Information for UK nationals moving to or living in Sweden, including guidance on residency, healthcare, passports, and the Withdrawal Agreement.

What you should do

• Check your passport is valid for travel before you book your trip
• Register as a resident in Sweden
• Exchange your UK driving licence for a Swedish one

Visas, Residency and Entry Requirements

Residency

 There will be no change in residency rules or registration procedures if you arrive in Sweden before or on 31 December 2020. If you are resident in Sweden before or on 31 December 2020, you will be able to stay.

If there are changes to residency registration processes, we will update this guidance as soon as information is available.
If you plan to live in Sweden for more than 1 year, you must register with the Swedish Population Register. The Swedish authorities will issue you an ID number (personnummer).
You can only register if you have a right of residence (uppehållsrätt) for a year or more and comprehensive travel insurance. Under the Withdrawal Agreement, you will automatically have this right if you can support yourself, either by work or by other independent means, or you are studying.
You will not be able to register if you are still looking for a job when you come to Sweden and or do not meet other requirements for residency.
If you’re planning to move as a dependent to a family member who lives in Sweden you must apply for a residence permit.

Passports and travel

The rules on travel will stay the same until the transition period ends on 31 December 2020. During this time you can continue to travel to countries in the Schengen area or elsewhere in the EU with your UK passport.

Check your passport is valid for travel before you book your trip. Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.

Passports from 1 January 2021

From 1 January 2021, you must have at least 6 months left on an adult or child passport to travel to most countries in Europe (not including Ireland). This requirement does not apply if you are entering or transiting to Sweden, and you are in scope of the Withdrawal Agreement.

If you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra month may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years may not count towards the 6 months needed.

Entry requirements

Visas

If you hold a British Citizen passport, you do not need a visa to enter Sweden. If you’re planning a stay of longer than 3 months.The rules on travel will stay the same until 31 December 2020.

Visas from 1 January 2021

The rules for travelling or working in Europe will change from 1 January 2021:

• You will be able to travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa for purposes such as tourism. This is a rolling 180-day period.
• Therefore, if you’re travelling to Sweden, previous visits to the Schengen area within the 180 days before your date of travel would count against the 90-day limit.
• If you are travelling visa-free to Sweden and to other countries in the Schengen area, make sure your whole visit is within the limit.
• To stay for longer, to work or study, or for business travel you will need to meet the entry requirements set out by Sweden. This could mean applying for a visa or work permit. You should check with the Swedish Embassy what type of visa, if any, you will need.
• Periods of stay authorised under a visa or permit will not count against the 90-day limit.

The European Commission has not yet set out how the limit of 90 days in any 180-day period for visa-free travel will be implemented for those who are already travelling in the EU or Schengen Area on 31 December 2020.

If you are travelling to Sweden before 31 December 2020 and will stay until 1 January 2021 or later, you should check with the Swedish Embassy for information on how the 90-day visa-free limit will apply to you. This also applies if your stay includes travel to other Schengen area countries.

At border control for Sweden, you may need to:

• show a return or onward ticket
• show you have enough money for your stay
• use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing
• Your passport may be stamped on entry and exit.

Driving in Sweden

Driving licence rules will stay the same until 31 December 2020. If you are a resident in Sweden, you should exchange your UK licence for a Swedish one. You can still use your Swedish licence in the UK for short visits or exchange it for a UK licence without taking a test if you return to live in the UK.

Healthcare

If you are living in Sweden or move there permanently before 31 December 2020, you’ll have life-long healthcare rights in Sweden as you do now, provided you remain resident.

State healthcare: S1

If you live in Sweden and receive an exportable UK pension, contribution-based Employment Support Allowance or another exportable benefit, you may currently be entitled to state healthcare paid for by the UK. You will need to apply for a certificate of entitlement known as an S1 certificate.

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

If you are resident in Sweden, you must not use your EHIC from the UK to access healthcare in Sweden. When you travel to Sweden for a temporary stay in another European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland, you can use an EHIC to access state-provided healthcare in that country. During that short stay:

• the EHIC covers treatment that is medically necessary until your planned return home
• an EHIC is not a replacement for comprehensive travel insurance

There will be no changes to your healthcare access before 31 December 2020. You can also continue to use your EHIC, as you did before, during this time.
Working and studying in Sweden. If you are registered as a resident in Sweden you have the right to work in Sweden.

If you are resident in Sweden on or before 31 December 2020, your right to work will stay the same, as long as you remain resident. You should check the Swedish Migration Agency website for information on when and how UK nationals can apply for a work permit.

Money and tax

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Sweden to ensure you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries.Existing double taxation arrangements for UK nationals living in Sweden have not changed.

National Insurance

If you are employed or self-employed in the EU and you have a UK-issued A1/E101 form, you will remain subject to UK legislation until the end date on the form.

Banking

Most people living in Europe should not see any change to their banking after 31 December 2020. Your bank or finance provider should contact you if they need to make any changes to your product or the way they provide it. If you have any concerns about whether you might be affected, contact your provider or seek independent financial advice.

Pensions after 31 December 2020

There will be no changes before 31 December 2020 to the rules on claiming the UK State Pension in the EU, EEA or Switzerland as a result of the UK leaving the EU.
If you are living in the EU, EEA or Switzerland by 31 December 2020 you will get your UK State Pension uprated every year for as long as you continue to live there. This will happen even if you start claiming your pension on or after 1 January 2021, as long as you meet the qualifying conditions explained in the new State Pension guidance.
If you are living in Sweden by 31 December 2020, you will be able to count future social security contributions towards meeting the qualifying conditions for your UK State Pension.

If you work and pay social security contributions in Sweden, you will still be able to add your UK social security contributions towards your Swedish pension. This will happen even if you claim your pension after 31 December 2020. If you are considering moving to Sweden on or after 1 January 2021 and you are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, the rules depend on negotiations with the EU and may change.

If you are considering moving to Sweden on or after 1 January 2021 and you are not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, the rules depend on negotiations with the EU and may change. Tell the Swedish and UK authorities if you are planning to return to the UK permanently.If you get healthcare in Sweden through the S1 form, you must contact the Overseas Healthcare Team on +44 (0)191 218 1999 to cancel your S1 at the right time.

Original Source: GOV.UK

No-lockdown strategy helped companies in Sweden avoid the worst-case scenario predicted by experts. Despite many debates and scary predictions Sweden seems to choose the correct course with one after another Swedish companies have been beating expectations: from telecoms equipment maker Ericsson to consumer appliances manufacturer Electrolux via lender Handelsbanken and lockmaker Assa Abloy. “I have never seen such a high proportion of companies coming in with better profits than expected. It’s almost every company,” said Esbjorn Lundevall, chief equity strategist at lender SEB.

“Keeping society open, schools open, doesn’t mean that we haven’t been hit. But it does mean that we haven’t suddenly not been able to leave our homes. That has undoubtedly helped companies,” Alrik Danielson, chief executive of Swedish bearings manufacturer SKF.

SKF, whose ball bearings are used in everything from paper machines to cars has kept its offices in Sweden open throughout the crisis and expects workers to come in unless they are ill. Its second-quarter underlying operating profits in the three months to June fell by almost half compared with a year ago but were still a third ahead of analyst expectations. “We have quickly adapted to the new reality, even though we don’t know how it will be going forward,” said Mr Danielson. SKF’s sashed are steadily flat since the start of the year but have increased by more than half since their lowest point in March, when the pandemic started. Sweden’s death rate has been a way higher than neighbouring Norway, Denmark and Finland, causing controversial discussions around the world. But its excess mortality levels have been lower than in many European countries, such as UK, France and Spain, which were under a lockdown.

It is a similar situation terms of the predicted economic impact. Economists and central banks forecast that GDP level in Sweden should decrease by roughly 5 per cent, similar to Norway and Denmark and far better than in Italy, the UK or France. Despite predictions, Swedbank reported pre-tax profit in the second quarter of SKr6bn, down slightly year-on-year but almost 40 per cent ahead of analyst expectations. Jens Henriksson, a Chief executive commented: “I’m not going to say yes or no. We have not been as closed down. And that translates into a positive effect. If you look at the Swedish economy, we’ve seen signs that it’s picking up.”He added that big companies, which had rushed to Swedbank for loans at the start of the coronavirus pandemic have already started repaying, while smaller businesses had not borrowed as much as many had expected.

The housing market has also stayed robust, with SEB’s confidence indicator showing its biggest ever improvement from June to July. Experts highlight that there is a split between Swedish companies into those with a heavy domestic focus, such as retail banks, and the manufactures. The first benefited the most from anti-lockdown approach while the second as large contributors to the export sector were exposed to reduced global demand.

Car manufacturer Volvo Group, industrial groups Alfa-Laval, Trelleborg and SKF, and medical technology company Getinge all have not done much profits in the past quarter but beat experts’ forecasts. Ericsson boosted its operating profit in the quarter while Electrolux almost broke even, showing much more positive results than was estimated.  One possible explanation is simply that experts were too negative about the impact of coronavirus, not just in Sweden but across Europe.

Thechief executive at Volvo, Martin Lundstedt, said the 38% drop in sales in the period was “unprecedented” but due to quickly made deep cost cuts the group was able to make profit despite disruption to the group’s supply chains. However, he has mentioned that the Swedish approach to the lockdown had “rather limited effect” given the disruption to supply chains beyond the country’s borders. “We are too intertwined with other countries,” he said. “It’s more about the fact that a lot of Swedish companies have been working on flexibility.”

All industrial groups were encouraged by signs of recovery in China and a robust early rebound in other countries in Europe, as well as government support to maintain jobs.