Sweden: COVID-19 Visa, Healthcare and Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to some frequently asked questions about living in Sweden during COVID-19, below.
Updated at 6 May 2020
Keeping updated
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Returning to Australia
Flights
Don’t delay making plans. Changes to flight schedules are happening with little notice. Contact your airline or travel agent as soon as possible.
We recommend that if you are overseas and wish to return to Australia, that you should do so as soon as possible. The decision to come home or to stay where you are is yours. Every individual will need to consider their own circumstances. Be informed and stay safe.
Please contact us for advice and assistance by calling: 46 8 613 2900, or emailing: [email protected].
Transiting through Sweden
We are doing our best to provide you with accurate and timely advice on our social media pages, but governments around the world are introducing new measures and restrictions with little or no notice.
For those transiting through Sweden:
- If you travel to Sweden from 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙙𝙚 the European Economic Area (EEA) – which comprises EU countries, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - you are unable to leave the transit area at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Unfortunately, this means you will not be able to access the airport hotel, even if you are transiting overnight.
- If you travel to Sweden from 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 the European Economic Area, you are able to leave the airport and check into a hotel whilst you await your connecting flight.
- Stockholm Arlanda Airport advises travellers to carry any essential medication and foodstuffs in your carry-on. Stores may be closed and options may be limited
Staying in Sweden for short-term visitors
Visas
Important information for Australian travellers from the Swedish Migration Agency:
If you are unable to return home within the validity of your visa or visa-free period due to cancellations or other means of communication, and no alternative travel can be booked on time, you can apply to extend your stay in Sweden and the Schengen zone.
If your stay in Sweden and the Schengen zone is longer than 90 days, you need to apply for an extension with a residence permit. It is important that you apply before your current permit or visa-free period expires. You can then remain in Sweden while your application is being processed.
The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that you first apply for a visitor’s residence permit instead of extending your entry visa. This means you do not have to first extend your entry visa and then possibly have to apply later for a visitor’s residence permit.
If you apply for a visitor’s residence permit before your entry visa, your entry visa-free time or your current visitor’s residence permit has expired, you have the right to remain in Sweden until the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision.
More information can be found here.
Due to the current situation and limited accessibility to insurance, the Swedish Migration Agency has waived insurance as a requirement for the visa extension process. The Migration Agency has stressed that people without insurance run the risk of high medical bills and therefore encourage people without travel insurance to return home as quickly as possible.
Should you still choose to remain in Sweden, without travel insurance, the Swedish Migration Agency has provided the below instructions for extending your stay longer than 90 days:
Start the application online -
- There is a fee of SEK 1,500.
- Provide proof that you have paid this fee.
- Provide a copy of your passport details (bio) page.
- Provide a copy of your onward ticket or conformation that your flights have been cancelled.
- Provide a copy of your current bank statement showing that you have adequate funds to cover your expenses for the duration of your stay.
- Provide a letter, explaining your personal circumstances and that you are unable to obtain insurance at this time due to COVID-19.
- Send the completed application in the mail to: Swedish Migration Agency, 601 70 Norrköping.
Should you require more information please contact the Swedish Migration Agency, here.
Healthcare Information
Australians visiting Sweden (e.g. as tourists) for less than 90 days are covered by a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) between Australia and Sweden.
We strongly recommend Australian tourists in Sweden take out private travel health insurance since the RHCA does not cover all medical costs.
Under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, Australians visiting Sweden for less than 90 days have the right to immediate necessary medical care. This includes:
- Emergency care
- Care for an illness or injury that can’t wait till you get home
What is covered:
- Urgent care from a doctor
- Urgent care as an out-patient at a hospital
- Free health services for children
- Free maternity services
- Part of the cost of prescription medicines
- Urgent dental care
- What may not be covered
- All non-emergency medical and dental care
- Injury due to recklessness, such as the practice of extreme sport activities
Ask staff at the hospital or doctor to treat you under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia and identify yourself with your Australian passport and Medicare card. Expired Medicare cards are not accepted.
If you are an Australian in this situation and you have not yet received a visa extension or a visitor's permit, we recommend the following:
- Non-emergency situation: seek advice from the Swedish Migration Agency or the 1177 healthcare advice line and/or contact the Australian Embassy.
- Emergency situation: call the emergency line on 112 (all operators speak English) or visit a hospital emergency room.
Staying in Sweden for long-term visitors
Healthcare Information
Australians who are living in Sweden for longer than 90 days should apply for a personal number from the Swedish Tax Agency. Everyone with a personal number has an equal right to healthcare in Sweden and is covered by Swedish Health Care Insurance.
Health care centres and hospitals can access the details of everyone with a personal number on their IT systems.
Everyone seeking healthcare in Sweden is still required to pay a certain amount in patient fees (this is the same for Swedish citizens). Visiting a general practitioner generally costs between SEK 100-300, while a visit to the emergency ward can be between SEK300-400. The cost varies between different regions.
For more information please see The Swedish Social Insurance Agency - Travel abroad: https://www.forsakringskassan.se
Postal advice for Australians in Sweden
Sweden’s postal operator, PostNord Sverige, has suspended all deliveries from Sweden to Australia effective 25 March until further notice. For high-priority and urgent corporate goods, there may be certain opportunities through the Air and Ocean courier service. Please contact the unit at [email protected] for further information. You can also call PostNord on 0771-33 33 10 M-F 8am to 7pm.
For more information please see, here.