Contents
The Swedish Fellow Document
Survival guide for foreign scientists in Sweden
with contributions from
Christina Kyriakopoulou, Winfried Meining, Antonio Miranda,
Henry Moll, Hannes Ponstingl and Dirk Schmidt
IMPORTANT NOTE
Some data and information, contained in the fellow document are after the reform of the taxation
of MC fellows in Sweden not up-to-date anymore. We therefore need volunteers, that are willing to update
the presented information. If you want to contribute to the document or correct it,
let us know.
FOREWORD
This document has been written in order serve as a guide for scientists
that have just arrived in Sweden and that need help in formal matters.
It covers topics like the application for a residence permit and the personal
number, opening of bank accounts, health care, taxation and many other
issues.
The document is one of the activities of the Swedish group of the Marie
Curie Fellowship Association (MCFA), an organisation of young scientists,
that received funds from the European Union within the Marie Curie Research
funding scheme. The authors of this document are current fellows living
in Sweden and have been awarded an individual TMR ("Training and Mobility
through Research") - grant.
The WWW-pages of the swedish MCFA - group are accessible at the URL
:
http://www.csb.ki.se/mcfa/mcfa.html
1 RESIDENCE PERMIT
Citizens of the EU can work in Sweden without work permit. But, if your
stay in Sweden is longer than 3 months (which is the case for Marie Curie
fellows), you have to apply for a residence permit. For citizens of the
EU this can be done after arrival in Sweden. Until September 1997 the usual
procedure to apply for a residence permit was to go to the local police
office, filling in the special application form for EU citizens and waiting
for the application evaluation. Then after having received the notice by
mail you had to present yourself to the police and received the "white
card" where the duration of your stay is written and a stamp in your passport.
Since October 1997 this procedure has changed a little.
You now have to go to the local immigration board (Statens Invandrarverk)
and ask for the application form for residence permit for EEA citizens
(EEA probably means: EU members and Euporean associated countries?). This
application accompanied by a copy of your passport or identity card and
a certificate of employment from the host institute showing duration and
form of the employment, should be sent by mail to the central swedish immigration
board in Sweden :
Statens Invandrarverk, Box 6113, 600 06 Norrköping fax: 011-
156691.
If your husband/wife/cohabitee and/or your children accompany you to
Sweden they must apply separately. It is very important that your application
for the residence permit is correct and complete so that it can be quickly
processed by the swedish authorities. You will receive the white residence
permit card within about six weeks.
Statens Invandrarverk
The office which is responsible for you depends on the area where
you live in Sweden.
For south-Stockholm:
Skärholmstorget 3, 127 48 Skärholmen, Tel.: 08-6802300
opening hours: Monday to Thursday 8:15 to 14:00 o'clock
Friday 8:15 to 12:00 o'clock
For Stockholm - Solna :
Solnapolisen, Centralvägen 16, 4th floor, Metro Solna-Centrum,
Tel.: 08-7056100
opening hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00 to 14:00
Friday 9:00 to 12:00
2 PERSONAL NUMBER
If you are staying in Sweden for one year or more you must register. You
should do this during the first 3 months after your arrival in Sweden.
When you have reported for registration, you are entitled to benefit from
the Swedish National Public Health Insurance system. The Civil Registration
office (Folkbokföringen) is responsible for registration of the population
in Sweden. For civil registration you must have a residence permit for
at least one year stamped in your passport and possibly your "white card",
you must also bring with you your passport, a certificate from your host
Institute and your marriage certificate if you are married. The civil registration
office belongs to the Local Tax Authorities (Skatteförvaltningen).
When you register in the civil registration authorities, you will be given
a national registration number, which will be sent to you in about three
weeks. It is necessary to have this national registration number (personnummer),
because you are registered by this at hospitals, banks, etc.
The address of Skatteforvaltningen in Stockholm :
Skattehuset, Götgatan 75, 10661 Stockholm, Tel.: 08-6941600
(Folkbokförning),
Tunnelbana : Medborgarplatsen
opening hours: Monday to Friday 9:00 to 15:00 h
You will need the following documents:
* contract of your flat or apartment
* working contract
* passport
* the white card of your residence permit.
You have to fill in a form at the counter. You then get your personal
number via mail. This can take three weeks or more.
3 ACCOMODATION
Usually your host institution will arrange accomodation for you, either
in a student dormitory or in a room or flat. By special arrrangement with
the SSSB (Stockholm's student housing organisation), some universities
have formed a "guest student housing pool with the aim of making it easier
for visiting students to solve their housing problems. Your institution
might also have rented some rooms permanently for guest scientists. Often
your institution will also have kitchen utensils and materials (curtains,
sheets, pillow, ...) to make your room livable for you as standard equipment
for guest researchers.
If you plan to stay in Stockholm, be aware of the fact, that the
housing situation is quite difficult there, particularly at the beginning
of a new term. So if you have the chance to have your host institution
search for you, do take advantage of it.
3.1 Student Dormitories (Stockholm):
You should apply for student accommodation as far in advance of your arrival
as possible, since waiting times are long (usually 6-8 months). In some
cases two months have been sufficient however. When you apply for a room
or flat you do not need to be a member of a student union, but you do when
signing the tenancy agreement. Once you hand in your application for accomodation,
you will be put onto SSSB's waiting list. Your choice of rooms and flats
will then be governed by your position on the waiting list. For the contract
(usually written in English) you will need someone to act as a security
for you. Usually your institution will take care of this. Applications
should be done to the SSSB:
SSSB, Box 19608, 10432 Stockholm
visiting address:
Körsbärsvägen 2 (underground Tekniska Högskolan)
tel: 08-612 80 00, fax 08-612 00 61
opening hours:
Mon-Thu 9am-4pm (closed for lunch 11.30-12.30)
Fri 1/9-30/4 9am-3pm (closed for lunch)
1/5-31/8 9am-12.30pm
3.1.1 Room
The dormitories in Sweden generally have a very high standard. In most
of them there are about 10-15 single rooms in each corridor, and each room
is about 18 m2 including a bathroom. Female and male students
live in the same corridor. The rooms are usually furnished (with bed, table,
etc), but there are "no blankets, pillows, sheets, towels or light bulbs."
There are also flats available, but only couples and families with children
living with them (including one-parent families) are eligible for them.
3.1.2 Kitchen
A kitchen is shared with the other corridor students and are usually equipped
with microwave and stove. Some kitchen utensils may be available in the
corridor kitchen, as leftovers from previous inhabitants or as standard
equipment, and in some you will have to buy your own. Usually you will
be able to borrow things from others to start up with. The Foreign Student
Adviser at SSCO (stockholms studentkårers centralorganisation, the
Federation of Student Unions in Stockholm), who is currently Shona McLean
(Tel. 08-674 54 44, shona_mclean@ssco.se)
also rents some kitchen utensils.
You can also rent kitchen equipment from SSSB. For details, call 612 80
00 or contact SSSB's area offices at Lappis (tel. 15 58 07) or Kungshamra
(tel. 85 54 49).
3.1.3 Laundry
The student housing areas have laundry rooms. There ia a booking list and
it costs SEK 5 each time. For the machines You will need to buy special
coins, that you will get at a store nearby (like Konsum for example). Just
ask your corridor neighbors.
3.1.4 Rent
The rent is about SEK 2200 per month (flats are from 3-4000 SEK) depending
on which student dormitory area you live in. There are no additional charges
such as taxes, water, electricity, etc. The rent is paid in advance and
one must always pay for a complete month, even if the room is used for
a shorter period. (There have also been cases, where people moved in later
and did not pay the rent for the whole month). When you want to move out,
you must give notice two full calendar months prior to the moving-out date,
according to the officials, but it has been heard of cases where they did
so one month before moving out. The summer months of Juin and July are
rent-free months in many student residences (not for flats), of course
only, when you have not just moved in.
3.1.5 Additional
Students are required to clean their rooms, the corridor and the corridor
kitchen themselves. In many student areas additional facilities are available,
e.g. saunas, darkrooms, and practice rooms for musicians. It is also possible
to get a room in the Vetenskapsstaden ("Science town"), a block of buildings
with flats for guest scientists. Without a PhD you cannot apply youself
for a flat there. Ask your host institution about this possibility. Otherwise
it might be possible to stay there in the beginning until you have found
something.
3.2 Free Market (Stockholm)
It is usually quite difficult to find housing in Stockholm. One way is
to go by the newspapers (Dagens Nyheter, ...). There are also Web-pages
available with advertisements:
http://www.bovision.se/ (On this page you will find in the frame
to the lower left a list of community housing organisations for different
areas in Stockholm. After sending them an e-mail they will reply with an
application form and they will put you on a waiting list after its reception.)
http://boplatsthlm.se/
http://bostad.dn.se/ (this is the Web-page of the newspaper Dagens
Nyheter)
Another way is by BostadDirect, a company which offers access to a phone
answering machine with private offers updated 3x per day. This approach
is quite cumbersome even if a native speaker does the job for you. Very
often, references and guarantors are required by the landlords. It is also
a good idea to have a paper with you that certifies your steady income.
3.3 Housing benefit
Another way to supplement your income is with housing benefit (help to
pay part of your rent). To be eligible you must be registered as a resident.
If you are a single person with no children, you must also be aged between
18 and 28. The amount of benefit you may be able to get will depend on
the size of your household, your income, and the amount of rent you pay.
For further details, and an application form, contact the nearest District
Social Insurance Office (in Swedish: "Försäkringskassan").
4 BANK ACCOUNTS
Having a personal number makes things a lot easier. When you open a bank
account, you should also apply for an ID card at the bank or at any post
office. Believe it or not, the passport is usually not considered a valid
ID document! Your personal number is required to obtain such an ID card.
However, the personal number is usually not a prerequisite for opening
an account, maybe with the exception of 'Nordbanken'. Most tolerant against
people still missing their personal number is perhaps 'Handelsbanken'.
'Nordbanken' on the other hand is unique in that they offer access to your
bank account also via post office (open even on Saturdays). Many banks
offer accounts with transfer requests commonly via mail (Swedish: girering)
or telephone, and even with access via the internet.
A few banks are listed below:
5 PAYMENT
As far until now the Marie Curie grants are considered as a stipendium,
so you don't have to pay taxes in Sweden (This probably will be changed
soon). Your institution has probably been informed about the kind of your
payment already before your arrival in the local tax authorities office
(Skatteförvaltningen). Some time after your arrival you will receive
a letter from the tax office that your income is tax free in Sweden, and
about the exact amount of money that you will receive, probably from your
contract. The money that you should be getting per month is specified in
your contract expressed as the total ammount of the grant. It is generally
accepted, that the grant holder receives the amount in swedish crowns that
corresponds to the actual exchange rate and the percentage of the grant
compared to the total amount of money. Don't accept flat payment calculated
from a fixed exchange rate.
The period, for which the payments to your account are made, depends
on the habits of your institute. In some cases the stipendium is payed
every three months in advance, in others it is payed in monthly rates.
The granted amount of money is transferred by the EU to the host institution,
as soon as the EU officer receives the contract signed by the grant holder
and the head of the department. At the beginning the EU sends only 60%
of the total grant, after an intermediate another 30% is transferred and
after completion and receiving the final scientific report from the Grant
Holder, they sent the rest 10% of the grant. Some universities or departments
seem to be very strict with the financial aspects of the fellowship, and
they don't pay you the full amount of the salary. This means you will get
it in the end after they have received the total ammount from EU, even
though it is clearly described in the contract that the grant holder should
get the total amount of salary from the beginning. For the travel allowance
there are different views as I have experienced in the Uppsala area. In
Uppsala University you receive money for travel expenses only under receipies
and you might not get the total amount that is described in the table.
But I also know at least one case in the Agricultural University in Uppsala
where the grant holder received the total amount from the first month and
the total amount for travel expences as written in the table.
6 TAXATION
Recently, the Swedish tax authorities have declared the Marie Curie Fellowship
NOT TAXABLE in any case. This means that the fellow is not entitled to
medical benefits as others who pay taxes (reimbursement of medical expenses,
sickness benefits in case of illness, etc.).
7 HEALTH INSURANCE
The fellow once registered in Sweden (see above registration at the local
tax authorities) has the same rigths and obligations concerning the medical
care as any swedish citizen.
As a preventive measure the fellow should bring the E-111 form
(or any other agreement document of medical insurance between the home
country and Sweden) which allows him/her and other members of the family
to be covered in case on medical assistance during the initial period of
the stay while the required documents are in progress.
The host institution is supposed to have a private insurance fully
covering the fellow and family during the stay in Sweden. As an example
this is the agreement between Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and Previa.
* who is insured?
Fellow and family (husband/wife/cohabitant/children)
* When is the insurance valid?
During the insured person's stay in Sweden
* What does the insurance cover?
Accident and sickness; medical, dental and travel expenses. Unavoidable
expenses are reimbursed if the insured person, during his/her stay in Sweden
suffers sickness or accident. Expenses incurred outside Sweden are not
reimbursed. Reimbursement of expenses will be made in accordance with insurance
conditions. The insurance does not cover sickness for which symptoms have
been evident, or accident which has occurred, before the insured person
was covered by the insurance.
* Excess
The insured person will pay the first SEK 1.000 of any claim.
* Medical in validity (only in the event of accident).
Calculated on the basis of degree of invalidity of not less than 50%
on SEK 200.000
Calculated on the basis of degree of invalidity of less than 50%
on SEK 100.000
Benefit in case of death (in the event of death as a result of
an accident) SEK 25.000
8 HEALTH CARE
If you are taken ill you should get in touch with the nearest local Health
Care Center (Vårdcentralen). In case of emergency you can attend
to the nearest hospital. In acute emergencies and severe cases for which
an ambulance is needed dial 112 no matter where you live. This is an emergency
phone number where you can have contact to the police, fire brigade and
ambulances.
If you are not in need of urgent medical attention you must make
an appointment by telephone with a doctor (private or at the local Health
Care Center). Details of telephone numbers of hospital or others centers
where you can have medical attention are given in the telephone book under
the heading "Hälsovård" or "sjukvård". Private doctors
come under the heading "Läkare med specialistkompetens" in the yellow
pages of the directory. The Medical Information Service (Sjukvårdsupplysningen)
is an around the clock centre for free information and consulting.
If your child is taken ill you should contact either your distric
Children's Clinic (Barnvårdcentral) where children of preschool age
receive free health care and at the same time parents can ask for advice.
Children a´can also get certain vaccinations free of charge. Private
paediatricians are listed in the yellow pages.
8.1 Dentists
All public and private dental clinics do accept patients for emergency
treatment upon telephone appointment. On Saturdays, Sundays holidays and
holidays eves you dial 112 and ask for the telephone number of the dentisit
on call (jourhavande tandläkare). Private practitioners and public
clinics are listed in the yellow pages and blue pages under the heading
"Tandläkare".
8.2 Language problems
According to the swedish law, language should not be allowed to be an obstacle
when receiving medical treatment. If you need an interpreter at a medical
appointment, please notify the clinic in advance.
8.3 Medical costs
The patient pays the socalled "patient's fee", SEK 120 if you go to the
district health center or private practitioner and SEK 180 if you visit
a doctor at a hospital. Prescriptions for medicine made out by a doctor
or a dentist should be taken to a pharmacy (Apotek). You pay a patien's
fee for one or several types of medicine prescribed. For certain long or
serious illnesses, medicine is sometimes free of charge.
When you go to a dentist you pay
* 100% of the total cost if the treatment is not more than SEK 700,
* 75% of the cost if the treatment exceeds SEK 700 but not SEK 3.000
at the end of the treatment
* 60% of the cost if the treatment exceeds SEK 3.000 but not SEK 7.000
at the end of the treatment
* 30% of the cost if the treatment exceeds SEK 7.000 at the end
of the treatment
Finally, if you contact the local läkareförening you
will get a book with a very complete list of doctors, specialists and addresses
of interest (hospitals, pharmacies, etc).
9 Learning swedish
* The SFI (svenska för invandare) offers free courses for anybody
coming from abroad. The organizer is the local SFI office. Be careful with
applying for a course, if you know that you will move to another "kommun".
At least in Stockholm the waiting period for a beginners course is at least
four months and the courses might be quite crowded. But anyway, if you
get it for free ...
* Folkuniversitetet arranges courses at different levels. A typical
course with 10 x 2.5 hours per period costs 800 sKr.
* Some guest houses for researchers might arrange their own free
courses (eg. Wenner-Gren-Center in Stockholm).
* There might be courses organized by your guest institute. I
am working at an institute, that organizes free courses at two different
levels with 1.5 hours a week. Ask for the same in your institute !