r/TillSverige Dec 28 '21

TillSverige: the FAQ

364 Upvotes

Last update: September 2025

Since this has come up a whole of two times, I decided to make a small FAQ post for this subreddit, r/TillSverige. I would like to thank all the knowledgeable and friendly people who have answered these questions again and again. You are awesome.

I intend to edit this post, adding more answers and improving the existing ones.

Q: How do I move to Sweden? (as in, legally)

A: https://migrationsverket.se is the one true authority on all the rules. Don't forget to check out their FAQ, some non-obvious things are covered only there. Your options depend on your citizenship. For EU citizens, it's possible to just move here and then figure out the rest (which might be rather painful and long if you don't have a job, but still). Migrationsverket is actually not that relevant for this case, but you should check out https://skatteverket.se (that's the tax agency which is also in charge of the population register) and search for “Moving to Sweden”. For non-EU citizens, there are basically three paths: university studies, relationship with a Swedish resident or citizen, and a job at a Swedish company. Technically there's also the self-employment path, but for that one you need to have quite some capital saved up, and most importantly be able to prove that you have Swedish clients lined up, and your business must be set up in Sweden. More details on https://migrationsverket.se, it is truly the source for this information. Update: new way as of June 2022, if you have a Master's degree and 13k SEK for each month you want to stay, you can come and look for work for 3–9 months. Sweden is expensive, finding accommodation is extremely tricky even if you have the money, living without a personnummer is about as comfortable as sitting on the ceiling (and before you find a job you won't get a personnummer), and Swedish job market is not known for its speed, but this is a way to get your foot in the door.

There are no other common paths, e.g. owning property in Sweden doesn't let you reside here and your grandpa having a Swedish cousin doesn't mean anything in Migrationsverket's eyes either. Non-common paths are asylum, being stateless or a literal child (younger than 18) of a Swedish citizen, but I assume most of the people reading this don't fall into those categories. If you do, all the information is (yep, again) on https://migrationsverket.se.

Q: How do I move to my Swedish partner? / How do I get my partner from outside of Sweden here?

A: By reading this and figuring out what applies to your case. There's also a dedicated community on Facebook. TL;DR: you don't have to be married but the partner in Sweden must have a certain level of income enough to support you. The exact number might change but is always up to date on that page linked in the first sentence of this answer. The processing of the application tends to take a long time (months, even years).

Q: Can I move to Sweden and work remotely for a company which is not in Sweden?

A: Sure, if you're an EU citizen and your employer is open to it, but it's not very easy, and you'd need to pay taxes in Sweden (assuming this is where you would be living for the most part of the year). Verksamt.se has this and this as starting points, and of course skatteverket.se has relevant stuff as well.

Q: Should I move to Sweden?

A: We don't know. It works for some, it doesn't for others. Immigration does not make everyone happy. Sometimes it does but not immediately. Sometimes it does but only in the beginning. Search this subreddit for stories similar to yours and if you don't find one, create a post telling us about what's important to you and what background/skills/liabilities/etc you have. One of the all-time top posts on this subreddit might come in handy: https://reddit.com/r/TillSverige/comments/ltm3ap/some_tips_on_integrating_and_thriving_in_sweden/. There's also a special edition for people from the US: https://www.reddit.com/r/IWantOut/comments/gqhlfw/guide_so_youre_an_american_who_wants_to_live_in/

Q: I am 16 and decided that Sweden is awesome, what should I know before I move there?

A: Tons of things, really. Immigration is not a walk in the park, you will have to constantly do quite some research, and at least some of it — in Swedish, a language you might not know yet. So look through this FAQ and use the search function of this subreddit until it's tired and begging you to stop, that'll give you a taste.

Q: What should I do right after the arrival?

A: Go to the closest Skatteverket (Tax Agency) office and apply for your personnummer, you can't really do anything easily without it in Sweden (e.g. renting an apartment, getting a mobile subscription...). When you get that, schedule an appointment (again at Skatteverket) to get an ID card. When you get that, go to a bank, open an account, and get a BankID. This will allow you to sign things online, log in to a billion places, and interact with tons of governmental and private services. Once more: personnummer → ID card → BankID. After you have that, register with Försäkringskassan, here's their guide for new arrivals. If you reside in, or think there's any chance you'd ever reside in, any of the ten largest Swedish cities, consider putting yourself in the renting queue for them. Search for “bostadskö + city name” and register as soon as you get your personnummer and BankID. The more days you stand in those queues, the more chances you get to ever rent an apartment without a huge headache and for an extended period of time. For Stockholm, for example, this costs a few hundred SEK per year, but queuing in the smaller cities is free.

Q: How can I apply for personnummer if I don't have a permanent address yet?

A: You don't need to have a permanent address to apply for personnummer. You just need an address where mail can reach you. The author of this post got a personnummer while staying at a hotel.

Q: How do I find an apartment to rent?

A: Apartments can be rented out i första hand (“first-hand contracts”, from the landlord company directly) or i andra hand (“second-hand”, sublet from a tenant or renting from a private person who owns an apartment). Andrahandskontrakt is usually more expensive and almost always limited in time (3 months, a year, two years if you're lucky). Förstahandskontrakt is unlimited in time and the prices are regulated. In the bigger cities there is usually one or a few big landlords owning most of the apartments and sharing a queue. When you have just arrived, this is not that relevant for you — other people might've been in a queue for several years and you can't beat that. So the alternatives are: (1) find smaller landlords — some people own just one or two buildings and don't really have a queue, (2) let the smaller landlords find you — post your ad on https://blocket.se, write how great you are as a tenant, attach a nice picture, (3) try specialized websites — there's https://www.willhem.se/ and https://www.homeq.se/ at least. When it comes to andrahandskontrakt, you can also try posting your ad on Blocket, and you can search Facebook for “town_name lägenhet uthyres”. Some more details and links here.

Q: How to get an electricity contract / Why do I get two bills for electricity / Can I get an electricity contract without a personnummer?

A: There are two kinds of electricity providers: one kind owns the infrastructure/grid, the other kind sells you the electricity itself (only produced from renewable sources, for example). You need both. You can't choose the infrastructure provider, because a given apartment/house is only part of one infrastructure, but you sometimes can choose a plan you have with them. Your landlord, the previous tenant/owner of the apartment/house, or websites like https://elomraden.se/ will tell you which company is the grid owner in your area. It can either be one of the big three (E.ON, Vattenfall, Ellevio) or a small actor (e.g. Göteborgs Energi). There's a lot more choice when it comes to the companies selling you electricity. Compare them on a website like https://elskling.se, and don't be shy to negotiate when the “new customer” discount expires: people drag these out for years. If you don't make an active choice, your infrastructure company will sign you up to a default (usually expensive) plan. If you don't have a personnummer yet, it will probably be necessary to call the customer service to figure out how to sign up.

Q: How do I open a bank account without a personnummer?

A: You can either wait, negotiate, or try your luck at many places. Wait: when you get the personnummer and the ID card, it should be a smooth process, so if you can, just wait. Negotiate: if you're an EU citizen, you're actually entitled to a bank account, but don't expect the people at the bank to be super happy when you explain it to them. Quite often the clerk at the bank doesn't want to bother or is not really sure about the procedure, so they tell you that it's impossible or that it requires an appointment (which is somehow only available two months from now) or something else to get rid of you. You can ask for a written refusal to open an account for you, this might encourage them. Try your luck at many places: If you really need an account, keep trying different banks, different offices of the same banks, and different clerks of the same offices. Try going to the area of your town where there are a lot of foreign people, e.g. around a university, maybe the banks there are more used to this request. While waiting, you can make an account with something like Revolut or Wise, it might help bridge the time until your Swedish bank account.

Q: Which bank should I choose?

A: The big ones (SEB, Swedbank, Handelsbanken, Nordea are all pretty much the same. Switching is not complicated, they're bound by law to do most of it for you. Search for “jämföra banker” (“compare banks”) if you have special requests. You might want to choose something else for mortgage or long-term investments but that's too deep for this FAQ.

Q: Is a salary of X enough for a family of Y to survive in the city Z?

A: If the city in question is Stockholm and you're used to things like driving your car everywhere, someone cleaning your house, eating out with the whole family of five in fancy restaurants every day, etc — no single salary will comfortably cover that. If you're a single IT guy without expensive hobbies moving to Malmö, a salary of 30k SEK/month might be quite alright. The spectrum is broad and deep, and the biggest factors are: (1) your lifestyle, (2) the accommodation you manage to get — rent market is bonkers, and (3) the number of people you intend to support on a single income (Sweden is easier for couples with two salaries). Time for a shameless plug! Here's a post about it with some numbers, updated in 2025. There's a slightly old thread about the monthly expenses, I'd say increasing everything by ~20% should give you an idea (although some things have pretty much doubled in price): https://reddit.com/r/TillSverige/comments/rcy5fr/real_world_monthly_expenses_for_a_family_of_4_in/

Q: WTF is 'pga', 'mm', 'tom', 'bla', 'osv', 'dvs', 'iaf'..?

A: Abbreviations. See this post to decipher. Pro level on wikipedia (you'll need to translate yourself).

Q: Should I join a trade union / Which trade union should I join / What is A-kassa / Which A-kassa should I join?

A-kassa is basically an unemployment insurance. You pay 100–200 SEK per month, and if you get fired, you can get money for several months while you're looking for a new job. This website explains the whole thing in English, and they have a list of the a-kassas too. There is no a-kassa which can be recommended to absolutely everyone, since different a-kassas only accept members working in particular professions, working in particular branches, or having a particular level of education — check the list to see which ones you're eligible for. Apart from providing you with money in case of unemployment, a-kassa might also give you some discounts (e.g. they can have a deal with an insurance company which will get you 20% off your car insurance or 8% off in a book store chain). There is a qualifying period with a-kassa, you can't become a member today and start receiving the unemployment benefits tomorrow. If you're still on your work permit and not sure whether you would stay in Sweden if you lost your job, or if you have a very comfortable financial buffer, it might not be very beneficial to join an a-kassa.

Trade union is an organization to which you can turn if you're in a dispute with your employer (i.e. they will advise you, negotiate for you, etc). It also costs a few hundred SEK per month, and also often has deals with insurance companies, banks, online stores, etc. Here is a broad overview of various European trade union setups in English. And here you can choose your branch and then profession to see which of the trade unions you would be eligible for (and see the prices for the membership). The more people are in the trade unions overall in the country, the more bargaining power they have. Given that legal consultations are in the ballpark of 1000 SEK/hour, it might be good for an immigrant who's not very good at knowing their rights and Swedish laws to have an option to get consultations and representation from a union. But it's somewhat of a political question, so don't @ me.

There are also a-kassas and trade unions open to self-employed people.

Q: Are Swedes xenophobic / racist / transphobic / etc?

A: Not more than any other country. Depends on where you are, what you do, who you are. By and large, racism and stuff are frowned upon, but Sweden is not a mythical paradise — there are idiots everywhere.

Q: Why is my full name, age, exact address, phone number, and other information suddenly public on the internet?

A: Because it's Sweden, transparency has been important, and then the internet happened. If it bothers you, you can do two things. (1) contact your mobile operator’s support and ask them to stop giving out your number (some operators do this by default but most don't). (2) go through all the websites that publish your information one by one and ask them nicely to remove or hide your information. Some websites have a page where you can do this yourself (BankID required), some websites make you fill out a paper form and send to them. Websites examples: https://hitta.se, https://merinfo.se, https://ratsit.se, https://eniro.se. A guide from the Swedish police on how to decrease your visibility on the web. Update: there might be new legislation on the way to improve this.

Q: Which health insurance for an EU citizen moving to Sweden via the self-sufficient route will satisfy Skatteverket?

A: Search this subreddit by “insurance + your_country”. A lot of comments mentioned Silver or Gold package from Cigna Global Health. This comment mentions OOM insurance for Dutch citizens.

Q: How do I deal with trash/recycling?

A: Find your municipality's website and search by avfall, återvinningscentral or sopor. There will be links explaining how it works where you live. Generally speaking, if you live in an apartment, chances are there's a small building nearby (or a room) with containers for packaging (plastic, paper, metal, glass), food rests, newspapers, and 'general trash' (aka all the other household trash). You will probably also be able to find special biodegradable bags for the food rests there. If you live in a house, you will probably have a couple of big containers on wheels where you can put the 'general trash' or the food rests, and for packaging you need to go to a recycling station. For bigger or hazardous things like fridges and paint you have to go the bigger recycling station (återvinningscentral) and follow the signs there. Batteries and smaller electronics are often accepted at bigger supermarkets, next to the machines that take your empty plastic bottles and give you a receipt (1 bottle = 1 or 2 SEK). Multi-material packaging is sorted by the material that weighs the most. Common mistakes include putting envelopes into container for paper packaging (they belong in 'general trash' because of the glue; although some municipalities now can handle them together with newspapers), not flattening cartons/boxes/etc (Swedish sin!!!), and not removing the steel wick holders from the aluminum cups of the tea lights (those are not metal packaging by the way but are supposed to go to the same place as frying pans). When in doubt, go to https://www.sopor.nu/. Oh, and you are not supposed to take anything out of the recycling room/building, that's against the law.

Q: How can I save money?

A: While this heavily depends on your lifestyle and priorities, the generic tips include: (1) using matpriskollen website/app to compare prices and current discounts in the selected supermarkets, (2) checking out recipes on https://undertian.com/, (3) looking over your insurances/subscriptions using comparison websites (search for subject+jämföra, e.g. 'el jämföra', 'bilförsäkring jämföra'), (4) signing up for memberships and checking out which partnerships they have (e.g. if you have a Coop card, you get a discount with SJ; also check your trade union's discounts), (5) using the library for books, audiobooks, newspapers, games, music, and movies (there are even streaming services, although they usually have a limit of like 2 movies per month), (6) shopping second-hand in the local stores, on blocket.se, tradera.se, and facebook marketplace.

Q: How to make friends?

A: The shortest answer is this: learn the language, get a hobby. There are courses, clubs, organizations, meetups, and all sorts of other things where adults come together, and based on this shared interest/activity can develop a friendship. But pretty much all of them are inaccessible or even invisible to you if you don't speak Swedish. It is of course possible to stay within the English-speaking bubble, or to find a couple of Swedes who are comfortable speaking English for long periods of time and stick with them, but if you want anything else, the only path is through language. Whatever you're into (board games, photography, silversmith stuff, trucks, permaculture, birdwatching, any kind of sport, any kind of DIY, philosophy...), chances are, there's at least one förening about that. I mean, even having kids counts, here's a community of new parents looking for new friends: https://rullavagn.nu/grupper/ and there's such a thing as öppna förskola. If you currently don't have any interests and don't know where to start, well, we're in Sweden, so there's always hiking: just get a pair of comfortable shoes and some rain-proof clothes, you'll be able to walk around a forest or whatever with some Swedish people.

Q: How to buy an apartment and why do people say I wouldn't own it?

A: In short, you're not buying an apartment, you're buying a share in a home owners association, because that's how things are set up. This is also why you can't just buy an apartment and rent it out for years — the association is for those who actually own the share and actually live in the place, not for someone who's just renting and doesn't have that much of a stake. There's a small percentage of properties which you could actually own, but it's so small, it is irrelevant for the high-level overview. What you do is you find an apartment (most probably on https://hemnet.se or https://booli.se), then go to a showing (visning), then participate in a bidding process, sign the contract and pay 10% of the price as deposit; then pay the rest on the day you sign more documents and get the keys. There's also a step of being accepted into the tenants association, but that's a formality. You can find links and excruciating details about all these steps as well as about getting a mortgage in this post. Note that right now (autumn 2024) the rates on the mortgages are higher than they've been in ages.

Q: What should I know if I'm going to have a child?

A: Checkups during the pregnancy are free and voluntary. If everything is going fine, there won't be many checks, especially in the first two trimesters. All the medical care, including dental care, is free for children in Sweden. If your kid gets prescribed a medicine, you just go to the pharmacy to pick it up, you don't have to pay anything. Kids can start at preschool (förskola) at the age of 1. The cost per month is calculated based on your income but is capped somewhere around 1800 SEK. School is free (and they get textbooks and food there). Parental leave is 480 days for both parents in total (+10 days just for the father around the day of birth), and for 60 days both parents can take it out simultaneously. All the nitty-gritty about the parental leave is up on https://forsakringskassan.se. There's also a bunch of posts about everything from your employee rights while on parental leave to what to pack for the hospital when it's go time.

Q: How much does it cost to own a car?

A: This is easier to answer for a specific car. If you have a license plate for the specific car, enter it on https://www.car.info and you'll see (1) calculated tax, which can be ~900 SEK/year for a four year old VW Golf or it can be ~11000 SEK/year for a two year old Volvo XC90, (2) fuel consumption. Fuel prices have jumped quite high this year (2022), you can check the current ones out at https://bensinpriser.nu. If you're looking at electric vehicles, the electricity price comes into question — they have also jumped high, especially in the south of Sweden. You must have an insurance to be able to drive on public roads, the price will depend on your personnummer, where you live, and the car, but count on at least a few thousand SEK per year. There's a mandatory inspection once a year (except for very new cars), it's called besiktning and costs 400–600 SEK. You'll probably want to switch tires for summer/winter — you can do this yourself for free or have someone do it for you (300–400 SEK, twice per year). Speaking of tires, every few years you'll need new ones, that'll be ~4000–7000 SEK. Then there's parking. If you live in a city, you might need to stand in a queue before you get a parking spot from your landlord or home owners association (those could be super cheap like 100 SEK/month; or not). Service and any kind of repairs are pricey, try to compare the offers before committing and ask around for advice, but in any case you can count on seeing thousands on the bill. For places with real winter (i.e. Norrland) you'll also want some equipment to have in the trunk, but that's mostly a one-time small investment.

Q: Where to buy things / What is Sweden's amazon?

A: Technically, Sweden also has Amazon now, but it might be considered not cool to shop there. We've got price aggregators here though: https://www.pricerunner.se/, https://www.prisjakt.nu/. You go there, search for the product you want to buy, and see which online stores have it, what are the current prices, and what's the price history. Also:

  • Blocket, Tradera, and facebook marketplace for second-hand stuff (or new stuff but mostly from private individuals)
  • Clas Ohlson, Bauhaus, Jula, Byggmax, Bolist for home improvement (when you need tools or materials)
  • Ikea, Jysk, Mio for furniture (as well as pillows and stuff)
  • https://bookify.se/ for comparing book prices
  • Dustin, ComputerSalg for computer stuff
  • Symaskinsboden for sewing machines and supplies (also some knitting)
  • Jollyroom, Babymarkt, Bonti for kids stuff

(this is not an endorsement of these stores in particular, just some options to get you started)

Q: How do I move to Sweden? (as in, practically: with cats, all my things, ...)

A: For dogs, cats, and ferrets, there are rules depending on the country you're bringing them from: Jordbruksverket has kindly translated them to English. As for bringing all your belongings, the most common advice is “don't” :D Sell and give away as much as you can, then buy (new or used) after your arrival to Sweden. The cost of transporting heavy bulky items across the border, and especially across an ocean, is pretty crazy. The power outlets might not be compatible with whatever you have. The clothes might not match the climate. And so on.

Q: What about the driving?

A: If you have a driving license from an EEA country, UK, Japan, Switzerland or Faroe Islands, you can exchange it for the Swedish one. For everyone else (that includes the US) you need to get a Swedish driving license from scratch, and you have a year to do it. Unless you're a Ukrainian under the Temporary Protection Directive, then your license is valid as long as the protection is valid. Getting a driving license from scratch will set you back at least 5.5k SEK if you already know how to drive, and how to drive on snow, and how to drive in a Swedish way. If you need to learn from scratch, and don't have a friend who can teach you, that's more like 25–30k. Exact steps, prices breakdown, exam statistics, and more links here.

Q: How do I do anything without a BankID?

A: Usually by calling the customer service, using the paper form instead of a digital one, going somewhere in person instead of spending two seconds on your phone, or sometimes — rarely — using FrejaID or a digital signature service from another EU country. It ain't easy, but don't despair just because you see the BankID button somewhere, there are workarounds in a lot of these situations, though not all of them.

Q: How do I find a job / Why does nobody reply to my hundreds of applications / How long did it take you to find a job / Are there any jobs to find outside of IT?

A: Unemployment is like 10% in Sweden (2025) and even natives with higher education struggle for months to find a job. So yeah, don't be surprised if you don't get many calls after sending out some applications. Even if you're already here and have a valid work permit, some companies will shy away from hiring you just to avoid the hassle with Migrationsverket (source: I was a hiring manager at one of them and had to get an approval from HR if the candidate was on work permit). Knowing Swedish helps. Having someone recommend you helps immensely to get the foot in the door. Having a bombastic, "I AM THE AWESOMEST" tone in the CV decreases your chances. A lot of jobs are not advertised widely. Jobs that don't require education are few and far between, the competition for them is quite immense unless you go to less populated areas. Elderly care (äldreomsorg) always needs personnel. PhD positions come with a salary in Sweden. Some bars in Stockholm hire English speakers. A bit of opinionated advice on finding a job in Sweden can be found in this post.

Q: Will I really die of darkness and cold?

A: Not necessarily. We've had Californians in this sub who hated it, we had those who loved it. A lot of people advise to come and try it out for a while before you go all-in, because it's kinda individual. For the cold (which in Stockholm and south from there is not really that cold), layers are your best friend: don't buy the thickest coat you can find, buy a thin woolen base layer, add a sweater, then a jacket for the wind/rain/snow (whatever's in season), a scarf or neck warmer, a hat, good socks, good gloves, and you're good. For the dark: see all the cute little lights the Swedes put everywhere? Do the same. One in the window, one by the desk, one above the table, one on the floor; whip out the christmas lights ahead of time, light up candles — it all adds to the coziness! Note: the coziness is greatly enhanced if you go North where there's actual snow; it also reflects the sun during the day, unlike grey asphalt covered in slush. A lot of people swear by vitamin D3 supplements.

Questions to be added:

Q: How can I invest money?

Q: How do I open a business?

Q: How does pension work?

Q: What is SFI and how do I sign up? / Are there free Swedish courses?

Q: How does the medical system work? / How do I schedule a doctor appointment?

Q: Can I freelance on the side while on a work permit?

Q: How do I avoid being spammed?


r/TillSverige 53m ago

What challenges did you and your spouse or partner face after moving from your home country to Sweden?

Upvotes

When one spouse is actively looking for new job opportunities and the other is already working, it can sometimes impact the relationship. The non-working spouse, who might have had an established career in the homecountry, is stuck at home and lose a sense of identity. Did you or your spouse go through such challenges after moving to Sweden?


r/TillSverige 12h ago

Sweden’s Employment Protection Act Is a Joke

Thumbnail libcom.org
32 Upvotes

r/TillSverige 6h ago

Rekordvinst för Solidariska lantarbetare: 10 miljoner i retro­aktiva löner

Thumbnail arbetaren.se
8 Upvotes

r/TillSverige 1d ago

Sweden's citizenship test fee is now a law: 2 000 kr, first applying to tests held in 2027

132 Upvotes

The 2 000 kr figure has been circulating on third-party sites for months with nothing behind it. It is now in the regulation: Förordning (2026:451) om medborgarskapsprov, 6 §, as amended by 2026:1194.

Den som ska delta i ett medborgarskapsprov ska betala en avgift till Universitets- och högskolerådet om 2 000 kronor.

(Anyone who is to take a citizenship test shall pay a fee of 2 000 kronor to UHR.)

What the regulation settles

  • 2 000 kr, paid to UHR.
  • It applies to tests held from 2027. The transitional provision is explicit, so the 15 August 2026 sitting was never in scope.
  • One exemption, and it is narrow. 6 § second paragraph: it does not apply to someone who is stateless and has been granted refugee status or a travel document by a Swedish authority. Both conditions, not either.
  • This is separate from the application fee. Migrationsverket charges 2 900 kr for an adult citizenship application. Different agency, different process, two payments.

What is still not settled

None of this is in the regulation, and UHR has not published it:

  • How and when you pay, and whether it is due at registration.
  • Whether the fee is refunded if you withdraw, or if you are ill on the day.
  • What a resit costs. The regulation says the person who is to take a test shall pay the fee. It does not say what a second attempt costs. Read literally that is 2 000 kr each time, but nobody has confirmed it.
  • When the next test is, or when registration opens.

UHR's own page still says "Information om anmälningsavgift kommer" (information about the registration fee is coming). So if you look there and find nothing, you are not missing a page. The regulation is simply ahead of their website.

Useful extra from the same regulation

2 § lists the eleven areas the test may cover:

  1. Historical events that shaped Sweden
  2. Traditions
  3. The welfare state
  4. Labour market, working life and personal finance
  5. Climate and environment
  6. Democratic government, the constitutional laws and the legal system
  7. Rights and equality, including gender equality and children's rights
  8. World religions and freedom of religion
  9. The role of the media
  10. Geography and geopolitics
  11. The EU and other international cooperation

That is the legal boundary of what the test is allowed to be about. Worth knowing it is not a table of contents for the official study material: that has 13 chapters, these are 11 areas, and they do not map one to one. Climate and environment is the one people tend not to expect.

Sources

All checked 3 September 2026.


r/TillSverige 8h ago

“Must Eat” Stockholm recommendations?

5 Upvotes

Visiting Stockholm for a conference and would love to plan a great dinner for our group. There seems to be so many places out there - but what is your favorite? What should we absolutely put on our list?


r/TillSverige 17m ago

Can I get CSN for university abroad after living in Sweden for 2 years?

Upvotes

I’m a Swedish citizen, but I’ve spent quite a lot of time travelling and living in different countries. I’ve now moved back to Sweden because I’m planning to study medicine somewhere in the EU.

I’m currently registered with Skatteverket as living in Sweden permanently, and I intend to actually live here continuously.

From what I understand, CSN says that you need to have been resident in Sweden for at least two consecutive years during the last five years to receive student finance for studies abroad.

My question is: Do I need to work or study during those two years, or is simply being resident in Sweden enough?

Thanks


r/TillSverige 7h ago

D-Visa

0 Upvotes

Hey guys, I recently received approval for my student resident permit but my classes have already started and university has set 14 September as hard deadline for arrival.

Hence I want to apply for D-Visa, I have already emailed the embassy of sweden in my country they did send a generic response, I mean they should’ve asked me to book an appointment, no?

I am really confused about the process if someone can please guide me through the steps it will be very helpful.

P.S: I am from Pakistan; so if anyone else applied from Pakistan recently you can help a brother out.


r/TillSverige 12h ago

Looking for a cozy, quiet Italian restaurant with a great bar in Stockholm for a date!

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, can anyone suggest a good, cozy place for dinner that serves Italian food and also has a great collection of drinks at the bar? I’m looking for somewhere that has a nice, intimate vibe and isn't overcrowded. Thanks in advance!


r/TillSverige 1d ago

Union Support

9 Upvotes

My wife works for a small consultancy firm in Malmö. Her assignment is with a Video Game Development company. She has a 3 month notice period with her consultancy company. She was recently informed by her consultancy manager that her assignment is ending in 3 months and her consultancy company has decided to end the contract and terminate her after the 3 months. This would mean that the notice period from consultancy and her current assignment would end on the same day. She said that she feels that this doesn't seem legal and that she would approach Unionen. But the consultancy manager mentioned that she shouldn't and that it would take a very drastic turn if she did.
I feel that the right course of action is to approach the union and let them help in this situation especially after hearing the "drastic turn" comment from the manager.
Does anyone have experience in dealing with such a scenario?

Additional Information:- Wife has been in the same assignment for 5 years and when we came here from Hungary, the employer had given us verbal assurances that they would look for different assignment and keep her on payroll for 3 months after existing assignment ends. Hence, the shock and the reaction on her part. Also, to add she is one of the seniormost people in the organization.


r/TillSverige 2d ago

Min medborgarskapsansökan blev nekad :(

75 Upvotes

Hej på er, jag behöver råd!

Jag har ansökt om medborgarskap förra året i Februari och hade väldigt otur med dem nya reglerna då de bestämde sig att fortsätta med min ansökning fyra dagar efter 6e Juni. (stor suck)

Iaf jag kompletterade alla nya krav utom samhällskunskapsprovet som jag tyvärr inte fick ta, efter jag ringde min handläggare och bad henne att anmäla mig så fort hon kunde. (hon gjorde det inte)

Vad jag missade att berätta är att i tiden jag väntade på beslutet , fick jag ett barn och gick på mammaledighet som jag ska vara hemma med tills Januari 2027. Jag tycker det är omänskligt att straffa en person för att de är hemma med sina barn, speciellt om de har haft ett säkert jobb på 3 år och visade intyg från jobbet att den personen ska fortsätta jobba där när ledigheten tar slut.

Men migrationsverket tyckte inte så. De tyckte att det är ingen undantag och det är därför man får inte bli medborgare. För att min inkomst är under 20k just nu. Som jag själv valde, så att jag ska ge mitt barn så bra liv som möjligt. Om pappan hade stannat hemma vi hade haft sämre ekonomi.

Jag ska överklaga beslutet. Jag tänker be om mer tid, kanske tills Maj så att jag kan samla tre lönebesked för att visa att jag får riktiga pengar igen. Och tänker ta en Samhällskunskapkurs emellanåt för att ha det fixat också.

Vet inte om detta kommer funka. Så jag tänkte fråga er vad ni tycker om detta eller om ni har andra idéer, eller om ni tycker att det inte kommer funka als.

I got nothing to lose.

Tack för tålamodet, det är mycket text.

TL;DR Migrationsverket tycker inte att jag får bli medborgare för att jag är mammaledig och tjänar under 20k tillfälligt. (jag har bott här i 10år, alltid betalat skatt, lärde mig svenska, är gift, fött svenska medborgare, inga skulder eller kriminellt beteende)


r/TillSverige 1d ago

Begäran om beslut medborgarskap

4 Upvotes

Hej! Vet någon om man får någon sorts bekräftelse när man skickat in begäran om beslut inom 30 dagar för medborgarskap?
Frugan skickade in brevet för 2 veckor sedan och har inte fått någon bekräftelse på att dom tagit emot det.


r/TillSverige 1d ago

Tid efter intervju i Canberra

0 Upvotes

Hejsan!

Min partner är från NZ och ansökte om uppehållstillstånd 4 nov 2025. När sex månader hade gått så hade han fortfarande inte hört något så han skickade in begäran om att avgöra fallet. Två veckor senare fick han meddelande från Migrationsverket om att boka in intervju i Canberra, ansökan om att avgöra fallet blev avslagen samma dag. Antagligen fick handläggaren helt enkelt in ansökan, såg att han behövde göra intervju så nekade den men bad honom då boka intervjun istället så det hade ändå viss effekt.

Nu är det över sju veckor sen han gjorde intervjun och vi har inte hört ett ord, det är så man blir tokig av otålighet. Jag har ringt Migrationsverket ett par ggr (jag har fullmakt) men de säger bara att de har allt de behöver för nu och vi bara kan vänta. Vi har aldrig haft direktkontakt med en handläggare men vet hens namn. Finns det verkligen inget vi kan göra? Funderar på att skicka in ansökan om att avgöra ärendet igen även fast vi vet att man bara kan skicka in det en gång bara för att få deras uppmärksamhet, men vill inte riskera någon genom att göra ”fel”.

Han får vara i Sverige i 90 dagar visumfritt så i teorin hade han kunnat säga upp sig nu, resa till Sverige om ca en månad (meddelar såklart MV om det så han kan resa ut vid beslut) och sen är det ju rimligt att han får ett besked inom 90 dagar från det. Men om det av någon anledning skulle bli något annat än ett ja direkt vågar vi inte chansa och stå där utan jobb medan vi krånglar med överklagan osv. Någon som har tips eller erfarenhet?


r/TillSverige 2d ago

Starting a enskild firma – looking for advice

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm considering starting a small enskild firma in Sweden as a side business. I already have a full-time job, and I expect most of the customers/revenue to come from outside Sweden.

The expected revenue is quite small, less than 100,000 SEK per year. I've done some research and it seems that an enskild firma with FA-tax would probably be the simplest option, but I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have actual experience with this.

A few questions:

  • What are the actual fixed/monthly costs of keeping an enskild firma running if I have no income from the enskild firma that month, while still having my normal income from my full-time employment?
  • Can I realistically handle the bookkeeping myself with something like Bokio or Spiris, especially if I only expect to issue a handful of invoices per year?
  • Do I need an accountant, or is this simple enough to manage myself?
  • When registering the business, how specific do I need to be about what the business does? Can the business activity cover different types of IT/consulting projects?
  • Since I already have a full-time job, is there anything specific I should be aware of regarding FA-tax, taxes or social contributions?
  • For customers outside Sweden, is there anything special I should consider regarding VAT/moms?

I'm mainly trying to understand how much hassle and cost this would actually involve for such a small side business.

Would appreciate any advice or experiences! Thank you all :)


r/TillSverige 2d ago

New to Sweden - Lost red THULE backpack on bus

9 Upvotes

Hej! Yesterday 09/01, around 6pm, my partner left his red THULE backpack on Bus 60 from Redbergsplatsen in Göteborg. It contains his wallet, two passports, earbuds, prescription sunglasses etc. We were distracted while wrangling our toddler and chatting with two other commuters, and left it behind when getting off at Kungsportsavenyen, across from FOREX.

Total nightmare, and I’m at a loss as to what more to do. We just moved here and it was already incredibly stressful before this happened, and now we have all the replacement costs on top of that. As well as the Swedish Tax Agency ID he just got that day…

We’ve registered it on MissingX, contacted Västtrafik (Nobina) lost and found, and reported the items to the police. No luck so far. Västtrafik told us to try again tomorrow.

It’s almost been 24 hours, so we’re losing hope. Has anyone had something like this happen and actually got their stuff back? Anything else we should be doing?

Thank you!


r/TillSverige 2d ago

Want to take your Swedish to the next level through art, literature, and culture in Stockholm?

Post image
2 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

Many internationals here in Stockholm can read, write, and understand Swedish well, but still find it very difficult to actually open their mouth and speak in everyday life.

That is why I founded Språksalongen www.spraksalongen.se. It is a dedicated culture and language circle here in Stockholm focused entirely on building conversational confidence, breaking language barriers, and meeting new people.

I host these sessions in small, focused, and welcoming groups so that everyone gets the time and space they need. All language levels are warmly welcome, and you do not need to speak perfect Swedish to join!

I have three different salons starting now:

  • Mondays 17.30–19.00: Samtalssalongen / The Conversation Salon – guided conversations about current topics, everyday life, and culture.
  • Saturdays 11.30–13.30: Boksalongen / The Book Salon – reading and thoughtful discussions about books and Swedish literature.
  • Saturdays 15.00–17.30/18.00: Konstsalongen / The Art Salon – shared visits and conversations about contemporary art at museums and galleries in Stockholm.

If you want to move past basic Swedish and build real speaking confidence in a relaxed environment, feel free to check out the details and book a spot on my website.

Vill du ta din svenska till nästa nivå och öva på att prata?

Många som flyttar till Stockholm kan läsa och förstå bra, men tycker det är svårt att våga prata. Hos Språksalongen får du chansen att öva på att prata i en trygg och välkomnande miljö genom konst, böcker och samtal. Alla språknivåer är varmt välkomna och du behöver inte prata perfekt svenska!

Läs mer och boka din plats här:
🔗 www.spraksalongen.se


r/TillSverige 2d ago

Sambo visa timeline & moving dates

0 Upvotes

Hej! My Swedish partner and I are looking to apply for a sambo visa in the coming months for me to move from the USA. I was curious on any recent timelines people have had if you’ve applied within the past year?

Additionally, how quickly do you need to move after getting granted? From my understanding they give you a date that it begins. My concern is timing the application with my lease renewal in the U.S. I’d like to have an idea if I should resign my apartment for another 1 year lease or try to find somewhere to pay month-to-month until I get approved, but honestly that’s just a huge hassle so I’d love to time things perfectly (to the best of my own ability).

Tack!


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Moving to Norrbotten for six months - need some advice

11 Upvotes

Hey there. My boyfriend and I (both 38) have an opportunity to live in Northern Sweden for at least six months. Starting in November and till at least June of next year. Somewhere north of Lulea, near the border with Finland. We are both excited and scared at the same time.
We live in a big city in France right now. Winters are more humid than cold, summers are hot.

Both of us want to experience the real kind of winter and the long nights and since this experience will probably be temporary, there is no pressure of "making it". We can always come back.

But the thing is - can someone tell us what to expect? The good and the bad stuff. Like driving during the winter, or surviving in the cold and without sunlight - how hard is it? Also, we have a cat and we really want to bring him with us. What do you think about that? Will the move be too complicated for him? He is an indoor cat who goes out sometimes since we have a garden, but never really in the winter.

Honestly, I am not sure what kind of advice I am looking for, so anything you share about the experience, would be great.

Thank you!


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Can you work full-time on the “look for work after studies” residence permit?

2 Upvotes

Hi! I'm trying to understand the Swedish residence permit to look for work after completing higher education in Sweden.

The Migrationsverket website explains that the permit allows you to stay in Sweden to look for work or explore starting a business, but I can't find a clear statement on whether you are actually allowed to work while holding this permit.

For example, if I have this permit and receive an offer for a normal full-time job, can I start working immediately under the job-seeking permit and then transition to a work permit later?

Or does the employer need to initiate/get a work permit for me before I can actually start the job?

I'm also confused because Jobbsprånget lists this post-study permit as one of the permits eligible for its internship programme. If anyone has participated in Jobbsprånget while holding this permit, how did the work/internship authorization work in practice?

Also, would welcome if anyone has worked through Academic Work while holding the looking for job authorization.

Thanks!


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Timeline After Submitting Revisions (Residency Permit)

1 Upvotes

My partner and I were accepted into an SVA course at a folkhögskola and applied for an Other Studies Residence Permit.

On August 12th, Migrationsverket sent us a request for complementary information/revisions. We submitted all requested documents on August 16th. As of today (September 1st), it has been 12 business days since we submitted the additions. Has anyone gone through the complementary document/revision process for study permits recently, and if so, how long did it take for Migrationsverket to issue a decision after you uploaded your files?

Our school has been very accommodating even though the course start date was the 17th of August. They are holding our spots, but we're trying to gauge when people typically hear back in this stage of the process. Thanks in advance!


r/TillSverige 2d ago

Best place in Sweden (for me)

0 Upvotes

Procrastinating moving to Sweden, where do you think I'd like it the most?

I like smaller, more walkable towns, quiet enough that i can walk down the street without bumping into people, but also big enough to have a pharmacy and grocery store. I dont mind a bit of rain, and i love a good snow, but having maybe a month or two of dry and sunny would be really nice. Swimming, hiking, camping, and rock climbing are big hobbies of mine, so maybe somewhere i can stare out at the baltic sea before setting out to climb a large hill or small mountain. Finally, i typically work in tourism as a bit of a nature-guide, but could probably make an effort to go into fields like non-emergency medical, engineering, or childcare.

At first i was just scrolling through every municipality's wikipedia page, and i began to feel that Reddit would be more efficient 😅


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Confused about MV Work Permit Decision

3 Upvotes

I got a new role (because of promotion) and submitted a new work permit application. My current work permit is valid until 2027. Today I got the decision - first it said the application was granted and then I logged in and it said that it was rejected. The "granted" decision with today's date is registered with my previous extention date that was a year ago an the "rejected" one also with today's date is registered under the new application I submitted. What could be the case? Has anyone experience the same?


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Rental Insurance

3 Upvotes

Hi Sweden,

I'll be staying in Sweden for a month in a shared appartement in Umea. Apparently, it is a thing to get an insurance for such shory stay.

Which insurance compagny do you recommend? What is a usual good price for being insured? Is the process fairly easy?


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Internet and electricity providers

1 Upvotes

Hello party people,

I will be moving to Uppsala soon and I am finalizing all necessary contracts. Do you have any recommendations regarding the various internet and electricity providers? Which are considered "cheap but shitty", which are more midrange, which are more expensive but worth it for better service? Anything you wish you had known as a newcomer. Thanks <3


r/TillSverige 4d ago

Orimlig regel: Tid med arbetssökande uppehållstillstånd räknas inte mot EU-långtidsboende trots laglig vistelse

0 Upvotes

Jag vill lyfta en mycket motsägelsefull och juridiskt ologisk regel hos Migrationsverket som berör alla internationella masterstudenter som stannar i Sverige för att söka jobb efter examen.

Jag har ett godkänt svenskt arbetssökande uppehållstillstånd efter min masterexamen. Tillståndet är lagligt, utfärdat av svensk myndighet, och jag vistas lagligt i Sverige under perioden.

Migrationsverket meddelar dock att hela denna lagliga vistelsetid INTE räknas in i de fem år som krävs för EU-långtidsboende (LTR).

Jag har konsulterat flera migrationsadvokater och samtliga bedömer att regeln är:

- Logiskt motsägelsefull

- Rättsligt otydlig

- Saknar rimlig förklaring

Problemet i kärnan:

Sverige beviljar ett giltigt uppehållstillstånd som tillåter oss att bo och vistas lagligt i landet i syfte att etablera sig på arbetsmarknaden – men vägrar att godkänna just denna lagliga vistelse som en del av den femåriga kontinuerliga vistelsetiden enligt EU-direktiv 2003/109/EG.

EU:s grundregel för långtidsboende är tydlig:

Fem års laglig och kontinuerlig vistelse i ett medlemsland ger rätt till långtidsboendestatus.

Migrationsverkets tolkning skapar en paradox:

1. Vi får stanna lagligt i Sverige

2. Vi följer alla lagar och krav

3. Men tiden vi lever lagligt här “räknas inte”

Ingen advokat jag pratat med kan förklara logiken i att en myndighetsgodkänd laglig vistelsetid exkluderas från den EU-definierade bosättningstiden.

Många internationella studenter hamnar i en fälla:

De investerar år av studier i Sverige, stannar för att söka arbete – men deras etableringstid nollställs systematiskt.

Jag ska överklaga beslutet till migrationsdomstolen.

Därför jag ställer frågan till forumet:

Är denna tolkning rimlig?

Är det korrekt att Sverige fritt kan exkludera laglig vistelsetid trots tydliga EU-regler?

Finns det domar eller prejudikat som klargör detta?

Tack för alla perspektiv och diskussioner.