The first thing to do when you move to Sweden is register with Skatteverket and apply for a personnummer. Almost everything else depends on it: a bank account, BankID, healthcare, insurance and the right to tax deductions. Here is the checklist in the order things actually need to happen.
The order that matters
| Step | What | Why it comes first |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Right of residence or residence permit | Required before you can register |
| 2 | Registration and personnummer | Unlocks everything else |
| 3 | ID card | Needed by the bank |
| 4 | Bank account | Needed for BankID and salary |
| 5 | BankID | Needed for nearly every e-service |
| 6 | Insurance, electricity, broadband | Can run in parallel |
Steps 2 to 5 usually take a few weeks in total. Start immediately.
1. The right to be in Sweden
EU and EEA citizens have right of residence and do not apply for a permit, but must be able to show they work, study or can support themselves.
Non-EU/EEA citizens need a residence permit, normally applied for and granted before entering Sweden. Rules differ depending on whether you come for work, study or family. Migrationsverket is the authority that decides.
The official orientation resource for newcomers is informationsverige.se, available in several languages.
2. Registration and personnummer
You are entered in the population register (folkbokföring) if you plan to live in Sweden for at least one year and have the right to stay. You register with Skatteverket, usually by visiting a service office in person the first time.
Bring:
- Passport or national ID card
- Residence permit card, if you need one
- Documentation of your address in Sweden
- Marriage or birth certificates if registering family
Once registered you receive a personnummer, a twelve-digit number used in practically every interaction with authorities, healthcare, banks and employers.
The samordningsnummer trap
If you are staying less than a year you are not entered in the population register and may instead receive a samordningsnummer (coordination number). It works as an identifier but does not give the same access, and often is not enough to open a bank account or get BankID.
This is the single most common source of frustration for newcomers, and it is worth understanding early: without a personnummer, much of Swedish daily life stays partly closed.
3. ID card
With a personnummer you can apply for a Swedish ID card from Skatteverket. You book an appointment, pay a fee and prove your identity. A Swedish ID card makes everything easier, particularly with banks, which are often reluctant to accept foreign documents alone.
4. Bank account
Banks normally require a personnummer and an accepted ID document. With only a passport and a coordination number it can be harder, and practice varies between banks, so ask several.
If you are legally resident in the EU you generally have the right to a payment account with basic features at a bank offering them. If you are refused, ask for the decision in writing.
5. BankID
BankID is the electronic identification used for nearly every Swedish e-service: Skatteverket, Försäkringskassan, healthcare, banking and much of the private sector. You need a personnummer, a Swedish bank account and accepted ID, then order it through your bank.
Without BankID most things are still possible on paper or in person, but considerably slower.
6. Housing, electricity and broadband
The rental market in the big cities is severely strained. First-hand contracts are largely distributed through municipal housing queues with long waiting times, so subletting is common. Always check that a sublet is approved by the landlord or the housing association, otherwise you risk losing the contract.
Electricity: you sign your own contract for your address. Do nothing and you are assigned a default contract, which is almost always more expensive.
Broadband: in some buildings the choice is locked to a single network. Check before signing.
7. Home insurance
Home insurance (hemförsäkring) is not required by law but is treated as essential in Sweden, and many landlords require it in the lease. It covers your belongings against fire, water damage and burglary, plus liability and legal expenses. Expect a few hundred kronor a month.
Arrange it to start from your move-in date.
8. Healthcare, tax and social insurance
- Healthcare: with a personnummer you are registered in your region and can choose a healthcare centre (vårdcentral). Round-the-clock medical advice is available by calling 1177.
- Tax: you pay municipal income tax. Your employer deducts it automatically once you have a personnummer; without one, too much may be withheld.
- Försäkringskassan: register to be covered by social insurance, such as parental and sickness benefit.
9. The RUT deduction as a newcomer
Once you are registered, have a personnummer and pay tax in Sweden, you can use the RUT deduction: 50 percent off the labour cost of household services such as moving help, cleaning and gardening, up to 75,000 SEK per person per year (Skatteverket).
This is worth knowing immediately, because moving and cleaning are exactly what you buy as a newcomer. See our guide to the RUT deduction.
First 30 days checklist
- Book an appointment with Skatteverket to register
- Apply for a personnummer
- Apply for a Swedish ID card
- Open a bank account
- Order BankID
- Sign electricity and broadband contracts
- Take out home insurance
- Choose a healthcare centre
- Register with Försäkringskassan
- File a flyttanmälan for every later move within Sweden
Common questions
What should I do first when I move to Sweden?
Register with Skatteverket and apply for a personnummer. Almost everything else depends on it.
Who gets a personnummer?
Anyone planning to live in Sweden at least a year with the right to stay. Shorter stays may get a coordination number instead.
What is the difference between a personnummer and a samordningsnummer?
A personnummer comes with registration and unlocks public services. A samordningsnummer is temporary and often not enough for a bank account or BankID.
How do I get BankID?
You need a personnummer, a Swedish bank account and accepted ID, then order through your bank.
Do I need home insurance in Sweden?
Not by law, but it is standard and often required by landlords.
Can I use the RUT deduction as a newcomer?
Yes, once registered with a personnummer and paying tax in Sweden.
Related guides: changing your address in Sweden, moving checklist for Sweden and the RUT deduction. Back to moving in Stockholm.