Preparing the arrival of international employees

Before a decision to employ is finalised, the candidate must apply for a work permit, residence permit or visa. Information on the permits needed, and a guide to the application process, are available at Work permit and residence permit.

An employee needs either a coordination number or a Swedish personal identity number to be able to receive their salary.

If an employee plans to stay in Sweden for at least one year, they should register with the Swedish Population Register and will then be assigned a Swedish personal identity number by the Swedish Tax Agency.

If an employee is staying in Sweden for less than one year, they should apply for a coordination number.

Personal identity number

If an employee plans to stay in Sweden for at least one year, they should:

1. Notify the Swedish Tax Agency of the move to Sweden. Use the Moving to Sweden e-service (Flytta till Sverige Portal | Skatteverket). The e-service is available in Swedish, English, Ukrainian, and Arabic.
2. The employee must visit a Swedish state service centre in person for an identity check when they have arrived in Sweden. The employee needs to book an appointment using the e-service (Ventus webbokning)

Coordination number

If an employee is staying in Sweden for less than one year, they should:

1. Apply for a coordination number via the Swedish tax agency e-service. To apply for a coordination number the employee need to log in with the Freja- ID; Apply for a coordination number. The E-service is available in Swedish and English.
2. The employee must visit a Swedish state service centre in person for an identity check when they have arrived in Sweden. The employee needs to book an appointment using the e-service (Ventus webbokning) 

If the employee is unable apply for a coordination number, SLU can request the allocation of a coordination number on the employee's behalf. The application is made by the department using the form: Coordination Number, Request (SKV 7824). The form and more information are available on the Swedish Tax Agency's website: Skatteverket - Request Allocation of Coordination Number. Instructions on how to complete the form can be found here (instructions are only available in Swedish). Remember to indicate whether the individual is in Sweden or abroad.

When requesting the allocation of a coordination number, the Swedish Tax Agency will send a notification to the employee and inform them of the identity check requirement. If the individual is abroad, the notification will state that they have the option to visit an embassy or consulate abroad for the identity check.

There are three identity levels for coordination numbers: Confirmed, probable and uncertain. If the new employee has been unable to visit a service centre in Sweden or an embassy or consulate abroad, the Tax agency can, in some cases, grant the employee a coordination number with the identity level probable. 

The Swedish Migration Agency will request a coordination number for third-country citizens who will be working in Sweden for a maximum of twelve months.

The process

When registering a move and applying for a Swedish personal identity number, the processing time is currently approximately 2 weeks before the case is assigned to a case officer.

The processing time for an individual application for a coordination number is currently approximately 3 weeks before the case is assigned to a case officer.

When applying for a coordination number, the request for allocation from SLU currently takes approximately 2 weeks before the case is assigned to a case officer.

Once a case has been assigned to a case officer, it may take several more weeks before a decision is made.  More information is available on the Swedish Tax Agency's website: Skatteverket - Processing times for population registration

SINK and coordination number

If the employee will be living/working in Sweden for less than six months, the employee could be entitled to special income tax for foreign residents. The department will need to apply for the special income tax for foreign residents (SINK), the department also needs to request the allocation of a coordination number. Find more information on Skatteverkets website.

Registering an international bank account with Swedbank

If the new employee will be staying in Sweden for less than a year, can be difficult to open a Swedish bank account. If the person has an existing international bank account this can instead be used to register with Swedbank for salary payment.  The registration procedure at Swedbank can take several weeks, so make sure the form is submitted in good time before the employment starts.

The new employee will need to fill in the form for international bank accounts, see Forms below. The person then need to visit a branch of Swedbank or Sparbank to hand in the form and register the international bank account.

For information about how to open a Swedish bank account, see Open a bank account.

Forms

Form for international bank accounts

It is important to support the new employee in their search for accommodation, e.g. by suggesting where they can start looking before arriving in Sweden.

SLU’s accommodation is earmarked for students and cannot be allocated to international staff. The recruiting department can issue a certificate that the new employee can show potential landlords, and give them contact details for someone at the department who can confirm that they are employed by SLU, something which may make it easier for them to secure accommodation before arriving.

If the employee intends to settle somewhere where finding accommodation is difficult, such as the Uppsala area, an option can be to advise them to get a sublet, and to look for a more permanent solution once they have arrived.

Umeå

Umeå kommun
Bostaden 
Blocket 
Kvalster 
Bostadsportal 
Hyra Bostad
Hyresvärdslistan 

Uppsala 

Uppsala Bostadsförmedling 
Blocket 
Kvalster 
Heimstaden 
Bostadsportal
Studentboet 
Hyra Bostad 
Hyresvärdslistan
Eklundshofs fastigheter  

Alnarp - Malmö

Boplats Syd 
Ikano Bostad 
Blocket 
Kvalster 
Bostadsportal 
Hyra Bostad 
Hyresvärdslistan 

Alnarp - Lund

Lunds Kommuns Fastighets AB
Blocket 
Kvalster 
Bostadsportal 
Hyra Bostad 
Hyresvärdslistan 

Skara

Centrumbostäder 
Blocket 
Kvalster 
Bostadsportal
Hyra Bostad
Hyresvärdslistan

For certain key staff, it is possible to apply for tax relief for work in Sweden for a maximum of five years. The department should explore this possibility by submitting an application to the Taxation of Research Workers Board. Such an application can be prepared well ahead of time, but should only be completed and submitted once the researcher has arrived in Sweden, and no later than three months after they have taken up employment.

You can find more information on applying for tax relief on the staff web. The Swedish Tax Agency also has information on tax relief, in Swedish and English.

Employers who employ a non-EU/EEA national must notify the Swedish Tax Agency of this by submitting the form Notification employment of a foreigner no later than the 12^th in the month after the employment started.

The department is responsible for notifying the Tax Agency. This only has to be done once, you do not need to submit a new notification if, e.g., a time-limited appointment is extended. 

More information is available at the Swedish Tax Agency.