Get started in Gothenburg

Personnummer and Skatteverket

A personnummer is a Swedish personal identity number used by many public services and businesses.

You register at a Skatteverket service office in person. Bring your passport, residence permit or EU proof, and evidence of why you are here: employment contract, admission letter, or marriage certificate with your partner's details.

Apply early and check current processing times with Skatteverket. Some services may require your registration to be complete.

BankID — digital identification

BankID lets you identify yourself and sign documents with many Swedish banks and public services.

Ask your bank about its requirements for issuing BankID. Account opening and identity checks can take time.

If you do not have BankID yet, ask the service provider about other ways to contact them or submit an application.

Never share a BankID code or approve a signing request someone asks you for over the phone. No bank, no authority and no landlord will ever ask you to do that.

Housing — Boplats, first-hand and second-hand

Gothenburg allocates first-hand rental contracts (förstahandskontrakt) by queue time through Boplats. Your queue position is simply the number of days since you registered, so registering earlier gives you more queue days.

Realistically, first-hand takes years. Most new arrivals start with a sublet (andrahand), which should be approved by the landlord or the housing association. An unapproved sublet can be terminated at no notice.

Sublet scams target new arrivals specifically. The pattern is always the same: a good flat, a below-market price, pressure to move fast, and a deposit by Swish before any viewing. Never pay before you have seen the flat and the contract, and never pay a "reservation fee" to hold a viewing.

Västtrafik — getting around

One ticket covers trams, buses, ferries and regional trains across Västra Götaland. Buy in the To Go app; there is no cash on board.

A 30-day period ticket pays for itself quickly if you commute. Students and under-20s get a reduced fare. Check the routes and stops near your home and workplace.

Healthcare — vårdcentral, 1177 and BVC

Register with a vårdcentral (health centre) near you. It is your first point of contact for everything non-emergency, and you generally cannot go straight to a specialist without a referral.

1177 is both a website and a phone line, staffed by nurses, available around the clock. Call it before going anywhere — they will tell you whether to wait, book, or go to the emergency department.

With children, BVC (barnavårdscentral) handles check-ups and vaccinations from birth to school age, free of charge.

Försäkringskassan — family benefits

Barnbidrag is a monthly child allowance paid automatically once you are registered, for every child under 16. You do not apply for the first one if both parents are registered.

Föräldrapenning is parental leave pay — 480 days per child, shared between parents, with 90 days reserved for each. Check eligibility and application details with Försäkringskassan.

VAB is paid leave to care for a sick child. Register the days with Försäkringskassan.

SFI — Swedish for immigrants

SFI is free Swedish tuition, a legal right once you have a personnummer and are registered in Gothenburg. Apply through the city.

Learning Swedish can help with work, healthcare appointments, and conversations at your children’s school.

Förskola and maxtaxa

Children from one year old have a right to a förskola place. Queue through the city — there is a statutory four-month guarantee from when you apply, so apply early.

Maxtaxa caps what you pay by household income, and the cap is low by international standards. Fifteen hours a week are free for children from age three.

Check your preschool’s calendar for studiedagar, or staff training days, and plan childcare in advance.

Banking on a samordningsnummer

If you are here short-term or still waiting on a personnummer, you may have a samordningsnummer (coordination number) instead. Some banks will open an account on one; many will not, and policy differs between branches of the same bank.

Under EU payment-accounts rules, banks operating in Sweden must offer a basic payment account to people legally resident, so a flat refusal is worth questioning politely and in writing.

Swish is commonly used for payments between individuals. Ask your bank about setup requirements.

Groceries and Kerala ingredients

Grocery chains include ICA, Coop, Willys, and Lidl. Compare prices and local availability to find options that suit your household.

For curry leaves, fresh coconut, Kerala rice, gingelly oil, tapioca and the right kind of fish, you want the international and South Asian grocers around Angered, Hisingen and Bergsjön, plus the Asian supermarkets in the centre.

Ask the community for recent recommendations and check opening hours before visiting.