In order to practice as a doctor of medicine in Sweden you need a Swedish licence. The protected title, doctor of medicine, can only be used by licensed professionals. If you have an education as a medical doctor from another EU country or EEA country, which includes a medical internship/clinical training after completion of the academic studies, you will have the possibility to do your medical internship (AT) in Sweden.
To be able to do your medical internship (AT) in Sweden, you need to submit an application to the National Board of Health and Welfare. Only when you have received a decision from us about the right to AT, can you start your AT.
Automatic recognition
Within the EU/EEA the medical education has been harmonized, as a consequence professional qualifications can generally be recognized automatically. However in order to receive automatic recognition the entire education needs to be completed within in the same Member State.
Please be advised that if you have acquired a medical degree in another EU or EEA member state and complete the Swedish AT (internship) that automatic recognition will not apply to you.
For questions regarding how to achieve automatic recognition, please contact the competent authority in the country where you have obtained your medical degree.
1. Prior to the application
In order to be eligible for AT in Sweden it is required that you have a medical degree from another EU/EEA member state where a medical internship is required to meet the requirements for licence to practice. In order to apply for AT in Sweden you need to prove that you have obtained a medical degree, hence you can only apply after your graduation. Please be advised that the National Board of Health and Welfare cannot issue any advance notices.
Countries where a medical internship is required after completion of the academic studies
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Italy
- Ireland
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovenia
2. Apply for AT in Sweden
When applying to perform a medical internship in Sweden, you will need to submit an application to perform a medical internship in Sweden.
The application must contain the following documents:
- a complete application form
- a copy of the first page of your valid passport or a copy of your valid Swedish ID card
- a copy of your diploma
- a copy of the appendix to the diploma where the total length and content of the education is stated (for example, Diploma supplement or Transcript of Records).
Download and print out the application form
Application form for applying to perform a medical internship in Sweden (in Swedish)
Post your application to:
Socialstyrelsen
Behörighet
SE-106 30 Stockholm, Sweden
3. After you have submitted your application
Processing time
The processing time is approximately 4 weeks from the time we have received your application.
What happens after I submit my application?
When your application has been received by us, you will receive a confirmation with diary number to your e-mail.
We review the applications in turn. If your application is not complete, we will primarily request that you supplement your application. When we have made a decision, you will receive information about it by e-mail.
What happens after the National Board of Health and Welfare decides that you can do AT in Sweden?
The decision means that you may be employed as a doctor for public service according to the National Board of Health and Welfare's regulations, HSLF-FS 2020:20 (in Swedish).
The decision is not to be regarded as an advance notice on whether you can obtain Swedish licence after completing your AT. Please note that the AT is conducted in Swedish.
While waiting for you to receive an AT block appointment, you have the opportunity to be employed on a temporary basis as an assistant physician in public health care. The National Board of Health and Welfare does not provide AT places, you are responsible for applying for an AT place yourself. Employers determine suitable employment.
How medicial intership is performed
A minimum of eighteen months
During your medical internship, you must work a minimum of eighteen months. You may choose to perform your medical internship on a part-time basis however it must add up to a total of 18 months of full-time practise (i.e. thirty-six months at 50 % of full-time).
You will need to work a minimum of
- nine months in internal medicine subspecialties and surgical subspecialties (a minimum of three months each)
- three months in the field of psychiatry
- six months in internal medicine (general practitioner).
Do a medical internship on a block appointment
You must complete your medical internship on a block appointment (blockförordnande) – a fixed-term contiguous employment of a minimum of eighteen months. If you change employers, you must obtain a new medical internship block, and your former employer must approve the sections you have already done in order for you to be able to include that time in the calculations of your medical internship.
The operations manager certifies each service section
After each service section, the operations manager must certify in your service book that you meet the scope requirements and the requirements in the objective descriptions, no earlier than the last day of each service section. If the operations manager is not a registered Doctor of Medicine, he must ask someone else who is a registered Doctor of Medicine to certify this. Be careful with the date and name clarifications when signing the certificate.
Service book for AT doctors
After completing the AT and passing the AT test, you can apply for a licence as a Doctor of Medicine in Sweden based on your foreign basic education and your Swedish AT.