According to the EC Directive on the recognition of diplomas (89/48/EEC), a person who has a diploma allowing him or her to exercise a regulated profession in the home country shall be allowed to exercise the same profession in the host country. If the profession calls for knowledge of national law - as in the case of the audit profession - the host country may demand that the migrant either works in the host country for an adaptation period of up to three years under the supervision of a person who has the national qualification, or passes a national aptitude test. The host country may choose between the two alternatives.

A person who has a diploma that gives him or her the right to carry out statutory audits in an EEA state and who passes a Swedish aptitude test (särskilt lämplighetsprov), arranged by the Supervisory Board of Public Accountants (Revisorsnämnden), shall receive the qualification of approved public accountant if he or she fulfils the other requirements for qualification, i.e. to exercise the audit profession, to be a resident of an EEA state and not to be bankrupt etc.

If the home country diploma gives the candidate the right to carry out statutory audits without any restrictions (e.g. as regards listed client companies or clients larger than a certain size) he or she shall receive the qualification of authorised public accountant. Note that the right to sit an aptitude test for qualification as an authorised public accountant is not tied to the existence of a two-tier system in the home country but to the statutory audit rights connected with the home country title. Thus, while members of the second-tier bodies in e.g. Denmark or Germany can only obtain the qualification as approved public accountant, since they have restricted statutory audit rights in their home countries, members of the second-tier body of Accountants-Administratieconsulenten in the Netherlands can sit for the qualification as authorised public accountants because they have the same unrestricted statutory audit rights as the first-tier body of Registeraccountants.

In principle, aptitude tests are offered once a year, in October or November, venues and exact dates for the tests being announced annually in January. In practice, the Supervisory Board of Public Accountants has demonstrated a generous attitude to a more flexible timing of aptitude tests.

There are no agreements on mutual recognition with states other than the EU members and the other parties to the EEA Agreement. Accountants from other countries should apply to the Supervisory Board of Public Accountants for a discussion of the possibility of claiming credit for foreign diplomas for the purpose of a Swedish qualification. Click here to go to the website of Revisorsnämnden.