Checklist: Moving to Sweden for work

There are many things to keep track of before moving to another country. Before moving to Sweden for work, there’s a lot of things you should know about, such as the housing market, enrolment procedures, and other regulations that might differ from your home country.

In this blog post, we will walk you through a planning guide that’s good for you who’s planning to move to Sweden for work, with help from sweden.se, the official site of Sweden. Make sure you fill this checklist before moving to Sweden for work:

1. Find a home

One of the first things you should do before moving to Sweden is finding a home. The Swedish housing market can be quite competitive, which can make it a bit hard to find housing, especially in bigger cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö.

One of our services is to support you relocate to Sweden, helping you to find a great home that matches your wishes as much as possible.

2. Choose a daycare or school

If you are moving together with children who require daycare or school, you should investigate the different options available for you depending on the municipality. Also, you have to get in touch with your local city council to get help with the enrolment procedure.

When relocating with MediCarrera, we will also support you during this procedure. Our goal is that the children have a place in school or daycare as soon as possible after arrival.

3. Learn the language

Having a basic understanding of the Swedish language will ease you to integrate into Swedish society. After being assigned a Swedish personal identity number, you can sign up for free Swedish courses arranged by the government program “Swedish for immigrants”. Some various websites and apps can also help you learn Swedish more funnily.

Although, as one of our candidates or a family member moving to Sweden, we will offer you and your family a free intensive language course that lasts 17-20 weeks. With our program, every family member will speak the language from the first day in the new Scandinavian country. Here you can read more about MediCarrera’s language courses.

4. Bringing a pet?

If you’re planning to bring animals to Sweden and want to ensure your pet’s migration process goes as smoothly as possible, you should know that there are some regulations with information about how to import animals to Sweden, and about animal welfare rules in certain situations.

We will guide you in the whole process so you can bring your pet to your new home country safely.

5. Furniture and other belongings

If you want to bring a specific item with you when moving to Sweden and you’re not sure of the rules regarding the item in question, you can ask Swedish Customs to make sure everything is in order.

We will help you bring your possessions to your new home. We organize and purchase travel and transport of furniture in the most cost-effective way possible.

6. Check driving license regulations

Before moving to Sweden and if you’re planning to drive there, you should check up on whether you can use your current license or if you’ll need to fix a new one. It can also be a good idea to familiarise yourself with Swedish road rules, signs, and parking regulations. They might differ from the ones you have in your home country.

7. Prepare your documentation

When leaving for Sweden, make sure to bring all official documentation for you and your family with you. The documentation includes identity documents, any residence permit cards, and any official documents from the Swedish Migration Agency.

When relocating with MediCarrera, you will need to prepare all the necessary documents before you arrive at our language course center.

Below you can read more about the documents you need to have ready.

7.1 License recognition as nurse

Copy of your Passport. The passport does not need to be translated. An ID-card is not accepted. Please keep in mind to check that your passport is not out of date. Biometric Passports are preferred.

Copy of your original diploma for General Nurse. After the copy has been made the diploma needs to be translated into English or Swedish by an authorized translator.

A copy of your Certificate of Conformity. A certificate proving that your education is valid within the European Union. After the copies have been made the conformities need to be translated into English or Swedish by an authorized translator.

Copy of your original Specialist Nurse degree diploma. After the copy has been made the diploma needs to be translated into English or Swedish by an authorized translator.

Copy of your Certificate of Conformity. A certificate proving that your education is valid within the European Union.

A copy of your Marriage Certificate and/or change of name. Only necessary if you have changed your name after receiving your General Medicine and/or Specialist degree diploma. After the copy has been made the diploma needs to be translated into English or Swedish by an authorized translator.

Certificate of Good Standing. This certificate proves that you have not been penalized while working as a nurse. This document cannot be older than three months when we send in your application to the Swedish authorities. Therefore, you will need to order it approximately 2 months before finishing the C1-course or depending on your employer’s request.

7.2 License recognition as a specialist doctor

Copy of Passport. The passport does not need to be translated. An ID-card is not sufficient. Please check that your passport is not out of date. Biometric Passports are preferred.

Copy of Document of name change in the original language. If you have changed your name (passport does not match diploma) you will need a certificate stating the change of name e.g. marriage or divorce certificate. + copy of authorized translation into Swedish or English.

A copy of Diploma for General Medicine in original language + copy of authorized translation to Swedish or English.

Copy of Specialist qualification in original language + copy of the authorized translation to Swedish or English.

Copy of Certificate of Conformity for General Medicine studies. The document needs to contain articles 23 or 24 of the Directive 2005/36/EC.

A copy of Certificate of Conformity for your Specialist training. The document needs to contain articles 23, 25, 27, or 28 of the Directive 2005/36/EC.

Certificate of Good Standing or Current Professional Status. This certificate proves that you have not been penalized while working as a doctor. This document cannot be older than three months when we send in your application to the Swedish authorities. Therefore, you will need to order it approximately two months before finishing the C1-course or depending on your employer’s request.

7.3 Relocation documents

Copy of Passports – all family members. The passports do not need to be translated. An ID-card is not sufficient. Please check that your passport is not out of date, Biometric Passports are preferred.

Criminal Record extract – for all adults. The original document + authorized translation.

MRSA-test result – only for the doctor or nurse, not other family members. The original document + authorized translation. The test can be nose swab, ear swab, or blood swab – which you prefer.

Custody Certificate/guardians approval of child/children. Original document in original language + authorized translation. If you are traveling/moving with your child/children without your child’s guardians, you will need a custody certificate/guardians’ approval from the child’s other guardians.

8. In Sweden: Register for a residence permit card (non-EU citizens without visa only)

Citizens of non-EU countries who have a work permit and do not require a visa to enter Sweden will register for a residence permit card at the Migration Agency after entering Sweden. If you want more details, you can visit the Swedish Migration Agency.

9. Register with the Swedish authorities

After arriving and registering in Sweden, you’ll receive your identity number from Swedish Tax Agency. The identity number is your ticket to most aspects of life in Sweden.

9.1 Personal number

Upon the first days of arrival in Sweden you, and any family members who are moving along with you, will go to the tax authority office, Skatteverket, and apply for personal numbers, called personnummer in Swedish.

When moving to Sweden for work with MediCarrera, we help you with preparing your application and obtaining your personnummer. Below, you can see what documents you’ll need:

Valid passport for all family members.

Birth certificate for children (original document and original language).

Divorce certificate and documents of lone custody of child/children (original document and original language). (If applicable).

Marriage certificate or document of your relationship (original document and original language). If you and your partner are not married you will need documents proving that you have been living together for at least 6 months. For example official transcript from another country’s Civil Registration or Population Register where your relationship is registered, a purchase contract of your shared residence, a rental contract for an apartment or insurance where you are both listed, bills in both of your names or a joint bank account.

Guarantee of Employment.

Coordination number, Swedish: samordningsnummer (if you have been issued one during the intensive course).

When relocating to Sweden with MediCarrera, you and your family will have our full support during the whole journey. We accompany you from the first day of the process until the day you arrive in your new country and start to work.

If you’re interested in moving to Sweden for work as a doctor or nurse, register now!