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If you are registered in the Swedish Population Register
Last updated: 5/11-2024
If you come from Ukraine and are registered in the Swedish Population Register, you have many of the same rights and obligations as anyone else who lives in Sweden. Certain rights differ depending on when you were registered. You have more rights if you were registered before 1 November 2024.
Get support to find work through an introduction programme
If you are registered in the Swedish Population Register, you can participate in the Swedish Public Employment Service’s introduction programme. The introduction programme consists of individually tailored initiatives and support, combined with actively searching for a job. The goal is to be able to learn Swedish, find a job and financially support yourself as quickly as possible. You must be between 20 and 65 years of age to participate in the programme.
When you participate in the introduction programme, you can apply for financial support from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan). This is called introduction benefit. During the initial assessment period of the introduction programme, you will receive introduction benefit of SEK 231 per day. You will then receive SEK 308 per day for as long as you participate in the programme.
When you participate in the introduction programme, you may also be entitled to:
- supplementary introduction benefit, if you have children that live with you
- housing benefit, if you live alone in your own accommodation.
Register with the Swedish Public Employment Service to participate in the introduction programme
Register with the Swedish Public Employment Service and inform them that you want to participate in the introduction programme in one of the following ways:
- If you have e-ID, register on the Swedish Public Employment Service’s website.
- Visit a service office.
If you have difficulty supporting yourself while waiting for introduction benefit
Once you are registered in the Swedish Population Register, you are no longer entitled to a daily allowance from the Swedish Migration Agency. If you participate in the introduction programme, you can receive introduction benefit instead.
The daily allowance from the Swedish Migration Agency is paid in advance, while Försäkringskassan pays out introduction benefit one month in arrears. This may lead to a gap between when you receive your final daily allowance and your first introduction benefit payment.
If you have difficulty supporting yourself while waiting for introduction benefit, you can apply for financial assistance from your municipality.
Improve your Swedish through regular practice
If you would like to improve your Swedish, you can register for the course Swedish for Immigrants (SFI), which is organised by your municipality. Some municipalities also offer courses in Swedish as a second language, which you can take after completing SFI. Contact the municipality where you live for further information on SFI and Swedish as a second language.
You can also practice Swedish on your own. Visit “Learn Swedish” at Informationsverige.se, where you will find free exercises and videos for practising your Swedish using a computer or a mobile phone.
You can apply for an ID card from the Swedish Tax Agency
Once you have a personal identity number you can apply to the Swedish Tax Agency for an ID card. ID cards issued by the Swedish Tax Agency are approved identity documents in Sweden.
You can apply at any service centre that issues ID cards. You will need to make an appointment and pay a fee before you visit the service centre.
How your housing will be affected
Being registered in the Swedish Population Register will affect your housing situation in various ways depending on what type of accommodation you currently live in. Regardless of the type of accommodation, you will have to pay your own rent.
If you have arranged your own accommodation, you can remain there
If you have arranged your own accommodation, you can continue to live there once you are registered in the Swedish Population Register.
If you need to move, you are responsible for finding new accommodation. Some municipalities have their own housing agency where you can search for accommodation. The municipality can also give you tips about private landlords. The Swedish Migration Agency cannot help you to find accommodation once you are registered in the Swedish Population Register.
You must move if you live in temporary accommodation provided by the Swedish Migration Agency
Once you are registered in the Swedish Population Register, you can no longer live in accommodation provided by the Swedish Migration Agency. Instead, the Swedish Migration Agency will find out which municipality has a place available for you. The municipality will arrange accommodation for you.
You cannot choose which municipality will arrange accommodation for you. This means that you may need to move to another municipality.
You may need to move if the municipality has arranged accommodation for you
If you live in accommodation that the municipality arranged for you before you were registered in the Swedish Population Register, you will probably be able to remain in the municipality. You may need to move elsewhere within the municipality.
If you were registered before 1 November 2024 you may be entitled to housing allowance
If you were registered in the Swedish Population Register before 1 November 2024, you may be entitled to financial support to help you pay your rent. This is called housing allowance. To apply for housing allowance, contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan).
If you need medical care
If you are registered in the Swedish Population Register, you are entitled to healthcare on the same terms as anyone else who lives in Sweden. This means, for example, that you pay the same patient fees as everyone else registered in the region where you live.
You are also entitled to:
- high-cost protection, meaning you will pay a lower price for healthcare, dental care and medications above a certain amount; and
- state-funded dental care.
Children registered in the Population Register, or who meet the criteria for registration, must go to school
Children registered in the Swedish Population Register, or who meet the criteria for registration, must go to school in Sweden. Compulsory education applies to your child regardless of whether or not they have completed the registration process.
If your child is not already in school you must contact the municipality in which you live.
Financial support for parents
There are various forms of financial support and benefits for parents and guardians. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) pays out this compensation. You must fulfil certain requirements to qualify for compensation.
Parental benefit instead of working
If you take leave from work to care for your child, you can apply for parental benefit.
Compensation for caring for a sick child (VAB)
If you need to stay home from work to care for a sick child, you can apply for temporary parental benefit (VAB).
Parental benefit and temporary parental benefit if you are a student or jobseeker
If you are a student or jobseeker and you were registered in the Swedish Population Register before 1 November 2024, you can apply for parental benefit or temporary parental benefit to care for a sick child (VAB).
Different rules apply if you are a student or jobseeker who was registered in the Swedish Population Register on 1 November 2024 or later, in which case you can only apply for parental benefit or temporary parental benefit to care for a sick child (VAB) if you have worked in Sweden for at least six months.
If you were registered before 1 November 2024 you may be entitled to child allowance
If you were registered in the Swedish Population Register before 1 November 2024, you may be entitled to child allowance. To qualify, your child must also have been registered before 1 November 2024.
If you have a functional impairment
If you have a disability, you are not entitled to support under the Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS). However, you can contact your municipality to find out what support is available where you live.
If you applied for and were granted support under LSS before 1 November 2024, you are still entitled to that support.
You can study at a higher education institution
You may study at a higher education institution or higher vocational education institution in Sweden. You do not need to pay an application fee or tuition fees. You must meet the entry requirements for the course or programme in question.
If you participate in the introduction programme, it may be possible to receive financial support in the form of introduction benefit in order to study. The Swedish Public Employment Service decides whether you can receive introduction benefit while you study.
You are not entitled to student finance from Swedish Board of Student Finance (CSN).
If you are 66 years of age or over
If you are 66 years of age or over, your entitlement to financial support varies depending on when you were registered in the Swedish Population Register.
If you were registered on or after 1 November 2024, you can apply for financial assistance from the municipality if you have difficulty supporting yourself. Contact your municipality to find out which support is available to you.
If you were registered before 1 November 2024 you may be entitled to support from the Swedish Pensions Agency
If you are 66 years of age or over and you were registered in the Swedish Population Register before 1 November 2024, you may be entitled to housing supplement and financial support for the elderly. This is financial support for those with a low or no pension. Apply to the Swedish Pensions Agency. The decision on whether you are entitled to housing supplement or financial support for the elderly rests with the Swedish Pensions Agency.
Questions and answers
Yes, you can participate in the introduction programme if you work part-time. For example, you can take SFI and work part-time.
You cannot participate in the introduction programme if you work full-time or are self-employed.
Yes, you can study through the introduction programme. For example, you can study:
- SFI within adult education in the municipality where you live
- at folk high school
- at a higher vocational education institution
- at a higher education institution.
