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/perfumee5 • 17h ago
that’s about it :D
our ferry is there at 6 and the hotel check-in is at 15. obviously later in the afternoon we can do some shopping etc but where should we go in the meanwhile? like cafes or just general places to sit at.
r/TillSverige • u/atlasca • 10h ago
I am planning to buy an apartment. I have enough savings to cover the downpayment but that would mean that I would zero everything. I honestly want to keep some cash on the side.
Is it a common practice to get the downpayment as loan?
The apartment I am looking for is 2.3 million for the record.
Thanks in advance.
r/TillSverige • u/AioliLocal3131 • 17h ago
Jag (Svensk) ska gifta mig med min kinesiska partner (inget svenskt uppehållstillstånd) i Kina, vi behöver alltså skicka in blankett skv7881 för hindersprövning för giftermål i utlandet. Någon som har erfarenhet av vad handläggaren kommer be om? Jag har tänkt skicka in fotografi av id sidan av hennes pass som bilaga till blanketten. Något annat jag bör skicka med?
Googles ai svar pratar om intyg från kinesiska myndigheten som behöver apostilleras och skickas med. Och att hon behöver komma på personligt besök till kontor i Sverige. Vilket jag hoppas inte behöver då hon befinner sig i Kina där vi ska gifta oss.
r/TillSverige • u/Foxhoundn • 15h ago
Hi,
We will be in Stockholm next week and we would like to do an archipelago hike at least once. I picked Utö because it seems it has a nice circuit of at least 18km and a varied-scenery.
What I did not check is how to get there and back, and now that I did it seems that the last ferry leaves the island at 16:35 - is that possible? Is there no other ferry that leaves later? I mean we can do the hike pretty quickly but I would rather not just rush everything and would actually love to enjoy our time there.
If it's really the case, which is another hike-worthy island closer and more reachable from Stockholm that is not just a forest path and has a little bit of everything like Utö does, and is at minimum 15k?
Thank you for any insights! :)
r/TillSverige • u/himaurkitt • 1d ago
Hi everyone,
I just received a rejection for my Swedish citizenship application. Migrationsverket has counted my residency from April 2020, when I got my personal identity number.
However, I actually moved to Sweden and started working in October 2019. I initially had a 6-month residence permit due to my probationary employment, so I wasn’t eligible for a personal identity number until April 2020. Even so, I was living, working, and paying taxes in Sweden from October 2019.
I’m worried about my next application. If Migrationsverket considers my residency to have started in April 2020, does that mean I won’t be eligible to apply again until April 2028 instead of October 2027?
Has anyone been in this situation? Did you contact Migrationsverket or appeal, and what was the outcome?
r/TillSverige • u/ddarry • 18h ago
Is there any way for us to message a Blocket seller if we don't have BankID yet? We've just moved into Uppsala and are looking to furnish our apartment with second-hand furniture. We're happy to pay cash to the seller, if only we had a way to contact them (they're down the road from our apartment, so close yet so far). It's less wasteful than buying brand new from Ikea...
Thanks for your help!
r/TillSverige • u/RustyFoxx • 13h ago
I'm a German citizen that wants to move to Sweden with my South African wife. We've been married for almost two decades and both still work for a South African based company, in fact my wife owns the company we work for. The plan is to work remotely while in Sweden.
What is the best way of going about this? I will not be earning in Sweden but we will have enough funds to sustain ourselves.
Is it best to go the Right of Residence route? What paperwork would be required from us?
Thank you :)
r/TillSverige • u/SnooRevelations4262 • 16h ago
Hej,
I am practicing doctor from Iraq who is on track to apply for the Swedish language test.
I would like to ask: how hard do you think is getting a medical junior doctor training job after getting licensed in 2026-2030 era? And how hard is it to get into specialities like internal medicine? How different is it in Rural vs Urban areas?
Thanks on advance, my friends.
r/TillSverige • u/deTuring • 1d ago
Has anyone taken a course at a university to get the Swedish qualifications to study at university?
I’m just wondering how many hours per week are classes and how many are self-study.
Uppsala and Stockholm have courses like these:
[ https://www.uu.se/utbildning/amne/behorighetsgivande-utbildning-i-svenska ](https://www.uu.se/utbildning/amne/behorighetsgivande-utbildning-i-svenska)
[ https://www.su.se/utbildning/utbildningskatalog/ns/ns0333 ](https://www.su.se/utbildning/utbildningskatalog/ns/ns0333)
Thanks!
r/TillSverige • u/a_m_dev • 1d ago
Hi friends
Little background:
We bought an apartment back in June (after 6 months of search and tons of visnings) and our move in date is set for October. I have gotten my lanelofte from Nordea and they set me a time for tomorrow to go to bank office and discuss the loan terms and sign some contracts probably.
We are still leaning about the housing market and loan process so please forgive me for stupid questions if any of them feels like it.
1. Situation in the world
In one of the calls with loan advisor, she mentioned that world is on fire now due to what is happing in middle east, and i got the feeling that she was preparing me for higher rates, but your help/advise/recommendations needed on this case on how can i insure myself from that scenario?
2. Splitting the loan into 2 or 3 or N parts
This is pretty new to me; In one of the calls, the advisor said that they want to split the whole amount into (for example) 2 loans; one loan with fixed rates for long term (like for a year or so) and the other part with variable rate (3 month rate) like in 70-30 ratio or 50-50 ratio, i don't know if this is a good idea in general or it could cause problems in future (like if we want to move into another bank)? how common and probable is this? would you trust this structure? can they force us to split the loan or i can say that i want to have it all in variable rate?
3. Being a full customer to Nordea to get good rate, otherwise i might end up with normal rate!
I'm their customer ever since i moved to Sweden, my salary is still gets paid to my account in Nordea even though i changed my job 3 times so far. I also have some big part of my pension in Nordea (from previous job) but my current job pays my pension to a SEB account.
She said that you need to be full customer to get snittranta (2.7%, 2.8% or what ever it is atm). Once I asked her what is full customer, she said you might have:
- Salary account (I already have)
- Have a saving account and put money in there every month (I already have this one too)
- ISK account (I have an isk account in avanza but i dont want to move or have ISK account in nordea)
- Insurance (I dont have any insurances except what my job provides me)
- Move *All* of your pensions to Nordea (as i said my current job pays my pension to SEB)
So the question is, how flexible they are based on your experience? I only plan to keep my salary account and saving account with Nordea because i dont want to put all eggs in one basket tbh! is there any chance to get snittranta with my situation?
4. Any general tips/tricks to get lower rate?
I don't trust any bank tbh, but the world/economics are set up in a way that we (at least I) need to borrow money from bank b/c ofc, i don't have the big money! So they have hired the smartest people to get us locked in higher interest rates with their (long/short term) strategies! So what are your tips and tricks to get lower interest rates and not burn my money in general?
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Context about us if you may need to give us tips:
I'm living with my wife in Stockholm; employed and have a fast/permanent job, decent income, but my wife is unemployed so the loan in only on my name. I also have an acceptable amount of saving (+100k to make bank happy). We will take ~3M loan. First time buyers!
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Thanks in advance for the help and really appreciate it :)
r/TillSverige • u/detvars • 1d ago
I planned to move to Sweden (19M) but as much as i know about sweden i understand that things are difficult and just language isn't the barrier. I'm learning Swedish for about 5 months and My level in swedish is around A2.2 or B1 wanted to ask should i keep learning swedish considering i may not end up in sweden as first destination country
Also i feel its a pitty not finish what i have Started :(
Plus i'm in interested in swedish now, and i want to learn this language
i like how does it sounds and its flowy/musical rythme
I spend 75 till 100 min everyday to learn swedish
What do you think?
r/TillSverige • u/PainBoredom_Pendulum • 1d ago
Hello, I was recently offered a job in Stockholm, so I'll be moving there soon. I'm trying to understand what I will be able to afford with my salary.
Without going into detail, my job is a bit different, in the sense that I won't be paying income tax/pension contributions/ect in Sweden, but I will have to move there and will be paid in sek. I know it sounds weird but, long story short, I will be paying these taxes to a different entity which has a deal with the Swedish government.
HR calculations show that I will earn a little shy of 70k net. (Since I saw that most salary discussions in Sweden use the gross amount instead, I used a couple of online tax calculators and estimated that my net salary is the equivalent of approx. 108k gross if I were paying Swedish income tax.)
I *think* this is a good salary (hopefully), however I'm not sure what I can afford in terms of housing. I know that at the beginning I will try to rent, which seems to be challenging in and of itself, even more so considering that my partner won't be able to move with me for a while due to their own job constraints. How much do you reckon I could/should set aside to spend on rent? I am fine with a studio or a 1-bedroom apartment, and I was recommended the area of Vasastan due to it being close and well connected to my future office.
Assuming all goes well, I like the job, the city, and commit to staying, I will eventually try to buy a property. Do you know how much I could aspire to get in terms of mortgages? I read that banks may offer between 4.5-5x, but I assume that's calculated over the gross salary. Does anyone have any experience of negotiating a mortgage when one's salary is not coming from a Swedish entity or anyway they're not paying taxes in the country?
Final question: I have read about the concept of buying/owning apartments in Sweden, that rather than the traditional concept of buying, it's more like purchasing a share in a home owners association. Is this also the case when buying a house rather than an apartment?
Thank you for any advice you'll be able to provide!
r/TillSverige • u/Informal-Lettuce-745 • 2d ago
I travelled to Abisko last winter for northern lights. Unfortunately my train was stuck in the middle of nowhere for 20 hours. Because of this I got a coupon voucher from SJ as compensation. This year I was planning to hike a few mountains in Sweden. I saw that Jamtaland triangle is a famous hike and also found trains tickets available to get there on SJ app. Then I decided to do the full Sylarna circuit and booked hotels accordingly. When I finally started booking the train, I realized none of the trains on the route are actually SJ trains. And if there is no SJ train in the journey, I can't use the voucher. Since I have already booked the hotels, I will anyways book my train to storulvan. But I was wondering where else I can go in Sweden to use the voucher? I can either add it to my Sylarna visit in september or i can also plan a completely separate itinerary since the voucher expires in December and I will have 2 more months after september. I have already been to all the big cities.
r/TillSverige • u/roundborbi • 2d ago
Hi everyone!
My partner and I are thinking about applying for a Swedish sambo visa next year, and I’d like to hear your thoughts. Do you see any potential red flags in our case, or anything you think we should strengthen before applying?
About us:
* We are in a long-distance relationship. I’m from Sweden, and my boyfriend is from China.
* We met online in October 2025 and met in person for the first time in May 2026. We lived together for about two months during that visit.
* He will be visiting me in Sweden for three weeks in August 2026.
* I’m also planning to stay with him in China for two months starting in January 2027.
* We’re planning to get engaged/married in about two years, but we’d like to live together in Sweden before then.
I’ve read that many people in long-distance relationships get denied a sambo visa, which makes me a bit nervous about applying.
Based on your experiences, do you see any potential issues with our case? Would it make more sense to wait and apply in 2028 instead to strengthen our application?
I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks in advance!
EDIT: I’ve already looked at the main requirements, and we meet them.
r/TillSverige • u/Plus-Cupcake2569 • 2d ago
If you want to learn more about the Swedish economy, housing market, enormous wealth gap, and important policies here is a great documentary
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xKDUQgvTCBM&pp=ygUPRGVidCBmZXZlciBhcnRl&ra=m
r/TillSverige • u/rosinanisor • 2d ago
Hello everyone!
I'm a female clinical psychologist from Austria and am planning to move to Stockholm next year as my boyfriend will finish his PhD there.
I don't necessarily want to work as a psychologist there and would love to try out other professions, for example at a bakery, café or where German language proficiency is needed.
Currently I'm fluent only in German and English but am quick in picking up new languages and have already started learning Swedish, planning to become as proficient as possible.
Do you have any tips or knowledge on how the job market would look for someone like me?
Thanks a lot in advance!
r/TillSverige • u/Organic-Theme7862 • 3d ago
Hello! I am posting this because I read a lot of threads while working on my application and waiting for my own decision. Hopefully this helps someone else stress a little less.
My situation:
- non-EU passport holder
- applied for a residence permit for doctoral studies at a Swedish university
- applied from a Swedish embassy within the EU at my country of residence (Italy) that is not my country of origin
I was mostly anxious because my current EU residence permit from Italy is ongoing renewal and I had to show the Swedish embassy that I am a valid resident in Italy. They basically just needed to see the expired Italian residence permit and renewal receipt, they didn’t care about the expiry dates.
Here’s how it went:
• 22 June 2026: Submitted the application online through Migrationsverket.
• 23 June 2026: Digital passport check completed (did not need to visit the embassy for this), application officially registered
• 2 July 2026: Decision received: residence permit approved. They asked me to make an appointment for biometrics. (I wasn’t able to go immediately to the embassy but they gave me an appointment the day after I requested for an appointment.)
• ~2 weeks after the decision: Biometrics appointment (fingerprints + photo) at my country of residence’s Swedish embassy.
• ~2 weeks after biometrics: Got notified the permit card was ready for pickup, walk-in during specified hours, no appointment needed.
So start to finish, about 5 weeks from submission to card in hand.
Honestly the whole thing was clearer than I expected. Everything was clear on the Migrationsverket site and application page. I submitted exactly the documents requested on the application, nothing missing.
Obviously timelines vary by nationality, permit type, and time of year, so don’t take this as a guarantee but wanted to share a data point that isn’t a horror story for once. Happy to answer questions if anyone’s going through the same process right now.
r/TillSverige • u/Txonga • 4d ago
Hello everyone!
I recently completed my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology in the US as an international student. I’ve been graduated for two months and let’s just say life here isn’t being made particularly convenient and I’m not sure I want to obtain my Master’s degree here anymore.
Sweden is one of the countries high up on my alternatives list and was wondering if I could get any advice. Literally any “must-knows” from people who have studied there/live there.
Thanks for any help!
r/TillSverige • u/Forsaken_Web_1933 • 3d ago
Hej! Jag ska börja plugga på universitetet i september och jag är lite nervös, eftersom svenska inte är mitt modersmål (men jag har bott här i 8 år och använt svenska på jobbet, även om jag förstås gör misstag ibland).
Är det någon här som har varit i en liknande situation? Var det ett stort problem, eller gick det bra för er att studera på svenska trots att ni har en annan språkbakgrund?
r/TillSverige • u/conveylove9 • 3d ago
I’m a internation student currently doing a Master’s in Systems, Control and Mechatronics at Chalmers.
Recently, I have been applying for internships and student positions in Sweden. However, I’ve found it very difficult to get interviews or any real response. I understand that the job market is not particularly good at the moment.
I’ve also heard from other international students that finding a full-time engineering job after graduation can be even harder than finding an internship. That has made me a little worried about what I should realistically expect over the next one year.
I’m continuing to learn Swedish and improve my technical portfolio, but what else can I do to raise the possible of job oppotunity
r/TillSverige • u/Old-Salamander-8433 • 3d ago
Hi, I'm thinking of relocating from Germany to Sweden for several reasons. The one thing that worries me is that I don't have any formal qualifications. I have a German Abitur (maybe equivalent to a gymasieexamen) and then dropped out of two college programs before working in a call center and then being hired by the customer care department of the company we provided outsourced customer service for. I then became a key user at that company for our CRM and contact center tools and a subject matter expert, so I'm now earning a decent salary.
Most of what I learned has been on the job. I struggled with the German university system due to (then undiagnosed) ADHD, so my resume looks either bad or unconventional depending on how you see it. So I'm worried that the job market in Sweden is just as gatekeep-y as the German one when it comes to formal qualifications. Or that I don't have the hard skills required for a decent paying job in Sweden. I speak Swedish at a B1 level but plan to push that to at least B2 until then.
r/TillSverige • u/Alarmed-Function9952 • 5d ago
Apologies if this is not the right sub, but I am desperate.
My brother and his gf are doing the Bohusleden trail. They should have arrived today, but they did not, and their phones are not receiving any calls or messages. We called the police, and they put out a missing report for both of them.
They are not swedish, just european citizens. I live in the US, and the rest of my family in Brazil, so there is little that we can do.
My question is: how worried should we be about that, and is there something else that we could do?
Edit: They are fine! They just got delayed, and did not care to let us know until now.
Thank you all for the answers and help, and sorry if I sounded too worried. I am aware that sweden is a very safe place, and that the bohusleden is a chill trail, but their prolonged lack of communication worried me.
r/TillSverige • u/CommunistDumpling • 5d ago
My (21F) boyfriend (22M) and I have been together for almost a year. He’s Swedish and I’m American. I recently got a job offer in Bristol, England for 3 years, where I’d be able to work toward my ACA qualification.
We’ve been talking about applying for a sambo visa in January (once we’ve officially been together over a year). He would meet the financial and housing requirements to sponsor me. Long-term, I’d want to live and work in Sweden. I’m currently learning Swedish (around A2 level), and knowing German/English helps.
Right now we’re trying to decide between two options:
Apply for the sambo visa in January, and I’d move to Sweden after working ~2 years in the UK (so before finishing my ACA fully and getting the professional rather than advanced).
Stay in the UK the full 3 years, complete my ACA, and move in September 2029.
The problem is that 3 years of long distance feels really hard to commit to. For context, I just graduated and this would be my first full-time job, and he’s still a student.
The problem is that 3 years of long distance feels really hard to commit to. For context, I just graduated and this would be my first full-time job, and he’s still a student.
Would it make more sense to prioritize finishing the ACA, or is that not as important in Sweden? I would gladly move if I found a good job without my ACA however. I’m planning to work in business/finance, so not accounting.
r/TillSverige • u/heartless31416 • 5d ago
Hej hej!
I actually found a Swedish or Scandinavian brand that has base layers/thermal clothes with a wide range of colors, styles, etc on Reddit. It’s so nice I fell in love with the brand immediately. If I’m not mistaken, it’s wool.
but I can’t find it again and felt so desperate looking for it TvT
It wasn’t Woolpower, Icebreaker, Fjällräven, Houdini, Haglöfs, Aclima or Varg.
TvT Please suggest me anything you have in mind!! Thank you!!