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.

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.

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 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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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