If you just take the important decision of moving out to Sverige, you will need to prepare to become an expatriate in the beautiful Scandinavian country. In this article, you can find relevant information about the requirements and processes.
To work in Sweden, you must have a work permit if you are going to work for a company or a residence permit as a self-employed person or a researcher.
The first rule, according to the Migrationsverket (Migration Agency), is that you should apply for and have been granted a work permit before entering Sweden. To start an application is essential to have an employment contract because it is an enclosed document attached to the application, and the employer is the one who starts the application. If your family travels with you, each member must fill out their application and attach the proper documents such as marriage certificate, and birth certificate of minors, among others.
The application can be online with specific instructions on how to fill it in and what documents are attached to the application. If you cannot apply online, fill out the application for a Swedish work permit, and turn it into a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you are living. The time answered depends on how well the application has been fulfilled, the industry you plan to work with, or if you plan to be an entrepreneur or a researcher.
From November 1 2022, new rules applied when reviewing the passport as it has to be shown in person in the embassy or consulate of the person country applying for the work permit or residence permit.
If the response to the application for the work permit is favourable; within four weeks of the notification by email and the photographs and fingerprints taken off at the consulate or embassy, you will receive the residence permit card.
A work permit is usually valid for two years and can be extended for another two years. If you have a valid work permit, you can apply for a residence permit as long as you have worked for 4 consecutive years in the last seven years, if you can support yourself financially and if you have lived an orderly life.
Once you are in Sweden, you will be required to be listed in the Swedish Population Register by The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverke), collecting data like name, address, date of birth and civil status. You and all of your family members who have moved to Sweden must visit a service centre and bring some documents to review the information: Passport, residence permit card, birth certificates for the children, documents that verify your civil status such as a marriage certificate, family book or divorce papers if you are divorced, the address of your place of residence (lease contract). A letter with the personal identification number will arrive at the address registered in the system. This personal number (personnummer) will keep the same number for the rest of your life and is for the government keeps a Registration for all the people living in Sweden. Is useful when you communicate with government authorities and private companies; tasks such as opening up bank accounts and getting paid by your employer and for tax collection.
After you get your identification number, you can get your ID Card (identitetskort or ID-kort) from the Tax Agency to become a member of the Swedish society as it helps identify yourself for example at the pharmacy, the bank or when picking up packages at the post office. To apply for an ID card, you have to make an appointment at some of the issuing offices, pay the actual fee before visiting the office, and bring a passport or residence permit. You can also have an electronic ID card which is useful for electronic identification.
Now its time to get a bank account at some of the Swedish Banks like Danske Bank in Sweden, Handelsbanken, Ica Banken, Länsförsäkringar Bank, Nordea, SEB, Skandiabanken, Sparbanken Syd, Swedbank, Ålandsbanken in Sweden. You can use BankID (a common way to identify yourself in digital environments) for the identification of digital signatures with more than 5000 companies and authorities, such as postal services, online health services, online payments and much more. And download the Swish app for online payments for purchases in stores.
Finding a suitable house is an important step when moving to Sweden because is going to be the place where you and your family will live. You can rent a second-hand property (meaning the property has an owner or has the first-hand contract). Living in the suburbs or rural areas is cheaper than living on the coastlines and in large cities.
If you have children, you can arrange the school for them; if you require more information on the subject, you can read our article Enrolling the kids in a Swedish School.
One step to truly becoming part of Swedish society is learning the Swedish language. Once you have your personal identity number, you can sign up for free Swedish courses arranged by the government programme Swedish for immigrants (SFI). If you want to know more about the Swedish language, you can visit our article Learning the Swedish language, types and resources.
Starting a migration process and moving to another country may be stressful and nervous, but at Iknal Semikan we have people who will guide you through the entire process.
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