You are going to work in Sweden
If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country and have moved to Sweden to work, you are generally required to be listed in the Swedish Population Register if you plan to live here for one year or more. Here you can find information about how to register your move to Sweden, and about the documents you normally have to bring with you when you visit a Swedish state service centre.
If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country, you need to prove that you have right of residence in Sweden before you can be listed in the Swedish Population Register. If you are working in Sweden, or intend to work here, you may have right of residence if you are employed, self-employed or seeking employment in this country.
The Swedish Tax Agency decides whether or not an individual meets our population registration requirements. Being listed in the Swedish Population Register means you are registered as resident in Sweden. We register personal data such as your name, address, date of birth and civil status. When you are first listed in the Swedish Population Register, you will also be assigned a personal identity number.
How to notify us of your move to Sweden
Use our Moving to Sweden ("Flytta till Sverige") e-service, which makes it quick and easy to complete your notification. This e-service is available in English, Arabic, Ukrainian and Swedish. You can also ask for help with using the e-service at a service centre.
Book an appointment for an identity check
You and your family members who are moving with you must visit a Swedish state service centre in person for an identity check when you have arrived in Sweden.
You have to book an appointment for an identity check at selected service centres. You can also submit your notification if you did not submit it directly in the e-service.
When you visit a service centre you must provide the following
- proof of your identity
- your full address
- information about your work situation in Sweden
- details about your family relationships
Proof of identity
When you visit the Swedish state service centre we will assess your identity. If you have identity documentation you need to provide it. For example, you can show:
- a passport
- national identity card
The service administrator will check your proof of identity and any other supporting documentation you have provided. They will make a copy of your documents and give the originals back to you straight away.
Your address details
You need to provide:
- the full address of the property where you live and sleep
- the apartment number if applicable (an apartment number consist of four digits; it will normally be stated in your rental contract and might also be displayed in the entrance to your building)
- the name of the person you are staying with (if you are living in someone else’s home)
Make sure your name is on the door or the post box in the entrance. This applies regardless of your living circumstances. The Swedish Tax Agency cannot register “care of” (“c/o”) addresses.
If your accommodation is temporary
If you are staying in temporary accommodation
If you are staying in temporary accommodation such as a hotel or hostel, please give the address when you notify us of your move to Sweden. If you move to another residential property before you are listed in the Population Register and receive your personal identity number, you must notify us of your new address and the date on which you moved there. You can do this by contacting our tax information service, or by visiting a Swedish state service centre in person.
Provide details of your work situation in Sweden
Tell the administrator about your right of residence and how you intend to work in Sweden. The information required depends on how you intend to work.
If you have been offered employment
If you have been offered employment
You need to show your employment contract, certificate of employment or another type of document confirming that you will work under the direction of someone such as an employer, and that you will receive compensation for your work.
You can be employed by an employer who is registered in Sweden or in another country, as long as you are going to live and work in Sweden. Your employment contract or equivalent document should be signed by both you and your employer and should normally include:
- your name and address
- your employer’s name, address and corporate identity number
- your working hours (for example, how many hours per week you are expected to work)
- other terms of employment, such as start date, notice period, annual leave, salary and benefits
- an outline of your tasks
- details of any collective agreement in place
The Swedish Tax Agency may request additional documentation confirming that you are employed and will work in Sweden.
If you have already started work
If you have a job already, you can show documentation such as a work schedule in addition to your employment contract. If you have received compensation for your work, you can show your payslips or a salary specification.
Running your own business
If you intend to run your own business
You need to demonstrate that you have sole responsibility for, and are engaged in, genuine economic activities. This applies regardless of whether you have a business that is registered in Sweden, or a business registered in another country that you run remotely from Sweden – as long as you intend to stay in Sweden for at least one year.
You need to demonstrate that you are actively involved in the business, and that you alone decide on what the business does, how many hours you work, and your level of compensation for the work you do. Your notification should include details of your role in the business and your plans for its development.
For example, you can show that:
- your business has entered into agreements regarding ongoing and/or future assignments
- you have a marketing plan for the business
- you have signed rental contracts for the necessary business premises
- you have experience and competence relevant to your business sector
- the business has issued invoices or quotes
- you have receipts or invoices for purchased materials
- you have reported VAT for the business
- you have any required professional qualifications or licence agreements
- you have transfer documents for the purchase of an established business
- you have a registration certificate from the Swedish Companies Registration Office (“Bolagsverket”)
Starting a business
If you are going to establish and run your own business
You need to demonstrate that you have made definite plans for starting operations in Sweden in the near future.
You need to demonstrate that you are actively involved in the business, and that you alone decide on what the business does, how many hours you work, and your level of compensation for the work you do. Your notification should include details of your role in the business and your plans for its development.
For example, you can show that:
- you have been granted, or applied for, F-tax approval
- your business has agreements regarding ongoing and/or future assignments
- you have a marketing plan for the business
- you have signed rental contracts for the necessary business premises
- you have experience and competence relevant to your business sector
- the business has issued invoices or quotes
- you have receipts or invoices for purchased materials
- you have reported VAT for the business
- you have any required professional qualifications or licence agreements
- you have transfer documents for the purchase of an established business
- you have a registration certificate from the Swedish Companies Registration Office (“Bolagsverket”)
Note that you can register a business in Sweden even if you do not have a personal identity number.
When you apply för F-tax approval there are special requirements if you have lived in Sweden for less than two years.
Seeking employment in Sweden
You can stay in Sweden for six months in order to look for work.
Normally, you cannot be listed in the Swedish Population Register while seeking employment, since the Swedish Tax Agency cannot assume that you will stay in Sweden for the required one-year period.
If you can show that you have a strong possibility of being employed during these six months, and you intend to stay in Sweden for at least one year, you should notify the Swedish Tax Agency of your move. When you submit your notification, include any supporting documentation such as a letter of intent from a potential employer regarding future work.
The Swedish Tax Agency will then assess the likelihood that you will be employed during this six-month period.
You can start working even if you have not yet been issued with a personal identity number or coordination number. Click the link below for more information about coordination numbers.
Family situation – moving on your own
If you are moving to Sweden alone, or if your family is due to move here at a later date, the Swedish Tax Agency will need to register your civil status in the Swedish Population Register.
- If you are married, or have been before, you need to provide documentation confirming this. Examples of documentation include a marriage certificate, an extract from the civil registry, a divorce decree or a family registration document.
- If you have never been married, you do not need to provide any documentation regarding your civil status.
Click the link below for information about the rules that apply when a family member is due to move to Sweden at a later date.
- You belong to the same family as a Swedish citizen
- You belong to the same family as a citizen of an EU/EEA-country
Family situation – moving to Sweden with your family
In some cases, if you are moving to Sweden with your family, the Swedish Tax Agency might need to register information about your family relationships.
The Swedish tax agency also need to check that each family member has right of residence in Sweden.
- A family member may have right of residence on the basis of their relationship to you.
- Alternatively, they may have independent right of residence – for example, if they are a citizen of an EU/EEA country and are studying or working in Sweden.
Spouse, registered civil partner or cohabiting partner
Spouse or registered civil partner
f you move with your spouse or registered civil partner, you need to provide documentation confirming your civil status. This could be a marriage certificate, an extract from the civil register or a family registration document, for example.,
Cohabiting partner
If your cohabiting partner is moving with you, you may need to provide documentation so that the Swedish Tax Agency can assess your partnership status. Being cohabiting partners means that you live together in a relationship and have a common household. The documentation you can show includes:
- civil register extracts confirming that you have both lived at the same address
- rental or purchase contracts including both of your names
- letters, invoices, joint account bank statements, or other documents that show you have had a common household.
Children under 21 years old
If a child under 21 years old is moving with you
If a child under 21 years old is moving with you, you must provide documentation confirming who the parents of the child are. If the child is under 18 years old, you must also provide documentation confirming the child’s registered guardian(s). This could include a birth certificate, an extract from the civil register or a family registration document. If a custody decision has been reached, you should provide a notification document.
All guardians of a child under the age of 18 must also sign the notification of a move to Sweden. If one of the guardians is unable to visit a service centre in person, they must give written consent to the child’s move to Sweden. A child of 16 or over can sign their own notification. Written consent from a guardian is not required.
Children over 21 years old or other family members
Children over 21 years old or other family members
When you move with family members such as children over 21 years old, siblings, grandparents or cousins, you need to provide documentation confirming that you have a family relationship. This could include a birth certificate, an extract from the civil register or a family registration document. You must also provide proof that at least one of the following circumstances applies:
- Your family member is financially dependent on you for his or her livelihood. Documentation that can support this includes bank statements or receipts that show regular transfers of money over a long period of time. Another example is a certificate of dependence issued by a competent authority in your previous country of residence.
- You and your family member have a common household and did so before you moved to Sweden. Documentation that can support this includes extracts from the civil register confirming that you have lived at the same address.
- It is essential that you personally take care of your family member due to serious health issues. You can prove this by providing various forms of documentation regarding the person’s health and specific care needs, which must clearly indicate that it is absolutely necessary for you to personally take care of your family member. This could include documentation issued by doctors and healthcare institutions, for example.
If your family member is a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA
Remember that your family members must contact the Swedish Migration Agency (“Migrationsverket”) regarding their right to stay in Sweden if he or she is a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA.
Apply for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden (Swedish Migration Agency)
The Swedish Tax Agency needs to be able to contact you
If we need you to provide additional information, we will normally send you a letter. However, we might also contact you by email or phone. To ensure mail gets to you, it is important for your name to be written in the place where it is delivered: on your postbox, for example.
If the Swedish Tax Agency cannot reach you, we will not be able to process your notification of a move to Sweden. This may mean that we do not list you in the Swedish Population Register and do not give you a personal identity number.
Applying for an ID card
If you have been listed in the Swedish Population Register and assigned a personal identity number, you can apply to the Swedish Tax Agency or the Swedish Police for an ID card.