Your Guide to Swedish Authorities & Getting Started
Understand the public agencies that support your life in Sweden and how to access essential services
Welcome to Sweden
This guide covers all the main Swedish authorities that newcomers and residents may interact with. Each description explains what the authority does, why it matters, and how it may affect your life in Sweden.
Employment Rate
69.7%
Strong job market and employment opportunities
Yearly GDP
SEK 6.38T
One of the world's largest economies by GDP per capita
Total Population
10.66 M
Welcoming communities across all regions
Global Innovation
2
World leader in innovation and technology
Finding Home
Perhaps you arranged temporary lodging or rented a room before arriving in Sweden and may want to move as temporary arrangements come to an end. Looking for your ideal place to stay can be a challenging task in larger cities such as Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, where available housing remains relatively scarce.
ACCOMMODATION
You can rent first-hand or second-hand in Sweden. First-hand (första hand) means you sign an agreement with the owner of the building, while second-hand (andra hand) means you sign an agreement with someone who already has the first-hand contract or has the first-hand contract on the flat.
To get a first-hand contract, you need to register to be put on the municipal waiting list (bostadskö) and it can take anywhere from a few years in some municipalities up to ten years for central locations in cities like Stockholm for a first-hand contract to become available.
As a new resident, you'll probably be renting a flat from someone who qualifies in a second-hand arrangement. It is extremely important to make sure that the tenant co-operation board of the building (bostadsrättsföreningen) or the landlord has signed off on second-hand leasing. If you rent a flat from a subletter who doesn't have permission, you run the risk of being evicted (or make a long story short).
Personnummer
If you live new in Sweden, the first thing you should do is register with the Swedish Tax Authority to get your social security number, also called a personal identity number or personnummer.
As an EU citizen, you have the right to live, work, and study in Sweden with or without a personnummer. The personnummer is a 12 digit number issued by Skatteverket. They issue it when they confirm you can support yourself and your family during your first year in Sweden. Personnummer is not only required to be a part of the social security and health care systems in Sweden, which is otherwise quite expensive to arrange through private insurance companies, but is often used as identification proof at all government offices, banks, insurances, subscriptions, collection of postal items at the post office etc.
All These Into Consideration
Employment contract(s),
Proof of savings ex. Bank statement,
Number of members in the family,
Place of residence(must be in Sweden). You can NOT apply for a personnummer while still living abroad. Neither is a holiday address enough. You must have a residential address in Sweden.
You need to go in person (all the persons in the family) to an office of Skatteverket to apply for a personnummer.
A legal ID certificate, preferably a passport for every person applying.
Swedish ID Card
Once you have received your Social Security number, you need to book an appointment with Swedish tax authority Skatteverket to apply for a Swedish ID card.
Anyone who is at least 13 years old and registered for population purposes in Sweden may apply to the Swedish Tax Agency for Swedish ID card. You must be able to identify yourself, in other words prove who you are, with approved ID documentation or via an attestor.
Bank Account
In order to open a bank account, you must always be able to identify yourself.
Identification Methods
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You can identify yourself with a valid Swedish identification document, such as a passport, a national identity card or a BankID. You can also identify yourself with a Swedish driving license.
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If you do not have Swedish identification documents, you can identify yourself with a valid foreign passport or other photo identification document that clearly shows your citizenship and is issued by an authority or some other authorized issuer. Note that the bank may request that you also present other documents.
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If you do not have any valid identity documents, you must be able to prove who you are and your citizenship by means of other documents issued by a competent authority.
Bank Account
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A residence permit or a visa (does not apply to EU citizens)
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An admission decision confirmation from your university, showing the duration of your studies
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The bank is not satisfied with the identity document submitted
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The bank determines that the reason given by you to open an account is inadequate
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The bank, by opening an account, would be in breach of a legal regulation or directive
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You have previously acted dishonestly towards the bank
Visiting a Bank
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You must be able to understand the bank's questions as well as answer them.
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You must also be able to understand the information that the bank gives you.
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In order for a bank to understand you, you should bring such a person with you while visiting the bank.
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The bank will ask you about the source of income.
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Your account and other bank services must not be used by anyone else unless an agreement for this is held with the bank.
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The bank may ask you additional questions or stipulate other requirements.
For Work In Sweden
The Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) offers support to people looking for work. You can register either online using your Bank ID or by personally visiting the nearest Arbetsförmedlingen office. Apart from arbetsförmedlingen, there are many other privately run job websites like LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. commonly used to find a job in Sweden. These websites usually include job listings and functions where you can upload your CV.
Health Centre
You can visit your local health centre - vårdcentral. These centres provide a starting point for most medical treatments in Sweden. The staff can help you with health related matters and write referrals - remisser, which you need in order to see a specialist.
Maternity Clinics
The maternity clinic (barnmorskemottagningen) is primary health care facility for pregnant women which are responsible for women's health care throughout the pregnancy and for child's health care before, during and after birth. Visits to the government maternity clinics are free, but not in case of private care.
Health Care Centre
At the child health centre or barnavårdscentralen (BVC), you can get tips about your child's development, breastfeeding, food and illnesses. When you come home after childbirth, you can contact the child health centre to make an appointment for a first meeting. The first meeting is often held at home. At the meeting, the nurse asks you about the child health centre and looks to see how your baby is doing.
And Fees
The costs and fees for visiting a vårdcentral vary from county to county. But the costs of a visit is usually between 100 - 300 SEK and normally free for everyone under 20. Don't forget to cancel an appointment if you don't attend as you will otherwise have to pay the full costs of the defaulted visit.
Is Covered?
Anyone, registered as resident in Sweden, is entitled to free dental care up to and including the 31 of December of the year you turn 23. Adults on the other hand, pay a large part of their dental care costs themselves, starting on the 1 January of the year they turn 23. For asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants, you have the right to receive dental care free of charge until your 18th birthday. If you are an adult, entitled to a dental care grant of 300 or 600 SEK a year. You can save the grant for two years and use it on one occasion, but you can't save more than two grants at the time.
I Find A Dentist
You will get a list with all the dentists affiliated with the public dental service – Folktandvården.
Driving License
In case you have a driving license issued by any EU country then it is valid throughout your stay in Sweden. You can even exchange your driving license with a Swedish license if you have permanent residency(RP).
A driving license which is issued by any non-EEA country (excluding Switzerland and Japan) is valid for maximum one year in Sweden. It cannot be exchanged with a Swedish license. So if you want to continue driving in Sweden you must avail a Swedish driving license. For which you will have to complete the risk education, theoretical and practical driving exam.
License
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Apply for a learning permit
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Start your driving practice
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Study the theory of driving
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Take the risk training – riskutbildning
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Book a time for a driving test
Allowance
With Försäkringskassan
You need to register with Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) to qualify for various benefits like eg child care allowance, unemployment benefit, parental benefit, etc. Read more at www.forsakringskassan.se
Parental benefit/allowance is the money you receive to be able to be at home with your child instead of working, seeking work, or studying. The childcare, both the parents are entitled 480 days of leave per child in total(240 days each). 390 of these days are income-based and 90 days are at the minimum level. If you were working in Sweden during the pregnancy or at the time of childbirth, then you might get up to 80% of your salary as parental allowance otherwise a fixed minimum amount decided by the government will be paid. It is not your employer who bears the cost of your parent benefit but it is the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) who pays it.
Care Allowance (Barnbidrag)
Children who are born in Sweden or started living in Sweden before their first birthday are entitled to receive child allowance starting from one month after their birth. The allowance is paid to both parents until the child turns 16.
School Admissions
Preschool
Swedish preschools emphasises the importance of play in child's development. There is a great focus on basic values and individual needs such as playing together, tolerance and being considerate for others. Preschool is provided for children aged 1 to 5 years.
Preschool Class
The year your child turns 6, he or she can participate in a non-compulsory preschool class (sexårsverksamhet), designed to help children meet future classmates and prepare for primary school without the stress of heavy studies or homework. Swedish compulsory schooling is divided into four stages: förskalklass (preschool year or year 0), lågstadiet (years 1–3), mellanstadiet (years 4–6) and högstadiet (years 7–9).
Compulsory School
From the ages of 7 to 16, all children in Sweden are required to attend the compulsory school (grundskola), where they are taught a core group of basic subjects. Families of children between aged six and thirteen are also offered out-of-school care before and after school hours called fritids.
Free Education
Although preschools and after-school care are paid services, but from the age of 6 years all schooling in Sweden is free of charge and one hot meal during the day is also included. However if you want your child to study in private schools then private and international schools do exist in Sweden and there is usually a fee for such schools.
Courses
Depending on the location of your stay, there are different options for learning Swedish while in the country. More information at: www.sweden.se
Folkuniversitetet offers Swedish courses at different levels.
Study associations also offer language courses and a wide range of other courses. See a list of study associations.
SFI courses (Swedish for Immigrants). Once you have become a resident in Sweden and have been issued a personal identity number (personnummer) you can contact your local municipality for information about.
SFI (Swedish for Immigrants): Swedish lessons for immigrants (SFI). SFI is basic training in the Swedish language for adults who do not have Swedish as their first language. You can study SFI full-time or part-time. The training is free of charge.
Higher Education Qualifications
The European Commission has devised a system known as ECTS (European Credit Transfer System). It allows for the transfer of higher education credits between European countries. The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) evaluates foreign qualifications in order to provide support for people looking for work in Sweden, people who wish to continue studying, or for employers who wish to employ someone with foreign qualifications.
Figuring out the responsibilities of the different authorities isn't all that easy. Who is responsible for what? Whom should you turn to with your questions, applications and concerns?
This guide gives you a brief overview of the different authorities and their main responsibilities.
Insurance
Overview
Payouts of unemployment insurance take two forms, a basic benefit or an income-related benefit. Registered yourself for A-kassa as soon you start your work.
System
Unemployment insurance is not a part of the social insurance system in Sweden. Unemployment insurance is connected closely to the trade unions but it legally independent. When you start working in Sweden, investigate which unemployment insurance fund (which is known as A-Kassa) is available.
Eligibility
In order to receive an income-based benefit, you must have been a member of a voluntary unemployment insurance fund (A-kassa) for 12 months and have worked (been employed) for at least six months. In addition, some trade unions offer additional insurance against loss of income.
Immigration & Identity
Work & Social Security
Health & Welfare
Education & Studies
Business & Economy
Legal & Consumer Rights
Emergency Numbers
- 112 – All Emergencies
- 114 14 – Police (non-emergency)
- 1177 – Healthcare Advice