Some of you might not already be aware of what a personnummer (or personal number in English) is. It is a form of identification through a unique number (your birthday+4 numbers) that opens up plenty of doors for you. You can apply for it at the tax agency (Skatteverket).
It simplifies everything: to see a doctor, to open a Swedish bank account and Swish (mobile paying app used everywhere), but also to become a member at the supermarket and get discounts, to sign-up in queue for housing, to access SFI (Swedish for immigrant), and so much more.
If you plan to come as an Erasmus student, this might not be of interest to you as you need to study here at least 12 months (more than a year), but if you plan to come here for a master, this will hopefully give you insight about the process.
Disclaimer –
This is written by an European student moving alone, so the necessary documents might not be relevant to you.
Check here to see what applies to you!
Why use an emotional perspective on this process?
For an exercise in our program (Design), Deimante wanted to explore emotional journeys and chose to focus on the personnummer process. She asked Elena and me to sit with her and describe what we felt during the different stages. Understanding emotions can help improve services.
I found it extremely interesting because Elena and I had completely different emotions even when we went through this process together. I hope you would find this unfolding of our emotions helpful and remember: no matter what you feel, you are entitled to feel that way.
1. Preparing the documents
A- Before coming to Sweden, I read about getting a personnummer. I was anxious because they were many categories and I wasn’t sure what applied to me. I felt frustrated because I had to wait for a paper from university and couldn’t move on with the process.
E- I forgot my prepared documents at home because I learnt that we were going to Skatterverket about 5′ before leaving.
2. Going to Skatteverket
A- Once I had my missing paper (proof of registration), I had to find a time that matched both my school schedule and the opening hours of the tax agency. I felt helpless. Elena trusted me for the bike trip to the office even though I’d never been there before.
E- Because it was one of the first times I went down town by bike and didn’t fall, I felt proud. Also the company and the weather made me feel cheerful and amused!
3. Queuing
While Deimante initially meant this stage as taking a ticket number and waiting to meet the worker, it didn’t really went that way for us.
A- I was excited to finally get my personnummer when I was queuing. But I saw people totally ignoring the line and I was confused. I followed them to talk to the worker. I felt ashamed to skip the queue but the worker actually showed us to the computers to pre-register. I felt stupid because I couldn’t validate my address: I had just forgot to put the number!
E- I felt critical to know if I was going to get the documents or not. At the start, we didn’t know that we had to take tickets. When we realized it, I felt ashamed and confused because we waited at the door for nothing.
4. Discussion with the worker
A- The worker kept asking questions that I was not prepared to answer (the phone number of my landlord), I felt truly stupid. And my key-chain broke at that moment: what a mess! I felt so inadequate. I had filled my name twice under last name and usual name so i felt foolish of not understanding correctly. But she was speaking English and very thorough so I felt thankful, and relieved that nothing would be missing.
E- It was nice that they could speak English. I felt nurtured and also satisfied to have all the required documents. I felt content to finish.
5. Going home
A- Because we didn’t get a receipt (common thing in French administration) or an email, we had to completely trust the system and I felt helpless: I hd no proof that I had done the paperwork. Then we got out of the tax agency and it felt quite easy compared to other countries, we went to eat under the sun and felt relaxed.
E- I felt thankful, satisfied and content because everything was done fast and just in one time
6. Waiting period
A- At times, I forget about it. But when friends get it, I feel jealous that they got it before me, when they applied later. I’m also irritated when we get the mail and it is still not in it because I need it to move on administratively. It makes me anxious because I don’t know what is going on: do I have to reach out? When?
E- Because I don’t need it right now, I feel serene. Also because I’m used to waiting a long time for documents, I feel confident. I also feel trusting when I forget about it
7. Getting the personnummer
During the exercise, we didn’t complete this step because we didn’t get it t tht time. Since then, I received it, and I felt cheerful! It took approximately 2 months for me, a roommate got it in 3 weeks and another one in 2 months and half. I would advise you to get it done as soon as possible, because it does take quite some time!
And now what?
What was the process like for you (all experiences are different)? / How do you feel about going through this process when you’ll arrive?
