan, see /guides/family-plan.

Frequently asked questions

How long should Swedish households be prepared for?

At least one week, according to MCF ¹.

Is there an English version of the Swedish crisis brochure?

Yes: In case of crisis or war, MCF0180 (2026), free, 32 pages ¹¹.

Where can I find official crisis information in English?

On krisinformation.se/en and mcf.se/en, both run by MCF.

Sources

1. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) — Home preparedness – prepping for at least a week — https://www.mcf.se/en/advice-for-individuals/home-preparedness--prepping-for-at-least-a-week/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) — Good to know about civil defence shelters — https://www.mcf.se/en/advice-for-individuals/civil-defence-shelters-evacuation-and-warning-systems/good-to-know-about-civil-defence-shelters/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) — About the warning and information systems — https://www.mcf.se/en/advice-for-individuals/civil-defence-shelters-evacuation-and-warning-systems/public-service-announcement-and-other-varnings/about-the-warning--and-information-systems/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) — SE-Alert – important public announcements sent directly to your mobile — https://www.mcf.se/en/advice-for-individuals/civil-defence-shelters-evacuation-and-warning-systems/public-service-announcement-and-other-varnings/se-alert/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Länsstyrelsen i Kronobergs län — Kärnenergiberedskap — https://www.lansstyrelsen.se/kronoberg/samhalle/sakerhet-och-beredskap/karnenergiberedskap.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Sveriges riksdag (SFS) — Lag (2026:440) om skyddsrum och skyddade utrymmen — https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-2026440-om-skyddsrum-och-skyddade-utrymmen_sfs-2026-440/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
7. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) — Skyddsrum SR 15 (2025) — https://www.mcf.se/contentassets/f368c02e73db47ed88e8abae3932eabf/skyddsrum-sr-15-2025_251215.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
8. 1177 (Region Västerbotten) — Akut hjälp — https://www.1177.se/vasterbotten/sa-fungerar-varden/varden-i-vasterbotten/kontakt/akut-hjalp/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
9. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) — Download or order the brochure In case of crisis or war — https://www.mcf.se/en/advice-for-individuals/the-brochure-in-case-of-crisis-or-war/download-and-order-the-brochure-in-case-of-crisis-or-war/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
10. Regeringskansliet (Försvarsdepartementet) — En broschyr för allvarstid – ny upplaga av Om krisen eller kriget kommer — https://regeringen.se/pressmeddelanden/2024/10/en-broschyr-for-allvarstid--ny-upplaga-av-om-krisen-eller-kriget-kommer/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
11. Myndigheten för civilt försvar (MCF) — In case of crisis or war (MCF0180) — https://www.mcf.se/sv/publikationer/om-krisen-eller-kriget-kommer-pa-engelska/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
12. Läkemedelsverket (Swedish Medical Products Agency), product leaflet — Bipacksedel: Kaliumjodid G.L. Pharma 65 mg tabletter — https://docetp.mpa.se/LMF/Kaliumjodid%20G.L.%20Pharma%20tablet%20PL_09001bee807a44ad.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)