Basics of moving here
Welcome to Gnosjö
So you have landed a job in Gnosjö, or maybe want to move or open your own business here. You are warmly welcomed by friendly neighbours, safe environments, and if you wish adventurous wilderness experiences. Here is some practical information for you.
Talk with relatives and friends first of all
This is easy to forget or underestimate. Your family, parents, grand-parents, siblings, cousins, non-accompanying children, ex-partners need to be informed about your move. They will be happy for you and the family to embark on such a great adventure, but there may be worries too. Grand parents will miss their grand-children, non-accompanying children from an earlier relation may feel abandoned. Agree on how you want your relations to look like and make sure they come and visit you in Gnosjö. Moving abroad can be a stressful experience in itself and it is good to have as much as possible settled at your original home before moving on.
The right to stay and work
To get a residence permit or permit to stay you usually need to have a job in Sweden, study, or move to someone to be a family. There is a difference between moving in from EU/EEA country or outside EU.
- If you are not a EU/EEA-citizen, please check up this site on the Swedish Migration Board for further information: Apply for a permit to be in Sweden – Swedish Migration Agency.
- If you are a EU/EEA-citizen you can check form ore information here: Work, study or live in Sweden for EU citizens, Nordic citizens and family members of EU citizens – Swedish Migration Agency
- If you are not a EU/EEA citizen but have a long-term residence permit in one EU-country and at least five years of residency meeting income requirements, you have the possibility to work, study and live in another EU/EEA country, but you still have to apply for a new residence permit; however the process is simplified compared to non-citizens without the long-term EU residency permit. Check more here: Residence permits for people with long-term resident status in another EU country and their families – Swedish Migration Agency
Right to residency and work for EU/EAA citizens
EU/EAA citizens does not need a residence permit. It is called right to residence and is valid if you work, study, run your own business or can support yourself. There are no special requirements for the first three months of your stay. You can use that time for applying for jobs and checking out life in Sweden, or you can just get started working or open your business or start studying. There is no requirement to get in touch with the Swedish Migration Board if you have the right to residence and no work permit is required.
If you have a right to residency and meet the other requirements, and your family are also EU/EEA citizens, they are not required to meet the requirements. If your family aren’t EU/EAA citizens they need to apply for a residence permit and having a residence card.
Work permit for for non-EU/EAA citizens
If you have got a new job, your employer’s human resource department can give you support before moving to Sweden. For non-EU/EAA citizens a work permit is required, and you need to get documentation from your employer to get a work permit. You can learn more about that here: Apply for a work permit in Sweden – Swedish Migration Agency
Check all requirements for your specific situation carefully to speed up the process of getting the right permits, and landing smoothly in Sweden.
Home sweet home – where can I find it?
As soon as you know when you will be arriving, start looking for a home. If you do not have good knowledge of Gnosjö beforehand, it is recommended you start looking for a rented apartment. You can find landlords here. Your employer’s human resource department can also guide you. After settling in and you and the family has found yourself a bit more at home you can find great housing at beautiful places with great neighbours and great prices all over the municipality. And it will never be far from work. Forget about traffic jams.
Do you have children? Then contact the school authorities early
When you know the area you will stay in, get in touch with the school. By contacting the school early, they can provide the best placement and introduction for your children. School is compulsory from 6 years of age.
You can also request a placement for your school child for after school activities. Do that as early as possible as well. There is a subsidized fee for taking part in after school activities
If you have children in pre-school age you need to apply for that as well as it is not compulsory. All children will have a place in pre-school according to law. 15 hours per week are free for children above 3 years old. Otherwise the fees are heavily subsidized. In 2026 the cost is maximum 1428 kronor per month if you have one child in pre-school.
Ensure you are covered by health insurance
As EU/EAA-citizen you have the right to health care anywhere in Europe, but you need to have the European Health Insurance Card in the beginning of your stay in Sweden to be sure to get the health care you are entitled to. It may take a few weeks before you are registered in all systems. When you have your personnummer (see below) and is registered the “blue card” is not needed anymore.
If you are not a EU/EAA-citizen, check all insurance requirements and talk with your employer how you are insured. They must have you covered for you to get the work permit, but you may want to complement that insurance privately.
Have some extra money on your bank account at home and banking or credit cards that work in Sweden before you leave for Sweden
Before you start your travel to Sweden, make sure you have some money on your bank account at your point of origin, and a banking card that can be used in Sweden.
When moving to a new country, you need to deal with a lot of complicated bureaucracy that can cause delays when establishing a new home. This is true even for Sweden which probably have one of the most effective bureaucracies in the world. Having extra money and a banking card from home can save you a lot of hazzles in the first weeks. Remember that Sweden is a largely cashless society and you can pay with card almost anywhere.