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I am currently applying for a job in Sweden and if I should get hired, me and my wife (both German citizens) will move there. As far as I understand, as I have a job there I can apply for a Swedish personal number and will therefore be within the Swedish social security system.

But what about my wife? She will quite surely not immediately have a job when we will move there, but under which prerequisites can she join the Swedish social security and are there any benefits she can receive in the first time without having had a job there?

2 Answers 2

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Everyone who works or lives in Sweden is entitled to social security.

The social security system comprises residence-based insurance providing minimum guaranteed benefits and earnings-related benefits covering loss of income. The system covers everyone who is resident or working in Sweden. A person who has his or her real domicile in Sweden is considered to be residing here.

From europa.eu:

As a general rule, any persons who come to live in Sweden are considered to be residing in the country if they can be presumed to be intending to stay for more than one year. Any persons resident in Sweden who leave the country are held to be still residing in Sweden if their absence can be presumed to be of no more than one year’s duration.

So if this holds for your wife as well, then she will be covered with you. If she cannot be considerd as a resident (for example she will move later once you've settled down, etc.), then while she visits you she should get an EHIC card from your German insurer, which will provide her basic benefits given she is still secured back in Germany.

Once she has moved permamently and can be considered a resident, she will be covered by the Swedish system. She should register herself at the Försäkringskassan, which can be done using this form. At the end of the form it asks you to enclose various documents. You should include one that proves that your wife's social security insurance has ended in Germany, which would clearly signal her intent to permamentaly move to Sweden.

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You both need to register at the skatteverket (tax office) first and get your personnummer (personal id number), since you both have a valid visa then this is more of a technical step.

Some time after that (days to weeks) you'll get your id number and card, only than you can go to Försäkringskassan and register there.

Once this registration is approved (again days to weeks) you can get the same benefits as any other Swedish.

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