How to get a personnummer in Sweden (2026)
Who qualifies, the step-by-step process, the documents to bring, how long it takes and what changes on 1 December 2026, from Skatteverket's rules and the law.
Quick answer
You get a personnummer when Skatteverket registers you in the Swedish population register (folkbokföring). You qualify if you plan to live in Sweden for at least a year and, depending on your citizenship, have a right of residence (EU/EEA) or a Swedish residence permit card (non-EU). Notify your move online, at the earliest 14 days before moving, then attend an in-person identity check. Skatteverket says it takes about 5 weeks before an administrator starts on the case; the decision arrives by post.
Who qualifies
You should be registered if you have moved to Sweden and plan to live here for one year or more. The legal test (folkbokföringslagen 3 §) is whether you can be assumed to spend your nightly rest in Sweden regularly, normally at least once a week, for at least a year. If you'll stay less than a year you shouldn't be registered; a coordination number may apply instead. Once assigned, the personnummer is yours for life, even if you move abroad.
| Who | What you need | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA citizen (and Swiss) | A right of residence: work, self-employment, studies, or sufficient funds | Employment contract; proof of business; enrolment certificate plus sufficient resources and comprehensive sickness insurance; or bank statements plus insurance |
| Family member of an EU/EEA citizen | Derived right of residence while the EU/EEA citizen meets the requirements | Proof of relationship and of the EU/EEA citizen's right of residence. Non-EU family members staying over three months apply to Migrationsverket for a residence card |
| Non-EU citizen | A valid Swedish residence permit card and an expected stay of at least a year | Residence permit card; Migrationsverket decision; reason for moving |
| Nordic citizen | No permit needed; intention to stay at least a year | Passport or national ID card (a driving licence is generally not enough) |
EU/EEA citizens may stay up to three months with just a passport or national ID card. Jobseekers can normally not be registered, unless they can show a strong possibility of a job within six months.
Sources: Skatteverket: moving to Sweden · Skatteverket: EU/EEA citizens · Migrationsverket: EU/EEA citizens
Step by step
Check that you qualify
You must plan to live in Sweden for at least a year, and either have a right of residence (EU/EEA citizens), a Swedish residence permit card (non-EU citizens) or be a Nordic citizen.
Notify your move online
Use Skatteverket's 'Flytta till Sverige' (Moving to Sweden) e-service in English, at the earliest 14 days before you move. Log in with an e-ID, or download the Freja app if you have none. Make one notification per person, including each child, and upload all passport pages with information and your residence permit card.
Book an identity check
Book an appointment at a state service centre (Statens servicecenter) through its booking system, one slot for each family member, and keep the confirmation.
Attend in person with originals
Everyone moving must attend. Bring your passport or national ID card, residence permit card (non-EU), proof of why you moved, and civil-status and custody documents if they apply. Documents are handed back straight after the check.
Wait for the decision by post
Skatteverket says it takes about 5 weeks before an administrator starts on your case. The decision comes by post to your registered address, so your name must be on the door or mailbox.
After registration
Open a bank account and get BankID, choose a vårdcentral, join the Boplats queue, sign up for SFI, and apply for an ID card or SverigeID.
The law says you must notify Skatteverket within one week after you have stayed in Sweden for three months (folkbokföringslagen 26 §). Book the identity check at Statens servicecenter.
Documents to bring
- Original passport or national ID card for everyone moving.
- Non-EU citizens: your Swedish residence permit card.
- Proof of the reason you moved: employment contract, enrolment certificate, Migrationsverket decision or proof of funds.
- If you are or have been married: marriage certificate, civil-register extract, divorce decree or death certificate. People who have never married need nothing.
- For children: birth certificate or civil-register extract showing the parents, any custody decision, and written consent from a guardian who can't attend. Children aged 16 or over can notify their own move.
Bring originals. The identity check has been required by law since 1 September 2022, and since June 2024 it uses digital facial comparison and machine reading of ID documents.
Address rules
Give the full address where you live and sleep, the 4-digit apartment number (in the rental contract or at the building entrance) and the name of anyone you live with. Your name must be on the door or mailbox; c/o addresses aren't registered. A hotel or hostel address is accepted, but report your new address if you move before you're registered. A lease isn't a mandatory document, but Skatteverket may ask for supporting documents.
How long it takes
Skatteverket publishes that a moving-to-Sweden notification takes about 5 weeks before the case is assigned to an administrator. That is not the time to a decision. Cases are handled in order of receipt with no priority, and missing information adds time. The decision is sent by post; your personnummer comes with it.
Source: Skatteverket: processing times · Latest figures on our current waits page.
Why cases are delayed or refused
- You plan to stay less than a year.
- As an EU/EEA citizen you can't show a right of residence (for example, you are only looking for work).
- As a non-EU citizen you don't have a valid Swedish residence permit card.
- Your identity isn't established or you didn't attend the identity check.
- Forms are incomplete, or civil-status or custody documents are missing.
- Skatteverket can't reach you, for example because your name isn't on the mailbox.
- Address problems: a c/o address or a missing apartment number.
- A child's move notified without the consent of all guardians.
The coordination number (samordningsnummer)
A coordination number is for people who are not, and have never been, registered in Sweden, for example people working here for less than a year or buying property. It looks like a personnummer, but 60 is added to the birth day, and it gives no social-security benefits.
- Who applies: you can apply yourself (e-service or form SKV 7540) if you'll stay less than a year, have a connection to Sweden and need one. Authorities and universities can also request one, and one is assigned when you apply for F-tax.
- Identity: since 1 September 2023 every number has an identity level. Applying yourself requires a "confirmed" identity, which means an in-person check at a service centre with a valid passport or ID card.
- Timing: an individual application can take up to 6 weeks before it is assigned to an administrator.
- Expiry: a number becomes inactive after five years unless it is renewed; reactivation needs a new identity check.
What changes on 1 December 2026
- Biometrics: Skatteverket may take and register fingerprints and a facial image at the identity check, for population registration and for coordination numbers, and compare them with Migrationsverket's registers.
- New offence: promoting incorrect population registration (främjande av oriktig folkbokföring), for example for profit.
- SverigeID: the Police launch a state e-ID at the highest assurance level. Registered residents without Swedish citizenship can get it with an ID card without a travel function. Book by phone on 114 14 from 1 November 2026; in Gothenburg, applications are taken at Polisen Göteborg, Passcentralen.
Sources: Government bill 2025/26:261 · Polisen: SverigeID
After you get your number
- Bank account and BankID: BankID needs a personnummer and an account at a bank that issues it; each bank has its own rules. Freja+ is a state-approved alternative. Compare banks in our banks directory and read the banking guide.
- ID card: Skatteverket's ID card costs SEK 400 (paid before the visit), is usually ready in about two weeks and must be collected in person within two months. The government has proposed closing this service from 1 March 2027; SverigeID is the planned replacement. See our ID card guide.
- Healthcare: choose a vårdcentral at 1177.se, or you'll be listed at the nearest one.
- Housing and Swedish: join Boplats and sign up for free SFI.
- Moving within Sweden: report a new address within a week of moving; it's free online.
Sources: Skatteverket: ID cards · Lagrådsremiss: closing Skatteverket's ID-card service · E-legitimationsnämnden: get an e-ID
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a personnummer in 2026?
Skatteverket says a moving-to-Sweden notification takes about 5 weeks before an administrator is assigned to the case; that is not the time to a decision. Cases are handled in order, with no priority, and missing documents add time. See current waits for the latest figure.
Can I get a personnummer as an EU citizen without a job?
Usually not as a jobseeker, because Skatteverket can't assume a one-year stay. The exception is if you can show a strong possibility of a job within six months (such as a letter of intent) and intend to stay at least a year. You can also qualify as a student or as a self-sufficient person with comprehensive sickness insurance. You may start working before you have a number.
My residence permit is valid for less than a year. Can I still register?
Possibly. Migrationsverket says a permit valid for at least a year lets you register, and in some cases a shorter one does too. The Supreme Administrative Court (HFD 2017 ref. 32) ruled that a permit shorter than a year is not in itself a bar: the test is whether you can be assumed to live in Sweden for at least a year.
What is the difference between a personnummer and a samordningsnummer?
A personnummer comes with population registration and is yours for life. A coordination number (samordningsnummer) is for people who are not registered, for example those working in Sweden for less than a year. It has 10 digits like a personnummer but adds 60 to the birth day, and it gives no social-security benefits.
Do I need a lease to register my address?
Skatteverket's checklists don't list a lease as mandatory, but it may ask for supporting documents. You must give the address where you actually live and sleep, with the 4-digit apartment number, and your name must be on the door or mailbox. A hotel or hostel address is accepted; c/o addresses are not.
What changes on 1 December 2026?
Skatteverket may then take and register fingerprints and a facial image at the in-person identity check, for both registration and coordination numbers, and compare them with Migrationsverket's registers. A new offence for promoting incorrect population registration also takes effect. The same day, the Police launch SverigeID, a state e-ID that can come with an ID card for non-citizens.