New parents
Here you will find information on important things to know when you become a parent – for example, about your child’s personal identity number, custody and citizenship.
Please remember to notify the Swedish Tax Agency of your child’s given name(s) and surname. We need to know three months after the child is born at the latest.
Our e-services
Births and personal identity numbers
When a child is born in Sweden, the Swedish Tax Agency must be notified of its birth. In most cases, a midwife working at the hospital where the child is born will notify us.
If a child is born at home, the midwife who is present must notify the Swedish Tax Agency of the birth.
If a child is born at home without a midwife present, one of the child’s legal guardians must notify us.
A child born in Sweden must be listed in the Swedish Population Register if either of the following apply:
- the child’s mother is listed in the Swedish Population Register
- the parent who did not give birth to the child is the child’s legal guardian and is listed in the Swedish Population Register
If the parent who gave birth to the child is listed in the Swedish Population Register, the Swedish Tax Agency gives the child a personal identity number when registering the birth. We then send an extract from the Population Register by post to the parent who gave birth to the child. We also include an application form for registration of the child’s given name(s) and surname. The extract from the Population Register shows all the information registered with the Swedish Tax Agency about the child.
If the parent who gave birth to the child is not listed in the Swedish Population Register, and is not married to a person who is listed, the child will not be listed in the Population Register either. This means the child will not be given a personal identity number.
Giving birth at home without a midwife
If a child is born at home without a midwife present, the child’s legal guardians must send a written notification of the birth to the Swedish Tax Agency within one month. This written notification must include the following details:
- the name and personal identity number of the parent who gave birth to the child
- the child’s date of birth
- the child’s gender
- the signature(s) of the child’s legal guardian(s)
As legal guardians, you must visit a Swedish state service centre in person to hand in your notification. You must bring the child with you to the service centre.
You must also bring with you:
- a document confirming the birth, such as a maternity certificate or medical certificate
- a valid proof of identity document
Having children in Sweden if you are not listed in the Swedish Population Register
If you have given birth in Sweden without being listed in the Swedish Population Register, the hospital will report the child’s birth to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket).
The Swedish Tax Agency will send you a letter with questions that you need to answer. The letter will be sent to the address provided by the hospital in the birth notification.
The Tax Agency will check whether your child should be registered in the Swedish Population Register and receive a personal identity number. If the child is not to be registered, the Tax Agency will still record the birth. You will receive a decision and an extract from the register confirming that you have given birth to a child in Sweden. This extract is often required to register the child in your home country.
If it is not clear who the child’s parents are, the Tax Agency will notify the municipal Social Welfare Board in the municipality where the child was born.
You may contact the municipal Social Welfare Board if they have not contacted you.
Having a child in a country other than Sweden
You have had a child abroad and are listed in the Swedish Population Register
If you have a child in a country other than Sweden, the Swedish Tax Agency will not usually be told that the child has been born. If you gave birth to the child and are registered in the Swedish Population Register, you need to submit a written notification of the birth to the Swedish Tax Agency. You can do this by sending us a letter, or by visiting a Swedish state service centre in person.
You must include the following in your letter:
- the child’s date of birth
- the child’s gender
- the name of the person who gave birth to the child
It’s also helpful if you include documents containing details relating to the birth and the child, such as:
- a childbirth certificate issued by a hospital or midwife
- the child’s birth certificate or an equivalent document issued by the population registration authority in the child’s country of birth
If there is a particular reason for the child having been born in another country, it is important to tell us this. State where you and the child are living now, and where you think you will both live during the coming year. You must also let us know if you and the child are not going to live in the same place.
The Swedish Tax Agency needs these details so we can determine whether the child should be listed in the Swedish Population Register.
Send the letter and documents to the Swedish Tax Agency at the following address:
Skatteverket
Folkbokföringen
SE-205 30 Malmö
When you have notified the Swedish Tax Agency of the birth, we will assess whether the child should be listed in the Swedish Population Register. In certain circumstances, the Swedish Tax Agency may require you and the child to visit a state service centre in person. If so, we will send you information about this. The addresses of all Swedish state service centres are listed on our website.
You live in a country other than Sweden, and have had a child there
If you do not live in Sweden, and you are not planning to move here in the near future, you do not need to notify the Swedish Tax Agency of the child’s birth. Details of your parenthood and the child are not normally recorded in the Swedish Population Register while you are living in another country.
If the child acquires Swedish citizenship at birth, as the child’s legal guardian, you must apply to have the child’s name registered:
Applying for name registration for a newborn child (in Swedish)
Citizenship (Legal guidance, in Swedish)
If you live in a country other than Sweden and have had a child there, and you are planning to move to Sweden with the child, you must report your own as well as your child’s move to Sweden.
- Applying for a Swedish passport for your child
As the legal guardian of a child who is a Swedish citizen, you can apply for a Swedish passport for the child at a Swedish embassy or a passport-issuing police station in Sweden. If the passport office determines that the child is entitled to a Swedish passport, it will request a coordination number for the child from the Swedish Tax Agency if necessary.
Maternity, paternity and parenthood
In this section, you can find out how parents’ details are recorded in the Swedish Population Register. The same approach is taken to registered civil partners as to individuals who are married.
Motherhood
A woman who gives birth to a child is assumed to be the child’s parent, and is registered as the child’s mother. This is known as the presumption of maternity.
Fatherhood
If a woman who gives birth to a child is married to a man when the child is born, the man is registered as the child’s father. This is known as the presumption of paternity. If the woman is not married, paternity must be established through confirmation of parenthood or a court judgement.
If the person who gives birth to the child is a man, he is registered as the child’s father.
Parenthood
If the person who gives birth to the child is a woman, and is married to a woman, her spouse is registered as the child’s parent. This is known as the presumption of parenthood.
If the woman who gives birth to the child is not married, the other woman’s parenthood must be established through confirmation of parenthood or a court judgement.
Confirmation of parenthood
If the person who gives birth to the child is not married at the time of birth, their partner must submit a notification of parenthood. They can do this in one of the following ways:
- via our e-service “Digital confirmation of parenthood” up to 14 days after a child’s birth
- by informing the Social Welfare Board in the municipality in which the child is listed in the Population Register, if more than 14 days have passed since the child’s birth
Parenthood: disagreements
In the event of a disagreement regarding the identity of a child’s parents, this can be determined by a court. This might be necessary in case of assisted reproduction carried out by a private clinic, for example.
Assisted reproduction
Assisted reproduction refers to conception of a child via insemination or fertilisation outside the body. For parenthood to be established for the person who did not give birth to the child, the following criteria must be fulfilled:
- The child’s parents were married to – or cohabiting with – each other when the assisted reproduction procedure was carried out.
- As the parent confirming a notification of parenthood, you consented to the assisted reproduction procedure.
- The assisted reproduction procedure was undertaken at an accredited facility if it was carried out using donated sperm. The child is entitled to information about the donor.
The person who did not give birth to the child can submit a notification of their parenthood:
- via our e-service “Digital confirmation of parenthood” up to 14 days after the child’s birth
- via the Social Welfare Board if more than 14 days have passed since the child’s birth
One prerequisite is that the child is entitled to information about the donor. Otherwise only one parent’s details will be recorded in the Swedish Population Register.
Do you wish to find out more about the regulations?
Parenthood in cross-border situations
If you have had a child and are listed in the Swedish Population Register, you can request to be registered as a parent. This applies regardless of the child’s date and country of birth.
Parenthood can be established for the person who did not give birth to the child via presumption, a court judgement, or confirmation. The rules that apply are determined by whether a child’s parents have been married to – or cohabiting with – each other, the child’s country of residence, and the parents’ and child’s citizenship.
Custody
Custody is a legal concept. Someone who has custody of a child has the legal right to make decisions concerning the child. Custody must not be confused with daily care.
A child remains in someone’s custody until the age of 18.
Joint or sole custody
If a child has two parents who are married to each other when the child is born, the parents automatically have joint custody of the child.
If a child’s parents are not married at the time of birth, the parent who gave birth to the child automatically has sole custody. If both parents want to have joint custody, you can submit a joint custody request when providing a confirmation of parenthood. You can do this in one of the following ways:
- via our e-service “Digital confirmation of parenthood”
- through your municipal Social Welfare Board
As parents, you can also submit a joint custody notification later on, but you must then submit it directly to the Swedish Tax Agency. Joint custody can only be awarded if no previous decision has been reached regarding custody. The child in question must also be listed in the Swedish Population Register.
If you submit a custody notification in conjunction with the establishment of parenthood, or directly to the Swedish Tax Agency, custody will apply from the date on which we register this information.
Notification – Joint custody (form SKV 7620, in Swedish)
Custody by agreement
If you have sole custody of your child, you and the child’s other parent can sign one of the following agreements:
- a joint custody agreement
- an agreement stating that the other parent will have custody of the child
Parents who have joint custody of a child can enter into an agreement that gives one of them sole custody.
The agreement must be approved by the Social Welfare Board, which will then notify the Swedish Tax Agency. Custody by agreement is valid from the date on which the Social Welfare Board approves the agreement.
Custody by court judgement
You can apply to the district court for your child custody arrangement to be changed. This application can be made by one or both of the child’s parents. A new custody arrangement generally applies from the date on which the district court’s decision comes into force. However, some district court decisions apply from the date on which they are made. A district court will always inform the Swedish Tax Agency when it has reached a decision regarding the custody of a child.
Custody in international relationships
If you have a custody decision notice issued by a country other than Sweden, you can show it to the Swedish Tax Agency in support of your custody claim. In some circumstances, custody decisions made outside Sweden also apply in Sweden. If a decision made outside Sweden does not apply in Sweden (i.e., if it is not covered by the regulations that apply here), you can contact your municipal Social Welfare Board or district court about establishing custody.
Naming a child
As a child’s parent or guardian, you must also apply to have the child’s given name(s) and surname registered by the Swedish Tax Agency. You need to do this within three months of your child’s birth. Your child must have at least one given name and one surname.
Applying for name registration for a newborn child (in Swedish)
A child’s citizenship
When a child is listed in the Swedish Population Register, the Swedish Tax Agency assesses the child’s citizenship. A child acquires Swedish citizenship at birth if either of the following circumstances applies:
- at least one of the child’s parents is a Swedish citizen
- a deceased parent of the child was a Swedish citizen when they died
The current regulations came into force on 1 April 2015.
Previous regulations on Swedish citizenship (Legal guidance, in Swedish)
If a child does not acquire Swedish citizenship, the Swedish Tax Agency investigates whether the child should be registered as a non-Swedish citizen or as stateless.
Adoption
Adoption in Sweden
In Sweden, adoption decisions are reached by the district court. When the district court has reached an adoption decision, and its decision has become final, the district court informs the Swedish Tax Agency. You don’t need to contact the Swedish Tax Agency to inform us when you adopt. The Swedish Tax Agency registers details of adoptions both for parents and their adopted children.
Adoption (the Swedish courts, in Swedish)
Adoption in a country other than Sweden
An adoption decision reached in a country other than Sweden can be recognised in Sweden in certain circumstances. Depending on the country in which an adoption has taken place, specific criteria must be met. If you have adopted a child in a country other than Sweden, the Swedish Tax Agency will not be notified of the adoption.
If your adopted child is going to move to Sweden, you must notify the Swedish Tax Agency of the child’s move. When you notify us of your child’s move to Sweden, you also need to provide documentation including details about the adoption, such as the adoption decision notice.
Cross-border adoption (the Swedish courts, in Swedish)
International adoption (MFoF, The Family Law and Parental Support Authority, in Swedish)
Do you want to apply for a Swedish passport for your child?
When child under 12 years old is adopted by a Swedish citizen, the child becomes a Swedish citizen too. As a legal guardian, you can apply to a Swedish embassy abroad, or to the Swedish Police, for a Swedish passport for your child. If the passport office determines that the child is entitled to a Swedish passport, it will request a coordination number for the child from the Swedish Tax Agency if necessary.
Surrogacy
If you are going to become a parent through a surrogacy agreement, you can find out which public authorities you might need to contact in connection with your return home to Sweden with your child. This information is available in Swedish on the Family Law and Parental Support Authority’s website. While this website is primarily for public authorities and the courts, it provides a comprehensive overview of each government agency’s responsibilities in matters relating to surrogacy arrangements abroad.
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