Finding accommodation

It can be a bit tricky to find accommodation in university cities like Uppsala and Umeå. In general, in Sweden, people tend to buy rather than rent, so the rental market is quite small and crowded. This is particularly a problem for people arriving around September, as this is the time all the students are moving in. It is also important to be aware of the different types of rental contracts that are available. The type of rental contract will often determine how long you can stay in a specific accommodation.

Secondhand rentals are the most common. These are rented out by people who themselves are renting, most often from Uppsala Housing. They have obtained the rights to rent the apartment by “queuing” (see details on how to do this in “Housing queue”). They can sublet the apartment if they decide to study or work in another city. However, the time during which they can sublet their apartment may be limited to 1-2 years, so please be aware of this when choosing your accommodation.

First hand rental contracts can be obtained either directly from the owner of an apartment, through private advertisement (see details in “Blocket”), or after putting your name down on a list with Uppsala Housing (see details on how to do this in “Housing queue”). In Sweden, most apartments are part of a housing association, meaning that if an owner wants to rent out his place, he will have to apply for permission from the housing association and the time during which he can rent out might be limited to 1-2 years. If renting first hand from Uppsala Housing, you will be able to stay in the apartment as long as you wish.

Beware of scams! Do not pay any deposit or rent before actually signing a contract on which the landlord’s personal number and address is written. If possible, ask your future boss or a colleague to visit the place to make sure all is in order.

Here, we will describe the most common ways to get accommodation in Uppsala, but of course, this is not exhaustive.

Advertising in your future department/building

Since there is a lot of turnover for postdocs, it is worth asking your future boss to send an email, or forward your email, around the department/building inquiring whether someone knows of any accommodation that will become available in the near future.

Blocket (https://www.blocket.se/)

The most common way to find accommodation is through the website Blocket. People looking to rent out their accommodation will advertise on this site. This website is only in Swedish and some advertisements will only be in Swedish, but don’t hesitate to contact them anyway, as everyone in Sweden speaks English. Most advertisements receive hundreds of applications, so if you are not one of the first 10 or 20, you will most likely not receive any response. We recommend posting an add with a picture and a description of yourself, stating that you are looking for accommodation. Make sure you mention that you have a contract for x years so that it is clear that you have a stable income. People will usually contact you for more details or directly offer you their place. Putting an add on Blocket costs 125 SEK and can be paid by visa/mastercard online. Blocket only accepts Swedish or Nordic cards though, so you might have to ask your future boss or a colleague to make the payment for you. Most of the apartments advertised on Blocket are furnished and include utilities.

Uppsala Housing queue (https://bostad.uppsala.se/)

In Sweden, it is common to put your name down on a list for a rental apartment. This is called “queuing” for an apartment. This can be done even before you have moved to Sweden. It costs ~300 SEK per year to queue for an apartment and you will automatically be taken out of the queue if you forget to pay. As you queue, you will accumulate points (the longer in the queue, the more points you will have). When apartments become available, they will be advertised. People that are interested in the apartment register their interest and whoever has the most points gets the apartment. Once you have obtained an apartment through this system, you can stay as long as you want. These apartments are unfurnished and most do not include utilities.

Purchasing an apartment

In Sweden, it is very common to own, rather than rent. It can sometimes even be cheaper per month to own than rent. Getting a loan at the bank is relatively easy as long as you can provide at 15% deposit and show a fixed income for a number of years.

Swedish personal number

The first thing to do when you arrive in Sweden is to register at Skatteverket, the Swedish tax agency. For this, you need to come in person with a certain number of documents, including your work contract (certificate of employment), passport etc... See here for the full list according to your situation https://www.skatteverket.se/servicelankar/otherlanguages/inenglish/individualsandemployees/movingtosweden.4.7be5268414bea064694c40c.html.

We have had some feedback from EU citizens that have been rejected from getting their person number or Swedish ID (see next section) if they presented another ID than a passport, so please keep that in mind when applying.

If you are staying more than one year in Sweden, you are entitled to a Swedish personal number. This number will be essential for you to function in Sweden. It will take between 2 and 10 weeks before you receive it in the mail, so if you will be moving around the first few weeks/months, use the address of a friend, colleague or your boss. Getting a temporary personal number until the permanent one arrives is an option, but this can take up to 6 weeks, so in most cases it is not worth it.

If you are arriving with your spouse or partner, you can both apply for a personal number at the same time. Your spouse/partner’s application will depend on and be linked to yours. If you are not married, you will have to provide some proof that you are domestic partners, for example proof that you have been living together in your previous country. By applying for a personal number together, you certify that you have the means to support your spouse during your stay in Sweden. If approved, they will also get access to the Swedish medical system. If not, they will have to have their own private insurance.

Important! Until very recently, it was not possible to have one's salary paid out until one had received a person number. However, SLU has arranged with Skatteverket the possibility of applying for a coordination number while you await your person number. The coordination number must be applied for through SLU and is usually granted within a few days. With a coordination number, you can have your salary paid out on a foreign account, while you wait to open an account in Sweden (you cannot open a Swedish bank account with a coordination number). The application for a coordination number is completely independent of that of the person number.

Swedish ID

Once you have received your personal number, you need to apply for a Swedish ID. This card will contain your picture and biometrics. You will need a Swedish ID to be able to open a bank account. For this you need to make an appointment for the application and bring certain documents. See here for details https://www.skatteverket.se/servicelankar/otherlanguages/inenglish/individualsandemployees/livinginsweden/idcard/idcardapplicationconditions.4.3810a01c150939e893f1daea.html. It costs 400 SEK to apply for a Swedish ID and the payment needs to have arrived at Skatteverket before your appointment, so make sure to pay well in advance. The payment has to be made by bank transfer, so you can either pay by international bank transfer, or go to Forex (if available in your city) and have them make a bank transfer. Using Forex just costs 50 SEK and is by far the simplest. Another option is to ask someone with a Swedish bank account to make the transfer for you. Regardless of how you pay, make sure you put your personal number in the message section of the transfer and bring the receipt to your appointment. It usually takes about 2 weeks for your Swedish ID to arrive. You will receive a text message and a letter in the mail when your card has arrived. You can then pick it up at Skatteverket. Skatteverket is usually open between 10-16 on weekdays.

Please note that although the website states that you can apply for a Swedish ID with any international ID card if you are an EU citizen, a passport is preferred and you risk having your application rejected without it.

Opening a bank account

You will need a Swedish ID before you can open a Swedish bank account. There are several banks available. Some require you to make an appointment to open an account, while others will open an account for you on the spot. Please note that most banks in Sweden are cash free, meaning that there is no money in the bank and you cannot deposit or withdraw cash at the counter. Banks are usually only open weekdays from 10-15.

Once your bank account has been opened and you have access to netbanking (often in Swedish), you will need to install Mobile Bank ID. This is a type of digital signature that will allow you to identify yourself for all official things online or on the phone. Some banks will help you install it at the time of opening your account while others will simply give you instructions on how to activate it yourself from your netbank. This is an app that requires a smartphone. Once you have Mobile Bank ID, you can also install the app Swish. This is a very useful app in Sweden that allows you to make transfers of relatively small amounts of money through your phone number (https://www.swish.nu/private/get-started ).

Please note that many banks provide information online suggesting that you can open a bank account with a passport instead of the Swedish ID. In our experience, this is not the case as most have been refused at the counter.

Försäkringskassan- the Swedish social insurance agency

Although you are automatically covered by the Swedish social security system as soon as you get a personal number, you will still need to actively sign up at Försäkringskassan. For this, you need to fill out a form and send it in. If coming from an EU country, you will have to show that you are no longer covered by that country and that you are not receiving any benefits from them. It can take up to 10 months to be registered at Försäkringskassan, so please do so as soon as you have a personal number. While applying to register, you can also apply for the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This card will be useful when travelling inside the EU, as you will not have to pay you medical bills up front if you get sick or have an accident. Among other things, Försäkringskassan covers you if you need to go on maternal leave or long-term sick leave. Be aware that if you are on a stipend, you will not be paying taxes and will most likely not get any benefits from Försäkringskassan in case of maternity or sick leave.

Be aware that if you intend to live outside Sweden for more than one year you are not covered by Försäkringskassan. In addition, if you intend to stay outside EU/EES for more than six months you will lose some benefits, except if you are sent out by an employer under the state.

Home insurance

The Swedish social security covers most of your health costs, but it is a good idea to sign up for home insurance. Some rental contracts will even request that you get home insurance in order to rent. There are lots of home insurance (Hemförsäkring) companies available and they all offer the basic package covering your personal belongings in the home. A full insurance, “Allrisk”, will also cover your belongings outside the home in case of theft or accidents (dropping your smartphone, getting your bike stolen…). However, they all have a “selvrisiko” of approximately 1,500 SEK. This means that whatever you will get refunded will be the cost minus 1,500 SEK. If the amount is less than 1,500 SEK, you will not get any money. Home insurance covers all people registered at Skatteverket as living in the apartment. Don’t hesitate to call the companies if you are struggling to figure things out in Swedish on their website. Be aware that you will need a person number in order to register for home insurance.

Taxes

Taxes in Sweden are automatically taken at the source and you will get your salary minus ~33% tax. The tax office provide a "tax calculator" to calculate your salary after taxes. "Every year, they then check how much tax you paid compared to how much you should have paid. Around February of the following year, you will receive a “kontrolluppgift” from SLU. This is a copy of what has been sent from your employer, to Skatteverket. It is your responsibility to make sure that it is correct and if not, you need to tell SLU so they can correct it and send a new one to Skatteverket. Around March, you will have to declare your taxes. It is usually a pre-filled form and if you have no deductibles to add, you just sign off and submit it. An example of deductibles are days spent abroad for work (conference or collaborations) for which you did not receive a daily allowance.

Tax rebate

Foreign skilled labourers arriving in Sweden for the first time to work for less than 5 years can apply for a tax reduction (https://forskarskattenamnden.se/andrasprak/taxationofresearchworkersboard/abouttaxrelief.4.14dfc9b0163796ee3e7743e4.html).

If granted, this reduction will be applied for the first 3 years. However, you must be able to prove that you possess a skill that cannot be found in Sweden and is essential for the job. A letter of support from your employer stating this will help. However, from our observations, very few postdocs have been successful in their application. Note that your application for tax reduction must be received no later than 3 months after you begin working in Sweden.

Holiday

As part of your contract you are allotted up to 31 days of holidays, depending on your age. For each day of holiday taken, you will receive full pay + 145 SEK holiday allowance. You have to take at least 20 days of holiday a year. If you have leftover holidays, they will automatically be transferred to the following year. However, you cannot transfer more than 10 days a year. Please note that paid leave is only for people on full salaries, not stipend-holders. Everything is explained on the SLU website here.

Health prevention

SLU promotes a healthy lifestyle. For this you can get up to 2,000 SEK a year refunded for costs related to health promoting activities, such as going to the gym, swimming etc. You can have more information on this page. Again, this is only for people on a full salary, not stipend-holders.

Medical costs

When you have a person number, you are covered by the Swedish social security. However, you will still have to pay small amounts for medical visits (~150 SEK) and pay for your own prescription drugs, up to 1,000 SEK a year. Once you have reached this limit, you will receive a “frikort” that will allow you to receive free medical care and prescription drugs until the end of the year.

SLU will refund you all costs of medical visits and prescription drugs, as long as they are part of the “Högkostna” (it will be written on your receipt if it is the case).

Again, this is only for salary-holders, not stipend-holders.

Swedish driver’s license

If you have a valid driver’s license from any EEA country, it will also be valid in Sweden for as long as it is valid in your home country. If your license is from outside the EEA you will have to inquire into its validity on a case per case basis (https://www.transportstyrelsen.se/en/contact-us/).

Importing a car into Sweden

It is possible to bring your car into Sweden (https://www.transportstyrelsen.se/en/road/Vehicles/Importing-vehicles-and-verification-of-origin/Import-from-start-to-finish/). If it comes from an EU or EEA country, it is called “bringing a car in”. If it comes from outside the EU, it is called import and special rules apply according to the country of origin.

When “bringing a car in” the rules are very straight forward:

Step 1 - Clear the vehicle through the Swedish Customs Service (If you have imported the vehicle from a non-EU country)

Step 2 - Pay value added tax (If the vehicle is new and from another EU country.)

Step 3 - Take out road traffic insurance for temporary registration with a Swedish insurance company (If you are applying for temporary registration in conjunction with verification of origin.)

Step 4 - Apply for verification of origin

Step 5 - Make an appointment for a registration inspection and technical identity verification

Step 6 - Test the roadworthiness of the vehicle.

Step 7 - Allocating a registration number for your vehicle

Step 8 - Activate your registration

Be advised that you are only allowed to drive the car for 1 week before having to take on a temporary registration with a Swedish insurance company, even if you are still covered by the insurance company in your home country.

Please note that when buying a car in Sweden, you need to activate your car insurance from the very first day you purchase the car. For every day your car is not insured, you will have to pay a fee of around 800 SEK per day.

Phone number/company

In Sweden, you can easily purchase a prepaid sim card as soon as you arrive. As long as your phone is not sim-locked, you will not have to buy a new phone (Generally only phones from North America are sim-locked). When using pre-payment, you simply buy your credit in a shop or online.

If you prefer getting a subscription, the phone company will need proof of your job and salary, if you have not been in the country for at least one tax year.

Unemployment money

Everyone working and paying taxes in Sweden is covered by basic unemployment insurance. The basic unemployment insurance covers people who are not a member of an unemployment insurance fund. Basic insurance is only ~365 SEK per day and is based on how much you have worked.

If you want to make sure you get more money if you become unemployed at the end of your contract, you need to sign up for an income-related insurance at least 12 months before the end of your contract. The relevant insurance fund for academics is “Akademikernas a-kassa” (https://www.aea.se/in-english). Membership is 140 SEK per month. However, this will usually only provide you with 80% of your previous income for a total period of 300 days. This amount can be supplemented through an income insurance from your union, if you choose to join one (see part about “Unions”).

In order to apply for benefits when you become unemployed, you first need to register with the unemployment office “Arbetsförmedlingen” (https://arbetsformedlingen.se/other-languages/english-engelska).

Unions

In Sweden, most staff are members of unions. The unions you can join depend on your field and employment. The two most relevant unions for academics are SULF (https://sulf.se/en/) and Naturvetarna (https://www.naturvetarna.se/english/). SULF covers all academics, while Naturvetarna covers all types of jobs within the field of Life Science. It is even possible to get a joint membership with these two unions for a reduced price. However, other unions might also be relevant depending on your field. Both these unions and many others are under the umbrella of SACO-S (https://www.saco.se/lokala-webbplatser/Saco-S/, Swedish only), which gathers academics from all fields in Sweden. At SLU, we have some local representatives (http://www.saco.slu.se/, Swedish only).

Unions serve to protect worker’s rights. They can provide advice and support on matters such as salary, unemployment benefits and support regarding the labour law. They also provide access to income insurance policies and loans at preferential rates. In addition, the collective agreements of the unions provide supplementary cover on matters such as related to parental leave or sickness benefits, and as said before, being part of a union gives you extra unemployment coverage.

Learning Swedish

It is quite easy to get by in Sweden speaking only English. However, all your official paperwork, like taxes, will be in Swedish. If you would like to learn Swedish, they government offers free Swedish classes called SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) https://www.folkuniversitetet.se/In-English/Swedish-courses/SFI---swedish-for-immigrants/. They provide a range of classes, at different levels and have convenient evening classes. You also have the possibility to either attend classes or do online courses.

If you are a European citizen, you will not need to wait for your personal number and Swedish ID card to get registered at the SFI courses.

Now there are also courses arranged by SLU, the Division of Human Resources offers courses in Swedish for SLU employees, with courses starting in the spring and autumn. Check all the information here : Swedish courses for SLU employees

It is also possible to attend paid Swedish classes, which some people find better than the free ones. You can find some classes here https://www.folkuniversitetet.se/In-English/Swedish-courses/, but don’t hesitate to look around for other options.