If you have fled the war in Ukraine
Last updated: 15/8-2024
All the information for people who have fled the war in Ukraine is here.
If you are arriving in Sweden from Ukraine you can stay for up to 90 days without a visa, if you have a biometric passport. If you want to work and for your children to be able to go to school you need to apply for a residence permit from the Migration Agency.
Applying for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive
If you have fled the war in Ukraine you may be entitled to a residence permit with temporary protection in Sweden under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive.
You can read more on the Migration Agency’s website about who can apply for a temporary residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive. It also has information about how to apply and what happens after you get a decision.
If you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive
The Temporary Protection Directive entitles you to:
- accommodation through the Migration Agency (you cannot choose the location)
- seek urgent medical care
- some financial support
- schooling for children
- work in Sweden.
Accommodation in Sweden
You can arrange your accommodation yourself or get accommodation with the help of the Migration Agency. If you choose to arrange your own accommodation you have to pay the rent yourself. Remember to notify the Migration Agency of your address if you arrange your own accommodation.
Note that the Migration Agency has a list of residential areas with social and economic challenges. If you choose to live in one of those areas you may lose your right to financial support from the Migration Agency. You can check on the Migration Agency’s website whether the address you want to move to is in an area that may affect your right to financial support from the Migration Agency.
Coordination number
As a general rule, if you have had a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive and have been in Sweden for less than two years, you cannot register in the Population Register. You can, however, obtain a coordination number if you presented ID documents when you applied for a residence permit.
A coordination number is a type of identity number which makes things easier when you contact government agencies, for example, when you sign an employment contract or when you open a bank account.
The Migration Agency requests a coordination number for people who have presented identity documents and been granted protection under the Temporary Protection Directive. The Swedish Tax Agency is in charge of issuing coordination numbers.
You can get help at a service centre
At service offices, you can get help and information from the Swedish Tax Agency, Swedish Public Employment Service, Försäkringskassan and Swedish Pensions Agency. The staff at service offices can help you to use the agencies’ e-services, fill in forms and complete applications, as well as providing information about your ongoing cases. At certain service offices, you can also get support from the Swedish Migration Agency.
Staff at service offices speak Swedish and English. If you need help in another language, staff can arrange an interpreter for you.
If you have brought a pet with you from Ukraine
If you have brought your dog, cat or other pet from Ukraine, you need to find out what rules apply for bringing the animal into Sweden.
This is important, as there are several cases of rabies every year in Ukraine, while the disease has been eradicated in Sweden. The aim of the rules is to prevent the spread of rabies.
If you need medical care
Adults who have a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive are entitled to emergency medical care, emergency dental care, and other urgent care. Medical care staff determine if your care needs are urgent. You are also entitled to care in connection with childbirth, care in connection with an abortion, advice on contraceptives, maternity care, and care under the Communicable Diseases Act (a law to prevent the spread of infectious diseases). To have access to these forms of care you first need to register with the Migration Agency. This applies for children as well as adults. You will also be offered a general health examination.
If you become ill or injured, or if you feel mentally unwell, you should begin by contacting a medical care centre. If you are unsure of when to seek care, you can always call 1177 Vårdguiden. The number is +46 771 1177 00. If it’s an emergency and someone’s life is in danger, call 112.
Websites with more information
Helpline for people who have fled war
The organisation Barnens rätt i samhället (Children’s Rights in Society, abbreviated Bris in Swedish) provides help and support to children. Bris has a helpline that you can call if you are under 18 and need to speak to an adult – if you are finding things difficult, for example, or if you are worried or feeling alone. Bris counsellors who speak Russian and Ukrainian are available. Calling Bris is free of charge, and you can remain anonymous if you wish.
The helpline number is 020-48 48 48.
If your child needs care
Children and young people under the age of 18 are entitled to the same medical care and dental care as other children living in Sweden. Children are usually offered care for free, but this may vary depending on where you live.
Children are also entitled to vaccinations against common infectious childhood diseases.
Financial support
If you don’t have money of your own, you can apply for financial support from the Migration Agency. The money you receive from the Migration Agency is intended to cover costs for food and clothes as well as personal expenses.
You can apply for financial support when you visit the Migration Agency or by sending an application form to the Migration Agency by post.
Bank account
If you have a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, you are entitled to open a bank account with a Swedish bank. To become a customer of a Swedish bank, you have to be able to prove your identity and answer questions about why you need a bank account.
Preschool and school for children
Children and young people who have granted residence permits with temporary protection are entitled to attend preschool and school. Public preschool, preschool class, compulsory school and upper secondary school are all free of charge. Get in touch with the municipality where you live and tell them that you want your children to attend preschool or school.
School attendance is not compulsory for children granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive who have been in Sweden for less than two years. However, if they do choose to attend a Swedish school, they must attend classes. If a pupil is regularly absent from school, or absent for an extended period of time, it is the headteacher’s duty to investigate why the pupil is absent, even if they are not subject to compulsory education.
Children registered in the Population Register, or who meet the criteria for registration, must go to school.
Working in Sweden
Arbetsförmedlingen’s website has information about how you go about looking for work in Sweden.
If you get a job, you have to register with the Tax Agency in order to pay tax.
If you get a job, you and your employer have to draw up an employment contract that specifies what your salary is. If you get a job, you also have to notify the Migration Agency of this.
If you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive and you have a job, you may be entitled to benefits such as sickness benefit if you become ill and unable to work. You apply for sickness benefit with Försäkringskassan.
Pages with further information
Education programmes for adults
Swedish for Immigrants (sfi)
Some municipalities offer the language course Swedish for Immigrants (sfi).
Some municipalities also offer courses in Swedish as a second language, which you can take after Sfi.
Contact the municipality where you live for more information about Sfi and Swedish as a second language.
"Learn Swedish” – pages for anyone who wants to learn Swedish
Informationsverige.se has “Learn Swedish” pages. Visit them if you want to practise your Swedish with the help of a computer or a mobile phone. There are exercises and videos, all of which are free of charge and easy to use.
Introduction to Swedish society for refugees from Ukraine
The Migration Agency arranges a digital introduction to Swedish society for anyone who has been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive.
You need to have internet access in order to attend the introduction to Swedish society. You will receive a letter with a link to the website where the introduction can be accessed.
The letter containing the link is sent to every person who has received a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive and who is 15 years of age or older. If you have not received a letter, contact your reception unit at the Migration Agency.
Studying at a university or university college
If you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, you can apply to study at a university or university college in Sweden. You do not need to pay an application fee or a tuition fee. You will not be eligible for student aid from Centrala studiestödsnämnden (CSN). In order to gain admission to higher education programmes in Sweden, you need to fulfil the qualification requirements for the programme in question.
You can apply for courses and programmes on the Universityadmissions.se website. This also has more information about qualification requirements for different courses and programmes.
If you have a foreign qualification
If you have a foreign qualification, you can request to have it assessed in order to know what it is equivalent to in Sweden and have it officially recognised. This can be a help if you want to apply for jobs or study in Sweden. The assessment and recognition are carried out by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet, UHR).
If you have a functional impairment
A functional impairment is a reduction of a person’s physical, mental or intellectual capability.
If you have a functional impairment that makes it difficult for you to communicate when you are in contact with the Migration Agency or with other government agencies, you are entitled to receive help and support.
A functional impairment does not affect your chances of being granted a residence permit.
You may also be entitled to accommodation that is adapted to your needs. Talk to your reception unit at the Migration Agency about what support you are entitled to.
If you have a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive you are not entitled to support under LSS (the Act on Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments). But you can contact your municipality and ask what support is available where you live.
There are several different organisations that provide help and support to people with functional impairments.
Activities where you live
There are various activities organised for people who have recently arrived in Sweden. Municipalities and associations have activities in which you can get to know new people and practise speaking Swedish. Other activities include those where you learn more about Swedish society and the Swedish labour market. There are also various activities that help you improve your health.
Contact your municipality or search on its website to find out what activities are available in your municipality.
If you have been subjected to violence or human trafficking
When large numbers of people are fleeing a region or country, they may be offered help by people who seem to mean well but who want to profit from the situation. There may be a risk of human trafficking and other forms of violence.
Bear the following things in mind if anyone offers to arrange travel, accommodation or work for you:
- Never hand over your passport, other important documents, or your phone.
- Ask people who offer to help you to prove their identity.
- Make sure you get information about the destination and contact details for the people responsible for making travel arrangements. Document all the information you get.
- Inform someone you trust about where you are, where you are going, and who you are travelling with.
- You are entitled to a salary if you work in Sweden. Never accept offers to exchange work for somewhere to live or for food or other goods.
- Contact the Swedish authorities. Register with the Migration Agency.
If you or someone you know are subjected to violence, help is available. Report or give tip-offs about crime to the police by calling +46 77-114 14 00. Call 112 if it’s an emergency.
If you or someone you know is being subjected to threats and violence, you can call Kvinnofridslinjen, the National Women’s Helpline. Kvinnofridslinjen is always open. Your call is free of charge. You do not need to give your name when you call. The number is +46 20-50 50 50. There are interpreters available to translate to and from several languages.
Questions and answers
The Migration Agency’s website lists some of the most frequently asked questions about the Temporary Protection Directive for refugees from Ukraine, and answers to them.
If you come from Ukraine and have had a residence permit granting temporary protection for two years
If you come from Ukraine and have had a residence permit granting temporary protection for two years or more, you must notify the Swedish Tax Agency that you have moved to Sweden so that you can apply to be registered in the Swedish Population Register.
If you were granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, your permit is valid until 4 March 2025. You will receive information before then about what to do when your residence permit expires.
No, that is not correct. You can start working straight away in Sweden once you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive.
If you want help finding a job in Sweden, you can register with Arbetsförmedlingen. If you are registered there, you are also eligible for certain types of subsidised employment, such as ”nystartsjobb” (“new start jobs”).
“New start jobs” are ordinary jobs, but where the person employing you receives financial compensation. You must have been registered as a jobseeker with Arbetsförmedlingen for at least six months in order for the employer to be able to employ you with the “new start job” subsidy.
If you need to renew your Ukrainian passport, you have to contact the Ukrainian Embassy in Sweden (Stockholm). You can make an appointment via phone or email.
No. You cannot apply for an extension to your residence permit to complete upper secondary studies. Your residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive is valid until 4 March 2025. You will receive information before then about what to do when your residence permit expires.
No. Residence permits under the Temporary Protection Directive have no connection with whether or not you are participating in an education programme in Sweden. If your child interrupts their schooling in Sweden, it will not affect their residence permit.
In order to drive a car in Sweden, you have to have turned 18 and have a driving licence.
You are allowed to drive a car in Sweden on your Ukrainian driving licence if it is valid in Ukraine. If you are stopped by the police, they can contact the Ukrainian authorities or ask you to show your ID in order to make sure the driving licence is valid. If your driving licence has not been translated, the police can also ask you to show a valid residence permit card (UT-kort) to prove that you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive.
Swedish traffic regulations apply even if you have a foreign driving licence. If you violate Swedish traffic regulations, the police or the Swedish Transport Agency can take away your driving licence even if it is a foreign licence.
Yes. You can sell your Ukrainian car in Sweden without registering it. The new owner will then have to register it.
If you need legal advice, you can contact a lawyer who specialises in migration matters. They will know what laws and regulations apply for Ukrainian refugees.
The Swedish police have a team investigating war crimes that may have occurred during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They want to hear from anyone who has been subjected to, or who has witnessed other civilians who have been subjected to, an armed attack or similar violence in Ukraine after 24 February 2022.
Email registrator.kansli@polisen.se and mark your message with “to the War Crimes Investigation Team”, or call the police’s Contact Centre at phone number +46 114 14 for help with contacting the right person.
Informationsverige.se is a website with information in several languages about Sweden and Swedish society. The website is managed by Sweden’s county administrative boards on instructions from the Swedish government.
If you have questions about how specific things work in Sweden or, for example, how to seek asylum, you have to ask the government agency responsible for that specific area. You can also contact a service centre.
In some municipalities, the local citizens’ office can answer your questions.
Please note that some of the information on some of these pages is of a general nature. This means that not all of the information may apply to you if you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive.
