(edit title) Swedish ID Kort nonsense Are we in EU? Options

[Gabi.T]

Hi everyone,

I had a recent situation that I want to share with all the readers of this forum, maybe this way it will reach the right ears and somethings is done about it.

I am a Romanian citizen, I moved to Sweden a few months ago and I register with Sketteverket (got a personnummer), Forsakringskassan, Arbetsförmedlingen, SFI... and the list goes on. I wanted also to get a Swedish ID kort as everyone keep asking me for one everywhere I went.

So finally I opened Skatteverket's home page and looked at the conditions for obtaining a ID. Now the fairy tale begings:

1. On the swedish language version of the webpage Romanian passport issued after 1 september 2006 are approved identity documents.
2. On the english version is states that Romanian passports (regardless of the date of issue) are not approved identity documents.
3. I immediately wrote an email to Skatteverket and got this reply:
"Just för rumänska pass har man ändrat reglerna efter att informationen på
hemsidan lades till. Dock skall jag påpeka för de ansvariga att rätt
information även skall framgå på den engelska versionen av godtagbara
id-handlingar.

När det gäller rumänska pass som är utfärdat efter 1 december 2008 är det
en gilltig id-handling. Rumänska pass som är utfärdat före den 1 december
2008 godtas inte som ett giltigt pass."

For those of you who don't understand swedish it basically says that romanian passports issued after the 1st of december 2008 are approved identity documents.
4. After receiving this answer and because my passports is issued in august 2009 I payed the 400kr fee and went to apply for my ID-kort.
Of course when i arrived at the desk the nice lady told me that my passport is not approved and that it should be issued after the 1st of november 2009 to be approved and that it has to be a biometric passport (with a chip). So let's review this:

Swedish version: 1.09.2006
English version: Not approved
Email from Skatteverket: 1.12.2008
Desk: 1.11.2009 biometric

Needless to say that Romania is an EU country and that I am an EU citizen and of course my passport should be valid regardless of the issue date or any other aspect.

After receiving the answer from the lady at the desk I showed her the email I got from Skatteverket and she couldn't believe it. She said she thinks it is wrong and i got the wrong info but she was nice enough to call the person that sent me the email and try to speak with her but unfortunately she didn't answer.
She send me to take the photo and complete the file though, and she told me she will try to find out more, and that there is no guarantee that I will get the card.

So, is this really what Skatteverket is all about? Four different answers from the same institution and no clue about their rules?

It's a pity because I like Sweden and swedish people but this was just plain rubbish.

[Monark540]

I got lucky when I applied for an ID card as my EU passport was fairly new and had a chip - I agree that the info is confusing, misleading and even incorrect. The one constant seems to be that you need a new passport with a chip in order to get the ID. Hope it gets sorted out for you.

Having got the ID back in June, I am now having trouble remembering when I actually needed to use it!

[Furu]

Hi everyone, I had a recent situation that I want to share with all the readers of this forum, maybe this way it will reach the right ears and somethings is done about i ... (show full quote)

Hi everyone,

I had a recent situation that I want to share with all the readers of this forum, maybe this way it will reach the right ears and somethings is done about it.

I am a Romanian citizen, I moved to Sweden a few months ago and I register with Sketteverket (got a personnummer), Forsakringskassan, Arbetsförmedlingen, SFI... and the list goes on. I wanted also to get a Swedish ID kort as everyone keep asking me for one everywhere I went.

So finally I opened Skatteverket's home page and looked at the conditions for obtaining a ID. Now the fairy tale begings:

1. On the swedish language version of the webpage Romanian passport issued after 1 september 2006 are approved identity documents.
2. On the english version is states that Romanian passports (regardless of the date of issue) are not approved identity documents.
3. I immediately wrote an email to Skatteverket and got this reply:
"Just för rumänska pass har man ändrat reglerna efter att informationen på
hemsidan lades till. Dock skall jag påpeka för de ansvariga att rätt
information även skall framgå på den engelska versionen av godtagbara
id-handlingar.

När det gäller rumänska pass som är utfärdat efter 1 december 2008 är det
en gilltig id-handling. Rumänska pass som är utfärdat före den 1 december
2008 godtas inte som ett giltigt pass."

For those of you who don't understand swedish it basically says that romanian passports issued after the 1st of december 2008 are approved identity documents.
4. After receiving this answer and because my passports is issued in august 2009 I payed the 400kr fee and went to apply for my ID-kort.
Of course when i arrived at the desk the nice lady told me that my passport is not approved and that it should be issued after the 1st of november 2009 to be approved and that it has to be a biometric passport (with a chip). So let's review this:

Swedish version: 1.09.2006
English version: Not approved
Email from Skatteverket: 1.12.2008
Desk: 1.11.2009 biometric

Needless to say that Romania is an EU country and that I am an EU citizen and of course my passport should be valid regardless of the issue date or any other aspect.

After receiving the answer from the lady at the desk I showed her the email I got from Skatteverket and she couldn't believe it. She said she thinks it is wrong and i got the wrong info but she was nice enough to call the person that sent me the email and try to speak with her but unfortunately she didn't answer.
She send me to take the photo and complete the file though, and she told me she will try to find out more, and that there is no guarantee that I will get the card.

So, is this really what Skatteverket is all about? Four different answers from the same institution and no clue about their rules?

It's a pity because I like Sweden and swedish people but this was just plain rubbish. ... (hide full quote)

You should feel lucky they ware willing to issue you the ID if you get a passport with a chip.

[Rick Methven]

Slava Domnuli

[BillyB]

Its good they are hard to get hold of, if they were easy to get there would be no point in having them

[Caribbean guy/Swedish Gal]

Youre not alone in this one..in June i applied payed the 400kr, took the pic and all that fun stuff only to recieve a letter stating that i have to wait for 6 months to apply (the website dident state that ).

When i called the number provided on the letter, i was told that they are making up rules as they go along and in order for me to get back my 400kr i had to write a letter stating that i was no longer interested in obtaining the card..'''

What a fukin Joke this countrys system is..

Well my 6 months is up and im gonna head on over there and see what new rules they made up this time

[pokerke]

I was at skatteverket yesterday and had a similar problem. My EU passport has a chip but is from just before September 2006. Luckily I was there with my partner who could vouch for my identity. So I should have my card in a few weeks

For me, the main problem is that they are now using the same rule about EU passport from after September 2006 in many different places (for example also vägverket). And I think the rule is in clear violation of European law.

I wrote a mail to the EU Citizen Signpost Service who can answer your questions about these kind of matters:
http://ec.europa.eu/citizensrights/

They confirmed me that skatteverket (and others like the post office or vägverket) has no right whatsoever to refuse any valid EU passport or identity card as legal proof of identity. They didn't tell me what I could do about it though. So I will mail them again and ask about that.

I also asked whether it is discrimination to make it so complicated for non-Swedish citizens to get an ID card in comparison to Swedish citizens that can quickly get it at a local police station. They said this is not discrimination because it's a different kind of card you get, so I guess there is not much we can do about that.

[Princess P]

Pokerke, they will tell you to contact Solvit, the ass-kicking section of the European Commission.
They have centres in every EU state. Here is their website:

http://ec.europa.eu/solvit/site/index_en.htm

[Princess P]

Interesting, an example of things they sort is listed on the first page. A British couple were refused permanent residence in Cyprus because they hadn't registered their stay after 3 months. Sound familiar?

This was illegal under EU law. Solvit stepped in and it was sorted.

[jim747]

Why do you need the card in the first place? Unless you have no driving licence, iv'e never had a problem showing my EU driving licence when asked for ID.

[sigursv]

It is also totally beyond me why they need the passports after a specific date. I know that the passport has the chip with the biometric information. But they don't use that, they just look at the page with the personal information. And that is the same information that the passport had before. There is no reason for them to require this, but it is very Swedish that they do.

[Gabi.T]

Why do you need the card in the first place? Unless you have no driving licence, iv'e never had a problem showing my EU driving licence when asked for ID.

Well the answer is simple, I'm tired of explaining to everyone that Romania is an EU country and that they should accept my passport and driving license as valid identity documents. Every time I had to identify myself I encountered one of those issues, but I managed to do it after all...

The paradox is that for example the Police can check your pass in 3 seconds as all the passports in Eu are linked to the same database. But it's more convenient to put a "doubt" on a person's identity and ask that he/she proves it, then just to check for themselves.

I will wait for Skatteverkets answer and then post back.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences regarding this issue.

[teslar]

Why do you need the card in the first place? Unless you have no driving licence, iv'e never had a problem showing my EU driving licence when asked for ID.

It can be useful if you need to prove your person number though. Although that probably doesn't happen that often in daily lfie.

[ladyluck37]

Servus, Gabi. When you went to Skatteverket and the person told you that the info in your email was wrong, did you ask to speak with someone higher up? I've found that politely asking (but at the same time insisting) to talk with a superior can really help, although they may not like it. It is THEIR job to tell you why they are refusing you an ID kort when you have been told you are in compliance, so don't be afraid to ask. I would also suggest trying a different Skatteverket office, as I have often gotten different responses from different places. For instance, the office in Uppsala was much more forthcoming and helpful in my situation (similiar to you where I was getting multiple answers). It was also less busy and the people were nicer than the one in central Stockholm.

[Gabi.T]

Servus,

It was not necessary to speak with management or something like that, the person at the front desk was more than helpful and told me if she were to decide, she would give me the ID-card herself and that she feels very sorry for this problem. In fact she was the one that told me to go through with the application and take the photo anyway. She also made some notes on my application (about 4 different answers, email and so on) so the next people that will handle my case and decide to issue the id or not, have all the information.

I know what you are saying is true and that it can happen to have two different results from the same institution, that's why I'm always prepared with a backup solution. In this case I just printed the email i got from Skatteverket.

My problem is not with the clerk or the manager in that particular office, it is with the fact that we are living in EU and all EU citizens must have the same rights.

In the end I might even get the stupid ID, but is just that you feel like your rights are being stepped on.