In Sweden everything happens around your personnummer (person/social security number). Don’t have that number? Then you will have problems getting healthcare, or basically getting access to any public service.

Have the number? Good, you’re in! Go to -any- pharmacy, show your id containing the number and they will be able to provide you with your medication prescription. Call the doctor, he will know about you. Call a bank, they know who you are.

Planning to move within the country? All the offices making use of that number will get your new address automatically.

Sure, it has a certain ‘big brother’ kind of feel to it, I agree. But in general it’s just plain convenient :-)

But… you’re coming from abroad and you plan to live and work in Sweden. Now how do you get your personnummer?

Get a job. It’s important, and handy. As most companies have someone around who can help you with the paperwork, or at least someone that reads and speaks Swedish.

Find a place to live. You need to be able to receive plain old mail.

Then visit Migrationsverket (Swedish Migration Board, link is English), and apply for a residency permit. If you are moving to Sweden from an EU state (like I did), it’s relatively straightforward. (See update below) Fill in an online form, scan your passport, print a form (which you can download) and have it filled in by your employer, scan it, and upload those to the website of the Migration Board. So applying for a residency permit can be done all electronically. Of course doing everything by conventional mail is also an option.

Wait a few weeks and you’ll get a letter in the mail stating their decision (either a ‘go’ or a ‘no-go’). If it’s a ‘go’ (which for EU members as far as I know is usually the case as it’s merely a formality), take that paper together with your passport to Skatteverket. That’s the tax office. Walk to the ‘forms desk’ and ask for a registration form for a personnummer. Complete the form and take a number from the queue (expect long waiting, I waited around 2 hours…)

Hand over the form. They will make a copy of your passport and you’re set. Wait again a few weeks and you will get a notification from them containing your personnummer.

So that’s all to it. Welcome in the system ;-)

Update:

I quote: “As of 30 April 2006 EU/EEA citizens and their family members no longer need residence permits for staying in Sweden for more than three months. EU/EEA citizens shall instead register their right of residence and family members who are not EU/EEA citizens shall apply for residence cards.
If you already have submitted an application for residence permit but not recieved a decision yet, you will instead recieve a registration certificate or a residence card.”