Relocating to Sweden
Relocating to Sweden, step by step.
Relocating to Sweden from outside the EU takes four stages: the work permit before travel, registering with Skatteverket (folkbokföring) after arrival to get a personnummer, then an ID card, BankID, a bank account and healthcare, and finally housing, schools and a partner's job. Settio builds that plan for each person, with deadlines, documents and an employee portal in their language.
In short
What to know
Before the move
The work permit, the job offer that meets the salary and terms, and the family's permits filed together.
Moving to Sweden from outside the EUThe first weeks
Folkbokföring, the personnummer, the ID card and BankID unlock almost everything else in Sweden.
Registering after arrivalHousing, schools, partner
Finding a flat, preschool and school places, and a career for the partner who moves too.
Housing for international hiresStaying for good
Permanent residence and citizenship, and the days abroad that count against them.
Citizenship Countdown
After arrival
The registrations, in order
- 1Register at Skatteverket (folkbokföring)folkbokföring: registration in the population register
- 2Personnummer receivedpersonnummer: Swedish personal identity number
- 3Apply for a Swedish ID card
- 4Open a bank account and get BankIDBankID: the electronic ID most services ask for
- 5Get a coordination number (samordningsnummer)samordningsnummer: coordination number for stays under a year
- 6Open a basic payment account
Good to know
Tips for the first weeks
Name on your mailbox
Letters from Skatteverket and banks only arrive if your name is on it.
Keep passport and permit card together
You show both at almost every appointment.
Save 112 and 1177
112 for emergencies, 1177 for healthcare advice (also at 1177.se in English).
Do it in order
Registration → personnummer → ID card → bank and BankID. Each one unlocks the next.
Authorities
Who does what in Sweden
Migrationsverket (Swedish Migration Agency)
Swedish Migration Agency: decides residence and work permits
Official websiteSkatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency)
Swedish Tax Agency: population register, personnummer, tax
Official websiteFörsäkringskassan (Swedish Social Insurance Agency)
Swedish Social Insurance Agency: benefits and social security
Official websiteArbetsmiljöverket (Swedish Work Environment Authority)
Swedish Work Environment Authority: the posting register
Official websiteForskarskattenämnden (Taxation of Research Workers Board)
Taxation of Research Workers Board: expert tax relief
Official websiteOther countries
Official sources
- Migrationsverket: waiting times (Väntetider), work
- Migrationsverket: apply for a work permit (fees)
- Folkbokföringslag (1991:481), 25 §: a move is reported within one week
- Skatteverket: SINK, special income tax for non-residents
- Forskarskattenämnden: tax relief for foreign experts
- Försäkringskassan: current amounts (aktuella belopp)
- IAF: the new unemployment insurance from 1 October 2025
- Skatteverket: Moving to Sweden
- Digg: e-IDs for people without a Swedish personal or coordination number (in Swedish)
- PTS: prepaid cards (in Swedish)
- Försäkringskassan: sick when you're employed
- Verksamt: holiday and holiday days
- Försäkringskassan: dental care support
- University Admissions: who pays fees
- Migrationsverket: new rules for citizenship from 6 June 2026
Guides
Every guide on this topic
- Samordningsnummer vs Personnummer in Sweden: What HR Needs to KnowInternational employees in Sweden often ask the difference between a samordningsnummer and a personnummer. This guide explains both, when each is issued, and how to manage the gap for payroll and banking.
- Relocating to Sweden: The First 90 Days Checklist for International EmployeesA practical guide for international employees arriving in Sweden on a work permit. Covers the first 90 days: registration, the personnummer, healthcare, banking, tax, and the permit steps HR should help with.
- Moving to Sweden from Outside the EU: The Complete 2026 Relocation GuideFrom the job offer to your first year in Sweden: the work permit, fees and waiting times, biometrics and the residence permit card, travel, registration, and everything that follows. Written for non-EU employees and the HR teams moving them.
- Folkbokföring After Arrival: How Non-EU Newcomers Register in Sweden (2026)How to register in the Swedish population register after moving on a work permit: who qualifies, the online report and in-person identity check, documents, waiting times, family members, and what to do if you stay less than a year.
- Swedish ID Card and BankID for Newcomers: What Changes in 2026–2027BankID is widely used in Sweden, and for many non-EU newcomers the first Swedish ID document is a Skatteverket ID card. The 2026 process and fee, the proposal to wind down Skatteverket ID cards from March 2027, and the new state e-ID Sverige-id.
- Healthcare and Social Insurance After Moving to Sweden: A Newcomer's Guide (2026)When non-EU newcomers can use Swedish public healthcare, why short-stay permits need private insurance, what 1177 and the high-cost cap are, and how Försäkringskassan covers sick pay, parental benefit and child allowance.
- Finding Housing in Sweden as an International Hire: Queues, Sublets and ScamsRental queues in Stockholm average around nine years, so many newcomers start with a sublet. How second-hand contracts work, what landlords ask for, how to spot rental scams, and what employers can do to help.
- Moving to Sweden from India: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival Guide (2026)For Indian professionals and the employers hiring them: Sweden's 2026 work permit conditions, biometrics at the Embassy in New Delhi, collecting the card, the India–Sweden social security agreement, documents that cause delays, and driving in Sweden.
Show all 40 guides
- Moving to Sweden from the UK After Brexit: Work Permits, A1 Postings and Driving (2026)British citizens who did not live in Sweden before 2021 need a Swedish work permit like any non-EU citizen. Biometrics and travel for UK citizens, the two-year posting rule for UK National Insurance, tax, exchanging a UK licence, and the status of pre-2021 residents.
- Moving to Sweden from the US: Work Permit, Totalization Agreement, Banking and Driving (2026)For Americans relocating to Sweden and the HR teams moving them: the 2026 permit rules, biometrics in Washington or in Sweden, the five-year US–Sweden totalization agreement, US tax filing and FATCA at Swedish banks, and why a US licence means taking the Swedish driving test.
- Moving to Sweden With Your Family on a Work Permit (2026 Rules)Who can come with you, how and when they apply, fees, the partner's right to work, housing, a baby born in Sweden, and what the family rules that took effect on 1 October 2026 change for work permit and EU Blue Card holders.
- Schools and Preschool in Sweden for International Families (2026)How preschool (förskola), the 2026 fee cap, compulsory school from age 6, mother-tongue tuition and international schools work for families moving to Sweden on a work permit, and what to do first.
- Your Partner's Career in Sweden: Work Rights, Degree Recognition and Swedish ClassesWhen one partner moves for a job, the other can work in Sweden from day one. How to get a foreign degree assessed by UHR, licensed professions (doctors, nurses) through Socialstyrelsen, SFI Swedish classes, and Arbetsförmedlingen.
- Moving to Sweden: The Unwritten Rules, Swedish Culture, and How to IntegrateMoving to Sweden? The unwritten rules of everyday life, Swedish etiquette, fika and Jantelagen, how to make friends, and how to feel at home faster.
- Lost Your Residence Permit Card in Sweden? What to Do, Step by StepLost or stolen residence permit card in Sweden? Report it to the police, send the report to Migrationsverket, and get a new card. Every step, in order.
- Your First 30 Days in Sweden: the Order That Saves WeeksRegistration, personnummer, ID card, bank and BankID: the first weeks in Sweden in the order that saves time, with what you can start before you fly.
- Start Your Swedish Registration Before You MoveSkatteverket's Moving to Sweden e-service opens 14 days before your move. What you can do before the flight, and what has to wait until you land.
- Opening a Bank Account in Sweden as a NewcomerYour right to a payment account with basic features, why banks check your identity, what to bring, and why credit can wait until you're settled.
- BankID and e-ID Safety for Newcomers to SwedenYour BankID signs in your name. The police's rules for phone fraud, what to do if you've been tricked, and why newcomers are an easy target.
- A-kassa and Income Insurance: Two Things, Two Sign-upsSweden's unemployment insurance since October 2025: why membership time matters, the 80, 60 and 50% levels, the income ceiling, and what quitting means.
- Your Personal Details Are Public in SwedenWhy your address and personnummer can be found online in Sweden, the principle of public access behind it, and what a confidentiality marking is.
- Benefits Newcomers Miss in SwedenSick pay, 25 days of holiday, dental support, child benefit, university without fees and free Swedish lessons: what applies to newcomers, and how to get it.
- Credit in Sweden: Why Newcomers Start From ZeroWhat a Swedish credit report is built from, why a newcomer has little on file, and how to start without hurting your chances.
- SFI: Signing Up for Swedish and Making It CountSwedish for immigrants: who has the right, why you don't need a personnummer, how long the right lasts, and how SFI course D counts for citizenship.
- Your First Swedish Winter (and the Summers That Follow)Daylight, vitamin D, low mood and ice: getting through your first Swedish winter, with what 1177 advises, and why the summers make up for it.
- Making Friends in Sweden: Associations and Study CirclesWhy associations (föreningar) and study circles are how many people in Sweden make friends, how to find one, and why joining a board helps later.
- Dental Care for Adults in Sweden: What Support You GetThe yearly dental allowance and the high-cost protection for adults insured in Sweden, the 2026 amounts, and how to choose a connected clinic.
- Saving in Sweden: What an ISK Is and How It's TaxedThe investment savings account (ISK): how the standard income is calculated, the 300,000 SEK tax-free level from 2026, and why you don't declare sales.
- Before You Become Tax Resident in Sweden: Questions to AskWho is taxed in Sweden on worldwide income, the six-month rule, and the questions to take to a tax adviser before you move your savings.
- Free Master's Studies in Sweden With a Residence PermitWith a residence permit for work or family, not for studies, you pay no application or tuition fees at Swedish universities. Who qualifies and what to show.
- Moving to Sweden as a Sambo or Spouse of a WorkerWho counts as family of a work permit holder, proof for a sambo, the right to work, and the maintenance rules from 1 October 2026.
- Job Hunting in Sweden as an InternationalA skills profile without registering, Arbetsförmedlingen's job bank, and the habits that help internationals and partners find work in Sweden.
- Getting Around Sweden: Transport, Bikes and Your LicencePublic transport and bikes, and when a foreign driving licence stops being valid in Sweden: one year after registration for most non-EEA licences.
- Moving to Sweden from Pakistan: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival (2026)Moving to Sweden from Pakistan on a work permit in 2026: the salary rules, biometrics and passport checks at the reopened Embassy in Islamabad, collecting your card, fake agents, tax and driving.
- Moving to Sweden from Bangladesh: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival (2026)Moving to Sweden from Bangladesh on a work permit: the 2026 salary rules, biometrics and the residence permit card at the Embassy in Dhaka, fake agent warnings, social security, tax and driving.
- Moving to Sweden from the Philippines: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival (2026)Moving to Sweden from the Philippines on a work permit: why Bangkok handles biometrics and cards, the Philippine OEC and direct-hire rules, the Sweden–Philippines social security convention, tax and driving.
- Moving to Sweden from China: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival (2026)Moving to Sweden from China on a work permit: the 2026 salary rules, biometrics in Beijing or Shanghai without an appointment, English translations, collecting your card, tax and driving in Sweden.
- Moving to Sweden from Iran: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival (2026)Moving to Sweden from Iran on a work permit in 2026: the Tehran embassy's limited service, digital passport checks, biometrics and residence permit cards, sanctions and banking, tax and driving.
- Moving to Sweden from Brazil: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival (2026)Moving to Sweden from Brazil on a work permit: the 2026 salary rules, travelling visa-free and giving biometrics in Sweden, getting your decision from the embassy in Brasília, tax, social security and driving.
- Moving to Sweden from Türkiye: Work Permit, Biometrics and Arrival (2026)Moving to Sweden from Türkiye on a work permit: the 2026 salary rules, biometrics and cards at the Consulate General in Istanbul, the Sweden–Türkiye social security convention, the Ankara Agreement, tax and driving.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What do I need to relocate to Sweden for work?
A job offer that meets the Swedish permit terms, a work permit approved before you travel (unless you are an EU citizen), and after arrival a registration with Skatteverket to get a personnummer.
How long does relocating to Sweden take?
Most of the time goes to the work permit decision. Settio's free Decision Wait Times tool shows the current times by permit type, and the plan for each person counts the deadlines from there.
Can my family move to Sweden with me?
Yes. A partner and children can apply for residence permits as family members, and filing them with the work permit keeps the family on one timeline.
What does Settio do for a relocation to Sweden?
It builds the step-by-step plan for the permit and the move, checks the documents, reminds everyone of deadlines and gives the person a portal in their own language.
Free tools and more
- Life in Sweden: free tools
- Family Income Check
- Expert Tax Check
- Citizenship Countdown
- Questions, answered
Informational only. This guide is not legal advice. Always verify requirements with official government sources before acting. Facts checked 10 October 2026. About this information