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Moving to Sweden: Where to Start?

I receive many questions about moving to Sweden. Many people want to start a life in this Scandinavian country, but it is such a big and significant step that most simply get lost in the whole endeavor and abandon their plan early on. For even more people, Sweden is just a dream that floats somewhere between Instagram photos and evenings spent watching Swedish cinema. How to turn the dream into reality? Where to start?

Get Informed

Sweden is a beautiful country, and a stable life with relatively high earnings is a major draw. The number of immigrants in Sweden from various countries exceeds hundreds of thousands - officially. The number of people who are not registered here is much higher, as under EU rules on the free movement of people, EU citizens do not need any residence permits to stay in Sweden. According to EU law, any EU citizen who stays in another EU country for up to 3 months does not have to report this anywhere. In Sweden, you do not need to report your stay even if you exceed three months.

In practice, you can "stay" in Sweden without handling any formalities for an unlimited amount of time. The downside is that you are then outside the system and cannot count on state assistance in many matters. Without a Swedish personal number, it is also difficult to open a bank account (difficult, but possible), register in various systems, applications, loyalty programs of stores, etc. Generally - you are there, but you don't exist.

Without a personal number in Sweden - what is possible?

THEORETICALLY, anyone who INTENDS to stay in Sweden for more than a year should apply for registration in the Swedish population register (folkbokföring), which is managed by the Swedish equivalent of the tax office (Skatteverket). In practice, however...

Sweden is not so keen on taking in another immigrant

...and unfortunately, this is a fact you need to accept right away. The Swedish state is currently employing many ways, sometimes borderline legal, to simply limit the influx of people to Sweden. Registration in folkbokföring means an unbreakable bond between the state and the resident and imposes many privileges but also obligations on both sides - it’s a serious matter. I can multiply and divide the stories of people about the difficulties related to registration and obtaining a personal number, and some gain the status of almost "urban legends."

Moving to Sweden when someone is not sent here by an employer or is not coming to family who is already settled, is a very difficult, but not impossible, undertaking. You need to equip yourself with enormous amounts of perseverance, consistency, and... humility. Adapting to the Swedish system, regardless of what we think about its individual elements, is the key to success and a stable life.

Learning the Language

Is Swedish necessary for living in Sweden? Yes and no. At the initial stage, you can manage everything with a good command of English. You can handle official matters (at least to a large extent) in English, and finding an apartment shouldn't be a problem either. The difficulties start later. When it comes to work, in big cities there are corporations where knowing English is enough, as it is the primary language in many international conglomerates. However, in any other place, without knowing Swedish, you are a backup candidate, even if you have more competencies than your competitors. In everyday life, not knowing Swedish begins to hinder functioning very quickly - we realize that we become victims of unobvious, hidden, very diplomatic Swedish discrimination. Moreover, not knowing Swedish makes private contacts with Swedes difficult. They do know English, but if they have a choice, they will choose to talk to someone who knows Swedish.

The Swedish state provides free language education to all immigrants. However, the catch is that to pass the exams in SFI (svenska för invandrare) courses, you usually need... a Swedish personal number. Starting SFI, according to general regulations, is possible without a personnummer, but this is not always respected. In some municipalities, you can attend SFI in this situation for three months - until the first exams, while in others you can complete the whole course without a personnummer. If we don't decide on SFI, we are left to learn the language on our own.

Housing Options

When you start thinking about moving to Sweden, even before setting a date, you should start looking for an apartment. Unfortunately, such searches look completely different than in many other countries. Here, due to the long-standing housing crisis, landlords, cooperatives, and developers have the upper hand, as there are simply too few apartments in Sweden. The options we have for finding our own place are:

Buying an Apartment

If you have the money, this is the best option. The value of real estate in Sweden is currently rising, so generally, buying an apartment, especially in a new development, is a good investment. However, remember, this is Sweden, so you can't just buy any apartment you want, even if you have the money - in many places, especially in established "neighborhood communes," your candidacy to buy an apartment, even if accepted by the current owner, must be approved by potential neighbors. So, be prepared for an involuntary casting, where the deciding factors for acceptance can be things like the candidate's education, type of job, family, lifestyle, or... manners.

Very often, buying a house or apartment is not only easier to achieve but also... cheaper, so it's worth considering this option.

Renting from a Cooperative

This is a very Swedish thing! If you are renting a residential unit, it's best to rent from a cooperative that adheres to Swedish law. This solution guarantees us the stability of the contract and regulated rent increases (they are regulated by the state). Unfortunately, this type of rental is almost impossible for newcomers. Why? Imagine people standing in line for apartments and, on top of that, collecting points for it! The longer you stand, the more points you have. For example, in Malmö, several cooperatives have merged into a "queue consortium," with a single queue, and "standing" in it costs 350 crowns (about $40) per year. Currently, almost... 100 thousand people are waiting in this queue, and the MINIMUM waiting time for an apartment is 6 years (officially, which means it’s probably not true). The good news is that there are also cooperatives where queues don't apply, but in such cases, you must be prepared for a very rigorous casting. Usually, the criteria in cooperatives include no debts or financial problems in history, no criminal record, no frequent changes of residence in history, and a salary exceeding at least three times the rent amount. As you can see, to rent an apartment this way, you need to have a history in Sweden, which is why this option is unattainable for newcomers.

Renting from a Private Landlord

This means renting an apartment from an owner, but not necessarily, because in Sweden it happens to rent from second or even third hand. This solution should be achievable for newly arrived people, but it is quite risky, especially in big cities. Such a rental agreement is very unstable, so we face unregulated rent increases and the termination of the contract at any time - some call it "living out of a suitcase," and record holders move even a dozen times a year! Also, remember that the apartment owner often has to present the tenant’s candidacy for consideration by neighbors, and sometimes we can encounter strange restrictions in the contract, such as a ban on having guests overnight.

How to find an apartment from a private landlord? Completely the opposite of many other countries - let the apartment owner find you! It sounds weird, but due to the market realities, it's not the rental property owners who need to advertise, but the rental candidates. The most ads from both sides can be found on blocket.se and on Facebook.

Once You Have an Address...

...you're home! Well, at least halfway. Having an address in Sweden opens many doors: you can sign an employment contract and have a correspondence address. The obligation to register your residence in Sweden is very much alive and strictly enforced. There’s another plus to having an address in Sweden, and this is especially important for parents - you can then enroll your child in school or preschool.

According to Swedish law, EVERY child living in Sweden has the right to education and does not need a personal number for this. To enroll a child in preschool/school, you need to apply to the "kommun" (municipality or city) where the child has an address. For children without a personal number, the kommun assigns internal numbers, but these do not have the power of a permanent number. The waiting time for a school and preschool placement can be several months, so this should be taken into account when planning a move.

Work

Ideally, you should start looking for a job at the same time as searching for an apartment. Sure, it’s hard to coordinate, but the "it will work out" approach is the best one here, and I highly recommend it. Job hunting in Sweden is a huge topic for a separate post, as it also looks quite specific. Not only do Swedes tend not to reply to emails, but newcomers also fall victim to hidden discrimination. There is no single good way to find a job, as it largely depends on our industry and... ambition. And I assure you, the longer you look, the more your ambitions lower. But a dose of humility is advisable here, as working below your qualifications is quite a good idea to start in Sweden. Why? More about that in the next paragraph.

Obtaining a Personnummer

...or personal number, is the ticket to the Swedish system. This time let’s focus on how to obtain it. The simplest way to do this is... steady employment. The employment contract should be for at least a year, with enough working hours per week to make it impossible to live in another country (since we have to prove that we intend to live in Sweden for at least a year). A standard Swedish contract with a 6-month probation period, after which the probationary contract automatically turns into a permanent one, is also accepted.

This method works almost 100%, so if you can’t find your dream job, it’s really worth considering employment in... a less dreamy job but with the right contract. Another fairly sure way to get a personnummer is through studies, but it must be a program of at least 2 years. You can apply for the number only after starting your studies, and you must also prove that you have a place to live and sign a statement that you have the means to support yourself during your studies.

Other options, but less effective and usually requiring lengthy evidence proceedings, are: setting up a business or company based in Sweden (which is also not easy without a number but entirely possible), having sufficient funds to support yourself for at least a year in Sweden (equivalent to roughly $24,000), or proving that you are supported by a third party.

NOTE: Restrictions and the approach of offices to issuing personnummer have significantly changed over the past years. Currently, obtaining a personal number is much more difficult than it was a few years ago. So, be cautious of stories from people who received their numbers a few years ago and earlier - their experiences are usually not comparable to current realities.

Another important thing is that it is no longer possible to obtain a number from Skatteverket through the "sambo" route - having a partner or even a spouse with Swedish citizenship does not entitle you to receive a personnummer if you have not lived together abroad before. If you want to obtain a number based solely on having a Swedish partner, you need to apply to the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). However, you should be prepared for a horrendously long wait for the office's decision - the process will definitely take much longer than a year, as this office prioritizes more urgent cases of refugees or asylum seekers. Here you can check the waiting times at Migrationsverket.

Samordningsnummer

A coordination number, an orderly number, which is a temporary number, can be obtained if you do not meet the criteria for receiving a personal number but have matters in Sweden that need to be settled with the state - temporary work, contracts, purchases, or sales of movable and immovable property in Sweden. Such a number is applied for by the employer or the appropriate office, but you can also apply for it yourself at Skatteverket, providing the basis for its issuance. If someone wants to have the status of a job seeker in Sweden, they need to register with the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), and the office should apply for such a number for the interested party. A samordningsnummer does not have the "power" of a personal number and, unless extended, expires one year after its issuance.

Perseverance

The Swedish "systemet" is quite relentless but fairly relentless. Some of the rules here may be completely illogical and sometimes even shocking for newcomers from other regions. However, if you enter the system and act according to the rules, and above all in the right order, Sweden offers the chance for quite a pleasant and dignified life.

Another very valuable piece of advice from me: don’t be afraid to ask and ask for help. The service in Swedish offices is very nice and helpful. With a bit of courage and persistence, you will get all the information you need.

Quick Tips

Start Early: Begin your preparations well in advance to account for the extensive processes involved.
Learn Swedish: While English may suffice initially, mastering Swedish is crucial for long-term success.
Understand the System: Familiarize yourself with Swedish laws, especially regarding housing and employment.
Seek Help: Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance from local authorities or fellow immigrants.
Stay Persistent: Navigating the Swedish system can be challenging, but perseverance is key.

By following these guidelines and preparing thoroughly, you can turn your dream of moving to Sweden into a reality. Good luck!