Your journey to a Swedish life starts with a Personal Number. This is the first thing you should get after coming to Sweden. We will guide you get one.
Sweden identifies any person who has a permit to stay in the country for more than 12 months with a unique 12 digits number called the personal number. It is formatted in the form of YYYYMMDD-XXXX, connecting you with the country’s population registry. The first 8 digits are your birth date. Next two digits show the birth place, the next one is gender (odd number is for male, even for females).
What does it do?
Along with the Swedish ID card, it is the single most important document in Sweden. You need to quote a personal number for the following:
- Get medical treatment
- Open a bank account
- Join a gym
- Insurance
- Credit cards
- Mobile connection
- Electricity
- Online shopping
… Sweden literally runs on personal numbers. Till the time you get it, things can be a little difficult. If your residence permit is less than one year, you will be assigned a coordination number.
How to get one?
Remember that you can only get a personal number if you have the permit to stay over a year. If your permit is for less than 12 months, you get a coordination number. You need to apply to the Swedish tax agency called Skatteverket.
Go to Skatteverket and fill in all the details.
Print the documents and go to the nearest office: You don’t need to make an appointment, but go early to avoid any queue.
Make sure to carry your passport, Swedish Residence permit card, marriage certificate (in case of couples), and birth certificate of your children. Children over 16 can fill out their own form.
How long will it take?
Generally, if everything is in order, you should get a personal number within weeks. But can take a longer time if there is a complication or you have applied during the summer when Sweden mostly shuts down. You will be informed by registered post when the personal number is assigned. You can call on 0771-567 567 to check the status of your application. The officials are helpful. Alternatively, you may check on hitta.se – if your name pops up, you have got a personal number.
After getting the personal number, you need to immediately apply for the Swedish ID card. Without it, the personal number is incomplete.
REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE
Jeffy – A data analyst working for a Swedish Shipping Company. Came to Sweden in September 2021.
How easy/hard was it to get your personal number?
It was not as difficult to get the personal number as I had imagined. I visited Skatteverket office only once and the officials there helped me fill the form and submit the request. The officials were really helpful and patient I would say.
Were you worried at any stage?
It took almost 3 months from the date of submission to actually receive a communication from Skatteverket that my request has been granted. Although the officials had initially told me that it would take somewhere between 2 – 5 months to get the decision, I should admit that I was a little worried after 2 months of submission and no status updates from the authorities. My Residence Permit validity was a little less than 365 days when I submitted the request and I doubted if that would result in a rejection of my application. But I am glad that finally it did not.
Did you take help or advice from anyone?
I used to save the Social Media group posts which were all about the personal number and its process and referred them later when I started the process. The groups were really helpful in clearing my queries. My spouse already had a personal number at that time and that was an added advantage as she briefed me the entire application process and necessary documents. I had also spoke with my friends in Sweden who were successful in getting a personal number.
How was the overall experience?
Overall the experience was hassle-free, I would say. The waiting period may be longer for some people I understand. What I would recommend is to be patient and also keep checking with Skatteverket if you think you are waiting a bit too long.
