Geoblocking
Geoblockering - Engelska
Geoblocking means that consumers, based on their nationality or where they live, are prevented from accessing goods or services within the EU. To prevent this, a European regulation was adopted in December 2018 that prohibits many kinds of geoblocking.
Cooperation:This website is co-funded by the European Union.
Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.
What do the problems look like?
Even though it should be easy to buy goods and services across borders within the EU, consumers have encountered problems in the form of geoblocking. Complaints to the European Commission and national authorities show cases where companies have applied different terms, such as price, based solely on where the consumer lives.
In other cases, consumers have been prevented from searching for the best possible offering in the EU because of companies having blocked websites or automatically redirecting the consumer to a different version of the website. Lastly, consumers have experienced problems in the form of discrimination solely based on the payment card being issued in a certain country.
Websites may not be blocked
The Geoblocking Regulation aims to clarify the already existing rules on prohibitions against discrimination. The regulation presents certain situations where special treatment based on nationality, place of residence or place of establishment cannot be justified.
Prohibition against the blocking of websites and discrimination at payment was also introduced. For example, you should not be denied access to an online interface, such as websites or mobile apps, based on your nationality or place of residence. You should not be redirected to a special version that is adapted to you unless you have approved it. If you have been redirected, you must be able to easily find your way back to the page you began at.
Prohibition on discriminatory terms including price
According to the regulation, private individuals or companies should not be discriminated with regard to terms, including price, when it concerns:
goods, which are delivered to one Member State to which the company offers delivery, or which are collected at a location agreed on with the customer. You should be able to shop as if you lived in that country. However, you do not have the right to collect a product at a location if the company does not already offer that possibility.
electronic services, such as cloud services, data warehouse management and web hotels
services such as hotel night stays and car rental services if the customer uses the service in the country in which the company operates
It is also prohibited to discriminate customers regarding payment methods under certain conditions. This applies for electronic payments, such as payment cards of the same brand and category that the company already accepts. The payment must also take place in a currency that the company normally accepts. Companies thereby have no obligation to accept card brands or categories of payment cards that they do not already accept.
Exceptions to the rules
There are several exceptions to the Geoblocking Regulation. A few examples are:
Transport services
Services offered by staffing agencies
Financial services, such as banking and credit services, insurance, pension savings, securities and investment funds, as well as investment advice, payments and leasing
Private security services
Some gambling services/gaming operations, such as lotteries, casino games and betting
Audiovisual services, such as cinemas and radio broadcasts
Electronic communications services
Health and medical care services
The Services Directive also does not affect rules that guarantee consumers protection according to the legislation in their home countries.
Companies are also not obliged to deliver goods and services to all Member States.
Do you have questions about geoblocking?
If you have questions about geoblocking, you can contact your national contact point for geoblocking. There is a contact point in every EU country, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and the UK. The purpose of the contact points is to make it easier for companies and consumers to offer and buy products in the internal market and ensure free mobility.
You can also read more about geoblocking on the European Commission website
Frequently asked questions about geoblocking (download PDF in swedish)
Contact point in Sweden – ECC Sweden
ECC Sweden has the assignment of informing consumers when purchasing products from other EU countries.
Email: konsumenteuropa@konsumentverket.se Letter: Consumer contact point regarding geoblocking, ECC Sweden, Box 48, 65102 Karlstad, Sweden
ECC Sweden can provide information on:
Consumer rights in purchases of goods and services in the EU, Norway, Iceland and the UK
Possibilities of legal review of disputes
It does not cost anything to contact us.
Find contact points in other countries on the European Commission website
Supervision and dispute resolution
If a company violates the provisions on geoblocking, you as a consumer can file a supervisory report to the Swedish Consumer Agency.
Make an online report on the Swedish Consumer Agency website