To Socialstyrelsen.se
Application for a license in health care
Svenska

Healthcare counselor educated within EU or EEA

På svenska
If you want to work as a healthcare counselor 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 healthcare counselor.

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.

Read more about applying for a coordination number on the Swedish Tax Agency’s website (in Swedish)

1. Apply for a licence

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

  • 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)
  • a copy and translation of a document showing name change if you have changed your name since you completed your education
  • a copy of your certificate or diploma attesting to your language skills.

Please also send copies and translations of

  • your diploma
  • a certificate which is not older than three months to show that you are not prohibited from pursuing your profession, such as a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Current Professional Status (If there is no register that you can get such a certificate from, then send a certificate with information from the country's criminal record.)
  • a certificate showing your level of education under Article 11 of EU directive 2005/36/EC (pdf) 
  • a document from the school or college where you were trained which describes the courses you completed, their content and duration.

If neither your profession nor you qualification is regulated in the country where you qualified, you also need to prove that you have worked in your profession for at least one of the past ten years in one or more EU or EEA countries. You can do this by sending in one or more employment certificates with your application. Send in certified copies of the certificate(s), both translated and also in the original language.

Requesting a certificate from an authority

Contact the competent authority of the EU or EEA country where you were educated or last worked in your profession to request the certificates showing that you

  • meet the requirements of the EU directive
  • have not been prohibited from pursuing your profession.

If you do not know which authority to contact, search the EU Regulated professions database.

What rules apply to translation of documents?

Documents which are written in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English do not need to be translated. The translation can be performed in any country. Translation means that a certified translator translates your documents to Swedish or English. Kammarkollegiet (The Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency) has a register of authorized translators.

Pay the application fee when you send in your application

The fee for applying for a licence is SEK 870. 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.

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

 

 

Apply via European Professional Card – EPC

You can also apply via European Professional Card – EPC, at Your Europe

Apply via European Professional Card at Your Europe

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.

Read more about review of 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

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.

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

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?

Once we have received your application you will receive an automatic confirmation, if you have filled in your email address on the application form.

We examine your application in date order and it can take varying amounts of time for the different applications. If your application is not complete, we will primarily request that you complete your application. In some cases we may contact the competent authority in your country of qualification to get additional information.

If you are eligible to receive a licence we always search the Swedish police records as a last step. We do this because you cannot obtain a licence if you have committed a serious crime. In such cases we will contact you.

How long does it take to receive notification of the decision from Socialstyrelsen?

Our goal is to start handling a case within four weeks of the application coming to us. In order for you to receive your decision as soon as possible, it is important that you send all of the documents from the beginning when you apply.

Under the Professional Qualifications Directive, a decision regarding the application for a certificate must in any case be made within three to four months of the application being complete.

What is a complete application?

A complete application means that we have received all the necessary documents, including additional information if we have requested it.

We can also take statements from experts or from Universitets- och högskolerådet, UHR, so that we can make a decision on the matter.

How do I receive the decision?

When we have made our decision you will receive information about it via e-mail. Keep in mind that a decision does not always mean that you are awarded the licence or recognition of a specialist qualification or permission to use the title of your profession. Since you may not work in your profession before you have received a licence to practice or recognition of a specialist qualification or permission to use the title of your profession it is a good idea to wait for the decision before you accept a job.

If you receive a licence or recognition of a specialist qualification this will be registered in The National Board of Health and Welfare's (Socialstyrelsens) register of licenced healthcare professionals, HOSP.

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.

How do I apply for a temporary licence?

If you plan to work in Sweden for a shorter period of time, you can apply for a temporary license to practice. You need to specify the time period you want to work (from date – to date) when you are applying. In order to obtain a temporary license to practice you must be able to prove that you are only planning to work temporarily, that you fulfil all the requirements to work in your profession and that you are currently working in your profession.

Please contact us if you wish to apply for a temporary license to practice, or if you are unsure about which license to apply for.

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 no longer belongs to the EU/EEA but until 31 December 2020 you still apply according to the rules for the EU/EEA area and the decisions that are made then apply even after 31 December 2020.

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.

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. 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 at the top of the page in the letter: "To Förvaltningsrätten in Stockholm".
  • Indicate in the letter which decision you want to appeal (case number or record number) and which change you want.
  • Send the letter to:
    Socialstyrelsen
    Enheten för behörighet
    106 30 Stockholm

What applies about delay in action?

Delay in action

Have you have applied for recognition of professional qualifications or European professional card? If you have not received a decision in your case from us within a certain time limit, you can from the 1 June 2021 turn to the Administrative Court in Stockholm with an action of delay.

Which deadlines 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.
  • A decision on the issuance of a European professional card must be made by the National Board of Health and Welfare within 3 weeks of your complete application. If we do not request a supplement to your case, a decision must be made within 4 weeks of your application being received.
  • The application for a European professional card to another state must be made by the National Board of Health and Welfare within one month of your complete application. If we do not request a supplement in your case, the transfer must take place within 5 weeks.

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 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

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