Moving to Sweden from US
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Introduction
With a beautiful atmosphere, cold weather, quality life, healthy economy, healthcare sector, and a great education system, Sweden has a lot to offer. Usually, American products or trends get quickly adopted by the Swedish; hence, your lifestyle will not get affected a lot, except for your closet!
Cold and gloomy weather in Sweden with the beautiful scenery adds up to the mark, which is also the source for tourist attraction—considered one of the happiest countries due to several factors like higher life expectancy, strong economy, high-quality healthcare service, affordable rates, excellent education.
On that note, if you are planning to relocate from US to Sweden, we have got you covered! However, before that, this guide speaks about the basics that you need to know before emigrating to Sweden from US. Without any further discussion, let’s get started!
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Relocation To Sweden From US
How to relocate from US to Sweden?
First and foremost, you need to apply for a residence permit. Any American who wishes to move from US to Sweden should get a residence permit of over 90 days. Consequently, the application form should be submitted to the US’s Swedish Consulate except for the consulates in Philadelphia, Boston, and New York.
- Few of the requirements for relocating involve, (2 copies each)
- The application form filled
- Return ticket
- Bank statement
- Copies of passport/other permits
- Application fee
- Confirmation letter
- Other additional documents
- Work Permit: You can even try relocating to Sweden from US by gaining a work permit. However, you need an official offer of employment from the employer in Sweden apart from a valid passport with a mandatory monthly salary of $1300 before taxes.
- Become a Swedish Citizen: For this, you need to be 18 or above. Besides this, you need to live in the country for at least 5 years without having any criminal record or background.
- A valid passport: Make sure you have a valid passport along with all the necessary documents.
Moving To Sweden From US
It is not very difficult to move from US to Sweden, even if you’re not an EU citizen. Non- EU/EEA citizens are asked to fill a form and prove that none of their household items are there with the primary intention of selling; you are good-to-go, most items will be allowed into the country duty and tax-free.
While a citizen of EU countries is allowed with their most goods, without declaring anything at the Swedish border, you can move your pet without much of a hustle, make sure they are rabies and microchip free.
If you are already a citizen of the EU/EEA unit, you are provided relief tax on your goods, while non-citizens have to apply to get relief for tax on personal goods while moving to Sweden from US. If you have lived in a European country, you are considered a Swedish citizen, in Sweden for more than a year, or if you have significant family ties in the EU.
Being an EU citizen while relocating comes with relief on household goods, provided goods are used and are not for commercial use.
You will be asked for a passport at the border, a list of all the items, and a custom form for a non-citizen of an EU country while claiming your goods at the border.
The standard way of shipping or moving your goods to Sweden is through ships, as it is affordable though it is a time-consuming process. Moving through may take up to several months, depending on where you are moving from.
Visa Requirement For US To Sweden Movers
It is pretty easy to work and have permission to live in Sweden if you are an EU/EEA citizen. However, European citizens would have to show their passports for entry and then register for the Tax Authority for employment if they wish to live longer.
If you’re not from European countries, you must have the right to residence before moving with/without a job. You are not allowed to enter the country without having a secured work permit; the applicant will have to wait for around a month or two for the application to be approved. Likewise, one cannot enter the country without securing your visa.
To get a visa/work permit to Sweden, you would need a valid passport, employment, minimum salary of 1500 USD, employment that provides health insurance and social security.
Housing in Sweden
Many people choose to move to Sweden from US with a lavish lifestyle and happy living, but not many choose to move out. Hence, finding a house is a bit hectic. Sweden has the most minimalistic and modern approach to housing and living; simple furniture with solid colors brings vibrancy to the apartment. There’s even a black market for long-term leeches.
Ideally, when you move from US to Sweden, you will experience a lower rent price. For instance, an apartment with one bedroom in the US will cost you $1,188. However, when you immigrate from US to Sweden, this can cost you a only $839
Terms like first-hand and second-hand rentals are pretty standard there; first-hand, which means apartment renting directly through the landlord, while second-hand means renting through a third party, which is more expensive than first-hand. Even though rentals through second-hand are more common.
Sweden offers various types of houses from the countryside to the city, high-rise apartments to modern homes; you can choose according to your convenience. The average rent of a house in Sweden ranges from 1400 USD to 2000 USD; due to the shortage of houses in Sweden, most students face challenges finding a roof and calling it home.
Healthcare System in Sweden
Healthcare is one such sector that flourishes in Sweden. It has the most effective and efficient healthcare system around the globe. Widely known for its healthcare service and overall policies for its citizens, healthcare in Sweden is very affordable compared to other countries. Basic healthcare costs around 12-20 USD, special treatments can cost up to 45 USD, while there’s free medical care for those under 20 years of age.
Swedish Government also gives a monthly allowance of 125 USD, deposited in their bank, to give a child a better upbringing.
Sweden’s Government usually funds medical bills; there are some private hospitals, which citizens prefer due to waiting times. Though the healthcare quality is excellent for the fees they charge, sometimes non-urgent patients have to wait for more than ten days to get the appointment because urgent patients are the priority. The local government funds primary healthcare services like hospitalization, rehabilitation, dental care, medicines, transport services to those in need, personal caretakers, and patient services.
The graph of people opting for private healthcare has increased over time because of the waiting times usually done at the government hospitals.
Swedish Government has performed a survey called the “National Patient Survey” since 2009 to ensure patients are provided with the best service and check their recovery status. Currently, the average lifespan of Swedish is 83 years, which is pretty good in these times.
To get access to public healthcare offers, one must have personnummer, a unique taxation number given to citizens of Sweden. Visitors or non-citizens need to go to private healthcare or private insurance. Or you are a citizen of a European country; you are suggested to register for an EHIC card, which grants you healthcare at the exact cost of any Swedish citizen.
An average public healthcare visit can charge you from 110 to 300 SEK (12–35 USD). However, this entirely depends on your county. For special appointments, the expenses can cost you around 400 SEK (45 USD). In case you have a private healthcare plan(insurance), it will cost you around 4,000 SEK per year (460 USD).
Banking & Taxes System in Sweden
As a non-EU resident, it is essential to know about the banks and taxation process. Even as an EU/EEA citizen, you can legally have a bank account in a Swedish bank.
Sweden is known for its high taxes. Swedish people embrace this as they have a decentralized healthcare system that serves people through taxes. There are several types of taxes that a resident will have to pay once you start living in Sweden. Some of these are a tax on personal income, social security, and self-employed tax.
Sweden’s Tax Agency plays a significant role in taxes and usage. Personnummer, a unique id number allotted as soon as the child is born.
The government is divided into three tiers- highest, midlevel, and municipality. The tax you pay in Sweden differs from the places where you live. Usually, in most countries, you need to pay more tax if you are closer to large cities.
Everyone usually pays Kommume Landsting tax, which takes up to 25% of the residents’ salary and is used to upgrade roads, maintain the city, build libraries, and other necessary commodities. In comparison, landsting tax takes up to 8% of the salary used to provide healthcare services.
People with high income additionally have to pay state tax, which is about 20% of one’s income.
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Education in Sweden
Education in Sweden is always praised, which affects it as a country and makes its citizens more aware and literate. Schools in Sweden focus on basic qualities like equality, community, teamwork, and provide overall development in a child from early years in school. Sweden promotes creativity and equality throughout, regardless of which caste and creed they belong to.
Students in Sweden are free to choose if they want to go to school and can even wish not to continue with secondary schooling. More than 20 different types of programs are offered in the course of study.
From a very young age, students are encouraged to collaborate and contribute in their class. As a rule, children in Sweden must begin with their schooling right at the age of 7 and attend 9 years of mandatory schooling.
The school system in Sweden is divided into 2 stages. Grundskola(Primary and lower secondary), and Gymnasieskola( Upper secondary). After schooling, Sweden owns 36 different universities out of which most are funded publicly and free to students.
Schools are run by the local government, and hence they maintain the quality of education throughout the nation. For Public schools, it is not mandatory to follow the Swedish National curriculum, but they chose to follow it to keep the education standards similar throughout the nation.
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Job Market in Sweden For Americans
Sweden throws an exceptional emphasis on maintaining a healthy life and work balance. The usual work hours extend from 8.30 to17.00. The best part is, overtime is rare and in fact, is barely seen in the Swedish culture.
Apart from this, the average salary in Sweden is quite high. This is because of the considerably high cost of living in Sweden. With an average salary of 46,000 SEK (4,700 USD) per month, the least salary offered in Sweden is 6,400 SEK (660 USD) per month and the highest is 210,300 SEK (21,600 USD).
Individuals working on an hourly basis can make a good 100-110SEK (10 USD) per hour. This is equal to an average annual salary of about 143,000 SEK (14,700 USD). Apart from this, Being self-employed in Sweden is easy. However, in cases of foreigners, they are required to have an existing business thereby providing viable proof of their income.
Bonus Tip: One excellent tip for an expat who wishes to move to Sweden from US is to have a look at the list to check if they are suitable for any of the vacancies and positions. This can turn out to be one of the brilliant ways to gain a stable position in the competitive job market.
Particularly, IT jobs and programming hold a high demand in Sweden. However, the maximum of these positions does not ask for a high level of Swedish. The best part is, Sweden generates an annual report regarding job shortages.
Average Monthly Salaries of Popular Jobs in Sweden
Position | SEK | USD |
|---|---|---|
Teacher | 30,000 – 37,000 | 3,100 – 3,800 |
Nurse | 37,000 | 3,800 |
Software Engineer | 38,000 | 3,900 |
Architect | 39,900 | 4,100 |
Living in Sweden - Places
Usually, before relocating to a foreign country, people think of the cost of living first. Similarly, you must be wondering about the cost of living here while emigrating to Sweden from US.
Well, the average cost of living in Sweden is quite high. A huge contribution to this cost of living includes the high rent prices climbing up to 1% each year. Recently, Sweden stated a shortage in housing due to the increasing demand of people moving to Sweden from US for a quality lifestyle.
Although there are expensive cities in the Country, few cities like Södertälje and Nykvarn are quite cheaper. Followed by Uppsala and Gothenburg, Stockholm remains the most expensive city in Sweden.
Average Cost of Living by Cities
Here is a precise discussion on the living expenses that you need to keep in mind while emigrating to Sweden from US.
Cities | Family Of Four | Single Person |
|---|---|---|
Stockholm | 34,000 SEK (3,900 USD) | 12,000 SEK (1,400 USD) |
Uppsala | 33,000 SEK (3,800 USD) | 9,000 SEK(1,050 USD) |
Gothenburg | 31,500 SEK (3,600 USD) | 9,000 SEK (1,050 USD) |
Average Living Expenses
- Food, Alcohol, and Gas: Groceries in Sweden are high. Although people tend to eat homemade food, if you wish to go out for dinner or lunch, you can expect a good expense of around 200+ SEK (23+ USD) as an average cost. A fairly cheap meal may cost around 100 SEK (11 USD). If you wish to add drinks to your dinner, you can expect a bill of 800 SEK (91 USD).
The Sweden government regulates the sale of liquor. Hence, you can only purchase alcohol at the stores owned by the government. Beverages in Sweden can be sold with 3.5% ABV or more. Besides this, other products like beer cans can be sold individually. The Sytembolaget(government-owned alcohol store) sells alcohol to people above 20 although the legal age of drinking is 18 in Sweden.
Below is a quick price break in terms of food, gas, and alcohol in Sweden.
Average Food, Alcohol, and Gas Prices
Item | SEK | USD |
|---|---|---|
Meal For Costly Outing | 120 | 14 |
One dozen eggs | 28 | 3 |
Half Liter Beer | 17 | 2 |
One Bottle of Wine | 100 | 11 |
One Liter Gas | 16 | 2 |
- Utility Costs: Utility costs in Sweden are quite reasonable and affordable as most rentals offer several utilities. Depending on the area of your house/ rent, an average utility cost can reach up to 1300 SEK(150 USD) per month. However, this entirely depends on the size and number of people in your house.
- Travel and Transportation Cost: Traveling by car is the biggest expense in Sweden due to the sky-high gas price. Although, 9 more countries charge a high price when it comes to gas. Individuals can easily travel by bus or train. Besides being convenient, these two modes of transport are excellent to take you to all places around the country.
Conclusion
Having said that, what comes next is the cost of moving to Sweden from US. Generally, the cost differs considering several factors including distance, number of goods being moved, special items, packing, and unpacking.
However, if you wish to save your time, money, and stress, Give us a call today! With our affordable, reliable, and expert relocation services, moving abroad has become extremely easy and effortless! Our phenomenal team of advisors is right here to guide you while you plan to immigrate from US to Sweden. Offering A-Z practical services that expats usually require, we deal in providing professional visa advice and moving your goods safely. On that note, connect with us today to begin a brilliant expat adventure!
