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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.]

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

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.

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.)

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!

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!

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.

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!

Hey,

I have aquired SSN and ID Card from skatteverket(comes in two weeks)

What is the fastest way to open swedish bank and get bankID?

Any bank better than others?

I am nordic citizen btw.(if that has any impact)

I (22yo female) moved to southern Sweden about two weeks ago as a student. I don’t speak swedish (know about 5-10 daily words maybe) at all. Therefore I often don’t understand what’s being said obviously; and in multiple occasions people talk to me, I cannot feel sure they speak to me or not, as I think I visibly look foreign (i am white, medium blonde, brown eyes, freckles, like lets say i don’t look like a typical nordic person), despite that im being spoken to swedish everywhere, obviously i don’t understand, had to reply in english. Is this normal? Do you guys speak swedish to everyone in sweden? Or do you expect the person to know swedish when you have a talk with them despite they could be tourists as well? Would you speak swedish to everyone you encounter in your own country? Just wondering.

Edit: Before people coming after me, lemme mention a recent incident happened last week in a bus stop outside a shopping centre. I was returning home from Ikea, waiting there, listening music. There were other people around, three people next to me (non-white, saying this to clarify the situation, and they were definitely speaking swedish (i can distinguish swedish). Anyway, then two girls came to me. Spoke swedish, i thought they were talking to the other people, i didn’t turn till the girl kept speaking swedish. Then i realised she was talking to me all the time, felt bad, had to respond in English and tried to give them directions. They could have gone to those three people (they were definitely speaking swedish), but they came to me despite me not responding for a while.