

Not having a personal number also means less access to Swedish classes. Of the difference between what you paid and what the standard Swedish fee is. If you have an EU blue health insurance card, you can apply for a Universities often give is to call the care center directly (vårdcentral), that way you can make an appointment without going through online websites that might require a personal number, but without a personal number you may not be entitled to the same insurance. I asked Sofia how she managed to get vaccinated without a personal number, “I was able to get vaccinated thanks to the red cross, they were organizing vaccines for everyone with coordination numbers.” But people without any form of Swedish identity number were more likely to have a hard time finding vaccine slots or testing locations.

The need for a personal number to access healthcare was also highlighted throughout the corona pandemic, despite a policy that all people living within Sweden’s borders were eligible for covid testing and vaccines regardless of immigration status, the implementation was much more difficult in practice. This means that without a personal number, it is difficult to access healthcare, file taxes, and simply go about your daily life. As it stands you need BankID, or some other electronic identification that banks offer, to log into Sweden’s healthcare website, the Swedish tax agency’s website Skatteverket, as well as a host of other online services. Not being able to access BankID not only affects your ability to use Swish, but also makes it difficult to sign into online service portals.
#SWISH WITHOUT BANKID HOW TO#
“I couldn’t use Swish, I had to teach my friends how to send me their bank account numbers so I could pay them that way, and sometimes I just used cash.” For example, without a personal number, you are not able to get BankID, which leads to a whole other list of limitations. If you have a reason to need one, such as employment or short-termīut even with a coordination number Sofia found herself relatively limited in what she could do in Swedish society. You can also apply for a coordination number on your own Sometimes authorities will automatically apply for a coordination number on your behalf. Once I had a contract I applied for a coordination number.”Ī coordination number (Samordningsnummer) is a way for individuals to be identified by the Swedish public authorities, but who have never actually been listed in the Swedish population register. She was finally able to find a job delivering newspapers through other immigrant friends, “the pay was miserable, it was about 150 SEK per neighborhood, but they promised to give you a contract after three weeks of work. “It was difficult because every bank asks you to at least have a coordination number and a job contract to open a bank account, and in order to get a job you need to have a coordination number and a bank account. I asked her about the process of finding a job and opening a bank account without a personal number. “I arrived in Sweden and stayed in a hostel in the early days, so a lot of the information I learned was from other people on working holiday visas.” Sofia is originally from Argentina, she initially came to Sweden on a working holiday visa, a permit that allows you to live and work in Sweden, but does not necessarily entitle you to an identity number or bank account, which can make finding employment tricky. I recently spoke to a friend about her experience living in Sweden for two years without a personal number. This means that opening a bank account, learning Swedish, and doing basic everyday tasks can be much more complicated without a personal number. Only issues personal numbers for people who will be in Sweden for at least 12 months, so if you have come for a one-year master's program (usually only lasting 9 months) or a short work contract, you will not be eligible to apply for one. Having a personal number is incredibly important in Sweden, unlike other countries like the US and Canada that also implement a national identity number for things like healthcare and taxes, Swedes use personal numbers for virtually everything. Personal numbers are what link people to government authorities and resources, and when people are ineligible for one, or unable to obtain one, life in Sweden can get a bit complicated. Living without a personal number (personnummer) in Sweden can be challenging, if not impossible. 🪪 Living in Sweden without a personal number: Left outįor newcomers in Sweden, navigating the system without a personal number can be a challenging experience.
