Permits for lasers

To apply for a permit, log in to our e-service using Freja eID or Bank-ID.

When completing your application, you will need to provide the following information:

• Name and company registration number or personal identity number
• Address and telephone number
• Invoicing details
• Contact information for the person who can answer questions
• Intended activity involving the use or possession of the laser(s)
• Date, time and location of the activity involving the use or possession of the laser(s)
• Manufacturer and model of each laser to which the application applies
• Nominal ocular hazard distance (in metres) of each laser to which the application applies
• Maximum output power of each laser to which the application applies
• Wavelength of each laser to which the application applies
• Laser class of each laser to which the application applies
• Description of relevant laser expertise
• Safety measures to protect the public

If the application concerns use for entertainment, artistic or advertising purposes, it must also include a sketch of the area showing the radiation field in relation to the spectators.

Applications for the use of Class 3B or Class 4 lasers must also include a certificate of training in laser safety or equivalent training, or documented experience of laser use.

We may also request a risk assessment for the use of Class 3B or Class 4 lasers. The risk assessment must describe how all foreseeable risks associated with the laser use in question will be managed.

Permits for activities involving the use of lasers, where there is a risk that the public may be exposed, may be subject to conditions requiring that each instance of laser use be reported to us.

Additional information may be requested during the permit review process.

Once you have signed your application in the e-service, you will receive an automatic confirmation by email. If you are applying for a new permit, you will also receive a payment request.

You will receive a reminder from us approximately two months before your permit expires. Renewal or amendment of an existing permit is done through our e-service for permit applications.

Please complete all fields in the e-service. If the changes are extensive, the application will be treated as a new application and a processing fee will apply. For minor changes or renewals without changes, no fee will be charged.

Once you have signed your application for a laser permit in our e-service, you will receive an email confirmation.

If you are applying for a new permit – that is, not a renewal – you will also receive a payment request with instructions on how to pay the application fee.

If we do not receive the application fee within four weeks, we will dismiss the application.

Once the fee has been received, the application will be assigned to an investigator. The investigator will inform you that the permit review process has begun and will examine the application based on the acts, ordinances and regulations that apply to the laser activity in question. If necessary, you may be asked to provide additional information.

If the application fulfils the requirements, a permit will be issued and sent to you. You will be asked to confirm that you have received the permit.

If the application does not fulfil the requirements, you will receive a decision of rejection, including an explanation of the reasons.

It usually takes approximately four working weeks to process an application for a laser permit or Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). However, the processing time may vary depending on our current workload. During the summer months, it may take longer.

The processing time may also be extended if we need to coordinate with other government agencies before a decision can be made. This may be necessary, for example, if air traffic is affected or if you are applying for an exemption from any requirement.

The processing time begins once we have received a complete application for a permit or NOTAM, in accordance with Section 26 of Chapter 5 of the Swedish Radiation Protection Ordinance (2018:506).

A decision regarding a permit, or licence, under the Radiation Protection Act (2018:396) may be appealed to the Administrative Court in Stockholm. The decision includes instructions on how to lodge an appeal.

Pursuant to the Ordinance (2008:463) on certain fees to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, the following fees apply to lasers requiring a permit:

• SEK 600 per permit for powerful laser pointers with a beam not exceeding 30 mW.
• SEK 9,700 per permit for powerful laser pointers with an output power exceeding 30 mW.
• SEK 1,300 per permit for other lasers requiring a permit.

The application fee applies for the year in which the permit is issued. Thereafter, we will invoice you annually between February and April for as long as your permit is valid.

Applications to modify an existing permit will be subject to an application fee if it involves extensive modifications, as the application will then be treated as a new application. The original application fee covers renewal or minor modifications.

Lasers are regulated in the following acts, ordinances and regulations:

To deregister your permitted laser activity, send the following information to us at registrator@ssm.se:

• Permit number
• Reason for decommissioning
• What will happen to the laser equipment

Observe that it is not permitted to possess a powerful laser pointer without a permit. This equipment must be destroyed or sold to someone who holds a valid permit. Pursuant to Section 10 of Chapter 7 of the Swedish Radiation Protection Act (2018:396), other lasers must be rendered harmless to the necessary extent from a radiation safety perspective when they are no longer to be used.

Unless based on a hazardous chemical substance or in gas form, laser equipment must be scrapped as electronic waste and deposited at a recycling centre.

The following measures are recommended:

• Remove batteries and, if possible, render the laser unusable by dismantling it before depositing it at the recycling centre.
• Ask recycling centre staff to render the laser equipment unusable by destroying it on site.

Contact a recycling centre for assistance with dealing with chemical or gas lasers. If the recycling centre cannot issue a scrapping certificate, you may write your own. Send the scrapping certificate to registrator@ssm.se. Please include the permit number for the laser equipment.

The use of free laser beams, i.e., lasers without beam stops, can interfere with air traffic and a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) therefore needs to be issued by the Swedish Transport Agency.

A NOTAM is required, for example, for indoor laser shows if laser beams can pass through windows or any openings in the building, and outdoors if the laser beams do not have a beam stop.

Affected activities are usually identified during the permit review process when applying for a laser permit.

An application for a NOTAM must be submitted for each occasion the laser(s) is used, even if you have an annual laser permit issued by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority. If you do not have a permit, you can apply for one at the same time as you apply for a NOTAM.

The application for a NOTAM is made via the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, which will review the submitted documentation.

To apply for a NOTAM, complete the form “NOTAM application for laser activities”.

On request, you will also need to provide the following information so that we can verify the information supplied on your application form:

• Output power, wavelength and divergence of each laser to which the application relates (for example: 5 W, 532 nm, 1.2 mrad).
• Compass direction of the laser beams (for example, SW or 225 degrees).
• Horizontal spread angle of the laser beam (for example, +/- 45 degrees).
• Vertical spread angle of the laser beam (for example, 0–30 degrees above the horizon).
• Geolocation of the lasers and height above sea level.
• Map of the intended NOTAM area.

The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority will verify the information and then forward the application to the Swedish Transport Agency.

In order to process the application, the responsible person in the control tower of the affected airport must be involved in the planning.