How to register a personal number in Sweden is a vital step for your life in Sweden. If you are just visiting for a limited time, you can skip this step. But registering with the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) is necessary for anyone planning to live in Sweden long-term.

Quick guide to How to register a personal number in Sweden (updated for 2025).

Once you resister and receive a Swedish personal number, the Swedish Tax Agency will assign you a unique personal identity number (personnummer) and add you to the Swedish population register and tax system.

Should I register for a personal number?

This partly depends on your citizenship, but the general rule is that anyone who plans to live one year or more in Sweden should register with Skatteverket.

How do I register for a personal number in Sweden?

It is not too complicated, just a bit time consuming. This is how you go about registering for a Swedish personal number:

• Locate your nearest Tax Office. There is one in nearly any Swedish city. Find your closest Tax Office here. (Information in Swedish)
• Go to the Tax Office in person. You don’t need an appointment, you just drop by during the opening hours.
• What you need to bring for registering depends on your citizenship and partly on your family status (if you are moving here alone or with/to your family). Yet, you generally need to bring a valid passport and your residence permit (or equivalent).

You will be asked about your current residence address and family relations (spouse, children and grandparents etc.). This serves the purpose of adding you to the civil registration – folkbokföring. So, don’t get stressed by all these questions, they are part of the usual procedure.

What do I need to bring when I register for a personal number in Sweden

This generally depends on your citizenship. Generally, you must present a valid passport and residence permit. However, rules change so here are useful links to know what to bring if you are:

• a Swedish citizen
• a citizen of a Nordic country
• a citizen of a EU or EEA country
• a citizen of a non-EU or EEA country or stateless
• moving to family who are already living in Sweden: if you belong to the same family as a Swedish citizen or you belong to the same family as an EU or EEA citizen.

What happens once I’ve registered for a personal number?

Once registered, you will be issued a personnummer. This 10-digit number serves as your unique Swedish identity number and is important for many administrative processes. The number starts with your birth date (year, month day) plus four unique numbers. The number is not secret, it is however good to be careful as a lot of information is linked to this number and identity theft is a growing crime

Why do I need a personal number in Sweden?

Well, your whole legal existence in Sweden is based on this personal number. And you will generally need it for more or less everything, like:

• opening a Swedish bank account
• registering with the Swedish Public Employment Service – Arbetsförmedlingen
• learning Swedish at SFI
• registering your car at the Swedish Transportation Agency – Transportstyrelsen
• getting medical treatment
• or ordering medicine a the pharmacy

It is in some exceptional cases possible to do these things without being registered with the Swedish Tax Agency, yet having a personal identity number makes it all much easier so it is highly recommended go get one.

Your personnummer is linked to important personal information like your address, income sources, marital status etc. If any of these details change, you only need to update the Tax Agency, and they will forward the changes to other relevant authorities.

Will I have to pay taxes in Sweden if I register for a personal number?

Paying taxes is also an important part of life in Sweden. Taxes fund the country’s social benefits like healthcare, education, infrastructure etc. After registering with the Tax Agency, you will be added to Sweden’s tax system and have obligations like filing an annual tax return. The Agency oversees all national tax collection.

Further reading

• Work in Sweden guides
• Learn Swedish

FAQs

2025 Tax Quick Facts

• State income tax: Applies only above the annual threshold; see Skatteverket for current breakpoints.
• Municipal & regional tax: Average rate varies by municipality/region; see SCB for 2025 overview.

Official sources

• Skatteverket – Belopp & procent
• SCB – Local taxes

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