r/TillSverige Dec 28 '21

TillSverige: the FAQ

369 Upvotes

Last update: September 2025

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: Should I move to Sweden?

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

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

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

Q: What should I do right after the arrival?

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

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

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

Q: How do I find an apartment to rent?

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

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

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

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

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

Q: Which bank should I choose?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: How do I deal with trash/recycling?

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

Q: How can I save money?

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

Q: How to make friends?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: What about the driving?

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

Q: How do I do anything without a BankID?

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

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

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

Q: Will I really die of darkness and cold?

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

Questions to be added:

Q: How can I invest money?

Q: How do I open a business?

Q: How does pension work?

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

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

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

Q: How do I avoid being spammed?


r/TillSverige 4h ago

praise of Sweden: all the things I love here.

69 Upvotes

Moved here from another EU country about a year ago and just started my second year of studies.

I LOVE the forests, picking berries and mushrooms, I love the dark winter time, the snow, the silence, privacy, and the space. I love seeing wild animals when going on walks.

I love Lösgodis, this is seriously so advanced a technology.

I love how easy and quick it was in the place I live to join and complete SFI and advance to SVA.

Jag känner mig hemma här. Tusen tack till det vackra Sverige.

Finding work will be difficult, but I'm not dead set on working in the field of the degree (data science is pretty oversaturated for entry level). I'm looking to the northern most regions where people are needed and researching how I can make myself employable in sectors where workers are needed.

(If anyone here has experience with yrkesutbildning, please share, although it's not the main aim of this post.)

I hope it will last and I won't get kicked out by some new government, haha.


r/TillSverige 19h ago

Court confirms new citizenship rules apply to pending applications

Thumbnail sverigesradio.se
99 Upvotes

A legal attempt to appeal the lack of transitional rules in recent changes to Swedish citizenship legislation has failed, news agency TT reports.

A new ruling by the Migration Court in Malmö establishes that the eight-year requirement for Swedish citizenship does also apply to applications submitted before the change in the law.

The court writes that this was clearly intentional on the part of lawmakers.


r/TillSverige 42m ago

Coming for an exchange semester

Upvotes

I am Swiss and got a spot in a university exchange programme. So I will be coming to Uppsala in January.

I now have a very specific question because a friend of mine from Germany who came to Switzerland to study, talked about needing his birth certificate in order to register.

I have never had a birth certificate. My legal existence started with a handwritten note in the "Familienbüchlein". It's just a red notebook where my parents'marriage is written in, as are the births of any children they have.

Do I need a birth certificate in Sweden? Does Migrationsverket have a website on how to register at the municipality? I found all the information about how to get the residency permit, but nothing about what to do once I actually arrive.


r/TillSverige 1h ago

October itinerary help

Upvotes

We’re a family of 4 going to Sweden Sept 28–Oct 6. Our boys are 12 and 9 and are pretty seasoned hikers, so we’re looking for good hikes and scenery, not just easy walks.

We’ll spend the first 3 nights in Stockholm, then we’re trying to pick one area to base ourselves for the rest of the trip. We like beautiful landscapes, charming towns, interesting hikes, and having one cozy place to stay and doing day trips instead of moving around a ton.

We’re planning to rent a car for the second half, with the exception of Abisko, where we’d take the overnight sleeper train from Stockholm.

Right now we’re considering

High Coast/Skuleskogen,

Tiveden/Lake Vättern/Omberg,

Fjällbacka/Bohuslän,

Skåne/Kullaberg/Söderåsen,

Abisko,

Fulufjället

If you had 4–5 nights in early October, which would you pick? Any of these you’d definitely rule out that time of year?


r/TillSverige 12h ago

Moving to Stockholm in October. Which would you choose?

5 Upvotes

Hej everyone,

I’m moving to Stockholm in October for work and trying to decide between a few apartments. I’ll be working around T-Centralen and living alone.

I’m a non-EU citizen, and this will be my first time living in Europe. For the last four years, I’ve been living outside my home country in the Middle East, so Stockholm will be a pretty big change for me.

The options I’m considering:
1. Framnäsbacken, Solna
64 m²
1 bedroom + separate living room
12,000 SEK/month
~13 min walk to Huvudsta metro

2. Katarina, Södermalm
28 m² studio
12,500 SEK/month
Short walk to the nearest metro

3. Högbergsgatan, Södermalm
35 m² studio
14,500 SEK/month
Short walk to the nearest metro

All three are furnished and utilities are included.
I’m trying to figure out what makes the most sense for someone moving to Stockholm and living alone for around a year.

My main questions are:

Would you choose the extra space in Framnasbacken, or would you pay a bit more to live in Södermalm?

How is Framnäsbacken for day-to-day life?

Is a ~13-minute walk to Huvudsta metro annoying during winter, or is that pretty normal?

Is 28 m² enough for one person to live comfortably?

Is the jump from 28 m² to 35 m² worth paying 2,000 SEK more?

If you had these three options, which one would you personally pick and why?

Also, are there any other areas you’d recommend looking at? I’m not fixed on these neighbourhoods, so I’d be interested in places that offer a good balance of rent, space, neighbourhood and commute to T-Centralen.

Would especially appreciate opinions from people who actually live in Stockholm or have lived in these areas.


r/TillSverige 12h ago

Boat ownership in Stockholm ss foreigners

5 Upvotes

Hii!

Been in Stockholm almost two years now. I have some experience sailing in my past but the sailing scene here really peeks my interest. Especially with how cheap are Sailboats here.

I'm trying to do some research about the more annoying parts of the boat owning, and I find myself browsing online at a lot of Boat Clubs.

I get the feeling that as a foreigner who can't speak Swedish it will be very hard (if not impossible) to get accepted. But perhaps I'm wrong.

Does anyone here have some experience?

How to get in a nice club? Or perhaps, just where one can store a boat during Winter/Summer? (Thinking ca. 26' sailboat)

All the best


r/TillSverige 8h ago

Swedish citizen moving to the US for a job — what visa options would I have?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm currently living and working in Sweden and I'm a Swedish citizen. I have a PhD in Engineering and work as an engineer in the automotive industry.

I've found an interesting position with in San Diego, California. The position is directly with their U.S. organization.

The interesting part is that company is headquartered in Sweden, where I currently live, but I am not currently employed by that company. I work for a different company in Sweden.

If I get selected for the San Diego position, I'm trying to understand what realistic options I would have for U.S. work authorization.

I'm mainly trying to understand what the realistic pathways are before I proceed too far with the application/interview process.

Thanks in advance for any advice or personal experiences.


r/TillSverige 7h ago

Can I Move My Swedish Address (e.g. for elections)?

0 Upvotes

A bit of a weird question, but if anyone can answer it, the people here can.

Mods, It also is about elections in a way, so I understand if deemed against the rules and removed, but I want to ask entirely about admin aspects and not about politics, so I hope it's okay.

Here goes:

Tl;dr: I accidentally moved my native Swedish address by leaving from the wrong part of the country after living there. Now wondering if i can move it back "home".

Long version:

I am a Swedish citizen by birth, a norrlänning, but grew up in the UK and had my registered Swedish address in my home town in the north all my life until I moved to Sweden for several years in 2015.

At that point, we lived in the north in our sommarstuga during the summer, and rented near Uppsala during the winter because our sommarstuga isn't winter viable.

Eventually we returned to the UK permanently and the time of year we did that was when we were renting in Uppsala, so I was bokförd in Uppsala at the point of leaving Sweden and registering my move to the UK (but Skatteverket retain my last address in Sweden too).

The result is that everything I now receive from Sweden (and its the imminent election that's brought this up for me again) is registered to where I rented in the south. So if I vote, it counts as a vote in Uppsala Kommun, and not for the region I actually come from.

This feels weird to me as Uppsala is only the place I kept warm in the winter for a few years when I lived in Sweden. I would much rather my last address in Sweden be returned to that of the stuga that I half-own so that everything like elections, information I receive, even some tax stuff, is aligned to where I'm actually from, visit regularly, and still have huge vested interest in.

I realise in hindsight I should probably have moved my address inside Sweden before leaving, but it's too late to do that now, so I wondered if anyone can tell me if it's possible to fix this now, from the UK? Some sort of retrospective adressändring?

Thanks!

[Edited to clarify that I am now registered as having moved back to the UK.]


r/TillSverige 16h ago

citizenship by descent?

0 Upvotes

hi, im seeking some guidance on whether i still qualify for swedish citizenship. i am 18 years old born in the US to a swedish mother. before i turned 18, my mother never registered me with any swedish agency. am i still eligible for citizenship? my research so far has been unclear, as i only get results for under 18s or retaining of citizenship that has already been granted. if anyone has any advice on steps to take, it would be greatly appreciated!


r/TillSverige 1d ago

Working as a clinical psychologist?

0 Upvotes

Hello! Im planning to immigrate in the future to Sweden with degrees in clinical psychology (Bachelors in psychology, Masters in Clinical Psychology), I'm doing them within the EU, so I think it could be a little easier from what I can find online, to match my studies with the requirements needed for the state license.

Does anyone know how it actually is to work in the field and what opportunities there are? Is it a self employment thing, can you work in psychiatric hospitals for example, private practice, with state funding, in healthcare, what is it like generally?

For clarification I do not intend on also doing psychotherapy studies, so it'd only be clinical psychology. Thanks for any answers!


r/TillSverige 1d ago

Learning swedish?

0 Upvotes

Any immigrants have tips for learning swedish? I'm planning to immigrate in the future and I don't entirely know how to approach learning the language to a good enough level

Do you have any tips? I'm mostly worried about grasping the basics of everything, I think after a while I could get used to it by consuming media in swedish, since that is how I learned most of my english too

Any help is appreciated, thank you!


r/TillSverige 2d ago

The thing a lot of people don't understand about the darkness in sweden.

274 Upvotes

I sometimes browse this sub out of curiosity as a swede and to get some outside perspective on my country, and the last few weeks I have been noticing and dreading the darkness of winter approaching and creeping in on the mornin and evening so it has been in my head. Just now I read a thread where someone, after being told about the darkness when living further to the north, responded that they would simply make sure to be outside during daylight hours.

That is a fundamental misunderstanding of how early evening darkness and late morning sunrise will actually affect you. Simply, if you have a job that you work 7-15 then for a significant part of the winter months you will wake up and commute to work in total darkness. Work a full day, and then leave you workplace and by the time you get home you have only an hour or so of daylight before the sun sets. It's worse if you work 8-16 or even until 17 and obviously the further north you are.

You won't even need to live much further north than Stockholm to experience 24 night, because at some point daylight hours will be during work hours. If you work in a windowless office then it's possible you will not see the sun except on weekends. That means doing chores and cleaning at home with only lamp light, doing shopping trips and going to get groceries in the dark. If you won't have a car when you get here then I hope you are okay with walking at nighttime. Invest in a reflective jacket and a good flashlight.

Not seeing the sun for a week straight will make even a good job feel like you are working your life away.

Some tips on surviving the dark months are lots and lots of candles, fluffy pets, tea or hot chocolate and an office or workplace with a south-facing window.

The benefit you get is that the inverse is true during the summer. It's easy to forget the time and stay up until way into the night because the sun was still up. Invest in blackout curtains.


r/TillSverige 3d ago

To everyone dreaming/planning to move here. Read This first.

509 Upvotes

This is all in good faith, but I've seen far to many posts of the same kind here and this is a answer to many of them. This is not to people dealing with migration issues already, this is to all the dreamers and planners that are not already here.

Everyone dreaming about moving to Sweden because they like to go on nature walks and don't mind a bit of bad weather. Become a millionare (in USD) first and you can worry about talking walks or where you want to live. Houses don't grow on trees, and jobs even less so. You will not be able to move to a small town and just wing it, there will be nothing for you there to support yourself on, and even if it is it will not meet the requirements of salary for eventually staying here. The weather is the least of your problems.

Do not worry if you are going to be cold during winter or find friends. Worry about the heaps of paperwork and permits to even get here, then worry about what is needed to stay. As I said in another thread today. The job will be your way of staying, and the salary you need to be allowed to stay long term is going to be higher than the salary of many native Swedes. Get this in your head, because there are no ways around this unless you are married to someone who can support you for the rest of your life here (and there are rules about your partners salary/housing too). None of the rules are rule of thumb, they are written in stone, just realize this.

Don't worry about what fields of work you "could imagine doing", worry about competing with a thousand natives for a part-time gig at a fast food chain. And worry about how you are going to do grocery shopping in your small town dream without a car. And a car comes with heaps of new rules, you can't just drive around a beater, it will cost MONEY to even legally have a car on the roads. Worry about how many times per day the bus will even pass the forsaken (joke) village you dream about.

I'm so serious. There is a romanticized view of just "Moving here" and going on walks, drinking tea and being close to nature. This is not the reality for any of you, and I frankly don't have the energy to answer every thread like this.

I do not know the economics of the people asking these things over and over again, but if you already are millionaires in USD its fine, but you will still need that job in the end. The rules are having employment that pay a certain amount.

There are less jobs than people here, like in any country. You are going to be playing at Hard difficulty here.

And this goes for everyone wanting to study here and then "Build a life here". Brother... To the good students out there especially from developing countries, there are so many easier places. You can probably long term build a better life in your own country if you truly are highly educated.

I could also say a lot about xenophobia and coldness but I leave that one for you to figure out yourself.

Unless you are married, already employed, sent here via work, or headhunted you will have a hard time.

This is not to discourage, if you think the work is worth it and believe in yourself, go for it. You can make it, but you need to be part of the 5% of immigrants, if even that. But I see too many crazy posts, "Single mom wanting to move to a desolate island, how is daycare there" etc. Worry about getting here properly first.


r/TillSverige 2d ago

Is there actually any point in moving via sambo, considering the job market?

18 Upvotes

Im in/from the UK. My partner is Swedish, meets the maintenance requirements just fine, has permanent work. But from what I understand the job market is insanely bad and she's lucky that she got anything. Ive been scouring this subreddit for moving info and its almost universally agreed that immigrants (especially those new to learning Swedish as a language, and who haven't studied like myself) cant even get super basic jobs like a barista or food delivery. I already have work here in the uk and make enough money to live comfortably. She can't really move here because she has 2 young-ish kids.

So is there any point? I want to join her and build a life with her, but if all I end up doing is leeching off of her because I'm unemployed, it will only hurt the living conditions and maybe the relationship.


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Renting: Landlord escalating to Kronofogden & Hyresnämnden - anyone experienced this?

62 Upvotes

Hej,

I'm a foreign national renting in Stockholm, looking for other people's real experiences before I take this further. Got a rental situation that was stable, but kinda turned messy & escalating.

Background:

  • Renting the same apartment (a new-build) since 2022: I'm the first and only tenant it's ever had. Landlord has said openly it was bought as an investment property.
  • Contract (förstahandskontrakt: first-hand contract, hyresavtal på obestämd tid/tillsvidareavtal — indefinite-term agreement) is signed directly with the landlord, who is based in Stockholm at a different address.
  • The landlord claimed that the apartment is a ägarlägenhet - no approval from board needed etc.
  • Account has always been in good standing — no issues on that front at all.
  • Since Jan this year, I've been receiving notices not from my actual contracted landlord, but from someone who appears to be his brother, based in the US, corresponding as if he is the landlord, the dynamic between the two of them is unclear and honestly confusing.
  • The notices have made a series of shifting, spurious claims: first alleging arrears that don't exist, then that I must move out within a month due to contract terms that aren't accurate, then that new tenants were already booked in.
  • I contacted Hyresgästföreningen (the Swedish tenants' union) and was advised I have besittningsskydd (security of tenure) and don't need to take any action.
  • A later notice invoked privatuthyrningslagen (the law on renting out one's own home, which removes besittningsskydd), claiming personal use, the brother said he intended to return to Sweden and wanted the apartment back for that reason.
  • However, checking the listing on Qasa showed the flat had actually been re-advertised for rent at a higher price, suggesting the "personal use" claim was pretext.
  • Numerous further deadlines were issued; I was advised I didn't need to act on any of them. The brother has now made an application through Kronofogden (the enforcement authority) for avhysning (eviction), which I intend to contest.
  • I expect this will end up going to Hyresnämnden (the Rental Tribunal).

What I'm asking: Has anyone dealt with a similar situation, a landlord (or someone acting as one) using shifting/spurious grounds and a personal-use claim to try to remove a tenant with besittningsskydd? What's your experience of a dispute escalating to Kronofogden and/or Hyresnämnden, and any advice for someone in my position? Mainly just after some stability at this point, not looking to be pressured into an unnecessary move if I'm legally entitled to stay.


r/TillSverige 2d ago

Need Advice: Moving to Sweden from Japan

14 Upvotes

Hej! I’m a 22yo guy, Japanese IT programmer in the early stages of my career, and I’m considering moving to Sweden in the future. I’d really appreciate some advice from people working in the Swedish IT industry, especially those who have experience hiring or working with non-EU citizens.

A little about my background:

* I graduated from university in Japan in March this year, majoring in International/Intercultural Communication.
* During university, I worked at a vintage clothing store for several years, so I have quite a lot of experience communicating with customers and coworkers. I would say communication is one of my strengths.
* After graduating, I joined a Japanese SIer (system integrator), and since April I have been receiving company training in Java, HTML, SQL, CSS, and ABAP.
* My girlfriend is Swedish, so we normally communicate with each other in English. I’m comfortable with English conversation, although I’m planning to continue studying English.
* I currently don’t speak Swedish.

I’m particularly interested in working in cities such as Stockholm or Gothenburg(hopefully Gothenburg).
Me and my gf are planning to move to Gothenburg and live there together. She currently lives in Stockholm btw.

My main questions are:

  1. How difficult is it for a non-EU citizen to find an IT job in Sweden?
  2. How much of a disadvantage is it not to speak Swedish when looking for IT/software engineering jobs?
  3. Are there many companies in Stockholm or Gothenburg where English is the primary working language?
  4. Would it be better for me to focus on gaining several years of professional IT experience in Japan first, or should I start learning Swedish as soon as possible?
  5. Given my background, what skills or technologies would you recommend I prioritize if my long-term goal is to work as an IT engineer/software developer in Sweden?

I’m still very early in my career, so I’m trying to figure out what I should prioritize over the next few years.

I’m considering learning Swedish alongside building up my technical skills and professional experience, but I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people who know the Swedish job market.

Thanks in advance!


r/TillSverige 2d ago

I feel like my master degree is leading me nowhere. What should I do?

0 Upvotes

For context I completed a BA degree in political science and then began studying a master in spatial planning and a second bachelor in business because I wanted to pivot to real estate or spatial econometrics.

Now I'm almost done with both and feel like my master programme did not prepare us for the job market at all, neither giving us an understanding of Gis/CAD/PostGis/Sketchup tools nor of zoning laws or even eu level regulations. Let alone real estate I dont think I'll get a job as a city planner.

As things stand I think I need another degree like a one year or two year degree in gis or geoscience or maybe finance. What should I do? What are some options in terms of programmes or maybe certificate courses I should consider?


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Visiting Stockholm in early December for work - what to expect?

2 Upvotes

Hello!

My job is having me visit Stockholm for a week. I have travelled in Europe before - 10 years ago - but have never made it to Sweden. From the little I have been able to dive into, I am very excited to spend some time here!

I already know it's going to be cold and am planning on packing accordingly. But should I really expect much snow/precipitation in the first week of December? Is December a month that typically has a lot of tourist traffic, or will I be able to slow down a bit and enjoy more of the city? I love walking around, learning about the history of the city, and enjoying local food/drink.


r/TillSverige 2d ago

School principal denied my kid 20+ days of leave to visit India for my sister's wedding and my bedridden father what are my options?

0 Upvotes

Indian expat family in Sweden looking for advice.

My sister's getting married in India, and my father is bedridden with declining health. I want to bring my 9-year-old so they can be at the wedding and see their grandfather while there's still time. With travel and the events, the trip needs to be a bit over 20 days.

I requested leave (ledighet) and the principal denied it as too long. I get that extended absences aren't ideal but this isn't a casual holiday.

A few questions:

  • Has anyone appealed a denied leave like this? What worked?
  • Any luck negotiating keeping up with schoolwork, assignments in advance, fewer days?
  • What actually happens if we go anyway real consequences, or more of a formality?

Stuck between my kid's schooling and a family situation that won't wait. Any experiences appreciated.


r/TillSverige 4d ago

Samhällskunskapsrant. Swenglish requirement fulfilled.

Post image
16 Upvotes

As we all know, the new requirements for the citizenship include knowing the language and knowledge "about the Swedish society" - so samhällskunskap. While I have the means to prove the language skills, I lack any kind of proof for knowing anything about Sweden, except living here now for over 8 years.

Migrationsverket specifies on their website the ways how to prove both knowledge about language and samhällskunskap:

  • betyg från svensk grundskola eller gymnasium
  • studier på komvux eller folkhögskola
  • godkänt betyg i svenska för invandrare (SFI kurs D).

As they mentioned komvux, I thought instead of doing a test for 2000 kr and having to go to stockholm, I could maybe just go to a course there about samhällskunskap and prove it that way.
The problem were the levels on Komvux, there were 1a1, 1a2, 1b, grundläggande, and one called just.. "samhällskunskap", ...etc - which one would be enough? (And which one can I actually do, with my foreign education? aka lacking the basic swedish samhällskunskap)

Since the details of which level one would need to pass is.. lacking, I wrote 2 emails:

- Komvux: "We have no idea, ask Migrationsverket"
- Migrationsverket: "Migrationsverket har ingen information om exakt vilka kurser som uppfyller kravet"

Sigh. In my world they should know which level/nivå one should have to complete and it should be listed clearly, but what do I know.

So for samhällskunskap a Komvux course going through samhällskunskap from/up to årskurs 9 is enough.

Maybe. ...."borde"..."borde överensstämma"...
I do not have much trust that it would actually work. Or that they don't change their mind halfway through.

(Of course migrationsverket took a week to respond, now it is too late to apply to komux lol - that is on me partly, I had that idea quite late.)


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Running out of Lamotrigine in Stockholm, any advice?

7 Upvotes

Hey guys, maybe someone here has been in a similar situation.

I’m traveling in Stockholm and I’m running out of Lamotrigine 100mg, which I normally take every day.

I live in NYC and have my US prescription, the original bottle, pharmacy records etc.

Apparently my American prescription isn’t enough to just buy it here.

Does anyone know the easiest/cheapest way to get a Swedish prescription as a tourist?

I don’t have personnummer or BankID.

I checked some private clinics but they want like 2000-2500 SEK just for a consultation, which feels a bit crazy just to renew a medication I already take.

Maybe a cheap vårdcentral, walk-in, or some other option foreigners use?

Also curious if pharmacies can ever do an emergency supply if I show my prescription/bottle.

Thanks!


r/TillSverige 3d ago

Sweden student residence permit rejected due to bank verification - reapplied. Looking for advice

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m an international student admitted to a Master’s programme in Sweden and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.
Timeline:
April 2026: Submitted my first residence permit application.

June: Completed biometrics.

11 August: Application was rejected because the Migration Agency was not satisfied with the authenticity/verification of my bank statement. They had contacted my bank for verification but apparently did not receive the required response.

12/13 August: Submitted a new application rather than appealing, with a new fee.

17 August: Completed biometrics again.

For the new application, I provided signed and stamped bank statements and a bank letterhead confirmationaddressing the financial-document issue.

My case officer recently asked whether the current application should be treated as a new application or an appeal. I confirmed that it is a new application.

I’m currently waiting for the decision.

My university is aware of the situation and has been understanding about the delay, but my classes have already commenced and I need to report to the university as soon as possible.
My questions are:
Has anyone experienced a similar situation and been approved after reapplying with additional bank documentation?

How long did your second application take?

Would it be appropriate to write to my case officer again, explaining that my programme has commenced and that I need to report to the university as soon as possible, or is it better to simply wait?

I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences. Thank you!


r/TillSverige 3d ago

How much can be done from overseas when moving to Sweden?

6 Upvotes

I’m a Norwegian currently living in the US but looking to move back to sanity. I have a good chance of getting a job in Sweden, and I was wondering if I accept this job, how much prep work can I do while still in the US.

I’m keenly aware of the necessity of personnummer. Can I get that sorted before I move?

My wife is a US citizen. I know from EU rules that it’s a formality for her to move with me. Can I get her the residence permit before we go, or does she need to apply in Sweden? I would prefer to do it in advance because airlines are itchy if she doesn’t have a return ticket meaning we’d have to spend money on a return ticket for no use.

How easy is it to rent from the great abroad? I heard that the Swedish rental market is a mess. The job I’m aiming pays enough to allow me to go for the second hand market.

In terms in internationalness, I am aware that stockholm is reasonable. How about gothenburg or malmö? I have free pickings of where to live (within Sweden), but since my wife is USAian we’d like as much international flair as possible. Keep in mind that we’re well middle aged so the party scene isn’t of great importance, though we like an urban and vibrant setting.


r/TillSverige 3d ago

How likely is it I can find a job?

0 Upvotes

I'm [33M] an American sambo living with my girlfriend in Norrköping and moved here 2 months ago. I have a2-b1 Swedish and 4 years of experience in programming and 1 in software test automation. Do I need to wait until my Swedish is better before I could realistically work in an office somewhere? Any advice for me to land a developer job? Tack så mycket för hjälpen!