If you wish to apply for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive
Last updated: 30/1-2025
If you have fled the war in Ukraine, you may be entitled to a residence permit granting protection under the Temporary Protection Directive.
You can learn more about who can apply for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website. You can also find out how to apply and what happens after a decision is made concerning an application for a residence permit.
After a decision concerning a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive
If you have been granted a residence permit with protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, among other things you are entitled to:
- accommodation through the Migration Agency (you cannot choose the location)
- seek urgent medical care
- some financial support
- schooling for children
- work in Sweden.
Notify the Swedish Tax Agency of your move to Sweden after one year
If you come from Ukraine and have had a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive for at least one year, you must notify the Swedish Tax Agency that you have moved to Sweden so that you can be registered in the Swedish Population Register. The Swedish Population Register is a list of everyone registered as a resident of Sweden. Once registered, you will be issued with a personal identity number.
You can arrange your own accommodation or the Swedish Migration Agency can assist you
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.
Please note that the Migration Agency keeps a list of socioeconomically challenged residential areas. If you choose to live in one of these areas, you may lose your right to financial assistance from the Swedish Migration Agency. On the Swedish Migration Agency’s website, you can check whether an address you are considering moving to is in an area that may affect your right to financial assistance from the Swedish Migration Agency.
You will be given a coordination number
If you have presented a valid identification document when applying for protection, the Swedish Tax Agency will issue you with a coordination number. A coordination number is a personal identity number that is useful when, for example, you need to contact government agencies, enter into an employment contract or open a bank account.
You do not need to order a coordination number yourself. The Swedish Migration Agency will request a coordination number on your behalf if you have presented a valid identification document and been granted protection under the Temporary Protection Directive.
A coordination number is not the same as a Swedish personal identity number and does not mean that you are registered in the Swedish Population Register. You must hold a residence permit for one year before you can be registered in the Swedish Population Register and issued with a personal identity number.
If you need medical care
Adults who have applied for or been granted protection under the Temporary Protection Directive are entitled to emergency healthcare and emergency dental care, and to any urgent care that cannot wait. Healthcare staff determine whether the need for care is so urgent that it cannot wait.
You are also entitled to:
- midwifery
- an abortion
- contraceptive advice
- maternal health services
- care under the Communicable Diseases Act (a law intended to prevent the spread of communicable diseases)
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
If your child needs care
Children under 18 years of age from Ukraine are entitled to the same healthcare and dental care as other children living in Sweden. Although care is usually free of charge for children, this may vary depending on where you live.
Children are also entitled to vaccinations against common infectious childhood diseases.
Applying for financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency
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.
Opening a 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 who have been granted protection under the Temporary Protection Directive have the right to attend preschool and school. All preschool classes, primary, secondary and upper-secondary schools in Sweden are free of charge and children have the right to attend preschool for a certain number of hours each year free of charge from the autumn term of the year they turn three years old. Contact the municipality where you live to register your child for 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 one year. However, if they do choose to attend a Swedish school, they must participate in lessons. 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 Swedish Population Register, or who meet the criteria for registration, must go to school.
Working in Sweden
If you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, you can look for a job in Sweden. Visit the website of the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) to find information about looking for work.
If you find a job, you must register with the Swedish Tax Agency and pay tax. You and your employer must also enter into an employment contract stating the wage you will be paid. You must also inform the Swedish Migration Agency that you are working.
If you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive and are working you may, for example, be entitled to sick pay if you fall ill and are unable to work. To apply for sick pay, contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan).
Websites with more information
Education programmes for adults
Swedish for Immigrants (sfi)
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 more information about Sfi and Swedish as a second language.
"Learn Swedish” – pages for anyone who wants to learn Swedish
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 mobile phone.
Introduction to Swedish society for refugees from Ukraine
The Swedish Migration Agency arranges a digital introduction to Swedish society for everyone who has been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive. To take part in the social introduction you will need access to the internet.
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 disability is a physical, mental or intellectual impairment that has a negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Having a disability will not affect your chances of being granted a residence permit.
If you have a disability, you can get various types of assistance and support:
- You can get support if your disability makes it difficult to communicate when, for example, you contact the Swedish Migration Agency or another government agency.
- You may be entitled to housing adapted to your needs. To find out what support is available to you, speak to your reception unit at the Swedish Migration Agency.
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.
There are various organisations that offer help and support to people with disabilities.
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.
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 2026. You will receive information before then about what to do when your residence permit expires.
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.
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.
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.