5 things to consider before moving to Sweden

Hej Hej, I was on the bus the other day just recapping my move to Sweden during the summer and thinking of some things I was glad to hear about and some other things to have known about before I moved. Here is a list of some:

Visas

Now if you’re a European citizen then this will be slightly different for you, but the last bit once you’re here might still be the same. So for me to come to Sweden was not too difficult as I was working for a Swedish company in the UK and there was a business case for me to move across the north sea. However, the easy bits ended there.

This year the goalposts seemed to be moved several times, about the length of time I was supposed to be in Sweden and how I was supposed to move, not to mention the timing of the wait for approval of the visa happened during the summer (a time of mass vacation for Sweden and things grind to a halt). However, I have my work permit now, and I am eligible to be here. So the fun starts…

To qualify for a personal number (Swedish National insurance/ Social security number) you have to plan to be here for longer than a year. So for me, this was 13 months to be on the safe side. Once I arrived I needed to go to the Tax agency to start the process of getting my personal number, which is taking a long time. I have been quoted between 2-18 weeks… I am on week 10 as of next week… not ideal.

This is important as you need this to open a bank, get a gym membership in some places, make the most of some of the perks at work etc. So it is quite restricting until this comes through. But hopefully, that will be over soon, and I am still able to do a lot of things. Just not at 100% capacity.

Taxes

So it is thought - well from the UK at least - that the taxes here are so expensive, which is not that true in some cases, mine in particular. If you earn up to 45,000SEK a month it is quite similar to the UK Tax rate, over 45,000 you start to pay 50% tax, which is where if you’re a larger salary earner you could see why people think it is a high tax economy.

Also, the tax situation works based on where you live, unlike the UK where it is a national tax system, the tax for your local area is a different rate to other areas.

Holidays

So this is a bonus, you get more holidays here relative to the UK and for sure the US. As mentioned earlier, a lot of Swedes take a chunk in the summer months - I mean why wouldn’t you try and absorb as much “soular” power as you can before the winter hits?

But one thing I think is really cool, and I believe is a national thing, is that you get paid a bit extra when you take holiday. So you effectively get holiday-spending money… how cool is that?!

Housing

Housing here is tricky, especially if you’re coming from the outside in. There is a shortage of places to live and a waiting list to qualify for what is known as a 1st hand contract, therefore a lot of people sub-let second-hand contracts, which becomes expensive, as there is often a markup on these.

I got very lucky and live in a long-term apartment hotel place, this means my reasonably sized room is in a good location and not breaking the bank, compared to other options I was offered before moving. I think if you’re moving here for the first time, then you should get into something like this, at least until you know the area and where you want to live.

Language

So language, you don’t need anything other than English in all honesty. The Swedes are extremely proficient in the English language. So don’t feel pressured to have to learn Swedish, but it will definitely help for sure, as you’ll be able to move around a lot more easily and understand some gossip on the bus.

There is also a thing called SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) which is a great way not only to learn the language but also to meet fellow ex-pats in the country, once my personal number comes in I will start this.

Lastly, the chrome translate plug-in has saved me a lot with emails in Swedish. FYI