Moving to Sweden
A practical first-30-days checklist for newcomers to Sweden — banking, government registration, groceries, telecom, transport, and housing, with links to the official sources you actually need.
Last updated:
- Currency
- Swedish Krona (SEK, kr)
- Capital
- Stockholm
- Official language
- Swedish
- Dialing code
- +46
- Time zone
- CET (UTC+1) / CEST (UTC+2) summer
Read in another language
English(English)
Get registered with Swedish authorities
Sweden runs almost all daily admin through your personnummer (personal identity number). Without one, opening a regular bank account, signing a lease, or seeing a doctor is significantly harder. Register with Skatteverket as soon as you're eligible.
1.Apply for a personnummer at Skatteverket
If you're staying longer than 12 months and have the right to reside in Sweden, register at your local Skatteverket office. Bring your passport, residence permit (if any), and proof of where you live. You'll get the personnummer in the post once the registration is processed — usually 2–6 weeks.
Moving to Sweden — Skatteverket2.If you do not qualify for a personnummer, request a samordningsnummer
Stays under 12 months (some EU citizens, exchange students, short-term workers) get a coordination number — samordningsnummer — instead. It works for tax and salary but not for most consumer services.
About samordningsnummer3.Get a Swedish ID card
Once your personnummer is active, apply for a Swedish ID-kort at Skatteverket. It is the most universally accepted ID for healthcare, package pickup, and contracts. Cost is around 400 SEK and processing takes 2–3 weeks.
ID card — Skatteverket4.Register with Försäkringskassan for healthcare and parental benefits
Once you have a personnummer, Försäkringskassan handles your access to most public benefits — child allowance, parental leave, sickness benefit, housing allowance. Register online with BankID once you have it set up.
Försäkringskassan in English
Open a bank account and set up BankID
Banking in Sweden is digital-first and BankID is the de-facto national e-ID. Almost every government and consumer service — taxes, healthcare bookings, school admissions, paying friends — assumes you have one.
1.Pick a bank that accepts new arrivals
Handelsbanken, SEB, Nordea, Swedbank, and ICA Banken all open accounts for residents with a personnummer. Some branches accept the application before the personnummer arrives if you bring your residence permit and a Swedish address. Book a branch appointment — Sweden's banks rarely open accounts online for first-time customers.
2.Activate Mobilt BankID
Once your account is open, your bank issues Mobilt BankID through their app. Install it, follow the activation flow, and protect it with a strong PIN — BankID can sign tax returns, transfer property, and authorise major financial decisions on your phone.
BankID — official site3.Use Wise or Revolut while you wait
BankID and a Swedish IBAN can take 2–4 weeks to arrive. Wise and Revolut give you a Swedish-payable account immediately for receiving salary, paying rent, and converting your starting money at near-mid-market rates.
Open a Wise multi-currency account
Find a place to live
Sweden has a tight housing market, especially in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Most newcomers start with a second-hand sublet (andrahandskontrakt) and only get a first-hand contract (förstahandskontrakt) after several years on the municipal queue.
1.Search the right portals
Blocket Bostad, Hemnet, Bostad Direkt, and Qasa carry the bulk of sublets and direct lettings. Facebook groups (e.g. "Bostad Stockholm") are a major secondary market. Move fast — desirable sublets in central Stockholm can be gone within hours.
Browse rentals on Blocket Bostad2.Sign up to the municipal housing queue (Bostadsförmedlingen)
Stockholm, Gothenburg, and most other big cities run a public housing queue. Joining is cheap (around 200 SEK/year) and queue time is the main currency for first-hand contracts. Sign up the day you arrive — even years in the queue make a difference.
Stockholm housing queue (Bostadsförmedlingen)3.Verify second-hand contracts are approved
A subletter (the andrahandshyresvärd) needs the landlord or tenant-owner association's permission to sublet. Ask to see it. Also confirm the rent is at or below the first-hand rent — overcharging is illegal and you can claim the surplus back.
Get a Swedish phone number and home internet
A Swedish phone number is a prerequisite for BankID. SIMs are sold without ID at supermarkets and convenience stores; longer contracts require a personnummer.
1.Buy a prepaid SIM on day one
Comviq, Halebop, and Telia Refill prepaid SIMs are stocked at every Pressbyrån, 7-Eleven, and large supermarket. Top up online via card. From around 95 SEK/month you get unlimited calls and 10 GB+ data.
2.Switch to a contract once your personnummer is active
Telia, Tele2, Telenor, and Tre offer contract SIMs from around 200 SEK/month with 5G and EU roaming. Signing requires a personnummer and a credit check.
3.Pick a home broadband provider
Most apartments are pre-wired for fibre via the building's "öppen fiber" (open fibre) network — choose a service provider on top of it (Bahnhof, Telia, Bredband2). Flats without open fibre often have a fixed contract with a specific provider; ask the landlord which.
Compare providers — Bredbandsval
Where to buy food and household goods
Sweden's supermarkets are fewer in number than the UK but more concentrated. Three chains (ICA, Coop, Axfood — which owns Willys and Hemköp) cover most of the country, complemented by Lidl for budget shopping and Systembolaget for anything with more than 3.5% alcohol.
1.Budget weekly shop: Willys or Lidl
Willys (the Axfood discount chain) and Lidl run the lowest prices on most basics. Willys has a slightly broader Swedish range; Lidl tends to be cheaper on imported goods and runs strong weekly specials.
2.Standard weekly shop: ICA or Coop
ICA and Coop are the dominant chains, with neighbourhood (ICA Nära, Coop Nära), supermarket (ICA Supermarket, Coop), and hypermarket (ICA Maxi, Stora Coop) tiers. Sign up for the loyalty card on day one — non-members typically pay 10–20% more on featured items.
3.Premium and specialty: Hemköp, Paradiset, Saluhall
Hemköp (also Axfood) carries broader fresh and prepared options. Paradiset is organic-focused. The covered city Saluhall halls (Östermalms Saluhall in Stockholm, Saluhallen in Gothenburg) carry specialty meat, fish, and continental groceries.
4.Alcohol: Systembolaget only
Anything stronger than 3.5% ABV is sold exclusively through Systembolaget, the state monopoly. Plan ahead — opening hours are short by international standards (closed Sundays, closes early on Saturday evenings) and ID is required if you look under 25.
Find a Systembolaget store
Get around — public transit and driving
Swedish cities have good public transit and intercity rail; cars are common but not necessary unless you live rurally. Driving is on the right and EU/EEA licences are valid indefinitely.
1.Get a regional transit card
Each region runs its own operator and card: SL in Stockholm, Västtrafik around Gothenburg, Skånetrafiken in Skåne. Most accept contactless payment from a debit card or a phone wallet for single tickets; monthly passes still need an account in the operator's app.
SL — Stockholm public transit2.Use SJ for intercity trains
Swedish Railways (SJ) plus a few regional operators cover intercity routes. Book through the SJ app — fares are cheaper bought in advance, and the high-speed routes (Stockholm–Gothenburg, Stockholm–Malmö) compete on price with flying once airport transfers are factored in.
SJ — book Swedish trains3.Driving licences: convert if non-EU/EEA, keep if EU/EEA
EU/EEA licences are valid in Sweden indefinitely. Non-EU/EEA licences are valid for one year after registering as a Swedish resident, after which you must take Swedish theory and practical tests. Some countries (Switzerland, Japan, Faroe Islands) qualify for a direct exchange.
Driving licence rules — Transportstyrelsen
Other countries
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a personnummer?
Typically 2–6 weeks from registering at Skatteverket, depending on the office and the time of year. The wait is the biggest single bottleneck for new arrivals because most consumer services depend on it.
Can I open a bank account before my personnummer arrives?
Some banks (Handelsbanken, SEB) accept the application early if you bring your residence permit and a Swedish address; they finalise the account once your personnummer is issued. Wise and Revolut work immediately and don't require a personnummer.
Is BankID required for everything?
Effectively, yes. Tax returns, signing contracts, healthcare bookings, school admissions, paying friends via Swish — all assume BankID. Setting it up is the highest-leverage thing you can do in your first month.
Do I need to speak Swedish?
Most Swedes under 50 speak fluent English and almost every official website has English versions. That said, learning Swedish unlocks the housing market, government letters, and small-town daily life. Free courses (SFI — Swedish for Immigrants) start once you have a personnummer.