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New Arrivals Guide

With new co-workers regularly arriving in Lund/Sweden our PhD students and PostDocs decided it was time to develop an un-official survival guides for arriving in Sweden. It is written by Smita Chakraborty, Andrew Lifson, Dr. Christian Reuschle and Harsh Shah and is based on their experience of arriving and settling in Lund. As such, if some information is out of date, please contact the webmaster and ask them to update the text.

Coronavirus advice and links:

Before arrival in Sweden

1. Residence permit / VISA

Non-EU/EEA citizens must apply for visa for you and your family members at the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). You can check requirements and procedure depending on your country of origin.

Please note that:

  • The application can take up to 3 months-check the current waiting time at the migrationsverket.
  • Your permit cannot last longer than the expiry date on your passport.
  • Each member of your family will be processed individually – make sure that all documents for all individuals are in order.

EU/EEA citizens may not be required to apply for VISA to work and stay in Sweden. Check rules and regulations at the Swdish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

2. Coordination number

Coordination numbers are required as identification if you are staying for less than 12 months. If you can arrive without a residence permit you'll need a coordination number until you receive a personal number. Contact Eva Jurlander or your supervisor/line manager if you have questions.

3. Housing

Housing is available in Lund, Malmö, surrounding towns/villages, Helsingborg, or even in Copenhagen. For temporary accommodation contact your supervisor/line manager or Eva Jurlander to obtain a room at the department guesthouse.

Methods of finding a more permanent accommodation include:

Note that many advertisements are in Swedish (use Chrome to translate) but most landlords speak excellent English.

4. Insurance

Temporary travel insurance may be recommended.

Once you are employed the University you are covered by various insurance policies that may be relevant.

After arrival in Sweden

1. Swedish personal number

We strongly recommend you get one as soon as possible, as it is required for almost everything in Sweden, including personal ID, opening bank accounts and access to healthcare. Visit your nearest Skatteverket location to register and obtain one.

2. Swedish ID

You can only get this after receiving your personal number. It is required to open a bank account, and easiest ID for all other Swedish interactions. Must make an appointment at Skatteverket in Malmö (not available in Lund in fall 2018).

3. Lund University access card

Needed for after-hours access to the department, and can bee obtained with either your temporary coordination number (see above) and then your more permanent personal number (the one that includes your date of birth).

4. Bank account

Once you have a Swedish ID you may open a bank account.

Some employees find that Handelsbanken has a good banking portal in English.

5. Insurance

Once you have a personal number you are covered by Försäkringskassan's social security and healthcare, but you probably need some additional insurance. Most landlords require their tenants to have home insurance in case of theft, fire, accidents etc:

6. Emergency numbers

The emergency number in Sweden is 112.  If you are calling from a university landline you must press zero first and the number is then 0-112.  Other important numbers include:

  • 112 for emergencies
  • +46 (0) 46 222 0700 for the University Security Control Centre
  • 11 414 to contact police in non-emergency
  • 1177 for any and all medical advice when in Sweden
  • +46 77 111 7700 for medical advice when abroad or calling from a foreign number

Remember that all work related injuries should be reported. 

7. Health care

Once you arrive in Sweden you should register at a local healthcare centre (Vårdcentral). Visit one and fill out the required form. Note that children under the age of 5 have specific healthcare centres (Barnvårdcentral), women's reproductive health is handled by specific healthcare centers (Barnmorskemottagning) and dental health is handled by Folktandvården Skåne.

8. PhD specific resources

There are several resources available for PhD students at Lund University

9. Parking

Parking near the university is typically paid. The guide below gives all the information needed. We are most closely situated to Zone B

10. Other useful links

Lund Cathedral. Photo credit: Florent Renaud
Photo credit: Florent Renaud
Page manager: webmaster-astro [at] fysik [dot] lu [dot] se | 15 Mar 2023