Educated outside of Sweden

If you do not have a Bank ID, you can apply using our web form, but you will then need to pay the fee before you apply and also verify your identity by attaching a copy of your identification document.

The application (without Bank ID) must contain the following:

(Attached files must be in digital form in the file formats pdf, jpg, jpeg, doc, docx or txt.)

• a bank statement or receipt showing that the application fee has been paid
• a copy of a valid Swedish ID or a copy of your valid passport
• documentation on completed education in health and nursing care, such as a diploma or final grades/transcripts
• documentation from the school or university at which you were educated describing which courses you have taken, and the contents and duration of these courses
• certification or grades verifying language skills
• Certificate of Current Professional Status/Certificate of Good Standing (applies to those who have authorization as assistant nurse in the EU (outside Sweden), EEA or Switzerland)
• name change documentation if you have changed your name after completing your education (for example marriage certificate)
• any other qualifications, for example certificate of employment as a licensed practical nurse or in a related profession.

Payment

The application fee is SEK 320 and is paid by bank giro before you submit your application. Attach a receipt of payment in the web form.

Certificate of qualification for protected professional title

If you do not have e-identification (Bank ID), you can apply via the web form. Your decision will then be sent by e-mail. The application process may be slightly longer than if you apply using the e-service.

Apply via 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 protected professional title – educated within EU or EEA

Application form for protected professional title – educated outside EU and EEA

Once we have received your application, we will evaluate whether your qualifications are sufficient for you to receive a certificate of qualification for the protected professional title. When we have reached our decision, you will receive the decision digitally.

Application via e-service

If you applied via the e-service, you will receive a message when the decision is available to read in the e-service.

Application via web form

If you applied via web form or application form, you will in most cases receive the decision by e-mail. We will send an e-mail containing a secure link.

What is meant by 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.

If you do not have copies of your grades, you can contact the school you attended, or the municipality where you went to school, and ask them to send your grades to you.

If you have your grades in digital format on your computer or phone

If you have your grades saved on your computer, e.g., in a PDF file or as a photo, click on 'Upload' and select the correct file.

If you have your grades in paper format

If you have your grades in paper format, you can scan your grades using a scanner. This will create a digital copy of your grades that you can save on your computer or a USB stick, or send to your e-mail. Then upload the scanned file. If you do not have a scanner at your workplace, a public library may have one you can use.

You can also take a photo of your grades using your mobile phone, but it is important then to ensure that the picture is clear. If you use your mobile phone to fill in your application, select the correct picture and upload it. If you use your computer to fill in your application, you can send the photo from your phone to your e-mail. Log in to your e-mail on your computer and save the photo. Then select the photo when uploading your file.

To be able to get a certificate of protected professional title as assistant nurse, you need to show that you have language skills in Swedish, Danish or Norwegian. This also applies if you are a citizen of Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Norway. Send your grade or certificate of your language skills together with the application.

For example, you can show your language skills by submitting a certificate of

• approved result in Swedish 1 or Swedish as a second language 1 from high school or for example Komvux
• approved result in Swedish at level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages ​​(GERS).

You can also demonstrate your language skills by having a healthcare provider or someone who runs an activity according to SoL or LSS, assess whether you have the language skills needed to work in the profession, which means that the language skills must be at the equivalent level B2 according to GERS. The carer must then fill in a form and describe how the assessment has been made.

Form for assessment of language skills (in Swedish)

The assessment of your language skills must be done by a business manager. The following must be included in the assessment:

• a detailed description of your language skills in terms of listening and reading comprehension, speaking and writing skills
• a detailed description of how the assessment has been made
• a description of which tasks you have performed and during which period.

If you do not know any of the languages, we recommend that you start learning Swedish as soon as you have decided that you want to work in Sweden.

Persons who are licensed to practise as a practical nurse in another EU or EES country or Switzerland are entitled to assessment according to current EU directives. You can prove this by submitting a certificate verifying that you are authorised to practise the profession and that you have not been banned from practising the profession.

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.

If you are educated outside EU and EEA, you must do clinical training before you can get a protected professional title as an assistant nurse. The clinical training is done in an activity within Swedish healthcare, social services or home health care.  

• If you have worked as an assistant nurse in Sweden for at least one year, you do not need to do any clinical training.
• If you have not worked as an assistant nurse in Sweden for at least one year, we can decide that you need to do clinical training for 6 months.
• If you have worked as an assistant nurse in Sweden for at least 3 months, we may decide on a shorter 3 months clinical training.

You can only do your clinical training after you have received a decision about it from the National Board of Health and Welfare.

Follow these steps:

1. You must find a workplace yourself where you can do your clinical training.
2. When you have completed your clinical training, your manager and supervisor must complete a certificate of clinical training. In the introduction of the form, there is in-depth information for both interns and employers. This information should be read by both you as an intern and your employer before you agree on clinical training.
3. Send the certificate together with your application for a protected professional title.

Certificate of clinical training (in Swedish)

Related professions may include, for example, nurse's aide, support aide, support educator, care assistant, carer, personal assistant, home care aide and treatment assistant.

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).

The National Board of Health and Welfare works to ensure that the handling process is as smooth and efficient as possible, but at the moment it is difficult to know what it will look like initially. It depends on how many people apply at the same time and how complex the applications are to handle. We handle the applications in order of priority - we do not grant priority and do not give advance notice. It will probably take longer at the beginning of the application period if many people apply at the same time, even though we are well prepared to receive many applications.

The goal is that, in the long run, the processing should take as long as in our identification cases. The processing time for these looks a little different depending on whether the applicant is educated in Sweden or in another country, because the processes look different. If you are educated in Sweden, the aim is that the processing should take a maximum of one month, and if you are educated outside of Sweden a maximum of three months.

If we need to request additional information, the processing time will be longer. If you fail to send in, for example, a certificate or other information needed to make a correct assessment, the National Board of Health and Welfare will contact you and ask for a supplement.

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.