Practical things to look into before or soon after moving here

We have collected some terms and links here for things that you should look into. The reason why we write "that you should look into" is because Swedish people highly regard independence, where responsibility is put on the individual to figure out how things work and make sure that they have the correct information. Almost everything is publicly available, even your home address via pages such as hitta and eniro, and you are meant to go look for the information. And it's a lot!

This is why we have compiled this list. It mainly comprises words and some links since the PhD council is not the origin of the information and it would be too big of a task to try to keep the page updated if we wrote too much. The list is also not complete, so we do recommend that you check the linked websites. Some information about some of these things is given when you arrive, and then this will act more as a reminder to check. Please let us know if there is something missing or incorrect! Some provided links are in Swedish, sometimes even though they exist in English as well. The reason we provided them in Swedish is because we noticed in some cases the Swedish version has Q&A, or more information. We recommend you to make Google Chrome your friend in Sweden to translate pages.

You may also find some useful information on the ISMO page on the Chalmers intranet or in the links on this page.

Remember when interacting with various institutes in Sweden that it's like using an API - you want something so it's your responsibility to make sure that the data you send in is correct otherwise you'll might not get what you want.

Personnummer

Fix this as soon as possible. Everything relies on personnummer, and all Swedish-born people get their personnummer assigned at birth, which is why many systems rely on there being one. Fix this with Skatteverket

Swedish ID card

The passport actually doesn't always qualify as identification in Sweden since it does not contain your personnummer. Therefore it's good to have a Swedish ID card with your personnummer on. You also fix this at Skatteverket. If you later on decide to apply for a Swedish driver's license, the driver's license also qualifies as identification and you won't have to have both the ID card and a Swedish driver's license.

Bank

The third thing after fixing the personnummer in line is to fix a bank account so you won't get your salary by those pesky checks. This you cannot do without a personnummer. We are aware that it states on Chalmers intranet (1, 2) GU (3, 4) that you can do it, however the experience people have had is that it doesn't really work smoothly if you are supposed to get a personnummer later on (which you as a PhD student should).

Bank id

When you have a bank account you can get a bank ID which is used for identification online so you can do most of everything, such as paying your bills or logging in to Försäkringskassan or your electric company to check your consumption.

Swish

An app used to transfer money. Sweden is almost cashless and if you are out with any Swedes, they normally prefer to split any bill evenly, swish makes this easier. ‘Swedes see exchange of money and debt as a threat to friendship. In other cultures, like Italy for example, people would fight over being the one to pay the bill for the sake of keeping up the friendly relations.’ This also connects to how Swedes highly regard privacy and independency: You should not have to disclose that you earn less money and you do not want to be in debt to people. (and yes, we know the first note is kind of an oxymoron when the earnings of everyone is available via services such as Ratsit)

Kivra

Kivra is a digital mailbox that you set up to receive your post from government agencies such as tax declaration etc., receipts from shops and other things.

Taxes

You will receive an envelope home or to your kivra inbox with your tax calculations. In most cases, everything is already done for you and you don't have to do anything but approve. However, you have to approve. Check out skatteverkets page for information. If you sell or buy stocks you might have to do some work.

Housing

Housing in Gothenburg is somewhat expensive, and employees are all responsible for finding your own housing. You should sign up for the different queues as soon as possible!! Move to Gothenburg have useful information about finding a place to live.
Some queues: Chalmers studentbostäder, Stiftelsen Göteborgs Studentbostäder, HomeQ, Boplats (more found on move to Gothenburg)
Term wise room renting if you can't find any options: The holterman hostel

Migrationsverket

Well. We don't know what useful information to write here. You are probably already familiar with the Swedish migration office.

Insurance

Do get a household insurance, they cover many things such as if someone steals your laptop or if your dishwasher breaks down and leaks all over the apartment and the neighbors apartments. Read more on Move to Gothenburg. If you want to buy and drive a car, the car has to be insured.

Trade/labour unions and arbetslöshetskassa (a-kassa)

Out of the Swedish working population, 70% belongs to a trader/labour union and 80% to a-kassa. It is the unions that together with the employees that create the "kollektivavtal", and they have new negotiations periodically for fair wages, vacation days, parental leave etc. The newbies guide to Sweden has written posts about both Swedish trade unions and a-kassa (unemployment insurance) if you want to know more. It is good to at least register for a-kassa. The different a-kassor and unions depend on what you are educated in and or work with, for a PhD student in our department the unions suitable are connected to SACO (for instance SULF) and if you join a union it's easiest to pick the a-kassa connected to it. However, you can also just join a-kassa, for instance, Akademikernas a-kassa. You have to have been a member of a-kassa for at least a year before you can claim funds, so it's usually good to join soon after arrival.

Keep in mind that as long as you are enrolled in an educational program (master/bachelor program or PhD program) you cannot claim unemployment funds. This is because as a student you are not considered unemployed, and the funding for your studies should not be provided via the unemployment funds, but elsewhere. This will however only become an issue if you as a PhD student run out of funding before you graduate. Then you will still be enrolled in a program so are not eligible for unemployment funds, but you are also not receiving a salary from your employment.

Drivers license

Check if your license is valid. Non-EEA licenses are normally valid for one year only from the day you register at Skatteverket to drive in Sweden if certain conditions are met, after this you may apply for an extension/exception if you have limited employment or study contract in Sweden (such as a PhD contract). This does not mean that you will get the extension, but you can apply. Information about the extension is found at Transportstyrelsen. If you keep driving on the license from your country, make sure you read up on the local laws and regulations. We have heard that some people found it difficult to drive in Sweden in the beginning due to some general rules and the many rules of who has priority. (bus lanes, the law of right etc.)

Health care

You need to enlist to a Vårdcentral (local health clinic), the easiest is to pick one near you. In 1177 you should find information about it, Gothenburg belongs to "Västra Götaland". If you have some muscle pain or joint pain, for instance, a sprained ankle, book an appointment directly with a physiotherapist instead of booking a doctor. As long as the clinic is connected to region Västra Götaland it costs the same as any regular health care visit (currently 100SEK), the access is much faster than going to a Vårdcentral, and the physiotherapist will send you to a doctor if they suspect something is broken. (Sportrehab is for instance a good place if you have experienced a sports-related injury) For colds, soar throats etc don't go to the doctor at all. You will be sent home again. Sweden is very restrictive on giving out prescriptions for penicillin for instance. Take sick leave (report in primula) and stay home, watching some streaming service, instead. Unfortunately, most of the information on diseases on 1177 is not available in English so perhaps try to use the google chrome plugin. You can always call 1177 to ask for help and advice when you suspect you need to go to the doctor. Sweden has seasonal diseases that peak during the winter, such as flu and "vinterkräksjuka", this could be good to know. Especially Vinterkräksjuka is highly contagious, and if you get it you must stay home 48h after the last symptoms disappeared to prevent passing it on to others.
The newbies guide to Sweden have a good page on sexual and reproductive health care.
Dental care unfortunately is not included in the health care, so this costs. Here you should also enlist at a dentist, information about this is also found on 1177. There is one emergency dentist on Odinsgatan in case something really bad happens. You do however get a certain contribution to the cost each year, for that you have to enlist at Försäkringskassan.

ER in Sweden is "Akutmottagning" or "Akuten" and emergency dentist is "Akuttandvård".

The Swedish emergency number is 112.

Försäkringskassan

Social security. When you move to Sweden as a PhD, you are eligible for social insurance (försäkringskassan). Please check their page to see your eligibility since there are corner cases.

Unless you have children under 16 years old, then it is your responsibility to provide your information to them so you can get the benefits. If you have a mobile bank ID already, then you can apply online, otherwise, you can submit a form to them. Check this page for instructions for both the online and the form.

Some of the benefits (check their website for the whole list):

Dental support one of the dental benefits is you get each year a dental care allowance for examinations, preventive treatments and all other dental care that entitles you to state dental care support. The amount differs depending on your age. You can call försäkringskassan to check how much you have. The dentist has access to this information as well, and after you have registered with försäkringskassan it should be taken care of by your dentist at your dental appointment.
The EU card entitles you to medical and dental care when you are in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or Great Britain, for care that cannot wait until you return to Sweden. It is important to have this card when you travel outside of Sweden.
Parental support includes child support, housing allowance and other benefits.