Personal number and registration with the Swedish Tax Office

Sweden has a national system of population overview, handled by the Swedish Tax Office (Skatteverket), through which residents are issued a so-called personal number (personnummer). The number will make you part of the Swedish civil system which will link your personal information (birthday, address etc.) with authorities in healthcare, universities and the social insurance system. Here you find information about applying for a personal number, 

Only people who will stay in Sweden longer than one year can apply for a Swedish personal number.

The Swedish personal number is essential for accessing most services from the state, setting up a bank account, and even creating customer accounts with some private companies. Accordingly, getting your Swedish personnummer is a top priority. 

The Swedish personal number consists of 10 digits with 6 of them corresponding to your birthday, followed by a four digit number. 

In order to get a personal number assigned, you have to apply at the Swedish Tax Office (Skatteverket). You should visit their offices and apply in person. On the website of the agency you can find information in Swedish, English, or several other languages, regarding the documents needed for the application. You will likely need some documents from the university:  a letter of acceptance, containing a statement about your financing and your insurance, is the most common. If you haven’t received such a letter you should ask your university for one.

After you have submitted all your documents it can take several weeks until you receive your number. You can ask the Tax Office for an estimated time when you apply. If you have not received your personal number  (in a letter, by mail) after this estimated time,  it is a good idea to contact the Tax Office to check if everything is in order with your application.

If you change your address during your stay in Sweden, you will have to contact the Tax Office within a week of your move and let them know your new address. You can update your address with Skatteverket online. You can also forward your mail to a new address, for a monthly fee, via Adressändring, a national service.