Moving to Sweden as an American

4 min read Original article ↗

A parenthetical departure

Now that my immigration is complete, I wanted to save a few notes on how the process looked for me and what I've learned so far.

My immigration process

  1. Meet a Swede

  2. Marry the Swede

  3. Apply for a residence permit online

    1. Interview at the embassy (3 months after applying)
    2. Wait for Migrationsverket's decision via email (in my case: arrived 6.5 months after applying)

  4. Submit biometrics (photo and fingerprints) at the embassy

    • This step can be completed after arrival in Sweden, but I wanted my permit card ASAP so I booked an appointment with the embassy (if I did this again, I would ask if I could submit my biometrics during the interview, to avoid flying out to DC twice)
    1. Wait for Migrationsverket to issue my permit card and ship it to the embassy (in my case: arrived 3 weeks after submitting biometrics)
    2. Provide embassy with FedEx shipping label to ship permit card to me

  5. Apply for jobs in Sweden online

    • As soon as my application was granted via email, I started applying for English-speaking roles I found through the JobsInSweden job board (I went through a 2-month interview process before receiving an offer)

  6. Apply for a personnummer online (notify Skatteverket of my move to Sweden 2 weeks before entering the country)

    1. Book an identity check appointment at a Skatteverket office (I booked the same day I submitted my notification and selected the earliest slot after my arrival date)
    2. Wait for my personnummer to arrive in mail (in my case: arrived 1 week after identity check)

  7. Apply for an ID card in-person

    1. Pay for application online and book an ID card appointment at a Skatteverket office (I booked the same day I received my personnummer and selected the earliest slot)
    2. Wait for Skatteverket to issue ID card (in my case: issued 1 week after appointment)
    3. Pick up ID card at the Skatteverket office

  8. Apply for a bank account in-person

    • I brought my filled forms, ID card, work contract, and 6 months of bank account statements to open a privatkonto (private account) at Swedbank
    1. Set up BankID mobile app
    2. Set up Swedbank mobile app
    3. Set up Swish mobile app
    4. Order a debit card (arrives in 5 business days via mail)

  9. THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER

Now that I'm here

  • Who moves to Sweden in the dead of winter? Me, apparently. Even Swedes have left the country to vacation in warmer weather.

  • We're on three housing queue lists, which I've learned is how we can rent apartments affordably (first-hand contract). The alternative is a second-hand contract (sublet) and these are much more expensive, best to avoid.

  • I was warned about "the Swedish piece." If there's a last piece of food on the plate, it's considered very rude to take it. Even if everyone says it's okay, never take the last piece. Instead, cut it in half so there's still a piece left. People will keep doing this until there is a tiny sliver left on the plate. (I was mindful of this in the office; I took the last piece when no one was in the kitchen to see. 🙃)

  • It's polite to wait for everyone to sit at the table before starting to eat. This applies when the group is 7 or less. If there are 8 or more people, this rule doesn't need to be followed. (I'm struggling with this fork and knife thing. I miss my chopsticks.)

  • "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." Everyone said it would be cold and dark, but honestly, everything's fine and comfy. We picked up warm clothes the first weekend, and I'm a cave person anyway, so what's a little darkness?

  • I am learning to make sounds with my mouth that it never made before. My English (how the same letters are pronounced) and Mandarin (tones) are getting in the way a bit.

  • The notice period for change is longer. If I want to leave my job or apartment (or they want me to leave), there's a 3-month period for both of us to transition.

  • My U.S. driver's license is valid for 1 year, but I'm in a city with public transport that actually works, so I'm not interested in driving. When I downloaded Västtrafik (mobile app for buying public transport tickets), they gave me a free 14-day ticket as a welcome for moving here. I will buy the annual ticket once my free ticket ends.

  • The pizzas are different (there is a banana curry pizza). My favorite is the kebab salad pizza.

#process