Being a parent

Last updated: 24/3-2025

Parents are vital to a child’s development and health. Here you will find information for parents and prospective parents about school and preschool, what to consider if your child is born in Sweden, and what other support is available to assist you in parenthood when you are granted a residence permit.

A parent and child sit on a sofa playing.

Apply for a place for your child in school or preschool

Swedish schools are for every child who lives in Sweden. School is compulsory for every child from the year they turn 6 until they graduate from Year 9. After that, the child can decide whether they wish to study in upper secondary school. While upper secondary school is voluntary, it is important, as most employers will only employ someone with an upper secondary diploma.

Children between the ages of 1 and 6 can attend preschool. If you want your child to go to preschool, you will need to pay a fee.

Contact the municipality where you live to register your child for a place in school or preschool. The municipality will inform you about the preschools and schools in the municipality and tell you how to apply. It may take some time to get a place in a preschool. You should therefore apply for a place for your child as soon as possible.

You can learn more about the Swedish education system in the material “About Sweden” at Informationsverige.se.

If your child is born in Sweden

Children born in Sweden have the same citizenship as their parents. If you become a parent and are a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA, you must apply for a residence permit for your child. You must apply for a residence permit for your child even if the child is registered in the Swedish Population Register.

You can learn more about children born in Sweden and apply for a residence permit for your newborn on the Swedish Migration Agency website.

Confirmation of parenthood if you and your partner are not married

If you and your partner are married when your child is born, the Swedish Tax Agency will automatically register you both as parents. If you are not married, you will need to confirm the parenthood of the partner who did not give birth.

You can confirm parenthood in one of the following ways:

Use the Swedish Tax Agency’s e-service “Digital confirmation of parenthood”.
Contact the social welfare committee in the municipality where the child is registered as a resident.
Contact the social welfare committee in the municipality where the child is registered as a resident.

It is important to confirm parenthood to ensure that the child has a legal relationship to the parent who did not give birth. Having this legal relationship means that the child will have the right to inherit, to maintenance and to the parent’s name and nationality.

Learn more and use the e-service “Digital confirmation of parenthood” on the Swedish Tax Agency website.

Visit the Swedish Tax Agency website for important information you need to know when you become a parent.

You are entitled to leave to be at home with your child

When you have a child, you are entitled to leave from work or studies so that you can remain at home with your child. This is called parental leave. Both parents are entitled to parental leave.

When you are on parental leave, you can apply for financial compensation from Försäkringskassan, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. This is called parental benefit.

Learn more about parental benefit and other financial compensation for parents on the Försäkringskassan website.

Activities when you are on parental leave

When you are on parental leave, you can take part in various activities with others who are on parental leave. For example, you can go to parent and baby meetings at a public library or café or attend baby rhythmics with your child. Another common activity is open preschool. An open preschool is a place where parents with small children can socialise with other parents while their children play together. Open preschool is free and you do not need to register in advance.

You can find activities by searching online for “aktiviteter för föräldralediga” or “öppen förskola”, plus the name of your district or municipality.

If your child falls ill or needs other support

As a parent, you may need help if your child falls ill and needs care. If you are worried about your child’s health, you should first call the national healthcare helpline 1177 or your local health centre (vårdcentral). You can also find information about common illnesses and conditions on the website www.1177.se.

Find information about common illnesses and conditions at 1177.se.

Learn more about what you can do if your child is unwell at Informationsverige.se.

You can get support and advice about parenthood

Parenthood is not always easy. If you are concerned about your child and need support and help, you can contact your municipality. The municipality can offer parental training, telephone or in-person counselling and other activities. There is no charge and you can remain anonymous.

Learn more about what you can do if you need parental support at Informationsverige.se.

Children with disabilities are entitled to special support

If your child has a disability, they have a right to support from society. For example, they may be entitled to additional support at school or aids to help them cope with everyday life, such as a hearing aid or wheelchair. The support and benefits your child is entitled to depends on their disability and how much this affects their day-to-day life.

As a parent, it is usually up to you to apply for the support your child needs. Contact your municipality or health centre to find out which support is available for your child.

Learn more about what types of support are available to children with disabilities at 1177.se.

If you are the parent of a teenager

Being the parent of a teenager can feel like a challenge. Perhaps you feel that your teenager is pushing themselves too hard in school or sports, that they are having problems with friends, or that their behaviour is changing for the worse. Maybe your relationship is not working as well as you would like.

There are various ways you can get support if you are worried about your teenager:

You can speak to other adults such as friends, relatives, colleagues or the parents of your child’s friends.
You can join a parent group – at school, for example.
You can contact a youth clinic, health centre or the school health service at your child’s school.
You can contact the municipality. Some municipalities offer parental support in groups or individually.

Learn more about child development during the teenage years on the national healthcare guide website, 1177.se.

For further information

Learn more about family life and being a parent in the material “About Sweden” at Informationsverige.se.

Questions and answers

Children who have recently arrived in Sweden can get various kinds of extra help in school. For example, if they need it, your child is entitled to study guidance from a teaching assistant who speaks their mother tongue. The teaching assistant will help the child to develop their knowledge of Swedish and other subjects.

Your child may also be assigned to a preparatory class while continuing to attend lessons with their ordinary class. In the preparatory class, your child will study Swedish and various other subjects to ensure that they are capable of studying all subjects in their ordinary class as soon as possible. The head teacher of your child’s school decides whether your child should be placed in the preparatory class.

Learn more about the help your child is entitled to in school on the website of the Swedish National Agency for Education.

Your child is eligible to be registered if their parents fulfil at least one of the following criteria:

The parent who gives birth to the baby is registered in the Swedish Population Register.
The parent who does not give birth to the baby is registered in the Swedish Population Register and parenthood has been confirmed.

If the parent who gives birth to the baby is registered in the Swedish Population Register, the child will be automatically registered when the midwife registers the birth with the Swedish Tax Agency.

No, in Sweden newborns are not issued with a birth certificate. Instead, you can order a population registration certificate for your child from the Swedish Tax Agency. A population registration certificate is an extract from the Swedish Population Register.

Yes, you can participate in the introduction programme part-time if you are on part-time parental leave. You are not eligible to participate in the introduction programme if you are on full-time parental leave.

Explanations of words and terms

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.

Maintenance

Maintenance is money paid for the upkeep of a child by a parent who does not live with their child. The money is paid to the parent with whom the child lives.

Disability

A child with a disability is someone who has impaired functional capacity and may need support in order to be able to participate in society in the same way as other people. A disability can be: