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You have a permit in Sweden – Protection under the Temporary Protection Directive Work, school and healthcare

Information about work, school and healthcare for people who have applied for or been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive.

The information on this page is primarily aimed at people who are not yet listed in the Swedish Population Register.

The right to work

If you are 16 years of age or older, you have the right to work once you have received a decision on a residence permit with protection under the Temporary Protection Directive. You can contact the Swedish Public Employment Service for help with finding a job.

The Swedish Public Employment Service's website External link.

If you find a job, you must register with the Swedish Tax Agency so that you can pay taxes. You or your employer must send a registration of preliminary A-tax (employment tax) to the Swedish Tax Agency. If you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, you can start working even if the Swedish Tax Agency has not yet decided on your preliminary A-tax.

The Swedish Tax Agency’s website External link.

School for children

Children who have applied for or received a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive have the right to attend preschool and school.

Children are entitled to preschool from one year of age. Preschool is not just a way to look after children while their parents work or study. A child may have their own need to participate in preschool activities in order to feel good and develop, even if their parents are at home.

From the autumn term of the year that children turn six, they have the right to go to school. School is free, and all children must attend compulsory primary school for ten years.

Upon completion of primary school, young people are entitled to upper secondary education, as long as they begin the education before they turn 18. Upper secondary school can prepare young people for higher education or teach them a profession.

It is the municipality where you live that will ensure that your child gets a place at a school. Contact the municipality and tell them you want your children to attend school. If you need help with this, contact the Swedish Migration Agency.

Read more about Swedish school and education External link.

Find your municipality’s website (in Swedish) External link.

Tips for people who want to learn Swedish on their own External link.

Health and medical care

Once an adult has applied for or received a residence permit with temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, they have the right to emergency medical care, emergency dental care and medical care that cannot wait. It is the healthcare service that decides what sort of care cannot be postponed.

You also have the right to obstetric (childbirth) care, abortion care, advice about contraceptives, maternal health care, and care covered by the Infectious Disease Control Act (a law aimed at preventing the spread of infectious diseases).

If you present your residence permit card, you pay a lower fee when you visit healthcare providers or pick up certain medications or assistive devices at the pharmacy.

How to seek care

When you become ill, get injured, are not feeling well psychologically, or need support or care due to a disability, you should primarily contact a healthcare centre. A healthcare centre is a local, publicly funded healthcare facility. There you can see, among others, a nurse, general practitioner or counsellor. If they assess that you need more specialised care or assistive devices, they can help to refer you to the correct place.

You often need to make an appointment before you visit a care provider. You have the right to an interpreter when you interact with healthcare personnel. When you make an appointment, say that you will need an interpreter.

Health exam

Once you have been granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, you will receive an offer for a free health exam. During the health exam, you can get advice about health-related issues, will be offered medical tests (i.e. blood tests), and will receive information about health and medical care in Sweden.

Fees for visits to a healthcare centre or hospital

  • Visit to a physician at a healthcare centre: SEK 50
  • Visit to a physician to whom you were referred: SEK 50
  • Visit to another type of care provider to whom you were referred (for example, a nurse, physiotherapist, or counsellor): SEK 25
  • Preventive child and maternity care, pregnancy care, and childbirth: free
  • Protective care if you have an infectious disease: free

Emergency hospital care or emergency dental care

The fees for emergency visits to hospitals vary throughout the country. You can find applicable fees on the website for your region or via 1177.

www.1177.se External link.

  • Emergency visit to a Public Dental Service clinic or another dentist to which you are referred by the Public Dental Service: SEK 50
  • Emergency visit to private dentist not approved by the Public Dental Service: fee determined by the private dentist

Medication

You pay SEK 50 for most prescribed medications, but sometimes they are more expensive. Sometimes the medications that are prescribed cost more than SEK 50. Most medications that are prescribed to children under the age of 18 are free.

Healthcare journeys

You pay a maximum of SEK 40 for a so-called “healthcare journey”, i.e. travel to obtain health or medical care.

If you do not have your own money, in certain situations you can apply for a grant to help with the cost of your care:

High cost protection if your expenses exceed SEK 400

If, over the course of six months, you have paid more than SEK 400 for visits to a physician, healthcare journeys, prescription medication, and other treatment (such as physiotherapy), you can apply for a special grant. The Swedish Migration Agency can reimburse you for any costs that exceed SEK 400. This is known as “high cost protection”. To receive the grant, you must provide receipts (not invoices) showing that you have paid each fee. In the case of receipts for medication, you will need to submit the prescription specification, the part of the receipt where your name appears.

Fees for visits to a specialist physician without a referral from a doctor at the healthcare centre do not count towards the SEK 400 limit.

Compensation for emergency medical care and medications

The cost of emergency medical care is not included in the high cost protection, but you can apply for a special grant if the cost is greater than SEK 50. You can also apply if you needed emergency dental care, provided that your Public Dental Service clinic was not open or had no available appointments when you needed the care.

Bring the receipt to the Swedish Migration Agency and submit an application for a special grant as soon as you can after the emergency visit.

You can also apply to be reimbursed for the cost of prescription medications for which you paid more than SEK 50.

Care for children under 18 years of age

Children and young people under the age of 18 are entitled to the same health care and dental care as other children living in Sweden. Such care is largely free for children, but it can vary depending on where you live. Medication for children is free if you have a prescription from a doctor. Your child can also have free access to certain assistive devices, if a health care provider has assessed that it is needed.

If you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to cope with everyday life on your own, it is important that you tell the Swedish Migration Agency. Also contact the healthcare centre so that you can get help. If you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to communicate in contact with the Swedish Migration Agency or other authorities, you can get help and support with that. Talk to your Unit for Reception about what support you can get.

If you think you need glasses, contact your Unit for Reception and apply for a special grant for an eye examination and glasses. It is the case officer at the Swedish Migration Agency who decides whether you should receive an eye examination. Once you have received a decision granting you an eye examination, you can book an appointment with the optician and you must do so within three weeks. If the optician decides that you need glasses, they will order glasses paid for by the Swedish Migration Agency.

  • On the website www.1177.se External link., there is information in several languages about diseases and how health and medical care in Sweden works. It also lists the phone numbers for the healthcare centres and dentists located in the place where you live.

    You can also call telephone number 1177. Then you will be able to talk to a nurse who can answer questions and give advice on health and medical care. The nurse can also assess your need for care and refer you to the right healthcare facility, if necessary.
  • The website www.mybody.rfsu.se External link. has short informational films for people who want to know more about their body, sexuality and health. The films are available in many different languages. Among other things, the website has film clips about contraception, childbirth and pregnancy.
  • The website www.youmo.se External link. provides information for young people about health, relationships, sex and much more, in several languages.
  • Kvinnofridslinjen (Sweden’s National Women’s Helpline) offers advice and support to women subjected to threats and/or physical, psychological and sexual violence. Call 020‑50 50 50. They can arrange for an interpreter in just a few minutes. You can also read more at kvinnofridslinjen.se External link..
  • The staff at your Unit for Reception or accommodation can help you with more information and find out where you should go to get the right healthcare in the place where you live.

News

The Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for considering applications from people who want to live in Sweden, seek protection or become Swedish citizens. Our work is based on Swedish laws and international conventions, with a focus on legal certainty and effective reception and return.