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PROFESSIONALS

How to succeed as a professional in Sweden

If you want to continue your career in your adopted land then you are likely to need some extra Swedish 'recognition.' Fortunately, it is quite straightforward to further your working life with the right advice and support.

Published: 13 March 2015 08:48 CET
How to succeed as a professional in Sweden
You're working on the hard part. Making your way through university, getting your degree and embarking on your professional career.

What if you decide to stay in Sweden, or return to Sweden at a later date?

Naturally, you want to continue practicing your profession. In order to do that, though, you're going to need some extra paperwork before you can start earning the kronor.

IN PICTURES: Find out which professions might need a permit or additional paperwork before you start working in Sweden

For example, a doctor who has got their qualifications overseas can't just pick up their stethoscope and walk into a Stockholm hospital and carry on as they did before. Complying with Swedish law and regulations is imperative if you want to continue your professional working life in your new country.

"It all depends on what type of education and experience you've got before you come to Sweden. For most professionals they are going to need what we call 'recognition' of their qualifications before they can work," Eures (European Employment Services) adviser Arne Arvidsson of the Swedish Employment Agency (Arbetsförmedlingen) told The Local.

There is in excess of 40 professions that require 'recognition' from Sweden, all the way from becoming a practicing advokat (lawyer) to saving animals as as a veterinär (veterinary surgeon). Medical professionals in particular are in demand across the country, said Arvidsson.

Read the stories of foreigners who found successful careers in Sweden

"Right now there is a need for more doctors and nurses. They need to contact the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) to see if they are suitable to work here."

Typically, a doctor from overseas will then be given a contract with a hospital after they have been approved by the health board.

Mastering the Swedish language is considered essential if you want to thrive in your new country. English may be enough, however, depending on your line of work. Better still, mechanical engineers don't need any extra "recognition" to begin employment.

"Along with doctors there is a huge demand for skilled engineers in Sweden. Engineering firms will often employ people who have English and not Swedish as the job doesn't require it."

Perfect Swedish would certainly come in handy for anybody who wants to practice law, as would mastering the nuances of the justice system in this country.

"Lawyers have to contact the Advokatsamfund (Swedish Bar Association) and fully understand the Swedish law system as it can be quite different from what they have trained in before," added Arvidsson.

Ten fun tips for learning Swedish

For many expats, their first route into Swedish employment is taking up a teaching post. Qualification requirements are more stringent now with professional teachers needing "recognition" from Skolverket (Swedish National Agency for Education).

But before you pack your bags and head for a Swedish classroom, be warned as Arvidsson says there is a "surplus" of teachers.

Not all professionals need further "recognition" from Sweden. Most media professionals, such as journalists, can work without any barriers – besides the lack of jobs – here.

"Sweden is not exactly crying out for journalists. There are many who are unemployed but they can at least work here without any issues," concluded Arvidsson.

Professionals who are considering making the switch to Sweden need to contact the Employment Agency and set up a meeting with an adviser, he added.

Sweden has many trained in multiple languages to suit the candidate's needs.

Top ten tips for entrepreneurs in Sweden

For members

MOVING TO SWEDEN

READER QUESTION: How can I move to Sweden as a self-employed person?

Are you self-employed and thinking about moving to Sweden? Not sure what to do, or what rules apply to you? Here's our guide.

Published: 28 February 2023 14:23 CET
READER QUESTION: How can I move to Sweden as a self-employed person?

The process for moving to Sweden as a self-employed person varies depending on where you come from. Your citizenship will determine whether you apply to the Tax Agency or the Migration Agency, as well as whether you need to apply for a permit (uppehållstillstånd) or whether you have the right of residence under EU law.

Here’s a rundown of the rules for each different group.

Nordic citizens (Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland)

As a Nordic citizen, you don’t need a residence permit (uppehållstillstånd) or right of residence (uppehållsrätt) to live in Sweden. All you need to do is go to the Tax Agency upon arrival in Sweden and register yourself and any family members as resident in Sweden.

You may need to prove that you are planning on living in Sweden for at least a year in order to be registered in the population register and given a personnummer.

EU/EEA citizens

As an EU/EEA citizen, you have the right to work, study or live in Sweden without a residence permit (uppehållstillstånd), and that this includes starting and running your own company.

You do, however, still need to meet certain criteria in order to fulfil the requirements for right of residence under EU rules (uppehållsrätt).

There are different options for fulfilling the right of residence requirement as a self-employed EU/EEA citizen, and both require registering at the Tax Agency rather than the Migration Agency.

The first is as a self-employed person, which means you’ll have to prove that you have a business which either is currently running in Sweden, or is in the planning stages.

You’ll need to provide documents to back this up, which could include things like proof that you have F-tax (the tax status for self-employed people and freelancers), a marketing plan, a registration certificate for your company, and a copy of the lease for any premises you will be using.

You may also need to prove that you have previous experience and skills relevant to your company or the work you’re planning on doing in Sweden, receipts and invoices for any material you’ve purchased, as well as accounting documents showing how much VAT you have paid or are expecting to pay.

You’ll need to take these to the Tax Agency along with your passport and any documents proving your relationship to any family members you’ll be registering at the same time, such as your marriage certificate or registered partnership certificate for your spouse or partner, and a birth certificate for any children.

The second route is as someone “providing or performing services“, which is the route you should use if you’re self-employed abroad but will be providing a service to a recipient in Sweden, such as as a consultant or freelancer, for a limited time.

Under this route, you’ll need to take your passport and any family documents along to the Tax Agency, as well as a certificate describing the service you’ll be providing in Sweden, where you will be working or carrying out the service, and how long for. This needs to be signed by whoever you’ll be carrying out the service for in Sweden.

Note that you can only be registered in the Swedish population register and given a personal number if you can prove that you’ll be in Sweden for more than a year, but you still need to register your stay in Sweden as an EU citizen if you’re planning on being in Sweden for more than three months.

Non-EU or ‘third country’ citizens

If you’re a non-EU/EEA citizen and you want to be self-employed in Sweden you need to apply for a residence permit at the Migration Agency before you come to Sweden, with a few exceptions.

“You can ‘swap’ from studying to work permit and self-employed under certain conditions. And you can swap between work permit to self-employed and self-employed to work permit,” Robert Haecks, press spokesperson at the Migration Agency, told The Local.

So if you’re already in Sweden as an employee or student you don’t need to leave Sweden to apply for a permit to become self-employed.

For students, your permit to be in Sweden as a student must still be valid, and you must have completed at least 30 credits of your studies or a whole term as a research student.

If you’re planning on working in Sweden for less than three months, you do not need a residence permit, but you may need to apply for a visa depending on your citizenship.

Non-EU citizen working in Sweden longer than three months

If you’re planning on working in Sweden for longer than three months, you’ll need to apply for a “residence permit for people who have their own business”, as there is no specific residence permit for self-employed non-EU citizens.

There are quite a few conditions that need to be met in order for the Migration Agency to be satisfied that you can really run a business in Sweden.

First off, you need a valid passport, and it’s a good idea to make sure this has at least a few years of validity left as you can’t get a permit for longer than your passport is valid.

Applicants will need to prove that they have experience in the industry and previous experience of running their own business, as well as relevant knowledge of Swedish or English (if most of their suppliers or customers will be Swedish, the Migration Agency will expect applicants to speak good Swedish).

You’ll need to prove you run the company and have responsibility for it, provide a budget with plausible supporting documentation and show that you have customer contacts or a network which you can use in your business via contracts or similar.

You will also need to provide a slew of financial and legal documents, such as a registration certificate for your company in Sweden, copies of contracts with customers, suppliers and premises, your two most recent financial statements if your company has already been in operation, and a balance sheet for the current financial year up until the month you apply. See a full list of the required documents here.

Finally, you’ll need to prove that you have enough money to provide for yourself and any family members who will be joining you. The Migration Agency states that this corresponds to “the equivalent of SEK 200,000 for you, SEK 100,000 for your accompanying wife/husband and SEK 50,000 for each accompanying child for a permit period of two years”. So, an applicant moving to Sweden with their spouse and two children will need at least 400,000 kronor in savings in order to qualify.

You will also have to pay a fee of 2,000 kronor in most cases.

The Migration Agency will then carry out an analysis of your plans for a business and decide whether it is good enough to grant you a residence permit.

If you get a permit to stay for six months or longer then your spouse and children may also live in Sweden. They can apply for a residence permit at the same time as you, or afterwards.

If you have a permit to be in Sweden as a self-employed person, your family members moving with you also have the right to work (as long as they are aged 16 or older). However you still must show that you can support them.

If you get a residence permit for Sweden as self-employed you will only be allowed to work in your own business.

Talent visa for non-EU citizens

There is another option for highly-qualified applicants who want to move to Sweden to research setting up a new business, which you may also qualify for if you’re interested in moving to Sweden as a self-employed person.

This is the “talent visa”, more specifically referred to as a “resi­dence permit for highly quali­fied persons to look for work or start a busi­ness”.

This permit allows non-EU citizens with a higher-level degree to apply for a visa of between three to nine months, which they can then use to stay in Sweden while they look for work or research setting up a new business.  

You can read more on how to apply for the talent visa here.

By Loukas Christodoulou and Becky Waterton

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