Arlanda Airport Terminal-by-Terminal Pickup Guide

Terminal 5 is Arlanda's largest and handles arrivals from outside the Schengen area — long-haul and international flights that route you through passport control and, usually, a bag reclaim hall before you reach the public concourse. If your trip involves a passport check on arrival, you're almost certainly coming through here.

The other terminals mainly handle domestic and Schengen flights, where there's no passport control and the walk from gate to concourse is usually shorter. Which terminal a given airline uses is decided by the airport and can change, so check your booking or Swedavia's arrivals information on the day rather than relying on memory. Terminals 4 and 5 sit together around the Sky City concourse, so some services and pickup points are shared between them.

Your terminal is printed on your boarding pass and shown on the arrivals board — you don't need to work it out yourself. All that matters for your transfer is your flight number, which we already have from booking.

At Terminal 5, expect a longer sequence: gate, passport control, baggage reclaim, then customs, before the arrivals hall opens onto the main concourse. It's the busiest terminal and the one where the walk from aircraft to kerb takes the longest, simply because of that sequence.

At Terminals 2, 3 and 4, the same walk is shorter — no passport control, and in most cases a more direct path from baggage reclaim to the arrivals exit. The concourses are smaller and easier to get your bearings in.

In practice, a pre-booked car is met outside the arrivals exit, separate from the taxi rank queue, and your driver's message and phone number mean you can confirm exactly where on the day — pickup areas are set by the airport and can move during building work.

You add your flight number when you book, and we track it — not the scheduled time, the actual one. Ninety minutes before your adjusted pickup time, you get a message with your driver's name, phone number and licence plate, so you know who's meeting you and can call or message the moment you're through the doors.

Because the driver is watching the same live flight data you'd see on the arrivals board, they already know which terminal you're arriving at and time their own arrival at the pickup zone to match — you don't need to specify a terminal separately, and a gate or terminal change on the day doesn't change anything on your end.

• Message or call the number sent in your 90-minute update — that's the fastest way to confirm you're both looking at the same pickup point.
• Head for the marked short-stop zone outside the arrivals exit rather than the general taxi rank; that's where a pre-booked car will be waiting.
• If it's a big terminal and you're not sure which exit you've come out of, the arrivals hall signage names it — read that back to the driver over the phone and they'll adjust.
• Your booking confirmation email has the same contact details as the 90-minute message, in case you need them earlier.