Brief guide about integration in Sweden: For you that just moved to Sweden or you that are a new Swede :)

When you come to Sweden, you will:

1. Register at Skatteverket (www.skatteverket.se) in your county (called: Kommun) to get your personnummer (personal number, ID here in Sweden). Remember that to get a personnummer, you must have some VISA requirements. If you have a visa that expires in more than 1 year (temporary) or a permanent Visa, you can apply to the personnummer. There are also exceptions depending on which country you come from and which bilateral or multilateral agreements it has with Sweden.

2. Write your name in your mailbox, so that the postman can deliver letters to you. You are going to get your personnummer (personal number). Without your personnummer, you will not be able to go to the hospital, register in schools, courses and you are going to be treated as a foreigner passing by Sweden.

3. Get registered in a school after you get the personnummer from Skatteverketet, so you can learn Sweden (for instance, at Komvux or Folkuniversitetet). Komvux is free for all dwellers. www.komvux.se But do not wait too long for a response to see if you are registered, go after it and keep on checking with the Kommun in your region so that you can start i.e. SFI (Svenska för invandrare - Swedish for immigrants).

There are also Swedish courses at the Universities. However, the latter is mainly open to students that are not going to stay in Sweden. If you are interested in making friends that live here and experience the same thing you are going to be, we suggest that you search for Komvux. You are going to get more support in that way.

4. Register yorself at a bank of your choice with your personnnumer. It is always good to have an account here. You can also register and get a "legitimation" (ID card), so you do not need to carry your passport every time you need to identify yourself in Sweden. To register for an ID card, check with your bank, otherwise Migrationsverket (www.migrationsverket.se) and Skatteverket (www.skatteverketet.se) also issue this type of card.

5. Register yourself at Försäkringskassan in your region (www.forsakringskassan.se). By doing that, you are going to be able to get more support, like insurance or more help concerning health. If you come to Sweden as a refugee, you can get help like grants for your studies since you got a VISA here, you can also get help from the government if you have children. On the other hand, if you come here because you have connection with someone that lives here, you will not have these benefits, unless you have children. Yet there are also more exceptions if you come from the European Union.

6. Register yourself at Arbetsförmedlingen (www.arbetsformedlingen.se) and also start searching for a job. Do not wait for someone else will get a job for you, but search yourself! Use your contacts and spread out the word that you need a job.

If you are an entrepreneur, you can also start your own company. There are some kinds of help to new companies in Sweden and if you have a good idea, you can fulfill your dream. Want to mature the idea and understand the possibilities? Keep in touch with us and we will try to help you.

7. Become a member in some association, as www.integrationinsweden.se :)) so that you can learn more about Sweden and the Swedish culture, learn about our projects and programs.

8. Do not be afraid to meet people from different countries (as well as Swedish people). It is always good to learn about different cultures and understand how the Swedish culture works. It may take a while but do not give it up!

9. Register yourself at your embassy in Sweden (if there is some kind of registration), so that you can be aware of what happens and they can help you in case you are in a difficult situation.

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