New Arrivals Guide
With new co-workers regularly arriving in Lund/Sweden our PhD students and PostDocs decided it was time to develop an un-official survival guides for arriving in Sweden. It is written by Smita Chakraborty, Andrew Lifson, Dr. Christian Reuschle and Harsh Shah and is based on their experience of arriving and settling in Lund. As such, if some information is out of date, please contact the webmaster and ask them to update the text.
Coronavirus advice and links:
Before arrival in Sweden
1. Residence permit / VISA
Non-EU/EEA citizens must apply for visa for you and your family members at the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). You can check requirements and procedure depending on your country of origin.
Please note that:
- The application can take up to 3 months-check the current waiting time at the migrationsverket.
- Your permit cannot last longer than the expiry date on your passport.
- Each member of your family will be processed individually – make sure that all documents for all individuals are in order.
EU/EEA citizens may not be required to apply for VISA to work and stay in Sweden. Check rules and regulations at the Swdish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).
2. Coordination number
Coordination numbers are required as identification if you are staying for less than 12 months. If you can arrive without a residence permit you'll need a coordination number until you receive a personal number. Contact Eva Jurlander or your supervisor/line manager if you have questions.
3. Housing
Housing is available in Lund, Malmö, surrounding towns/villages, Helsingborg, or even in Copenhagen. For temporary accommodation contact your supervisor/line manager or Eva Jurlander to obtain a room at the department guesthouse.
Methods of finding a more permanent accommodation include:
- Adds on BoPoolen (For students only)
- Adds on Blocket - Lund
- Adds on Blocket - Malmo
- Adds on Facebook : Lund apartments for rent
- Adds on Facebook : Expats in Malmö
Note that many advertisements are in Swedish (use Chrome to translate) but most landlords speak excellent English.
4. Insurance
Temporary travel insurance may be recommended.
Once you are employed the University you are covered by various insurance policies that may be relevant.
After arrival in Sweden
1. Swedish personal number
We strongly recommend you get one as soon as possible, as it is required for almost everything in Sweden, including personal ID, opening bank accounts and access to healthcare. Visit your nearest Skatteverket location to register and obtain one.
2. Swedish ID
You can only get this after receiving your personal number. It is required to open a bank account, and easiest ID for all other Swedish interactions. Must make an appointment at Skatteverket in Malmö (not available in Lund in fall 2018).
3. Lund University access card
Needed for after-hours access to the department, and can bee obtained with either your temporary coordination number (see above) and then your more permanent personal number (the one that includes your date of birth).
4. Bank account
Once you have a Swedish ID you may open a bank account.
- General banking information (Swedish Banker's Association website)
- General finance information (Lund University website)
Some employees find that Handelsbanken has a good banking portal in English.
5. Insurance
Once you have a personal number you are covered by Försäkringskassan's social security and healthcare, but you probably need some additional insurance. Most landlords require their tenants to have home insurance in case of theft, fire, accidents etc:
- Home insurance (Newbie Guide to Sweden website)
- Unemployment insurance for academics (A-kassan's website)
- Parental leave (Försäkringskassan's website)
6. Emergency numbers
The emergency number in Sweden is 112. If you are calling from a university landline you must press zero first and the number is then 0-112. Other important numbers include:
- 112 for emergencies
- +46 (0) 46 222 0700 for the University Security Control Centre
- 11 414 to contact police in non-emergency
- 1177 for any and all medical advice when in Sweden
- +46 77 111 7700 for medical advice when abroad or calling from a foreign number
Remember that all work related injuries should be reported.
- Emergency information for Lund University (LU website)
- Emergency information from Swedish authorities (Krisinformation website)
7. Health care
Once you arrive in Sweden you should register at a local healthcare centre (Vårdcentral). Visit one and fill out the required form. Note that children under the age of 5 have specific healthcare centres (Barnvårdcentral), women's reproductive health is handled by specific healthcare centers (Barnmorskemottagning) and dental health is handled by Folktandvården Skåne.
- Map of nearby healthcare centres (1177 website)
- Dental clinics in Skåne (Folktandvården's website)
8. PhD specific resources
There are several resources available for PhD students at Lund University
- How to PhD at Lund University (pdf, 2017 edition)
- General Swedish PhD information (SULF union website)
- Naturvetenskapliga Doktorandsrådet (NDR) Lund (Science PhD student union facebook site
9. Parking
Parking near the university is typically paid. The guide below gives all the information needed. We are most closely situated to Zone B
10. Other useful links
- Complete getting-settled guide (pdf)
- PhD and Post-doc guide for Lund (pdf)
- New employees (LU staff pages)
- New students (LU website)
- International staff (LU staff pages)
- International Citizen Hub Lund (Their website)
- Staff employment pages (LU website)
- EOS Lund social hub (their website)
- EOS Lund (their Facebook page)