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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.

A man working from home as a self-employed person in Sweden
Considering moving to Sweden to work as a self-employed person? Here's what you should know. Photo: Isabell Höjman/TT

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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For members

PROPERTY

Seven gorgeous Swedish holiday homes for less than a million kronor

Fancy owning a beautiful red wooden cottage in Sweden for the same price as a shed in London or New York? It's the best time in years for foreigners to buy property in the Nordic nation, thanks to the weak krona.

Seven gorgeous Swedish holiday homes for less than a million kronor

With its chilly winter climate, famously expensive restaurants and unfamiliar language, Sweden might not seem like the obvious place to move to or buy a holiday home in. But if you’re paying in foreign currency, now may be the time to buy.

Swedish properties offer owners the chance to enjoy some of Scandinavia’s most pristine lakes and deep green forests alongside historic towns and villages. Plus Sweden has longer days and more sunlight than much of Europe during the summer months, when temperatures can regularly climb to 25 degrees in the south.

In general, Swedes look for holiday homes closer to the coast and nearer to major cities, so prices are much lower inland near smaller towns. Central Skåne is a good bet for warmer weather and easy access from the rest of Europe, but if you want really cheap prices you should head further north.

Here is an entirely impartial selection of properties costing less than a million kronor (at the time of publication: €90,084, $96,691, £79,023).

Andåsen 152, Härjedalens municipality

This red wooden summer house in Härjedalen, northern Sweden complete with its own sauna is a steal at just 450,000 kronor (€40,380). Although the property ad states that it only has two rooms, you’ll actually have access to two wooden cottages.

The first has one bedroom, as well as an open plan kitchen/living area with a woodburner and an open fireplace, and the second has a large reception room with windows in three directions as well as your very own woodburning sauna.

If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also have access to a guest cottage with space for up to four people to sleep.

The cottages are located by Andåssjön lake, on a small hill surrounded by forest and ten minutes away from a sandy beach with a bathing spot and space for you to put your boat.

Andåsen lies a half an hour drive from Härjedalen-Sveg airport which has direct connections to Stockholm’s Arlanda airport. Why not spend a few days in the Swedish capital before heading out into nature for the summer?

Sandy beaches on Seskarö in northern Sweden. Photo: Simon Eliasson/TT

Seskarö, Haparanda

This one-story three bedroom house on the market for 850,000 kronor (€76,615) is suitable as a summer house or permanent residence. The house lies on the island of Seskarö, 24 kilometres southwest of Haparanda in northern Sweden.

Just a stone’s throw from the beach, this summer house provides easy access to swimming and fishing spots, as well as a number of restaurants on the island.

Although it comes into its element in the summer – there’s a garden with enough space for growing vegetables – this house also has a cosy open fireplace and a sauna to keep you warm during the winter.

Seskarö is around an hour and a half by car from Luleå, which has direct flights to Stockholm.

Hultsfred, Småland

This four-bedroom house in the small town of Hultsfred in Småland could be yours for 795,000 kronor (€71,357). Hultsfred is a popular town during the summer with nearby lakes providing great opportunities for swimming and walking, with Knästorp nature reserve on your doorstep.

The house, located in central Hultsfred, has recently been renovated with a modern kitchen and two bathrooms perfect for a large family. It’s not classified as a summer house, which means you’d be able to live here all year round if you wanted.

It takes around two hours to reach Hultsfred via train from Linköping, which has direct flights to all major Swedish airports, as well as Toulouse and Amsterdam.

Småland is known for its lakes and forests. Photo: August Dellert/imagebank.sweden.se

Yxenhaga, Småland

These red cottages situated in the summer house resort of Yxenhaga in Småland are surrounded by nature, with forests and lakes within walking distance. The cottages are now on sale, with a mix of one bedroom, two bedroom and studio cottages on offer. Prices range from 725,000 kronor (€65,160) for a one bedroom cottage to 1,050,000 kronor (€94,370) if you want to buy a one-bed and studio cottage together.

Despite their location on a summer resort, these cottages are classed as all-year residencies, meaning you can stay in them whenever you like – even full time, if you wanted.

These cottages are very family friendly with playgrounds on the resort site, and there are many activities on offer in the surrounding area, such as canoeing, fishing, swimming, ball games and even a sauna with a view of the water.

Jönköping is the closest town, with the bus from nearby Kinnebro – a fifteen minute cycle ride away – taking around 40 minutes.

The closest major international airport is in Gothenburg, which can be reached in two hours by car or three and a half hours by public transport.

Vittsjö, Skåne

This charming two-bedroom torp cottage, priced at 795,000 kronor (€71,357) and built in 1915, is situated 6.5 kilometres outside the Scanian town of Vittsjö with a view over forests, fields and meadows. It takes around 10 minutes to walk down to Öresjön lake for a swim.

The Skåneleden bike route runs through Vittsjö, making this a great option for cycle enthusiasts. Photo: Apelöga/imagebank.sweden.se

Despite its location out in the countryside, it takes under two hours to get to Vittsjö from Copenhagen Airport via train through Hässleholm, making this a great choice for a summer house if you live in the rest of Europe and would like to be able to get here in under a day.

Slite, Gotland

This little summer house in Slite on the island of Gotland has one room and a kitchenette, as well as a little veranda with a view of the sea. It’s on the market for 950,000 kronor (€85,450), and can be rented out to earn some money when you’re not using it.

Just a stone’s throw away from Gotland’s only archipelago, this is the perfect summer house if you like spending time on the water, with daily boat tours available to book during summer.

There are a number of activities on offer within walking distance, such as a tennis court, sports hall, ice skating rink, mountaine bike routes and walking trails. You can also rent kayaks and bikes in the resort.

The association also offers a floating sauna which can be rented for 50 kronor.

There is a direct bus from Slite to Visby, which takes one hour, and direct flights from Visby airport to Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Norrköping airports.

Fårösund, Gotland

A timeshare in this tip-top summer house in Northern Gotland, where you would be able to stay for five weeks a year, is currently on the market for 450,000 kronor (€40,495).

This house has three bedrooms, one bathroom and a guest toilet, as well as a smaller building for guests. It also has ample outside space with two gardens, a sheltered inner courtyard and a patio with sea views.

Fårö island off the coast of northern Gotland. Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se

The house is by Kronhaga beach in Fårösund, a small town with restaurants, shops, cafes and other amenities. Suitable for relaxation or active holidays, there are walking trails, tennis and padel courts nearby, as well as Fårö island – the home of late Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman – which can be reached by an eight-minute ferry ride.

Fårösund is an hour and a half away from Visby by direct bus, or just under an hour by car.

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