Health Care professions

Last updated: 25/9-2023

You can read more here about what rules apply if you have a qualification in health and medical care.

Health and medical care professions are generally regulated. This means that e g doctors, nurses or dentists with a foreign degree must obtain a Swedish licence in order to practice their professions. The National Board of Health and Welfare is the agency issues professional licences.

Assessment of foreign degrees

If you have a qualification from outside the EU and EEA and you want to work in health and medical care in Sweden, you will need a licence for certain professions. The National Board of Health and Welfare is responsible for evaluations for all 21 regulated professions in health and medical care. In order for you to get a licence, the National Board of Health and Welfare first of all needs to review your foreign qualification. The purpose of the review is to determine whether your training is comparable in terms of level, duration and content to the Swedish training programme for that qualification. The next step is for you to do a knowledge test to demonstrate your knowledge of the profession. If you pass this test you then have to attend a course on Swedish statutes, where you learn about the laws and regulations that apply in Swedish health and medical care. You also have to do practical service in which you get an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of and aptitude for the profession. You also need to learn Swedish. More information is available on the website of the National Board of Health and Welfare.

Supplementary education and training

There are bridging programmes for people with academic qualifications from another country. The programmes qualify for student aid, last for 1-2 years and are available to professionals including doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists.​