Other things that are important to know

About the Swedish Migration Board, asylum, refugees and citizenship (Om Migrationsverket, asyl, flyktingar och medborgarskap)

Personnel at the Migration Board decide on applications
from those seeking asylum who have come to Sweden on their own.

Sweden has signed the UN´s Refugee Convention.
This means that Sweden must provide persons with asylum
who are refugees according to the convention.
A refugee according to the convention is a person
who risks persecution in his or her home country because of:

• Race
• Nationality
• Religious or political beliefs
• Gender or sexual orientation
• The group in society to which the person belongs

According to Swedish law,
even persons who are not refugees
according to the convention may receive asylum
and protection in Sweden.

The law states that persons in need of protection
are those who have strong reasons for fearing
the death penalty or torture.

It can also be a matter of persons
who require protection because of war
or an environmental catastrophe in their home country.

Those seeking asylum who come to Sweden
can apply at the border
or at one of the Migration Board´s application units.

Right country? (Rätt land?)

If a person lacks reasons
for seeking asylum in Sweden,
the Migration Board makes its decision immediately.

If they believe that the person
may have reasons for receiving asylum,
the time varies for making a decision.
The Migration Board strives to provide an answer to all applicants
within six months.
But it can sometimes take much longer.

Relatives (Släkt)

A person applying is entitled to receive a residence permit
if he or she is married,
has entered a registered partnership
or cohabitates with someone in Sweden.

You can be refused a permit
if you provide false information in your application.
 

Persons under 18 (Personer under 18 år)

Persons over 18
can sometimes receive residence permits as relatives
if they have lived together with relatives
who now live in Sweden.

You must prove
that you have lived with your relative
when he or she moved to Sweden
and that your relationship
is such that it is difficult for you
and your relative to live apart.

You apply for a residence permit based on family ties
at a Swedish embassy or consulate in your home country
or where you live.

Refusal (Avslag)

A migration court can review your application

(Migrationsdomstol kan pröva din ansökan)

A migration court can subpoena you and your public assistant,
and a representative from the Migration Board, to discuss your case.
The migration court upholds or changes the Migration Board´s decision.

You can appeal the decision of a migration court
in the migration superior court.
However, the migration superior court only hears cases
that are of legal significance.

Citizenship (Medborgarskap)

You must also have lived in Sweden for at least five years.

Stateless persons must have lived in Sweden for at least four years.
Four years also applies for those
who have received residence permits as refugees
in accordance with the Aliens Act.

Other rules apply for children under 15
and children between 15 and 18 years of age.
The Migration Board counts the time
from when the child applied for a residence permit in Sweden.

If you had a residence permit
when you came to Sweden,
the time is counted from when you arrived here.

Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket)

The Tax Agency works with various
taxes in Sweden.
This includes income tax, valued-added tax
and other taxation.

You must pay tax on all income.
Income is the money that you earn.
This means that you must pay
tax on your wages.

You must also pay tax on
your sickness benefits and on your pension.

If you sell your house or flat,
you must pay tax on that income.
You must also pay tax when you sell stocks.
You must file an income tax return once a year.

Most of the money from income tax
goes to the municipalities and county councils. 

When you buy a product in a shop, you pay tax.
This is a special tax levied by the
national government.
This tax is VAT (value-added tax or moms in Swedish).
VAT is about 25 percent of your purchase.

Income taxes, VAT and other taxation
finance Sweden´s welfare system.
Together, everyone contributes via taxes
to the social insurance system, grants for education
and the social safety net.

Civil registration provides a list
of everyone living in Sweden.
The Tax Agency is responsible for civil registration.

Your civil registration listing includes your name,
your personal code number,
your address,
whether you are married or not,
the person you are married to,
your children,
your citizenship
and when you moved to Sweden.

The Tax Agency receives most information
from other government authorities.
The Tax Agency provides civil registration information about you
to various authorities, such as CSN, the regional social
insurance office and the Election Authority.

Civil registration and your rights

(Folkbokföring och dina rättigheter)

Where you are to pay tax
and where you may vote depend on
where you are registered.

In most municipalities,
you must be registered before you can begin an introduction program
and apply for introduction benefits.

Birth certificate (Personbevis)

You can obtain a birth certificate directly
at your local tax office,
by calling the Tax Agency
or by placing an order at the Tax Agency´s website:
 www.skatteverket.se

112 SOS Alarm (112 SOS Alarm)

Call 112
if you or someone nearby
suddenly collapses
or has been injured in an accident.

You call 112 when you need help fast
from the fire brigade, the police
or an ambulance or doctor.

Only call 112
if you need help right away.

When you call 112
you can speak with a person
who is prepared
to send the help you need.

The person will ask what has happened
and where it has happened.

It is important to be as calm as possible
when you call,
so that you can provide correct information
and the right kind of help can be sent.

If there is a fire, personnel need to know
if anyone is in danger
and how many are injured.

Personnel at SOS Alarm
speak Swedish and English.
If personnel have time,
they can arrange assistance from interpreters,
but the call and help
will then take more time.

At the Internet address www.sosalarm.se
you can read about SOS Alarm and 112
in several different languages.

Police (Polisen)

In carrying out their duties, the police follow the laws
set down by the Swedish Parliament.
The government specifies what the police are
to work with each year.

If you are the victim of a crime,
rport this to the police.
If you need emergency help, call 112.
In non-emergency situations,
you can call the police at 114 14.
You can also go to the nearest police station
or file a report on the Internet.

Read more at the police´s website:
www.polisen.se
 

Be safe in traffic (Var säker i trafiken)

Seat belts and driver´s licenses (Bilbäte och körkort)

The number of passengers specified on the car's registration
certificate may not be exceeded.

The driver must always have a driver´s
license in his or her possession when driving.

Alcohol and drugs (Alkohol och droger)

Speeds (Hastigheter)

Children in cars (Barn i bilen)

Children ride most safely facing the rear of the car.
Children may not sit in seats equipped with airbags.

Bikes (Cyckel)

Bike helmets also provide good protection for adults;
most of the 4,000 bike riders
who required hospital care
had head injuries.

Bikes must have brakes and bells.
If you ride a bike in the dark,
you must have reflectors on the bike
and lights front and back.
If your bike is missing any required equipment,
you may have to pay a fine as punishment.

Bike riders must ride on the same side of the road as cars drive
 — the right side of the road.
Bikes may not be ridden on sidewalks or pedestrian bridges.

Reflectors are good in the dark (Reflexer är bra i mörkret)