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Finding a place to live
Last updated: 4/6-2025
Once you have been granted a residence permit, you are responsible for finding your own accommodation. You can find further information here about how to do so, as well as important things to keep in mind.
If you lived in accommodation for asylum seekers while awaiting a decision
If you have been living in accommodation provided by the Swedish Migration Agency while waiting for a decision on your asylum application, you will have to move out when you are granted a residence permit. The Swedish Migration Agency can help you to find new accommodation.
You can stay in accommodation for asylum seekers until the Swedish Migration Agency has found new accommodation for you. If you turn down the accommodation you are offered, you forfeit the right to remain in accommodation for asylum seekers.
If you have arranged your own accommodation while awaiting a decision
If you have arranged your own accommodation, you can remain there after you are granted a residence permit. If you need to move, you are responsible for finding new accommodation.
Join the housing queue as early as possible
Some municipalities have a housing agency where you can find accommodation from many different housing providers. You can register with a housing agency and join the waiting list for accommodation. Join the housing waiting list as soon as possible! You can usually do so on the housing agency’s website.
Some municipalities do not have a housing agency. You will then have to register directly with housing providers and join their waiting lists. Contact your municipality if you have any questions about what applies there.
You have to be registered in the population register at the address where you live. If you move, report your new address to the Tax Agency.
UR, the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company, has produced a video with tips for anyone looking for housing. The video is in Swedish with subtitles in multiple languages.
You need to have a home insurance policy regardless of what type of housing you live in. Home insurance covers your home and your belongings if there is a fire, water damage or a burglary, for example.
Explanations of words and terms
Local housing agency
A local housing agency acts as an intermediary between several different housing companies and people looking for housing.
Swedish Population Register
The Swedish Population Register is a list of everyone registered as a resident of Sweden. Everyone who is registered in the Swedish Population Register is issued with a personal identity number. The Swedish Tax Agency is responsible for the Swedish Population Register. Being registered in the Swedish Population Register is not the same thing as having a residence permit.
