Starting a new life overseas can be a mix of different feelings. If you are planning to visit Sweden or relocating to Sweden, then you should do a lot of research beforehand to adjust to this place easily. There are a few societal norms that are purely Swedish and Swedes are much concerned about them. One of the biggest differences you might see is that you have to keep your plastic bags with you, you have to take off your shoes while entering someone’s house, you have to squeeze out a lot of food items from tubes like toothpaste and much more.

Cultural and societal differences can lead to some problems for newbies in Sweden, but knowing these basic ones can help you to easily go through the process:

1. Swedes love their coffee and food

Swedes love their unique food items and coffee. They have a unique tradition knows as fika to foster the coffee drinking where friends and family members are invited to drink coffee or tea along with some sweet dishes on the table. Most Swedes will enjoy one fika a day as they like it as an opportunity to bond with others.

There are so many traditional and unique dishes to tantalise your taste buds. Besides their world-famous IKEA meatballs, they have raggmunk, gravad latex, köttbullar, kanellbullar, Lussekatter, pepparkakor, chokladbollar, and much more.

2. Get your personnummer

It is the national identification number between ten to twelve digits and is widely used to identify individuals in Sweden. This ten or twelve-digit number is a way of unlocking the life in Sweden. You need this number for almost everything like getting help from jobcentre, getting the phone contract, applying for healthcare or unemployment benefits, and even getting loyalty or discount card from your favorite brands.

Getting a job offer before moving to Sweden is the best way to get the personnumer automatically and you will be entitled to all the benefits. Except for this, you will have to prove that you are working or studying in Sweden and have enough savings to support yourself for a while in order to get the personnumer.

3. Be informal with names

Swedish aren’t that much formal with the names or titles as others. They will call you by your first name be it your university or college professor, your doctor, your advisor or anyone, and they will expect the same from you during the conversation. That’s the basic standard in Sweden and regardless of the job title or position in the firm, people call each other by their first name. However, there are some exceptions to this rule as well. If you will be in a courtroom, or in front of any political figure, or meet someone from the Swedish royal family, then you have to be pretty careful about the titles.

4. It can be quite lonely

Sweden can be the toughest place to make friends and Stockholm is rated badly in terms of friendliness. But there are other ways to make friends. Swedes know that it can be difficult to meet people so they have clubs and sports teams to join where you can meet new people and can make good terms with them. You have to find the relevant club according to your interests and can meet a lot of people there.

5. Traditions galore

Every country has its unique traditions and festivities that set them apart from others and so does Sweden. Swedes celebrate Christmas, Midsommer, Santa Lucia (13 December), Kräftskiva (8 August), Valborg (30 April). These traditions have their own unique colors and provide a great opportunity to learn and enjoy the Swedish traditions.

Are you planning to visit Sweden in the near future? Sweden has scrumptious and unique dishes and recipes that you must try while you visit. Swedish food is more than just fish, coffee, or meatballs. With a diet rich in proteins, whole grains, and omega-3, Swedish food has been hailed for its amazing health benefits.
Being a visitor or foreigner, it can be difficult for you to find the food items and places in Sweden as most of the people eat at home. The restaurant culture in Sweden is much more different than in other countries. If you want to try some traditional and finger-licking Swedish food, then you must look for these 5 delicious dishes from Sweden:

1. Herring/Sill
This will be the dish that you will either love or hate depending upon your taste buds. There are a lot of varieties of sills and you can even eat pickled or fried herrings. Pickled Swedish herring is a classic Swedish dish derived from the times when preserving was the only way to get through the winter months. It is now an important part of all three basic traditional celebrations; Christmas, Easter, and off-course midsummer/midsummer.
The pickling juice used to cook herring is made from vinegar, salt, spices, and water. No matter what type of herring you will see in the menu, it will be generally served with boiled potato, finely chopped chives, and gräddfil.

2. Falukorv
This dish is a firm favorite among kids of all ages across Sweden. Falukorv’s origin can be traced back to the sixteenth century when Falu copper mines used horse and ox skin to make strong ropes to pullover the copper ores. At first, the meat was simply salted and smoked to make this dish. When the Germans came into the mines, then Swedes learn to make sausage out of meat. Now falukorv is made out of meat and pork by boiling it, frying it, roasting it in cream or grilling it. This is served with rice, mashed potatoes or macaroni depending upon your choice.

3. Kroppkakor
Hearty mashed potato dumplings with mushroom fillings are known as kroppkakor. There are many different versions of kroppkakor all over the country and have different names. Potatoes and flour are mixed and then wrapped by the dough and pork. Potatoes can be used either raw or boiled depending upon your choice. These are most commonly served with melted butter, double cream, different sauces, and milk.

4. Raggmunk
Raggmunk is the name of a Swedish dish made of potato pancakes. These pancakes, however, cannot be cooked using new potatoes as these potatoes don’t contain enough starch to hold the pancake together. This dish is mostly cooked in winters so this is not an issue. The butterier and crispier the pancake is around the edges, the better it will be in taste. The trick to this is not to spread the batter too thinly. If you will add some diced onion in it, then it will be called “French” potato pancake.

5. Crayfish
August in Sweden is known for the Crayfish season and people host crayfish parties with amazing décor. Get stuck in, rip off the claws and suck out the delicious juices. The crayfish are usually boiled in a brine bath with a lot of spices and crown dill. All you need then is Västerbotten cheese pie, soft bread, cold beer, snaps, crispbread and you’re good to go!
As the month of August start, the shops are full of all kind of crayfish from different countries but Swedes prefer the Swedish signal crayfish. Besides this, both Chinese and Turkish crayfish are also good.

How expensive it can be to study in Sweden? If you are looking for the answer to this question, then you have to go through the whole blog to get the details on every aspect you need to know about.

It has been unanimously reported by many surveys that Swedish universities have one of the most supportive and top-notch higher education centers of excellence. Higher education in Sweden is among the best in the world. The Nordic country is well-known for its excellent education system that focuses more on individual and group studies rather than just delivering lectures. Freedom to learn and the sense of responsibility are the key factors for the development of a student. The number of international students who are enrolled in Swedish universities and colleges is increasing day by day. If you want to be one of those, then you first know about the cost of study and admission procedures as well as the cost of living in Sweden.

Application fees in Sweden

Students who want to apply in any program in Swedish colleges and universities are required to pay an application fee. The application fee and tuition fee are applicable for the students who are not a citizen of Switzerland, EU, EEA, or Nordic country and are planning to study at Bachelors or Masters level in Swede. This fee usually costs around 900 SEK and is paid online while applying for the admissions.

The tuition fee varies widely among different universities in Sweden and even among different programs of the same university.  The tuition fee usually costs somewhere between 75,000-250,000 SEK per year. However, business and architect programs are the most expensive programs in Sweden.

You need to pay the application fee while applying for admission and is usually non-refundable non-transferable. Students have to pay the tuition fee as soon as their application is accepted by the university or the college and they have made the offer. The application of your residence permit will not be processed by the Migration Agency if they don’t receive the notification from the university about receiving the tuition fee.

Cost of Living

According to the findings of a survey, the average expense for a student in Sweden is around 8,370 SEK per month. This cost varies according to your location, your lifestyle, and your personal preferences. It can be around SEK 12,000 in Gothenburg and Stockholm and can be as low as SEK 7,500 in Lund.

The best option to start looking for accommodation will be your university or the college. You may get the related information there or the management may refer you to the organizations that deal with student halls or dormitories.  Dormitories are the best option for the students to live in as they will meet lots of local and international students there and the prices are low (2,500-5000 SEK per month). Besides this, you can also look for sharing an apartment with other students.

Food costs are also high in Sweden and you should expect to pay around SEK 2,000 per month for the food. This too depends upon your eating habits. You can save your money by buying groceries from a cheap supermarket and cook the food by yourself.

Besides this, you will have to pay for transport if you are living far away from your university or college. Students will have to purchase the related textbooks and they should plan the budget accordingly.

No doubt, Sweden is a beautiful place full of natural beauty and is ranked among one of the top countries to provide high-quality education to the students. The costs are according to the standards and also depends upon your preferences and lifestyle. Students have to plan the budget and should estimate the lump sum cost of the study before applying to any country.

Sweden is known as the land of start-ups because the economic conditions of the country are detrimental to entrepreneurship. Swedish business culture is open and innovative, and starting a business there is relatively simple. Thus, Sweden excels in promoting the formation of ambitious start-ups on an unexpected level. After Silicon Valley, Stockholm is known for producing the second-highest revenues from tech companies per capita.

Being the tech and innovation hub, there is a high survival rate for start-ups in Sweden with relatively fast growth. However, you can face some difficulties in understanding the business culture and the procedures for operating a business in Sweden. Following are some useful tips to build a successful start-up in Sweden:

Have a strong and clear vision

The first step, of course, is to have a clear vision that what you want to do and how will you do it. Entrepreneurs spent weeks, months, or even years on brainstorming and polishing the idea they want to invest in. Your vision should be crystal clear and you should do the homework before digging into the market.

Search for a suitable and innovative business idea and it shouldn’t be ground-breaking in all aspects. You can work on improving something and come up with a better version of already existing service or product. Swedes are more attracted to innovation and so does their business market. Your vision and core values should be grounded in the business idea.

Benefit from business culture

Compared with many other cultures, the Swedish business culture is more relaxed and casual. There isn’t too much bureaucracy and the country is quite free from corruption. You will be inspired much by working in this much relaxed and informal culture. You will learn a lot will build many fruitful business relationships. These cultural reforms can be beneficial for you as an entrepreneur in Sweden.

Besides this, the Swedish government has made it a lot easier for people to borrow money from public or private lenders. Swedish are informal about names and being an expat, you should do the same. In short, the business culture, here in Sweden, is much favourable for new business opportunities.

Swedish consensus culture

Swedish organizations are flat in structure and the employees are highly satisfied. Swedes learn to collaborate with others from an early age and they like to work in teams. Teams in Swedish business culture are a bit agile and work autonomously. If you are new to Sweden, then this might feel a bit confusing and irritating. You might feel like we talk a lot and don’t make any decision but it actually is a part of Swedish consensus culture. Swedes like decisions to be based on wide agreements or collective opinions.

Sweden is among the high-ranking gender-equal countries in the world. You should hire a legal assistant to handle your legal affairs.

Be passionate

Stockholm is a very cliquey place and starting a business here can be both difficult and easy. It is advisable that you should do the proper research before taking any big step and stay passionate about your aim. Being an entrepreneur, you should equip yourself with passion, good-will, and ambitions. Don’t lose hope if you come across any hurdles in the process and keep ongoing.

Building a successful start-up is not a cup of tea no matter what the culture and business ethics are. However, it is relatively easy to start a business in Sweden due to the economic conditions and innovative culture of the country. By following the above-mentioned simple yet useful steps, the chances for probable success can increase for entrepreneurs.

Are you planning to move to Sweden for work? Everyone wants to look for better opportunities to earn a standard living for themselves and their families. As Sweden is known for its strong and growing economy, people are attracted to migrate to Sweden to find better jobs.

If you are moving from the EU, then you are entitled to work in Sweden without a permit and your family can join you as long as you have the right to of residence in Sweden. Citizens of countries outside the EU need to apply for a work permit if they want to migrate to Sweden to look for jobs. You have to follow a step by step to get a Swedish work permit and we are here to guide you thoroughly in this regard.

Apply for a work permit

First thing first, you need to apply for a work permit and should know the basic rules and regulations. Citizens of Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Korea, New Zealand, and Hong Kong can apply for a holiday working visa for one year. For employment that is for less than three months, citizens of certain countries should have both a valid visa and a work permit. It is to be noted that employees of some specific domains might be exempt from the regulations of work permit.

Requirements for permit

To obtain the work permit for Sweden, you should have an employment offer from any Swedish employer. While applying online, you will be given instructions about how to fill the application form and the required documents you should send along with the application form.

You must have an official job letter from a Swedish employer and the job must:

• Be advertised in the EU/EEA newspaper for at least ten days
• Have terms that comply with those set by the Swedish collective agreement
• Pay a minimum salary or wage rate of SEK 13,000 before tax

Besides this, you must have a valid passport in your home country or the country you are currently residing in.

The application processes

You must apply for the work permit long before your date of joining as you must have a work permit for getting the visa. In some exceptional cases, you can apply for a work permit from Sweden if you are already in the country. You will need these documents for sending the application form which are:

• Letter of employment approved by the relevant trade union
• Complete and rightly filled application form
• Copies of the passport showing the personal data and validity date
• The proof of permission of living in other countries by your home country’s government (usually available on the passport)
• The application fees

Compile these documents and submit the application online or by hand in your closest Swedish embassy. The migration agency, will then, consider your application and will check the details. The provided details of the person are checked for authenticity and then they will give you an estimated waiting time.

The process of applying for a work permit for Sweden seems quite simple and is transparent. The applicant will be informed by the migration agency about the application status from time to time or you can check the details online. Besides this, you will also need to apply for the extension of your work permit time to time after the expiry of the current permit and the process is quite similar to this one. If you apply for the extension well before the expiry date of your work permit, then you will be allowed to keep on working in the country till the decision.

Relocation is a lofty decision to make on part of an individual more or so, and on a family too. Relocation brings about the obvious challenges that a human might face in a foreign land. At times even relocating to a city might seem a gigantic change than changing your country code too. If all fails and despite all efforts, you have trouble accommodating yourself and your family, you might need to plan a relocation. And here is why you should plan moving out of Sweden in unpropitious times.

Unfriendly Environment

Have you made friends yet? The statistics say you haven’t. Many local surveys point out this disturbing lack of friendliness on the locals’ part. Despite high standards of living in Sweden expats fail to feel at home in this Scandinavian country. Home to many luxuries and beautiful coastal cities in the country, however, fails to make foreigners feel at home. With the people distant and seemingly unfriendly, they give a cold shoulder to immigrants.

“I made two mistakes going to Stockholm, I went alone and I went in November”

Says a student who traveled there. No man is an island and certainly in this country of islands, one must have a hard time surviving alone.

Dark Dreary Winters

Winters, well a short cool winter season who doesn’t appreciate that. But when it gets too long it gets hard to bear by the day. The sunsets at 3 pm. An extraordinarily short day! How many of us have found ourselves longing for the sun in the mild winters back home? But in Sweden, you must survive the winters and do so without the sun peeking at you from time to time for respite. The grey colored skies and too short days do not help and it makes the atmosphere gloom stricken, deprived of energy for even daily chores.

Taxes Take a Toll on You!

Even if one manages to secure a high paying job, that taxation demands that you give much of your hard-earned money to the government. Sweden is one of the richest countries as per GDP production but most of it goes as taxes. Proud owner of many International businesses Sweden sure sounds attractive but the home of the luxurious” Volvo cars” takes a toll on your income.

To Rent or To Buy?

Moved to Sweden? Bet you had a hard time finding a place to live. This explains the reputation of simple furniture and minimal decorative sense. Rents in Sweden are sky-high, gobbling up to 30 % of one’s salary. It might even be a luxury to afford a decent place on rent. The policy of short rental contracts will have you moving from one place to another before you find a permanent residence. People need to wait for years before they can afford decent housing. If you want to spend your hard-earned money on improving your lifestyle you might consider a relocation so you may afford a decent residence and focus on bigger things in life.

Satisfied with Your Work?

The first barrier you might have faced in Sweden is the language. And even after you have mastered the Swedish language it is only self-explanatory that the corporations prefer Swedish people who have a better grasp on Swedish ways of working and most importantly are native speakers of the language. Most of the foreigners in Sweden are forced to work at restaurants and bars. The education saturation demands extraordinary skills from a foreigner for him to be able to replace the natives at high-quality jobs.

Relocating or immigrating is a life-changing process. You need adaptations you find yourself being molded in certain ways. Sweden is a Scandinavian nation. A land home to many beautiful natural scenes, coastal cities and beautifully changing seasons. Visiting Sweden is for sure a great trip but immigrating to Sweden demands that you prepare and brace yourself for a practical journey. Here is what you need to know.

For visiting Sweden, you do require a visa if you are not part of the European Union. Visit freely if you are. However, you need to find a permanent abode and spend five years to gain Swedish citizenship.

Where to live

Most people in Sweden resort to finding a permanent residence than renting a house. Permanent residence may seem like a time-consuming thing, but in the long run, it benefits you. Higher than usual rents and unreliable contracts take a toll on your pocket. If you are planning to stay for a longer duration you are advised to find a permanent abode. Students may find room in Universities. It is however advised that you gather information and experiences of expatriates living here and try to find a most suitable home.

Where to work

Sweden offers an expansive and wealthy job market. Though if you are a non-European Union citizen you will need a work permit. Salaries are high and they usually do the job of paying for the basic facilities. But as some immigrants would share their experience of tough times finding work, and complain that expats are never prioritized for primary jobs. As a youngster, you may want to start by doing an internship to make you accustomed to the Swedish way of working and help you excel in practical fields

Are you a student?

So, have you decided to come to Sweden for studies or you have had to migrate because of your father’s job? Fortunately, you can study using English as the medium. So, you don’t have to worry about the tedious task of learning the language. Swedish universities are free for students from EU citizens. But if you come from outside the European Union you may face difficulties.

Brace yourself for a new winter experience

Winters in this near arctic country are unfortunately not so pleasant. The winter days are so short that gloom sets in and you find yourself longing for the sun. Winters are rather dreary and dismal. But on the brighter aspect, they are beautiful with the snow-covered lands and picturesque beauty. The days of gloom are not long they melt into a beautiful spring Season. So, buy yourself warm clothes before you step into the country.

Swedish culture

Swedish people may not seem very friendly at first. They are not as socially outgoing as you might hope. But once they get to know you, they are soft-spoken and polite people. So, you may have a hard time making friends when you are new in Sweden. But once you master the language and accent, of course, you will be easily incorporated into the Swedish way of life.

Also, get used to a lot of Swedish meatballs and remember Swedes love their coffee, perhaps an effect of the ice-cold winters!

Expatriates in Sweden sure have to work hard to be one of the Swedes and starting a business is one of the challenges they may have to face. Competing with natives who have a grip on the Swedish way of life and are fluent in the language are sure to be in the lead when it comes to owning and running a business. They have contacts, and thus information about the legalities and the dangers of certain steps you might want to take when you start a business.

High Taxes!

Sweden sure is notorious for high tax rates. Although the Swedish government has reduced tax rates and taken measures such as allowing leaves to youngsters who want to practice entrepreneurship. But tax rates nonetheless remain high in this welfare state. An expatriate who has a little knowledge about taxing formalities and is not well versed in the Swedish way of work may face sudden failure owing to these complications. As a No European Union citizen, you need to register with the tax agencies and go through a lot of formalities before you set up. Businesses may become difficult for outsiders in such scenarios.

Legal formalities

Hire staff in Sweden but do it legally! For the laborer rights in Sweden make it compulsory for the employer to provide the laborers according to the law. Fortunately, if you are from the EU you can easily establish a business. But if an outsider you need a work permit and residence permit to stay and work in Sweden. Although it is not essential to register your business it secures the name of your business. Working your way through lawyers and contracts is not an easy task. And doing so in a foreign country, you are in for a hard day!

Lack of working Capital

Finding sufficient capital in Sweden may be a fantasy. Owing to high tax rates and tax paid health and education having sufficient capital and stored money is often not feasible for an aspiring businessman. Starting a business as a sole trader, you should expect tough times ahead and brace yourself for some time of non-profit business. In a trading partnership, you may not need so much capital but responsibility for all debts land on you and your partner. A common mistake made is financing your business at the cost of your household finances. Not being able to pay bills and afford basic needs leads to obvious failure in both cases. Getting a loan may sound a great idea. But again, for a foreigner no loans without sufficient security. Of course, it is a long-term procedure to be able to own enough you can mortgage against some loan.

Problem in leads generation

If you are planning a business in Sweden, leads generation holds immense importance. Generating lead can be tough for a new businessman and more so for an expatriate working in Sweden. Not knowing the language, not being able to assess the Swedish mindset counts. For the Swedish work on trimmed lines and venturing for new ideas may be a little unorthodox for some. Not all foreigners are popular with the natives. And building the trust and companionship it takes for a successful business Venture takes you through narrow alleys.