Moving to Sweden from the UK

What Brexit changed

Since 1 January 2021 British citizens have been third-country nationals in Sweden. Free movement no longer applies. To live here you need a residence permit from Migrationsverket, and as a rule it must be granted before you travel.

If you were already living in Sweden before 1 January 2021 your position is different. The Withdrawal Agreement protects your rights, and the document that shows them is called uppehållsstatus (residence status). The UK government advises British residents here to carry the card at the border.

The routes in, with the requirement and the money for each one, are collected on moving to Sweden. The UK government's own country guide is Living in Sweden on GOV.UK.

A visit is not a move

As a British citizen you may enter the Schengen area without a visa and stay for 90 days in any 180-day period. Days in every Schengen country count, not only the days in Sweden.

• Your passport must have been issued less than ten years before you arrive.
• It must be valid for at least three months after you leave the Schengen area.
• Overstaying the 90 days can mean a ban on entry for up to three years.
• A residence permit or a long-stay visa does not count towards the 90 days.

Since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully in use. The first time you enter, your fingerprints and photo are registered, and the record is valid for three years.

ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. It costs EUR 20 and is valid for three years or until your passport expires. Children under 18 and people over 70 pay no fee.

The routes in if you are moving from the UK

Britons are assessed against the same rules as everyone else outside the EU. Five routes are realistic, and each has one requirement you must meet before you travel.

• Work permit. You need an offer of employment from a Swedish employer, a salary of at least SEK 34,470 a month and insurance through the employer. Some shortage occupations have a lower floor of SEK 28,725. The fee is SEK 2,200.
• Looking for work. With a degree at advanced level you can get a permit for up to nine months. You show SEK 13,000 for every month you apply for and comprehensive health insurance. The fee is SEK 2,200.
• Studies. You must be admitted to full-time studies, have paid the tuition fee and show SEK 10,656 a month for applications made in 2026. The fee is SEK 1,500.
• Your own business. You must own at least 51 per cent of the company and show SEK 200,000 for yourself for two years.
• Family. If your partner, child or parent already lives here the relationship is what is examined, and the person in Sweden must meet the maintenance requirement and have adequate housing. The fee is SEK 2,000 for an adult.

Migrationsverket states one month for a work permit for highly qualified work and four months for other work, for complete applications. For family reunification, 75 per cent of recently decided cases took up to 14 months.

You apply from outside Sweden. Coming as a tourist and applying on the spot does not work, even with a job offer. The exception is narrow: you must have travelled here specifically to meet the employer, the job must be in a shortage occupation and the salary must reach the salary floor.

What is different if you are British

Sweden treats four things differently for Britons than for most other people from outside the EU. They are worth planning for.

• The driving licence. A UK licence can be exchanged for a Swedish one at Transportstyrelsen, and unlike most licences from outside the EEA it does not stop being valid once you have been registered here for a year. To exchange it you must be permanently resident here and meet the personal and medical requirements.
• Healthcare. Once you are in the population register you get Swedish healthcare on the same terms as everyone else. If you hold an S1 form, which UK state pensioners often do, the NHS pays for your care here. The GHIC card covers visits, not moves.
• The pension. The UK State Pension is still paid when you live in Sweden. Sweden and the UK have a double taxation agreement, so the same income should not be taxed twice.
• Your belongings. Tullverket can grant relief from customs duty and VAT on your household goods. You must have lived outside the EU for at least a year, have owned and used the items for at least six months, and intend to live in Sweden for at least a year.

If you bring a dog or a cat, Jordbruksverket's rules apply: a microchip fitted before the rabies vaccination, a valid vaccination, and an animal health certificate that is valid for ten days for the journey to Sweden.

Money, rent and finding somewhere to live

The salary floor and the cost of living are linked, but they are not the same thing. SEK 34,470 a month before tax is what the permit requires, not a measure of what life here costs.

• A single person in a big city needs roughly SEK 13,000 to 22,000 a month for rent, food, travel and bills.
• Two adults with two children usually land at SEK 28,000 to 42,000 a month.
• Healthcare, preschool and medicine are capped, so those bills cannot rise without limit.
• VAT is already in the shelf price: 25 per cent on most things and 12 per cent on food.

Housing is the hardest part. A first-hand contract with a regulated rent usually comes only through a municipal housing queue, and in Stockholm that means many years. Most new arrivals start with a second-hand contract, which is quicker to get but costs more.

The figures city by city are on the cost of living in Sweden, and the bank, where British arrivals often get stuck, has a page of its own: opening a bank account in Sweden.

After the move: personnummer and what comes next

Report your move at a Skatteverket service centre once you are here. A stay of twelve months or more means population registration and a personnummer. Shorter stays get a samordningsnummer (coordination number).

With the personnummer in place the rest follows in order: ID card, bank account, BankID, a local health centre, and svenska för invandrare (SFI) through your kommun (municipality).

Two further steps come later. A permanent residence permit takes time on a temporary permit, being able to support yourself, and an orderly life. Since 6 June 2026 the main rule for citizenship is 8 years of hemvist (the time you have lived in Sweden), being able to support yourself, and knowledge of Swedish and of Swedish society.

The steps after arrival are set out in New to Sweden, and the requirements further ahead on the permanent residence permit and the citizenship test.

Common questions about moving from the UK