Settling in Sweden
Settling in Sweden, step by step.
Settling in Sweden after a work move goes in an order: report the move to Skatteverket (the e-service opens 14 days before you move), the identity check after you land, the personnummer by post, then the ID card, a bank account and BankID. In the first month at work, decide about an a-kassa, since membership time now decides how much it pays. Then the things people wish they'd known: benefits, free Swedish lessons, the first winter and how friendships start here.
In short
What to know
The first weeks
Registration, personnummer, ID card and bank, in the order that saves weeks.
Your first 30 days in SwedenThe safety net
A-kassa and a union's income insurance are two separate sign-ups; join early.
A-kassa and income insuranceWhat you're entitled to
Sick pay, holiday, dental support, child benefit, free studies and SFI.
Benefits newcomers miss
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Show all 30 guides
- 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.
- Your Hire Landed. Why Can't You Pay Them Yet?Registration, personnummer, ID card, bank: the arrival chain behind a new hire's first salary in Sweden, where it stalls, and how HR can shorten it.
- The A-kassa Conversation Onboarding SkipsWhy international hires should hear about the a-kassa in their first weeks, what to tell them since the October 2025 reform, and why it protects the employer too.
- Start Onboarding Before the FlightWhat an international hire can do before moving to Sweden: report the move online, plan the identity check, a phone number and an e-ID. Weeks saved.
- Why Relocations Fail at Home, Not at WorkThe partner, isolation and the first winter: why international hires leave in year one, and what employers can do, from the partner's permit to check-ins.
- Why Forum Advice Fails Your International HiresInternational hires ask forums because HR is busy, and forums disagree. Why sourced, dated guidance in the hire's language is part of an employer's duty of care.
- The December Check-in: Winter and First-Year RetentionWhy a check-in in an international hire's first December matters, what 1177 advises about daylight and low mood, and how to ask without prying.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What should I do first after moving to Sweden?
If you'll stay a year or more, report the move to Skatteverket and go to a state service centre for the identity check. The personnummer that follows unlocks the ID card, the bank and BankID.
When should I join an a-kassa?
Early: since 1 October 2025 the time you've been a member decides whether a-kassa pays 80%, 60% or 50% of previous pay.
Do I need a personnummer for SFI?
No. The right to SFI doesn't depend on a personnummer or a coordination number.
Free tools and more
Informational only. This guide is not legal advice. Always verify requirements with official government sources before acting. Facts checked 15 October 2026. About this information