Doctor of medicine educated outside EU and EEA with at least three years practice within EU or EEA

På svenska

If you want to work as a doctor of medicine in Sweden you must have a Swedish license to practice. The title is protected. That means that only those with a license to practice can use the title of doctor of medicine.

In order to a obtain a Swedish license to practice you need to

prove you have the correct professional qualifications
prove you have sufficient language skills in Swedish, Danish or Norwegian (this applies even to those with Swedish nationality)
have a Swedish personal identity number or coordination number.

Do you not have a personal identity number or coordination number?

To be able to obtain a licence or proof of protected professional title, you need to have a Swedish personal identity number or coordination number.

If you do not have a personal identity number or coordination number when you apply for a licence, the National Board of Health and Welfare will request that the Swedish Tax Agency assign you a coordination number.

Once the National Board of Health and Welfare has requested that you be assigned a coordination number, you will normally receive a notice from the Swedish Tax Agency to appear in person at one of their service offices for an identity check. If you are not in Sweden, you can instead present yourself for an identity check at a Swedish passport authority abroad. The notice will be sent to the postal address you provide to the National Board of Health and Welfare.

You can also apply for a coordination number yourself via the Swedish Tax Agency, before you start your application for a licence.

Step 1 Apply for a licence

At the moment you cannot apply via the e-service, due to wrong application fee. If you want to apply for licence to practice, we kindly ask you to apply via our web form.

How to apply to us

You apply to us, either by using our web form or by filling in the application form and sending it to us by post. Select one way, and follow the instructions under each tab.

The application must contain

(Attached files must be in digital form in pdf format.)

Please observe! If you do not have a certificate of Article 3.3, it is not possible to get an examination according to the EU directive. You then need to choose the application route "educated outside the EU and EEA".

certificate of article 3.3, which confirms that you have worked for at least three years in an EU or EEA country and meet the requirements found in Article 3.3 of the EU directive 2005/36/EG
an account statement or an image that shows that you have paid the application fee
a copy of a valid ID document (e.g. a copy on the first page of your valid passport or a copy of a national ID card)
your diploma
certificate which is not older than three months to show that you are not prohibited from pursuing your profession (Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Current Professional Status)
certificate or diploma attesting to your language skills
document showing name change if you have changed your name since you completed your education (for example a marriage certificate).

If you want to apply for proof of specialist competence at the same time you also need to attach

an account statement or an image that shows that you have paid the application fee (If you apply for both license and proof of specialist competence at the same time, you will need to pay one application fee for licence and one application fee per specialist competence.)
certificate of article 3.3, which confirms that you have worked for at least three years in an EU or EEA country and meet the requirements found in Article 3.3 of the EU directive 2005/36/EG (pdf)
your specialist qualification

If your specialist training was completed within the EU or EEA:
certificate that your education complies with the EU directive (Certificate of Conformity)

If your specialist training was completed outside the EU and EEA:
certificate of Article 3.3, which confirms that you have worked for at least three years in an EU or EEA country and meet the requirements found in Article 3.3 of EU Directive 2005/36/EC (pdf).

Translation

Documents written in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English do not need to be translated. The translation can be done in any country. Translation means that a certified translator translates your documents to Swedish or English. The Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet) has a register of certified translators. The National Board of Health and Welfare also accepts translations from the Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen).

Pay the application fee before you send in your application

The fee for applying for a licence is SEK 3 300 if you have done internship (AT) in Sweden. The application fee is SEK 990 if you have not done internship (AT) in Sweden. Please send your payment to Bankgiro 790-3750 when you send in your application. Write your Swedish social security number (personnummer) in the message box in the format YYYYMMDDXXXX, without hyphens, dashes or spaces.

If you do not have a Swedish social security number, you enter your coordination number in the format YYYYMMDDXXXX, i.e. without hyphens or spaces.

If you do not have a social security number or coordination number, you enter your date of birth in the format YYYYMMDD and your name in the format firstnamesurname, i.e. without hyphens or spaces.

Remember that even if someone else makes the payment for you, it is still your personal date that must be filled in (security nummer, coordination number or date of birth, and your name).

Payment in foreign currency or from foreign account

If you use another currency, make sure that you pay the exact amount in SEK. Keep in mind that exchange rates vary from day to day. If you send your payment from abroad, please send it to IBAN: SE3612000000012810104980, SWIFT: DABASESX.

Certificate of Current Professional Status (Certificate of Good Standing)

In order to have the right to review according to the EU directive, the National Board of Health and Welfare needs to know that you are authorized to practice the profession in question in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland. You can prove it by submitting a certificate confirming that you have the right to practice the profession and that you have not been banned from practicing the profession – a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Current Professional Status.

The certificate must:

verify that your license has not been restricted due to professional negligence or criminal conduct
be no more than three months old
contain information about your personal data
be issued by an authorised authority in your country of education. Please note that your university is not an authorised authority.

For information about authorised authorities, see the Regulated Professions Database.

Certificate which confirms that you meet the requirements in the EU directive (Certificate of Conformity)Certificate of Conformity

Certain educations within the EU can generally be automatically recognised. In order for the National Board of Health and Welfare to automatically recognise your professional qualifications, we need a certificate that proves your education, a Certificate of Conformity.

The certificate must

confirm that your training complies with the EU Directive, Annex V, Directive 2005/36/EG
contain information about your personal data
be issued by the competent authority in your country of education. Please note that your university is not the competent authority.

For information on competent authorities, see the Regulated Professions Database.

Fill in your e-mail address

We will send the decision to you by e-mail, so you need to fill in your email address in the application form. If you have not filled in your e-mail address, the decision will be sent via regular mail.

Licence application web form

Application form

If you are unable to use the e-service or the web form, you can apply using the application form, which you send by post. The application process will then be longer than for both the e-service and the web form. Download and print the application form:

Application form for recognition of a specialist qualification (pdf)

2. You need to be able to speak Swedish, Danish or Norwegian

To be able to get a Swedish licence, you need to have language skills in Swedish, Danish or Norwegian. This applies even if you are a citizen of Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Norway. Send a certified copy of your diploma or other certificate showing your language skills with your licence application.

If you have an education from another EU/EEA country and do not yet have the language proficiency required for a licence, you have the opportunity to request a review of your professional qualifications.

How to prove your skills in Swedish

For example, you can prove your language skills by submitting a passing grade or approved results from

Swedish at Level C1 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Swedish, level 3 or Swedish as a foreign language, level 3 for example from Komvux (upper secondary adult education).
Another course or a test that makes you eligible for studying at a Swedish university/college, go to antagning.se.

How to prove your skills in Danish or Norwegian

Instead of Swedish you can have equivalent skills in Danish or Norwegian.

For example, you can prove your language skills by submitting a passing grade or approved results from

Danish or Norwegian at Level C1 in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
A course or a test that makes you eligible for studying at a Danish or Norwegian university or college.

You can also prove your language skills by letting a health care provider assess if you have the language skills that are needed in order to work in your profession. The health care provider should fill in the form and describe how the assessment has been made. Another alternative is to send a certificate showing that you have attended a university education in Danish or Norwegian.

Form for assessment of language skills (in Swedish)

3. Frequently asked questions

What happens after I submit my application?

When we have received your application, you will receive a confirmation, if you have filled in your email address. We review the applications in date order – no priority can be granted.

Our goal is to start handling a case within four weeks from the time the application reaches us. In order for you to receive your decision as quickly as possible, it is important that you send all documents from the beginning when you apply. If your application is not complete, we will contact you.

According to the professional qualifications directive, a decision regarding the application for identification must in any case be made within three to four months of the application being complete.

As a final step in the processing, we always do a search in the Police's charge register. If we get a hit in the charge register, the processing time will be longer.

If you have applied via e-service, you will receive the decision in the e‑service. You will receive an email from us when your decision is ready and then you log in to the e‑service to view the decision on "My page".

If you have applied via web form, you will receive the decision via email.

Once we have made a decision on identification, your details are entered into The National Board of Health and Welfare's register of certified health care personnel (HOSP). In HOSP, employers can search to see if a person has the identification required for a certain occupation.

About secure e-mail

If an e-mail message contains any personal information other than your name, we will send what is known as a confidential or encrypted message to you via e-mail. You will then receive an e-mail message containing a link. Click on the link to access your message.

You can open your message on a computer, mobile phone or other device. When you close the device, remember to log out from the message itself, and follow the instructions rather than closing by clicking on the X. This will allow you to open the message multiple times.

The message will remain accessible for 30 days. You can save the entire message and the attached file on your computer, mobile phone or other device.

What is a complete application?

A complete application means that we have received all the documents that are necessary for processing. If you have received a request for completion, the application is considered complete from the date when you have submitted the documents that we have requested.

What do I do If I have received a decision with compensatory measures?

If you have received a decision with compensatory measures you should perform an aptitude test or an adaptation period to have your professional qualifications recognized by the National Board of Health and Welfare. A license to practise your profession will be granted when you have submitted documentation to the National Board of Health and Welfare proving that you have successfully completed the compensatory measure. When submitting documents from the compensatory measure no fee is charged.

What does a decision on the recognition of professional qualifications mean?

Recognition of your professional qualifications means that the National Board of Health and Welfare has compared your education with the Swedish education and concluded that there are no significant differences. A recognition of professional qualifications does not correspond to a credential and does not give the right to use a protected professional title.

If you already have a decision on the recognition of professional qualifications, you need to prove your language skills in order to be granted identification. You have the option of entering with a new application. Please note that the National Board of Health and Welfare charges an application fee per application for identification.

The application must contain

a statement showing completed payment
a copy of a valid ID document
a copy of your language proficiency certificate or grade
a copy and translation of the name change document, for example a marriage certificate (applies only if you have changed your name after receiving your diploma).

Which countries are included in the EU and the EEA?

EU

The countries included in the EU are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The UK is no longer part of the EU, but if you have a diploma from the UK that has been issued before (and up to) 31 December 2020, you have the opportunity to apply for identification as an EU-educated person.

EEA

The EEA includes the EU countries and also Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Switzerland

Switzerland is neither an EU nor EEA member. If you qualified or have worked in Switzerland you can apply in the same way as those who qualified or have worked in an EU or EEA country.

Do I, as a Nordic citizen, need to show that I have the necessary language skills in Swedish, Danish or Norwegian?

Yes. You must show that you have the necessary language skills, even if you are a citizen of Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Norway.

Can I appeal a decision from the National Board of Health and Welfare?

If you disagree with a decision from the National Board of Health and Welfare, you can appeal it. Anyone who wishes to appeal the Board of Health and Welfare's decision must write to Förvaltningsrätten in Stockholm. The letter is therefore sent to Förvaltningsrätten, but it must be sent to the National Board of Health and Welfare.
The appeal must be in writing and it must reach the National Board of Health and Welfare within three weeks of you taking part of the decision. If the appeal is received later, it cannot be considered.

Follow these steps:

Write in the heading of the letter: "Till Förvaltningsrätten i Stockholm – överklagande" (To Förvaltningsrätten in Stockholm – appeal").
Indicate in the letter which decision you want to appeal (case number or record number) and which change you want.
Send the appeal via mail or post:
- via mail: socialstyrelsen@socialstyrelsen.se
- via post:
  Socialstyrelsen
  Enheten för behörighet
  106 30 Stockholm

What applies about delay in action?

If you have applied for recognition of professional qualifications, licence to practice or European professional card, you can turn to the administrative court in Stockholm with a delay claim, if you have not received a decision in your case from us within certain time limits.

What time limits apply?

A decision on the recognition of professional qualifications must be made by the National Board of Health and Welfare within 3 months of your complete application. The time limit can, under certain conditions, be extended by one month.

How to file a complaint concerning delay in action?

To bring an action for delay, you must send a written "Request for a declaration of delay" to the Administrative Court in Stockholm. If the National Board of Health and Welfare has not complied with the deadlines stated above, the Administrative Court shall order us to decide the matter as soon as possible.

Contact information to Förvaltningsrätten i Stockholm (the Administrative Court in Stockholm)

forvaltningsrattenistockholm@dom.se

Visiting address
Tegeluddsvägen 1, 115 41 Stockholm

Postal address
115 76 Stockholm

Do you have questions about how to apply?

Telephone: 075-247 30 00
Telephone hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9–11
E-mail: fragoromansokan@socialstyrelsen.se

Do you have questions about your current application?

If you have submitted an application and have questions about your application, you can contact us. Always state your case number (diary number).

Telephone: 075-247 30 00
Telephone hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9–11
E-mail: socialstyrelsen@socialstyrelsen.se

Publication date: 2024-05-13