Step 1
EU and Nordic citizens register their right of residence at the Migration Board (Migrationsverket) within three months of arrival to Sweden.
-> Non-EU citizens with a work permit & Swiss citizens who have received their residence permit approval must visit Migration Board after arriving in Sweden to leave fingerprints and be photographed for a residence permit card.
Step 2
Register with Swedish tax agency (Skatteverket), get a personal identity number.
You are now eligible for Swedish welfare, however to have access to the full system of Swedish healthcare, you must register with the Swedish Social Security Agency (Försäkringskassan).
Swedish welfare available to all with a personal identity number:
- Comprehensive healthcare, including general practitioners and specialist care, at a very low cost, varying by municipality.
- Comprehensive dental care, including orthodontics. All dental care is free of charge for children and young people up to age 20. Adults receive a yearly subsidy.
- All children who live in Sweden are entitled to child allowance (barnbidrag), a monthly, tax-free sum paid to parents until the child reaches the age of 16. After 16, children in full-time education are entitled to a study allowance (studiebidrag). A special large family supplement is paid to families with two or more children. Further, if the household salary is below a certain limit, a housing allowance may be granted.
Additional benefits are available for parents of children with disabilities or illness, to compensate for the parents’ time off of work and extra expenses. This can cover children with temporary illnesses as well as more long-term situations. Register with the social security agency to also have child leave access.
- [Conditional without agency - You must also be registered with the Swedish Social Insurance Agency in order to receive benefits after 14 days.] When you miss work because of illness, you receive sick leave pay for the days missed, generally at the rate of 80 per cent of your normal salary.
- [Conditional on immigration status, must also be actively searching for a new job] If you lose your job and have been a member of an unemployment insurance fund (arbetslöshetskassa) for at least a year, you have the right to unemployment benefit based on your previous income level (usually 80 per cent up to a certain limit). It is your responsibility to sign up for an unemployment insurance fund, usually administered by trade unions. Your fees and benefits will depend on your field of work and on the fund you choose.
- Pension stuff [I don't know how the Swedish pension system works, so I can't really comment much].
- Elderly citizens have access to a number of welfare systems; elderly can live in their own homes for as long as possible with support including meal delivery, cleaning and shopping assistance, and transportation services. Senior housing and retirement homes are also available for those who need more support. Costs are largely subsidised by the state, varying by municipality. An elderly parent or family member does not speak Swedish, interpreters can often be provided.