7/31/2019 Sweden Information

1/18

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7/31/2019 Sweden Information

2/18

Ifyoucanprovetotheboardssatisfactionthatthatyouwillreceivefreelodgingduringthe

wholeorpartofyourstudyperiodthissumwillbecorrespondinglyreduced.Studentswho

havebeenawardedascholarshipthroughtheSwedishInstituteoranotherprogramshould

supplyproofofthis.Youwillalsoneedtoshowavalidpassportandaletterofadmissionfrom

theinstitutionatwhichyouwillbestudying.Tobesureofobtainingyourpermitintimeyou

shouldsubmityourapplication68weekspriortoyourdepartureforSweden.

Pleasenotethatresidencepermitsarelimitedtothedurationofthestudyperiod,ortoone

year,whicheverisshorter.Yourpermitwillberenewedannually,providedyoureceivethe

numberofcreditpointsrequiredandcanproduceevidenceofcontinuedfinancialsupport.

RenewalrequestsareprocessedbyyourlocalSwedishMigrationBoardoffice.Ifyouhaveany

questionspleasecontacttheSwedishembassyorconsulateinyourhomecountryorcountry

whereyoucurrentlylive.YoucanalsocontacttheSwedishMigrationBoard.Also,makesure

youhaveadequatemedicalinsurance.

EU/EEAcountries

IfyouareacitizenofanonNordicEU/EEAcountryyouhavetherighttoresideinSweden.The

termrighttoresidemeansthatanEU/EEAcitizenispermittedtostayinSwedenformore

thanthreemonthswithoutaresidencepermit.However,youmustregisterwiththeMigration

Boardnolaterthanthreemonthsafterenteringthecountry.

Toregister,youmustencloseproofofenrolmentforacourseorprogramwhichisathigh

schoollevelattheminimum,assurancethatyouhavesufficientfundsforyourupkeep,and

proofthatyouhavecomprehensivemedicalinsurancevalidinSweden.Youcanreadmore

abouttherequirementsforregistrationattheSwedishMigrationBoardswebsite.Theyhave

collectedwhatyouneedtoknow.

PleasenotethatifyouareacitizenofSwitzerlandyoumustapplyforaresidencepermit(see

above).

Nordiccountries

CitizensfromNordiccountriesdonotneedavisaorresidencepermittostudyinSweden.

7/31/2019 Sweden Information

3/18

7/31/2019 Sweden Information

4/18

NonEU/EEAcitizens:staysoflessthanoneyear

Ifyouhavearesidencepermitvalidforaperiodoflessthanayear,youwillnotbeableto

obtainapersonalidentitynumber(personnummerinSwedish),andyoudonothave

automaticaccesstohealthcare.However,theSwedishuniversityoruniversitycollegetowhich

youhavebeenacceptedmayprovideyouwithhealthinsurancecoveragethrough

KammarkollegietsFASplan.Checkwithyouruniversityiftheyofferthisplan.Toreadmore,

visitKammarkollegietsinformationpage(Swedishonly),ordownloadtheFAStermsand

conditions(PDF)inEnglish.

InadditiontogovernmentalKammarkollegietinsurance,Swedenhasreciprocalagreementsfor

medicalbenefitswithanumberofcountries.Tofindoutwhetheryourcountryhassuchan

agreement,youshouldcontactthesocialinsuranceofficeinyourhomecountry.

Studentsfromcountrieswiththistypeofagreementneedonlypresenttheirpassportanda

certificatefromtheirnationalsocialinsuranceofficewhenseekingmedicalhelp.Forthe

reciprocalagreementtoapply,theneedformedicalcaremustariseduring(notpriorto)your

stayinSweden.

Studentswhoarenotcoveredbyanyoftheseagreementsmustarrangetheirowninsurance

coverage.InSweden,medicaltreatmentisveryexpensivewithoutanyformofinsurance.Either

purchaseitinyourhomecountry,orelsecheckwithyourstudentunion.Itmayhaveaspecial

agreementwithaninsurancecompany.

MedicaltreatmentinSweden

Ifyouneedtoconsultadoctor(andyouarecoveredseeabove)youcaneithermakean

appointmentwiththedoctoratthestudentunionhealthcenteratyouruniversity,orgotothe

localhealthclinic,Vrdcentralen.Theyarelistedinthebluepagesofthetelephonedirectory.

VrdcentralenwillchargeyouaboutSEK150200foraconsultation.

ItmightbeagoodideatohaveathoroughcheckupatyourdentistbeforeleavingforSweden.

Shouldyoustillneedtoconsultadentisthere,gotoyournearestpublicdentalclinic,

Folktandvrden.Forurgentdentaltreatment,seetheemergencydentalclinic,jourhavande

tandlkare.DoctorsspeakgoodEnglish.Yourstudentunionmaybeabletoassistyouifyou

wouldliketoconsultadoctorthatspeaksanotherforeignlanguage.

Vaccinations

TherearenovaccinationrequirementsforanyinternationaltravelerenteringSweden.

However,someuniversitiesmayrequireamedicalcertificateaspartoftheapplicationtotheirprograms.

7/31/2019 Sweden Information

5/18

Acco

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7/31/2019 Sweden Information

6/18

Inadditiontocontactingyourstudentunion,youcanalsotrycontactingstudenthousing

providersdirectly.Associationsandcompaniesthatprovidestudenthousinghavesetupa

websiteforlocatinglocalhousingproviders.

Tosignaleaseforstudentaccommodation,youmustbeabletoprovethatyouarealready

studyingorthatyouhavebeenadmittedtoanacademicinstitution.Whenyouwanttomoveoutyoumustgiveatleastonemonth'swrittennotice.Otherrulesmayalsoapply.

Youcanrentaflatintheprivatemarket.Thoughusuallymoreexpensive,itisaviableoption

forsomestudents.Itisnotuncommonforstudentstoshareabiggerflatwithseveralrooms.

Youmayalsobeabletorentasingleroomprivately.Othersourcesofinformationarelocal

newspapersandmessageboardsatyouruniversity.

Whetherprovidedbystudentunionsorbythirdparties,accommodationcateringexpressly

forstudentsisoftenthepreferredoption,however.Studentflatsorroomstendtobeless

expensivethanprivatealternatives;theygiveyouachancetomeetfellowstudentsand

participateinsocialactivities,andtheyareoftenclosetolecturehalls,librariesandotherfacilities.

Dependingonavailability,youcanchoosetolivebyyourselforinasharedstudentflatwhere

youwillhaveyourownroombutshareabathroom/toilet.Flatscanbefurnishedor

unfurnished.

Studentdormitories

Manystudentsprefertoliveinastudentdormitory.Thiscanbeanenjoyableexperienceasit

givesstudentsfromaroundtheworldanopportunitytogettoknoweachotherandmake

friends.

Butitcanalsobedemanding.Studentslivinginthesamecorridormayhaveverydifferent

culturalbackgrounds,differenthabitsandideasabouthowtodothings.Mostdormitorieshave

1015singleroomsineachcorridor.Akitchenissharedby415students.Femaleandmale

studentsliveinthesamecorridor.Oftenthereisalsoacommunaltelevisionroom.

Asingleroommustnotbeoccupiedbymorethanonepersonarulewhichisstrictlyenforced.

Studentsareresponsibleforcleaningtheirownroomsandthecommunalkitchen.Although

roomsareletwithbasicfurniture,therearenoblankets,pillows,sheets,towelsorlightbulbs.

Someutensilsmaybeavailableinthecommunalkitchenbutyouwillusuallyhavetobringyourownplates,cutlery,potsandpans,etc.Somestudentunionsrentthese.Moststudenthousing

areashavelaunderettes.Thereisabookinglistandasmallfeeispayablefortheuseofa

washingmachine.Rentforaccommodationmustbepaidinadvance.

7/31/2019 Sweden Information

7/18

HowmuchdoIhavetopay?Belowaresomeexamplesoftheaveragemonthlyrateforstudentaccommodation(Pricesin

SEKat2011levels.1Euro=approx.SEK10).Pleasenote:duetotheshortageofstudent

housingintheolderuniversitytowns/cities(Uppsala,Lund,StockholmandGteborg)pricesin

theprivatemarketarelikelytobehigherthere.

Foruniversitieslocatedinsmallertowns,accommodationpricesrangefromSEK2,000toSEK

3,500foraroom.

Foruniversitieslocatedinmediumsizedtowns,accommodationpricesrangefromSEK2,300to

SEK4,300foraroom.

Foruniversitieslocatedincities,accommodationpricesrangefromSEK2,500toSEK4,500fora

room.

Tofindoutthepreciseavailabilityandpricesforstudentaccommodation,contactthestudent

unionatyouruniversity.

Afewtipsregardingaccommodation

Thesituationwithregardtoaccommodationforstudentsisproblematicinmanypartsofthe

country,sometimesverymuchso.Therearesimplynotenoughroomsandflatstogoround.

Fortunately,therearestilltownsandcitieswhereconditionsarebetterandwhereallormost

studentsdogetaccommodationintime.

Ifyouarenotguaranteedaccommodationaspartofyourexchangeprogramorthroughsome

otheragreement,itisvitalthatyouapproachyourlocalstudentunionassoonaspossible.

Rememberthatthesituationwillvaryaccordingtowhereyouchoosetostudy.Some

universitiesoruniversitycollegeshavemoreroomsthanothers.

Atsomeschools,thestudentunionwillguaranteeyouaccommodationifyouapplyintime;

othershavespecialqueuesfornewlyarrivedstudents.Agoodtipistocheckforspecialoffers

forforeignstudentswiththeinternationaldeskatyoureducationalinstitute.

Food,transportandleisure

Thoughmoststudentsliveonatightbudget,therearewaysofmakingyourmoneygofurther.

Youcanuseyourstudentcardfordiscountsandoncampusrestaurantsaregoodvalue.You

canalsocookyourownfood;moststudentaccommodationshavesomeformofkitchenfacility

opentoresidents.

7/31/2019 Sweden Information

8/18

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7/31/2019 Sweden Information

9/18

7/31/2019 Sweden Information

10/18

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11/18

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12/18

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13/18

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7/31/2019 Sweden Information

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andconductmostothererrandsattheseoutlets,manyofwhichstayopenlateintheevening

andonweekends.

Therearealsotraditionalpostofficesofferingthefullrangeofservices.Theyareusuallyopen

between9.30a.m.and6.00p.m.andmayhaveextendedopeninghoursonceortwiceaweek.

Yellowpostboxesarefornationalandinternationallettersandblueforregionalletters.

Civilregistration

Ifyourstudyprogramislongerthanayear,youcanregisterwiththecivilregistration

authoritiesatyourlocaltaxoffice,Skatteverket.Youwillthenbegivenatendigitnational

registrationnumber,orpersonalidentitynumber(personnummer),basedonyourdateofbirth

plusfourextradigits.Forexample,ifyouwerebornonMay25,1986,itmightlooklikethis:

8605251045.

Toapply,bringyourpassport,aletterofacceptancefromyoureducationalinstitution,

documentsfromtheSwedishimmigrationauthoritiesand,ifyouaremarried,yourmarriage

certificate.Onregistration,youwillbeentitledtomedicalbenefitsthroughtheSwedishNationalHealthInsuranceSystem.Whenseeingadoctor,forinstance,youwillbeaskedfor

yourpersonalidentitynumber(seeMedicalinsuranceandmedicaltreatmentbelow).

Ifyourresidencepermitisvalidforlessthan12months,Skatteverketmayissueacoordination

number,whichhoweverdoesnotentitleyoutotheabovemedicalcoverage.

WhenyourstayinSwedencomestoanend,youshouldnotifySkatteverketwiththehelpof

thisform.Onereasonfordoingthismightbetoreclaimanyincometaxyou'vepaidwhile

workinginSweden.

Currency

TheSwedishkrona(pluralkronor),isdenotedbytheinternationalcurrencysymbolSEK.One

kronacontains100re.Banknotesareavailableindenominationsof20,50,100,500and

1,000kronor,coinsin1,5and10kronor.Allmajorbankandcreditcardsarewidelyaccepted

throughoutSweden.(1Euro=approx.SEK10).

Drugsandmedications

Prescriptionscanbefilledatlocalpharmaciescalled"apotek".Theseareopenduringnormal

shoppinghours.24hourserviceisusuallyavailableonlyinthemajorcities.Ifyoutake

medication,itisagoodideatomakesurethatyouhaveanadequatesupplybeforeleavingfor

Sweden.

Overthecountermedicinesmayadditionallybeavailableatsupermarketsorgasstations.

EmergenciesandSOScalls

Incaseofemergency,dial112tocontactthepolice,firebrigadeormedicalservices.Emergency

callsmadefrompayphonesarefreeofcharge.

IDcards

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Anidentitycard,oranIDcard(legitimation),isacardonwhichthebearer'sphotoandpersonal

numberareregistered.HavinganIDcardwillhelpinanycontactyoumayhavewithSwedish

authorities.Itwillalsomakeiteasierforyoutoopenabankaccount.ToobtainaSwedishID

cardyoumustberegisteredasaresident(seecivilregistration,above).

IDcardsareissuedbytheSwedishTaxAgency(Skatteverket).DetailedinformationabouthowtoapplyforanIDcardisavailableinthispdfbrochureissuedbytheSwedishTaxAgency.The

applicationfeeisSEK400.

Therearealsonationalstudentcardswhichgivediscountsondomestictravelbyair,trainand

bus.Moredetailedinformationondiscountofferswillbesentalongwiththesecards,which

youwillreceiveaboutonemonthafteryoujoinastudentunion.

Localtransportation

Publictransportbuses,commutertrains,tramsand(inStockholm)theundergroundis

availablealmosteverywhereinSwedenandprovidesaconvenient,fastwaytoget

around.Passesareusuallyvalidforunlimitedtravelonthelocalnetworksuchastheunderground(Tbana),localbusesandcommutertrains.Amonthlypassforpublictransport

costsSEK690inStockholmandoftenlessinsmallercities.

Miscellaneousafewpracticalthingstokeepinmind

Alcohol,Systembolagetisthegovernmentownedwineandliqueurstore.Itisgenerallyopen

MondaythroughFridaybetween10.00a.m.and6.00p.mandonSaturdaysbetween10.00am

and2.00pm.Somestoresstayopenlonger.

TheagelimitforbuyingwineandspiritsinSystembolagetis20.Ifyouareunder25,please

bringyourpassportoranotheridentificationcardwhenbuying.Ifyoucan'tshowproofthat

youareover20yearsoldyouwillbedeniedthepurchase.Tomakeapurchaseforsomeonewhoisprohibitedtomakeitthemselvesisforbiddenandsubjecttopenalty.Inbarsand

restaurantsthelegaldrinkingageis18.

Allemansrtten,ortherightofcommonaccess,giveseverybodytherighttouseprivateaswell

aspubliclandandwaterwaysforcertainactivitiessuchashiking,joggingorboatingprovided

thatnodamageiscausedtotheland.Youmustalsoshowconsiderationtootherpeopleand

animalsandrespectthewishesofprivatelandowners.

Thismeansthatyoucannotwalkorsailtooclosetohousesandprivategardens.Itisalsoa

goodideatoaskthelandownerifyouplanonpitchingatentformorethanashortperiodof

time.

Datesareoftenwrittenintheorder:year,month,day.E.g.October12,2011iswritten2011

1012(orjust111012).

Driving.Sweden,likemostEuropeancountries,hasrighthandtraffic.Thelegaldrivingageis18

andyouareexpectedtohaveyourdriver'slicensewithyouwhendriving.Aforeigndrivers

licenseisvalidforamaximumofoneyearstartingthedateyouregisteratthelocaltaxoffice.

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AfteroneyearyouneedtoobtainaSwedishdrivinglicense.Thelawsondrinkinganddriving

areverystrictandsuchbehaviorisnotsociallyaccepted.

DruglawsareverystrictinSweden.Foreigncitizensinpossessionofanytypeofillegaldrug

maybearrestedandexpelledfromthecountry.Whataresometimesreferredtoassoftdrugs,

forexamplemarijuanaandhashish,areillegalinSweden.

ElectricityisstandardEuropean220voltsand50cycles(Hz).

Timezone.SwedenhasCentralEuropeanTime(CET),GMT+1.Daylightsavingtime(GMT+2)

appliesfromthelastSundayinMarchuntilthelastSundayinOctober.Clocktimeiswritten

accordingtotheEuropeansystem,e.g.1p.m.iswritten13.00.

Tipping(inrestaurantsandtaxis)Servicechargeisincludedintheprice.Butitisnormal

practicetoleaveasmalltip(around10%)ifyoufeelyouhavebeentreatedwell.

Openinghours

Shoppinghoursaregenerallybetween9a.m.and6p.m.onweekdays.Shopsclosebetween1p.m.and4p.m.onSaturdays.Inlargertowns,departmentstoresremainopenuntil810p.m.

andsomearealsoopenonSundaysbetween12noonand4p.m.Shopsgenerallycloseearlyon

thedaybeforeapublicholiday.

Telecommunications

MostinternationalstudentsinSwedenchoosetouseSkypeandmobiletelephoneswithpay

asyougoSIMcardsfromcompaniessuchasTelia,Tele2,Telenor(inSwedishonly),3(in

Swedishonly)andHalebop(inSwedishonly),thatcanbeeasilytoppeduponlineorat

newsstands.IfyoudontwanttobuyamobilephoneinSwedenitisoftenpossibletousea

phonefromyourhomecountrywithaSwedishSIMcard.Makesurethatthephoneisnot

lockedtoyourpreviousoperator.Anotheroptionistosubscribetoanmobilephonecontract,

butthisisrareforstudentsandusuallyrequiresaSwedishpersonnummer(seeCivilregistration

above).