Required
Before regular food sales
Home cook guide
Register your food business in Gothenburg
Before you sell food regularly from home, you need to register your food business with Göteborgs Stad. The process is usually simple when your information is ready.
Online form
Usually immediate
Paper form
About 10 working days
2026 registration fee
Usually about SEK 1,786
Fees and processing times can change. Check the official page before submitting.
Prepare these details first
Having the right information ready makes the form faster to complete.
- Your email address, phone number, and operating address
- Your organisation number, or your personal identity number if you run a sole trader business
- The date you plan to start selling
- A clear description of the food you will prepare and how customers will receive it
- An overview of your kitchen, equipment, storage, packaging, and food safety routines
- Information about your water supply if you use a private well
Do not register too early. Göteborgs Stad may remove the registration if the business has not started within three months.
How to register
Follow these four steps before your first sale.
01
Make sure the business can operate safely
You do not automatically need a commercial kitchen, but your space and routines must be suitable for the food you plan to sell.
- Protect business ingredients and prepared food from contamination
- Have enough cleanable work surfaces, equipment, refrigeration, and storage space
- Prepare routines for cleaning, personal hygiene, temperatures, allergens, and traceability
- Use packaging and containers that are suitable for contact with food
02
Register your food business with Göteborgs Stad
Before you begin selling, the food business you operate from your home kitchen must be registered with the Environmental Administration. Register when you know that the business will start and have chosen a planned start date.
- Choose the online service on the Göteborgs Stad website that fits your business. Contact the Environmental Administration if you are unsure.
- Have your email address, phone number, business address, and organisation number ready. If you operate as a sole trader, you can use your personal identity number.
- When you register through the online service, you normally receive the registration certificate directly by email and may begin once the registration is complete.
- If you use the paper form, processing takes around ten working days. Wait for the registration certificate before you begin selling.
03
Save your registration confirmation
When an online registration is completed, Göteborgs Stad states that the registration certificate is sent directly by email. You may begin once the registration is complete.
- Registration using the paper form takes around ten working days
- Keep the confirmation with your business records
- Registration does not mean that the municipality has inspected or approved your kitchen
- Starting before registration is complete may result in a financial penalty
04
Keep traceability records and manage allergens
You must be able to show where your ingredients come from. Receipts and invoices can be used as proof of traceability. Allergen information is one of the areas that authorities examine particularly closely.
- Document which of the 14 allergens are present in each dish
- Keep receipts for all purchases of ingredients and raw materials
- Record what was prepared and which ingredients were used
- Show allergen information before an order is placed, or explain clearly how the customer can obtain it
Registration and control costs
You normally pay one fee when the business is registered and a separate fee after each food control.
Registration fee
Usually about SEK 1,786
Göteborgs Stad charges based on the time spent processing your registration. The 2026 rate is SEK 1,786 per hour, and a complete application usually takes about one hour to process. The final fee may be higher if the application requires more work. You must pay the fee even if you later decide not to start the business.
First food control
Usually about SEK 6,500
After you start selling, the city normally arranges a first food control. This is charged separately from registration. The price includes the inspector's preparation, the visit, documentation, and follow-up work.
Additional controls
Only when needed
If the first control identifies problems that require follow-up, you pay for the additional time. You may also be charged for justified complaint investigations.
The 2026 hourly rate is SEK 1,786. Fees can change, and the final cost depends on the time Göteborgs Stad spends on your case.
What happens next
The city arranges a first visit
An inspector reviews your activity, food safety routines, kitchen conditions, and the information you provide to customers.
Your business is risk classified
The type of food, the way it is handled, and the size of the activity affect how much official control the business receives.
You continue managing food safety
Registration is only the first requirement. You must keep suitable routines for hygiene, cleaning, temperatures, allergens, traceability, storage, packaging, and transport.
Tell the city when something changes
Some changes require a new registration or an update to the Environmental Administration.
- Register again if the business receives a new organisation number
- Register again if the food business moves to a new address
- Tell the city if the activity changes significantly
- Deregister the business when it closes or changes owner
- The new owner must submit a new registration
Common questions
Can I legally sell food from a home kitchen?+
Yes, a standard home kitchen can be used if it is suitable for the activity and the food hygiene rules are met. The municipality assesses how your actual setup and routines manage food safety risks.
Does the city inspect my kitchen before I start?+
Usually not. The online services provide registration confirmation when the form is completed, and the first food control normally takes place after the business has started. You are responsible for meeting the rules from the first day.
Which online service should a home cook use?+
It depends on how Göteborgs Stad classifies the activity. The official page separates cafes and restaurants from other food businesses. Read both descriptions and contact the Environmental Administration if the correct option is unclear.
Do I need a formal written self-control plan?+
You need clear routines that fit your activity. Göteborgs Stad says routines may be written or verbal, depending on the size and complexity of the business. For a small home food business, writing down the main routines is a practical way to keep them consistent and explain them during a control.
What if I use water from a private well?+
A private water supply used by the food business must be registered separately. Follow the private well instructions linked from Göteborgs Stad's registration page.
Who should I contact if I am unsure?+
Contact Göteborgs Stad's Environmental Administration before submitting. They can explain which registration service applies, but they cannot design your food safety system for you.
Next guide
Prepare your food safety routines
Registration allows you to start the business. Your routines help you prepare and sell food safely every day.
This guide is a plain-language summary of public information and is not legal advice. Rules, fees, forms, and municipal processes can change. Göteborgs Stad and the relevant Swedish authorities are the official sources.