You are going to work in Sweden

If you intend to run your own business

You need to demonstrate that you have sole responsibility for, and are engaged in, genuine economic activities. This applies regardless of whether you have a business that is registered in Sweden, or a business registered in another country that you run remotely from Sweden – as long as you intend to stay in Sweden for at least one year.

You need to demonstrate that you are actively involved in the business, and that you alone decide on what the business does, how many hours you work, and your level of compensation for the work you do. Your notification should include details of your role in the business and your plans for its development.

For example, you can show that:

• your business has entered into agreements regarding ongoing and/or future assignments
• you have a marketing plan for the business
• you have signed rental contracts for the necessary business premises
• you have experience and competence relevant to your business sector
• the business has issued invoices or quotes
• you have receipts or invoices for purchased materials
• you have reported VAT for the business
• you have any required professional qualifications or licence agreements
• you have transfer documents for the purchase of an established business
• you have a registration certificate from the Swedish Companies Registration Office (“Bolagsverket”)

If you are going to establish and run your own business

You need to demonstrate that you have made definite plans for starting operations in Sweden in the near future.

You need to demonstrate that you are actively involved in the business, and that you alone decide on what the business does, how many hours you work, and your level of compensation for the work you do. Your notification should include details of your role in the business and your plans for its development.

For example, you can show that:

• you have been granted, or applied for, F-tax approval
• your business has agreements regarding ongoing and/or future assignments
• you have a marketing plan for the business
• you have signed rental contracts for the necessary business premises
• you have experience and competence relevant to your business sector
• the business has issued invoices or quotes
• you have receipts or invoices for purchased materials
• you have reported VAT for the business
• you have any required professional qualifications or licence agreements
• you have transfer documents for the purchase of an established business
• you have a registration certificate from the Swedish Companies Registration Office (“Bolagsverket”)

Note that you can register a business in Sweden even if you do not have a personal identity number.

• Registering a business

When you apply för F-tax approval there are special requirements if you have lived in Sweden for less than two years.

• Approval for F-tax

You can stay in Sweden for six months in order to look for work.

Normally, you cannot be listed in the Swedish Population Register while seeking employment, since the Swedish Tax Agency cannot assume that you will stay in Sweden for the required one-year period.

If you can show that you have a strong possibility of being employed during these six months, and you intend to stay in Sweden for at least one year, you should notify the Swedish Tax Agency of your move. When you submit your notification, include any supporting documentation such as a letter of intent from a potential employer regarding future work.

The Swedish Tax Agency will then assess the likelihood that you will be employed during this six-month period.

You can start working even if you have not yet been issued with a personal identity number or coordination number. Click the link below for more information about coordination numbers.

• Coordination numbers

If a child under 21 years old is moving with you

If a child under 21 years old is moving with you, you must provide documentation confirming who the parents of the child are. If the child is under 18 years old, you must also provide documentation confirming the child’s registered guardian(s). This could include a birth certificate, an extract from the civil register or a family registration document. If a custody decision has been reached, you should provide a notification document.

All guardians of a child under the age of 18 must also sign the notification of a move to Sweden. If one of the guardians is unable to visit a service centre in person, they must give written consent to the child’s move to Sweden. A child of 16 or over can sign their own notification. Written consent from a guardian is not required.

Children over 21 years old or other family members

When you move with family members such as children over 21 years old, siblings, grandparents or cousins, you need to provide documentation confirming that you have a family relationship. This could include a birth certificate, an extract from the civil register or a family registration document. You must also provide proof that at least one of the following circumstances applies:

1. Your family member is financially dependent on you for his or her livelihood. Documentation that can support this includes bank statements or receipts that show regular transfers of money over a long period of time. Another example is a certificate of dependence issued by a competent authority in your previous country of residence.
2. You and your family member have a common household and did so before you moved to Sweden. Documentation that can support this includes extracts from the civil register confirming that you have lived at the same address.
3. It is essential that you personally take care of your family member due to serious health issues. You can prove this by providing various forms of documentation regarding the person’s health and specific care needs, which must clearly indicate that it is absolutely necessary for you to personally take care of your family member. This could include documentation issued by doctors and healthcare institutions, for example.