Moving to Sweden
Are you considering moving to Sweden? Or have you already decided to move, but are unsure about the practical details? This article provides an overview of what you should keep in mind when moving to Sweden, regardless of where you are in the planning process.
Find a new home
A good place to start if you want to buy a house or a flat in Sweden is the website Hemnet. The website is updated daily with new houses and flats to buy. Another useful site is Booli.
If you would rather rent a place to live, there are plenty of online rental websites in Sweden. Adverts for private rentals can be found on pages like blocket.se and can be a good place to start your search. Malmø municipality owns Boplats Syd, which is an agency for public and private housing in Skåne. Other pages like hyrabostad.se post adverts from bigger housing agencies. You can also find adverts in local newspapers.
Are you selling your home in Denmark before moving?
In Sweden, any potential capital gain from the sale of real estate is taxed. That means that if you move to Sweden before you sell your old home in Denmark, you will be required to pay capital gains tax to Skatteverket (the Swedish tax agency).
Register your move and get a Swedish "personnummer"
If you move to Sweden and plan to stay in Sweden for more than a year, you are required to register in the Swedish Population Register (folkbokföring) and get a Swedish personal identity number (personnummer). You do this by paying a visit to your local tax office in the municipality that you have moved to. You should bring your passport to this appointment. It might also be a good idea to bring your rental agreement or proof of purchase of your Swedish house or flat. When you are registered in the Swedish Population Register, you will receive a Swedish personal identity number. You keep your Danish CPR number, even if you move from Denmark.
You can apply to become registered and receive a Swedish personnummer once your move has taken place. Please read a more detailed description of how you become registered in the Swedish Population Register, and what document you are required to provide, at skatteverket.se.
Resident permit in Sweden
Nordic and EU/EEA citizens
As a Nordic citizen, you do not need to apply for a residence permit in Sweden.
If you are a citizen of an EU/EEA member state, you are eligible to study, work or live in Sweden without a residence permit – provided that you can support yourself. Otherwise, you are required to apply for a residence permit in Sweden. You apply for your right to remain at the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).
More information for Nordic and EU citizens on migrationsverket.se
Citizen of a non-EU/EEA country
If you are not a citizen of a Nordic or EU/EEA country and are moving to Sweden to work, then you should apply for and have been granted a work permit before entering Sweden. The work permits are issued by the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). You can read more about the rules and find guidelines on how to apply on their website.
Applying for work permits as a non-EU/EEA citizen
Applying for studying and researching in Sweden as a non-EU/EEA-citizen
If you already hold a Danish work permit, you risk losing this permit if you leave Denmark. Please contact New to Danmark (Ny i Danmark) for more information if this applies to you.
Contact Ny I Danmark for more information about your Danish work permit
Contact Försäkringskassan
When you live in Sweden, you have the right to services from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan). Please contact Försäkringskassan to check your social insurance registration.
Schools and day care
Schools and day care are operated by the municipalities in Sweden. You are therefore requested to contact the municipality that you are moving to, to register your child for a daycare place. The municipality can also help you find a school for your children or you can register your child for a private school or day care.
More information on the Swedish school system can be found in Utbildningsguiden
Pick a vårdcentral (health care centre)
If you get sick in Sweden, your first point of contact should be your local health center (vårdcentral). All residents of Skåne county are free to choose which vårdcentral they want to register at. There are both public and private alternatives. The patient fee is the same for a public and private vårdcentral provided that the private vårdcentral has an agreement with the county.
More information about the Swedish health care system here
More information about how healthcare works in Sweden on 1177.se
Register your car
If you choose to bring your Danish car with you when you move to Sweden, the car will have to be registered at the Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen). On their website you can also find more information regarding vehicle import and verification of origin, and other car related questions.
Open a Swedish bank account
It is a good idea to open a bank account when you move to Sweden.
If you need help with comparing different banks and their fees, you can find information on the Swedish Consumers' Banking and Finance Bureaus (Konsumenteras bank och Finansbyrå) website. On their website you can also find independent information on insurances.
Get an ID-card
It is common in Sweden to get asked to show proof of your age and identity at places like pharmacies, banks, or in shops. It is, therefore, a good idea to contact the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), which can help you get a Swedish ID card.
Right to vote when you live in Sweden
If you are a Danish citizen, moving to Sweden means that you lose your right to vote in Denmark – unless you are stationed, deployed, or studying in Sweden.
However, you can vote in municipality or regional assembly elections in Sweden if you are older than 18 years old, are a citizen of an EU country, Iceland or Norway, and registered in the Swedish Population Register. If you are not a citizen of these countries, you are still eligible to vote when you have been registered in the Swedish population Register for three consecutive years before election day.
You can also vote in the European Parliament elections if you have turned 18, are a citizen of an EU country, are registered in the Swedish Population Register, and have given notice that you wish to be listed in the electoral roll.
Pension
If you have private pension savings in Denmark, then it is a good idea to contact that pension agency to understand whether your move to Sweden is going to affect your pension savings. When living in Sweden, you will also be taxed for revenue from your private pension savings i Denmark. You will in most cases also pay tax for any pension income from Denmark.
Redirect your post
To get your post from Denmark sent to your address in Sweden, you need to contact PostNord.
Moving to Sweden with a pet
If you are planning on bringing your pet with you when you move to Sweden, you need to get permission from the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket). More information regarding vaccinations and documents required can be found on their website.
Study in Sweden
EU/EEA-citizens can study in Sweden for free.
