Your first weeks in Sweden: the registrations to do after landing

Arriving in Sweden with a residence permit is the start, not the end, of the paperwork. Several Swedish agencies need to know you are here before you can use public healthcare at resident rates, receive benefits, get a Swedish ID card or open most everyday accounts. This guide sets out the registrations an American usually handles in the first weeks, in the order that makes the rest possible, using the official instructions from the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) and 1177.

Before you land

### Your residence permit card

As a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA, you need a valid Swedish residence permit before Skatteverket will register you. When you notify the agency of your move, you must show your residence permit card. If you do not have one, Skatteverket refers you to the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

### Documents to pack

Skatteverket asks for originals of the documents that prove who you are and why you are moving. Pack:

• your passport;
• your residence permit card and the permit decision;
• your employment contract or enrolment certificate, if relevant;
• marriage certificates, divorce decrees or death certificates if you are or have been married;
• birth certificates for children under 18 and any custody decision.

Step 1: Notify Skatteverket of your move

If you plan to live in Sweden for one year or more, you are generally required to be registered in the Swedish Population Register. You notify Skatteverket through the "Moving to Sweden" (Flytta till Sverige) e-service, available in English, or at a service centre.

### Your address

You must give the full address of the home where you live and sleep, the four-digit apartment number if there is one (usually stated in the rental contract), and the name of the person you live with if you stay in someone else's home. Make sure your name is on the door or postbox. Skatteverket cannot register c/o addresses.

If you start in a hotel or hostel, give that address. If you move before you are registered, report the new address and moving date.

Step 2: The identity check

You and the family members moving with you must visit a state service centre in person after arriving, for an identity check. Book an appointment through the national government service centre booking service. Your documents are checked and returned.

### Children

Parents or guardians of a child under 18 must notify the child's move jointly. If one parent cannot attend, the other needs written consent to represent the child.

Step 3: Wait for your personnummer

Skatteverket states that a notification of a move to Sweden takes about six weeks to be assigned to an administrator. If registered, you receive a personal identity number (personnummer), which you keep for life.

If Skatteverket cannot reach you by post, email or phone, it may not be able to register you, so keep the name on your postbox and answer letters quickly.

Step 4: Sort out your tax

If you are employed in Sweden, Skatteverket must decide whether your employer deducts preliminary A-tax or SINK, the special income tax for non-residents. You have unlimited tax liability, and pay A-tax, if you stay in Sweden for at least six consecutive months or have a significant connection to Sweden. SINK is a final tax of 22.5% for those with limited tax liability.

You can start working before Skatteverket decides, but if you have not registered for A-tax or applied for SINK, you can do it at the service centre during your visit. Your employer is required to inform Skatteverket when hiring someone from outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland.

Step 5: Tell Försäkringskassan

Being insured in Sweden is what gives you access to benefits from Försäkringskassan. Some benefits depend on living in Sweden and others on working here.

• If you move with children under 16, Försäkringskassan contacts you once you are registered, to investigate whether you and your children are insured and eligible for child allowance.
• If you move without children, you can provide information through its e-service, for example to apply for a benefit. Form 5456 is the paper alternative.
• All accompanying family members applying for a benefit must provide information too.

Försäkringskassan then decides whether you are insured. If you are, you may be entitled to benefits such as child allowance or housing allowance.

Step 6: Healthcare at resident rates

According to Försäkringskassan, once you are registered in Sweden you are entitled to medical and dental care on the same terms as others who live there, paying the standard patient fee in the public system. Insured people receive free dental care until age 23, then the state dental support.

Healthcare is run by regions. On 1177.se, choose your region to see what applies where you live, or call 1177 for healthcare advice. Before you are registered, 1177 explains that people from outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland usually pay the full cost of care, so keep private cover until registration is complete.

You can ask for an interpreter when you book an appointment.

Step 7: Your ID card

Once you have a personnummer, you can apply for a Skatteverket ID card. Pay the SEK 400 fee in advance, book an appointment at a service centre that issues ID cards, and bring a bank statement or receipt for the fee plus your residence permit card. You are photographed and measured at the centre. From 1 December 2026, new ID cards come from the Swedish Police.

Step 8: Bank and BankID

BankID, the electronic identification most adults use, requires a Swedish personal identity number, being a customer of a bank that issues BankID, and a valid ID document. You order it from your bank.

If you are staying less than a year

People staying under one year are not registered in the Population Register. Instead, you can apply for a coordination number (samordningsnummer) if you have a connection to Sweden and can show you need one, using Skatteverket's "Coordination number" e-service and an identity check at a service centre with your passport and residence permit card. Workers staying under a year register for A-tax or apply for SINK. A coordination number stays active for five years and is replaced by a personnummer if you are later registered as living in Sweden.

Proving your registration

After registering, you can show your details with a population registration certificate (personbevis), an extract only Skatteverket issues. With Swedish eID and age over 16, you can download one about yourself, including an English-text extract. It cannot be used as proof of identity.

Keeping things current

Report any later move in advance or within one week. A change of address takes about three weeks to process.

Common questions

Can I register with Skatteverket before arriving? You must show a valid residence permit and attend an identity check at a service centre in Sweden, so registration happens after you arrive.

How long until I get a personnummer? Skatteverket says a notification of a move to Sweden takes about six weeks to be assigned to an administrator.

Can I work before my tax decision? Yes. Skatteverket says you can start working before it decides on A-tax or SINK.

When do I pay Swedish patient fees instead of full cost? Försäkringskassan says that once you are registered in Sweden you get medical and dental care on the same terms as others living there.