Is ANPR Safe? What You Need to Know About GDPR and Privacy

Read more about what ANPR is and how it works.

Do you need a permit for ANPR cameras?

No. Nobody needs to apply for a permit from IMY for camera surveillance any longer. Previously, the permit requirement mainly applied to public authorities and those performing a task in the public interest, such as a municipality. It ended on 31 March 2025. The cameras must still be used in line with the Camera Surveillance Act and GDPR.

However, you need to assess whether the surveillance is permitted. For a parking facility, this is usually done through a balancing of interests, where the need for the cameras is weighed against the intrusion on personal privacy. IMY considers that the privacy interest usually carries relatively little weight in parking facilities, because people only spend a short time there. If the parking facility is in a residential area, however, it carries a lot of weight, because residents pass the cameras practically every day.

The intrusion is smaller if the surveillance is limited to the parking facility itself. ANPR cameras are aimed at the entrance and exit and read number plates, so they capture a limited area.

Read IMY’s rules for camera surveillance and IMY’s guidance for parking facilities (in Swedish).

Is a registration number personal data?

Yes, if the car can be linked to a private individual. According to IMY, a registration number is personal data when a private individual owns the car. If a company owns the car, it usually is not. Since a parking facility has both private and company cars, GDPR applies to anyone who uses ANPR.

Read IMY’s explanation of personal data.

Who is responsible for the data?

Responsibility lies with whoever decides why and how the data is processed: the data controller. This is usually the owner or manager of the parking facility. The data controller must make sure the surveillance follows the rules, for example that the balancing of interests is carried out and that people who park are informed.

The system supplier often handles the data on behalf of the controller. With ANPR46, you own the data and are the data controller. Mobility46 is the data processor, and we always sign a data processing agreement with you.

How is the data protected?

We store the data within the EU. Camera images are kept for 90 days and then deleted.

All access is controlled by permissions. Only people with a login and permission in the admin interface can see camera images and vehicle data. Administrators log in with BankID, and so do contract customers when they manage their parking permits.

The data is also used as anonymous statistics, so that you can make decisions about your facility, for example based on occupancy at different times of day.

In our experience, people who park rarely complain about the cameras. The questions we get most often are about how long the images are kept, what data is stored and who can see it. If you are comparing suppliers, it is a good idea to ask all of them the same questions. Read which other questions to ask when choosing an ANPR system.

Is payment secure?

Payment is handled by established payment services, not by the cameras. Visitors pay in a parking app connected to the system, such as EasyPark or Parkster, or on a payment page via a QR code with Swish or card. Mobility46 has an integration with Stripe for card payments. Visitors only pay for the time the car is parked.

See how payment works step by step.

Can ANPR lead to an incorrect charge?

A camera can occasionally misread a number plate, but automation reduces the risk compared with manual checks. At our ANPR facilities, the accuracy rate is 97%. Cars with parking permits are recognised automatically, and visitors only pay for the time they are parked.

Before anything is invoiced, uncertain readings are reviewed manually. If something still goes wrong, the person managing the parking facility can view the camera image and cancel and credit the parking session in the admin interface.

Read more about accuracy and the benefits of ANPR cameras.

Does ANPR make parking safer?

Yes. The cameras register every car that enters and leaves, around the clock. This gives a better picture of what is happening in the facility than a parking attendant doing their rounds. Screens at the entrance and exit can also show who is allowed to park and how visitors pay, which increases the sense of security.

Read about the difference between parking attendants and cameras.

What do you need to do when introducing ANPR?

IMY has an eleven-step process for anyone using camera surveillance. For a parking facility with ANPR, this means, among other things, that you need to:

• carry out a balancing of interests and document it
• limit how long the data is kept
• assess whether a data protection impact assessment is needed
• add the surveillance to your record of processing activities
• inform people about the cameras with signs
• protect the data and evaluate the surveillance regularly

IMY mentions camera surveillance that reads registration numbers to charge for parking as an example where an impact assessment may be required. It is a review of how the processing affects the people who park.

IMY recommends giving the information in two steps. A sign at each entrance, preferably at eye level, shows the most important information, including the purpose, who is responsible and how long the data is kept. The rest of the information can be provided elsewhere, for example on a website. It should also be available in a non-digital format, such as on paper. We help you with what the signs should say, and you order them yourselves.

This is an overview, not a legal assessment of your facility.

Read IMY’s process for camera surveillance (in Swedish) and what the sign should contain.

Read more about our camera-based parking system ANPR46.