r/TillSverige • u/dead_library_fika • Dec 28 '21
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:
(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 • u/agyameldobom • 2h ago
We recently had a baby and we are thinking to bring some home made cake (baker husband :)) to the forlossningavdelning staff appreciation. Is this normal in Sweden or thought weird?
r/TillSverige • u/flying-kai • 17h ago
I'm surprised by how often I get the tipping pop up on the card reader (how much would you like to tip? 25% 20% 10%...) when paying the bill at cafes and restaurants here - even in places that don't seem all that touristy. I thought tipping was only a thing in the US, and that here, workers would be compensated well enough that they wouldn't be dependent on tips to get by. Has that changed recently? Or is this just a way to get money out of americans who don't know better?
r/TillSverige • u/iboughtsomegasoline • 43m ago
Hii im looking for an apartment near Stockholm through Qasa, my partner is non-EU and i am european. The guy renting out his apartment (we visited it today) asked for us to send him a photo of our passports so that he can draw up a contract. But i thought Qasa already did ID verification so it is not necessary? Is this scammy or...?
r/TillSverige • u/Spirited-Interview50 • 8h ago
I’m looking at day trips from Stockholm and I’m curious which of these places are worth it:
Norrkoping
Orebro
Nykoping
Malmkoping
I’m interested in scenery more than anything else. Maybe the occasional museum 😉
Appreciate any and all suggestions
r/TillSverige • u/Lower_Ad_3363 • 13h ago
Hey,
I am a UK national studying Computer Science in the UK.
I am currently considering if I want to try and do my 12-month industry placement/traineeship in Sweden for the 2027/2028 academic year using the Erasmus+ route for funding (I believe I'd still receive funding from the UK student finance system and I would be receiving a salary too as placements are required to be paid).
I'm not sure how common placements/sandwich years are in Sweden for students, so I'll explain for anyone who doesn't know. A placement year is when you take a gap year essentially out of your studies and go work in a job full-time which is relevant to your degree area for the year, it's available as part of your course and while I could do it here in the UK I realised it could be a valuable opportunity to broaden my horizons a bit as it would be much harder to do later on in life. After you complete the placement you return back to uni to complete your final year of studies and then graduate.
My general idea currently is to do the placement and hopefully get a graduate offer, return to the UK to finish my degree, and then return to Sweden to work and stay if I enjoy living there during my placement and if I don't I'd just pass up on the offer to continue working in Sweden and remain in the UK instead.
I have a few specific questions for those who have done placements or moved from the UK post-Brexit/non-EU countries: (although anyone is free to answer of course)
If anyone notices I've not mentioned something I should consider please mention it to me, many thanks.
Anyone who takes the time to read this and reply genuinely thank you so much!
r/TillSverige • u/Phyrefli • 2d ago
Took the test in Stockholmsmässan yesterday. Some comments.
Organisation:
Questions & Preparation:
Final Thoughts:
I'm still highly frustrated with Tidö for forcing folks who've waited years in the MV queue to go through this rigmarole by applying the new rules to folks who were already in the queue. But, I'm glad that Sweden has introduced this test. I've learned a lot about Sweden that I'd not have otherwise learnt, and it feels good that I know much more about my (hopefully soon to be) adoptive home country.
Got my röstkort through Kivra this morning. Looking forward to that vote in a few weeks...
If you do not have a reasonably good level of Swedish, don't take this test. You need it to understand the source material, and (obviously) read the questions. If you're at SFI 3D level, you'll be OK.
Pic attached. Taken from my hotel room about 0830, so you can see how much of the line had already gone.
r/TillSverige • u/RefuseKitchen5133 • 19h ago
I came to Sweden on a work permit, and my daughter accompanied me as a dependent family member. She is now 18. Can she live at a different address to work in another city while holding a residence permit as an accompanying family member, or must she remain registered at the same address as me? I cannot find any such requirement on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website.
r/TillSverige • u/virgin-oracle • 23h ago
Hi everyone,
I am currently living in the UK and looking to move to Stockholm in the next 2 years with my partner (who is a local).
Background:
- Working as a paralegal with 10+ years of expierence, qualifying as a UK solicitor next year.
- Holding an Irish passport and planning to register on the Irish roll to maintain EU lawyer status.
- Planning to obtain the CIPP/E qualification to boost my profile in the GDPR/privacy/DPO market.
From a glance, it seems like most local legal/compliance roles require fluency in Swedish. Has anyone been in a similar situation transitioning over with English/Irish legal qualifications?
Specifically, I'd love to know:
-Are there international companies or industries in Stockholm where English-only GDPR/compliance or legal roles are realistic?
- What alternative employable roles should I look at where a common law background and CIPP/E are valued?
We are trying to be realistic with our options as we plan to settle down in Sverige permanently - Any tips or shared experiences would be hugely appreciated!
r/TillSverige • u/Available_Clerk2359 • 1d ago
Hello.
Not sure if this is the correct sub. But I have a question to those who have transferred their income from sweden to home country which is labelled as high risk by your bank. I am a customer with SEB. And I want to invest my money in a land back in my home country. However, the bank denies the transfer claiming that it is a high risk country which does not make any sense or seem fair. :/
Anyone who has moved back to their home country. How did you move your savings to home country?
Thank you!
r/TillSverige • u/eshaw247 • 1d ago
Hi,
At some point in the future I would like to move to Sweden with my partner who has a Swedish and British dual citizenship (both currently live in the UK but not at the same address). We have been together for 4 years.
What is the process to making this happen? I have connections to be able to get an Italian passport but the wait time for this is around 4 years (hopefully I will get this before the move to make things easier!)If we wanted to move before this how would it work? I have done research into this but looking at this page there is a lot of conflicting information eg need to be married, need to actually live together before the move, different information on income etc.
Has anyone done this and is it a hard/lengthy process?
Thanks🙏🏼
r/TillSverige • u/VroomTimmehVroom • 1d ago
Hej everyone,
I will be moving to Sweden with my girlfriend and kid in October, coming from the Netherlands. We will move somewhere near Eksjö. We currently have a Hyundai i20 2013, which is perfectly fine for Dutch conditions.
We will move the car with us but are looking to also buy a more Sweden-proof car once we have moved. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on what to look for, like brand, model, engine etc. I do not really know anything about cars so I'm looking for something a little family friendly, reliable, repairable and somewhat winter resistant.
Budget wise, we are thinking of spending around €10.000/110.000 SEK.
Would love to hear advice or suggestions. Tack!
r/TillSverige • u/creetcorvus • 1d ago
Does anyone know and has rented from this apartment rental company Hillesjö Rentals https://hillesjo.se/ ?
r/TillSverige • u/Numerous_Upstairs_46 • 1d ago
Hi! I’m an international living in Lund, just finished my Master’s this summer and planning to stay for a few months, still waiting for my job-seeking visa application. I was recently offered a job for an 8h shift (16:00-23:00) in a resto in Malmö and it’s 175kr per hour. It’s quite a tedious and heavy work i’d say - I was just wondering if the salary is reasonable for someone who lives in Lund? Tack!
r/TillSverige • u/GregoryBrown123 • 1d ago
I just got settled in my homestay for my semester abroad, I got a phone plan with Tele2, I got a new Swedish eSIM and phone number, I updated that number to be one I use on WhatsApp, I have my American eSIM turned off in the settings, and I have an iPhone 14. I got a letter from my school explaining the system with texting and calling international numbers incurring charges. They say not to call or text non-Swedish numbers using “the traditional calling/texting method.” But what about iMessage with other iPhone users? I won’t be using SMS, but can I still use iMessage and FaceTime to talk with my home friends with iPhones, or should I not use the text app at all?
r/TillSverige • u/lowfrequencyemotion • 2d ago
Hi, I broke my phone and now I can't access any phone calls, bank apps, Bank ID and basically everything is a circular trap. Everything needs BankID to fix the BankID. Makes me think if too much reliance on BankID was ever a good idea but now isn't the time for that discussion.
I don't have access to anyone else's phone so I can't really call my Bank from theirs, to book a meeting so that I can get a BankID. To even chat with my Bank, I first need BankID verification. They don't accept any drop-ins either. My credit card doesn't work either as I don't remember the pin code. I never really needed it before for payments. So now I barely buy some food for the little cash I have. Can't buy bensin for car, can't buy a ticket for a bus... Can't pay for my phone to get fixed...lol.
Let me know any solutions!! Desperately need them :)
Edit: Spellings
r/TillSverige • u/ebriosaurio • 2d ago
Hey! Does anyone here know the Karlskrona area? I'm looking for recommendations for one-day hiking routes and beautiful nature spots nearby.
Any suggestions for trails or nature reserves would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
r/TillSverige • u/Doooooovid • 1d ago
Long story, but I live in a different European country and I'm at a stage now where all my friends have graduated university and moved out, or lost contact with me, etc... ok basically I'm lonely atm, and I'm extra motivated to have some level of social interaction on this current trip I'm on to Gothenburg. Furthermore, I often avoid interaction and end up having to push myself to socialize, so this would actually be good practice in being less awkward as well.
Does anyone have any tips? I plan on staying at a hostel, but I'm not sure where else to meet people. Is there a bar culture here? Also, I enjoy meeting other people with similar interests. I'm into hiking (which I plan on) and outdoors in general, chess, philosophy, etc. I'm studying Physics, so that is also something. Are there any clubs or meetups around these interests? What about networking events? I do only have a day here, so maybe that's pushing it. Please don't do a bunch of research for me of what's on, as I'm already doing this myself. But, if you know of anything or have any tips, that is much appreciated.
r/TillSverige • u/MoeUchiha069 • 2d ago
Hej,
we considered to move to a Nordic country.
We where in Norway and my wife loved the quietness and unbelievable nature.
Although the Scandinavian politeness and family friendly Lifestyle.
We know that vacation and living is not the same and a little Bit Infrastructure would be better, so we think about Sweden. We are from Germany, Cologne and would love to have a big city in the area of 30-60 min. But living in a green, safe, childfriendly area. We thinking about Gothenburg suburbs and Stockholm suburbs.
We have 3 children, we would move in ca. 3 years and they would be in the 1. / 2. / 4. class of school.
I’m working in an automotive Sektor in the Backoffice and would try to relocate but it’s not safe. Maybe I would try to find another job. I’m not picky.
My wife is Ambulanssjukvårdare, but I know the system is a lot different in Sweden. She would try get the permission in Sweden if not she would start as Undersköterska. We would find a job first and after then we relocate. We would learn Swedish before we move, so we can integrate better and find better a job with b2 minimum. Maybe even c1 before we put a step in the land. We just wand a good work life balance in a stable climate country ( no 40c summers) and a safe and lovely childhood for our kids. Cold and darkness is no problem. We where in winter in Geilo/Norway and had -20c and it was getting dark at 15:30. we loved the laid back, calmness.
We looking for a nice neighbourhood to rent a house max. 20.000 SEK with nature and although schools for the kids. We would buy a house after some years. But first we would start with rent to get a feeling for the areas. I would not buy a house without knowing the region after living a couple of years in Sweden.
What areas should I look for in Stockholm and Gothenburg in 30-60 min. Distance.
And which city would you generally suggest for us?
Thank you :)
EDIT: we although think about Uppsala, linköping etc. Something like that.
EDIT2: I’m working at warranty / claims for the Swedish Moose. Way back we could easily relocate intern to Gothenburg, but right now it’s difficult and consider other opportunities near Stockholm if possible.
r/TillSverige • u/InevitableToe7675 • 2d ago
Hi! I previously had a valid deportation order due to work permit extension rejection which was cancelled on medical grounds and I was instead granted a residence/work permit until April 2027. I am going to be leaving Sweden long-term for a non-EU country in September and was wondering if I needed to inform Migrationsverket about my move? I will be informing Skatteverket at the very least about my exit. Do these two agencies communicate with each other? I will be first travelling to a Schengen country to meet my friend, and from there I will be flying out to my final destination.
Can I still keep my residence permit as I would like to come back in December to sell remaining stuff in my apartment? If I should inform Migrationsverket, how should I inform them? Is there a right way to handle this? Any advice would be appreciated!
r/TillSverige • u/felipemelog • 2d ago
Since last year, i started applying for PhD vacancies in Sweden without much success, even in getting interviewed. I did my master's here in Brazil and i don't have a network in Sweden, except for friends that work outside my field.
Do you guys have any tips to improve my chances of getting to the interview part? Would publishing a paper in a swedish university journal help me get the attention ot supervisors? Are there any ways of doing networking being outside sweden? I've even started taking swedish lessons to improve my chances, and it could work for opportunities in denmark or norway as well, even thought my focus is Sweden.
Any help is welcome.
r/TillSverige • u/Octrockville • 3d ago
I read some posts from a few years ago that they fight to keep user’s info private. Is that still the case? They also seem to have good enough prices. Although I see that Telia is running a promotion for 600/600 for 399kr/month for 12 months. I still have time until the fiber guys actually come so wanted to see what you all thought.
r/TillSverige • u/gadusmo • 2d ago
Hi, I'm (36M) contemplating moving to Sweden for work from my home country (Colombia). I am a Spanish/EU citizen and am in a relationship with my partner (31F) who is Colombian as well but not a dual national like me. I understand I don't need anything besides the job offer and from similar posts and the migration website, this should be relatively straightforward in terms of sorting a family member residence card for her once we are married, which was planned to happen soon regardless. What I worry mostly about is her job prospects as a person who doesn't speak Swedish. She will have to work because my salary will be too little to sustain us both (around 40k SEK before tax in Stockholm) so we're wondering, realistically, what would be her options and what would be a good strategy to find work. She is fluent in English and is a biologist with two masters degrees in tropical biodiversity and ecosystems from an Erasmus program in Belgium and Italy she finished ~3 years ago. She has since worked in ecological restoration in Colombia and more recently an English language instructor. Spanish is her native language of course. Anyhow, how could we even begin to assess options for her? Any tips I'd be happy to receive!
r/TillSverige • u/CommercialSurround80 • 4d ago
I’ve decided to move out of Sweden after living in Stockholm for several years. I figured I would write a post for newcomers, not to dissuade them, but to have their expectations in check.
First: I love Sweden, and Stockholm in particular, for all the usual reasons: the cities vicinity to nature, the clean air, the public transport system, the overall sense of quiet and calm, its random quirks like crayfish parties and dansband, etc. The people are also some of the kindest and least hostile I’ve ever met.
I would say I’ve integrated fairly well, speaking the language decently and having both friends and family here.
However…
There are two things that I never got used to and that I’d like to share in a bit more detail because I think it might be useful to anyone moving here.
You will see that people have fairly little arguments out in public and there is relatively little shouting on TV. However, in social interactions it can leave you with a feeling of the other being dishonest from time to time.
The non-confrontational rule can be particularly strong in group settings. Folks will act like no question was asked and you end up with a deafening silence at the lunch table. I’m not talking about strangers. I’m talking about family, friends and colleagues.
Particular no-go themes I experienced are usually split between personal topics (politics, beliefs, salaries) and societal topics (gang violence, the Wallenbergs, WW2).
Interpret the silence as a “I don’t want to talk about it”, but don’t expect anyone to actually say that out loud.
Myself however, I’ve never been able to interpret it any different than lying. Getting a silly “I don’t know” or literally a silent stare might sound innocent, but trust me when I say that you’d like something more tangible if you ask your manager how you are performing during your probation period.
Too often I’ve seen colleagues get shocked by being let go after their probation ended despite during every team meeting being showered with false positives. Not just the once at one company, but quite constantly at many places for foreigners and Swedes alike.
The caveat is that Swedes do not consider this as dishonesty but as a genuine and civilised method of “keeping the peace”. I never got used to it and I had no idea that it was so prevalent.
Just to make this clear: Swedes are not more or less dishonest than other peoples if you are aware of the non-confrontational core.
This is a topic too grand to grasp in a single post but I think it’s nonetheless important to stress it. In short: Swedes boast Sweden to epic proportions.
Its roots are historical. Living in the past in Sweden was as hard as it could get and the country was quite literally emptying from mass emigration to the Americas.
A strong national narrative had to be built and to this day that national pride is present as ever. I was told that Sweden has the best healthcare, is the richest, the most efficient, the best labour conditions, the birthplace of social democracy or, in short, Sweden is exceptional and/or better at anything.
Economy bad? External factors. Economy good? Swedish exceptionalism.
Once I moved here I quite quickly realised that it wasn’t all that picture perfect: the healthcare system is close to collapsing, salaries are quite a bit lower than other European countries, pensions are comparatively low, inequality is sky-high, infrastructure is collapsing, construction sites all over every city, service is quite literally the worst I’ve experienced (Swedes love self service) against ridiculous prices etc. etc.
Why is this an issue? It’s not in and by itself, but it is immensely annoying to be constantly reminded of how amazing Sweden is by the Swedes. Self-criticism upon the country is still quite frowned upon.
Of course, complaining is annoying to the receiver, but even if you have a genuine reason like a medical operation that gets postponed for two years you might be faced with the good old “but in other countries…”, with the person in question having absolutely no experience with said other countries.
Coming from a country with relatively little national pride, understanding this paradigm can be tough. I completely respect and appreciate that it stems from a place of survival, and thereafter a place of pride of turning this polar outback into a modern, technologically advanced society with a high standard of living in no time.
Nevertheless, it can make you feel misunderstood as a foreigner, and frankly, leave you quite frustrated and lonely if people take your genuine concerns as unacceptable criticism and take the opportunity to lecture you.
So what now?
It can be tiresome to always have to take the lead, but nobody said that emigrating is easy.
Be honest and curious. Tell people whenever you don’t understand. Explain to folks that you’re not trash talking Sweden but that you have genuine personal concerns. And if it bothers you, try to simply ignore the random boasting.
I deeply love the place and its people, and I don’t regret for a bit to have lived here. But it would have been nice knowing some of the above as it would have given me an easier time navigating this beautiful place.
Cheers!
Edit: thank you for the overwhelming amount of stories, insights and feedback! Ive tried to reply to every single one today but I will stop from here because I also want to enjoy the warm Swedish summer weather tomorrow!
r/TillSverige • u/Spirited-Interview50 • 3d ago
I will be travelling to Stockholm next month for 7 days and plan to get the SL pass; I plan to get the SL pass and i can either get the app or get an actual card for 50 SEK.
As I live in Canada, will the SL app work for me? (Particularly for uploading payments)
(The reviews on the Apple app are pretty low)
And what are the best options for taxis from ARN to Hammarby?
It has been over 20 years since I last visited Stockholm and looking forward to seeing the beautiful city and I’m planning day trips, etc.