Health insurance in Sweden: what newcomers need to know
It's one of the most common mistakes newcomers make when moving to Sweden, and it only shows up once you're already sitting at Skatteverket.
If you think you can arrive in Sweden with the health insurance card from your home country or the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) and register without any problems, I'm afraid you're wrong. And this isn't small print. In the cases I come across in my consultations, missing proof of health insurance is the most common reason an application for folkbokföring (population registration) gets stuck. That's my own observation, not a Skatteverket statistic.
What the EHIC can do, and what it can't
The EHIC is intended for temporary stays: holidays, business trips, short visits. As soon as you make Sweden your place of residence and don't get Swedish health cover through an employer, it no longer counts as proof of adequate health cover.
Skatteverket checks this. If you want to register as self-employed, as a freelancer or as an EU citizen who isn't working, you have to prove that you have comprehensive health insurance, at your own expense.
What you need instead: CSI
The Swedish term is heltäckande sjukförsäkring, comprehensive health insurance. (Online in English you'll often read "Comprehensive Sickness Insurance" or "CSI"; that's a British term and doesn't appear on Swedish forms. When you speak to Skatteverket, say heltäckande sjukförsäkring.) It has to meet the following criteria:
- Term: at least one year (ideally open-ended)
- Cover: inpatient and outpatient treatment in Sweden
- Provider: a private insurance company (e.g. Cigna, AXA, Allianz Care)
- Language: English or Swedish is sufficient for the proof
Important: it's not enough to simply take out travel health insurance and hope nobody looks closely. Skatteverket knows the difference. Whether the EU card (EHIC) is accepted as heltäckande sjukförsäkring in an individual case is decided by Skatteverket based on your specific situation. Don't rely on it; ask beforehand.
When do you need CSI, and when don't you?
You need the proof if you:
- are self-employed or a freelancer
- aren't working (e.g. you're accompanying a partner)
- are moving to Sweden as a pensioner
- work remotely for a company in your home country (a German company, for example) and aren't a Swedish employee
You don't need it if you:
- are employed directly by a Swedish employer; then Försäkringskassan takes over your cover automatically
- already have an S1 form from your health insurer at home (in Germany, your Krankenkasse); this applies to EU citizens who live in one EU country but work in another
The S1 form: the alternative for some
If you remain employed and covered by social insurance in your home country, for example as an employee of a German company working from home in Sweden, you can use the S1 form instead of a private policy. It certifies that you're covered through your home country's social security system and transfers the right to healthcare to Sweden.
You get the S1 from your health insurer at home; in Germany, that's your Krankenkasse. It isn't an automatic process. You have to request it actively and explain your plans to move. With a German Krankenkasse, allow at least four to six weeks for it.
What is actually checked at the Skatteverket appointment
At the appointment to apply for a personnummer, you'll be asked to present the following documents:
- passport or national ID card
- proof of your residence in Sweden (tenancy agreement or proof of ownership)
- proof of your financial situation (employment contract, proof of self-employment or proof of assets)
- proof of health insurance: a heltäckande sjukförsäkring policy or an S1 form
If the proof of health insurance is missing or inadequate, the application is rejected on the day. You have to book a new appointment, which can take weeks.
What it costs
The offers I've seen for clients came to roughly 80 to 200 euros a month for one adult, depending on the provider, age and scope of cover. That's a range from experience, not a market price. Get two or three actual quotes. For the transition period until you have your personnummer, the policy is unavoidable.
As soon as you're folkbokförd (registered), you have access to the regional healthcare system. In Gothenburg that's Västra Götalandsregionen (the old landsting county councils haven't existed since 2020; they're now called regions). Patient fees are manageable and vary by region. In Västra Götaland a visit to the emergency department costs 400 SEK. The whole thing is capped by the high-cost protection (högkostnadsskydd): for all outpatient treatment combined you pay at most 1,450 SEK in twelve months, after which you get a frikort, an exemption card (as of 2026, 1177.se). Medicines have their own, second high-cost protection.
A tip from my own experience
I moved to Gothenburg in 2022, not as a self-employed person at that point, but on a project contract. The health insurance question still caught me off guard. The answer I got from my German Krankenkasse was vague. The answer I found online was out of date.
What I learned: sort this out before you move, not afterwards. Contact your health insurer at home and ask explicitly about the S1 form, or get a CSI quote from an international provider. Both are doable, just not at the last minute.
Summary
| Situation | Solution |
|---|---|
| Employed by a Swedish employer | Nothing extra needed; your employer registers you |
| Remote employee of a company in your home country | Apply for an S1 form from your health insurer at home |
| Self-employed / freelancer | Take out heltäckande sjukförsäkring (min. 1 year, inpatient + outpatient) |
| Not working (partner, pensioner) | Take out heltäckande sjukförsäkring |
Sweden: the regions at a glance, the in-depth guide to this topic (currently available in German): view it in the shop.
I'm Sebastian Schiefner, a photographer in Gothenburg, and I help people who are moving to West Sweden with finding a home and buying property. Book a free intro call.
