Foreign qualifications and licensed professions

Two different things: assessment and licence

People arriving with a foreign qualification often mix up two procedures:

• Assessment of your education (UHR): a document stating what your qualification corresponds to in Sweden. It gives no professional rights.
• Licence (legitimation): the authorisation to practise a regulated profession. It is issued by the authority for that profession, not by UHR.

Most jobs (office work, technical roles, retail, restaurants) have no licence at all: you only need to convince the employer.

The UHR assessment

UHR tells you what your qualification corresponds to in Sweden: upper secondary school (gymnasium), post-secondary vocational education, or university.

• Cost: the document is free.
• How: through the online application on UHR's website.
• Time: on average 2–4 months from when the application is complete.

Who can apply

You need to meet one of these conditions:

• you have a residence permit or right of residence in Sweden and a personnummer;
• you are an EU/EEA citizen;
• you are from outside the EU and have a permit or family ties to an EU citizen.

For permits and right of residence, see the guide Residence permits and right of residence.

Regulated professions: who decides and in which language

In a regulated profession you cannot practise with your foreign qualification alone. The table summarises the cases covered in this guide.

Profession	Who decides	Language
Doctor, dentist, pharmacist, nurse, midwife (EU/EEA qualification)	Socialstyrelsen, automatic recognition	Swedish (or Danish/Norwegian); accepted proof includes level C1
Other regulated health professions (for example physiotherapist, psychologist, speech therapist, dental hygienist, assistant nurse)	Socialstyrelsen, through an assessment	Swedish (or Danish/Norwegian); C1 accepted
Health profession with a non-EU/EEA qualification (for example doctor)	Socialstyrelsen, 5-step route	Swedish (or Danish/Norwegian)
Teacher	Skolverket (lärarlegitimation)	university-level Swedish (for example TISUS or C1)
Lawyer qualified in another EU country	Advokatsamfundet (registration as EU-advokat)	not stated here: ask the Bar

Health professions: Socialstyrelsen

For health professions the authority is Socialstyrelsen, which issues the licence (legitimation).

EU/EEA qualification

• Doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses and midwives with an EU/EEA qualification get automatic recognition.
• For other regulated professions (physiotherapist, psychologist, speech therapist, dental hygienist, assistant nurse and others) your qualification goes through an assessment.
• Language: you need Swedish (or Danish or Norwegian). Accepted proof includes level C1.
• Time: Socialstyrelsen starts processing within 4 weeks and decides within 3–4 months of a complete application.

We do not list fees: the sources we found conflict. Check the current amount on Socialstyrelsen's website before you pay.

Non-EU/EEA qualification (example: doctor)

The route has 5 steps:

1. assessment of the qualification;
2. proficiency test;
3. course on Swedish laws and rules;
4. clinical placement;
5. licence application.

It usually takes 2–4 years. An alternative is a supplementary programme at a university, taking 1–3 years, with limited places.

Teachers: Skolverket

To teach in Swedish schools with a foreign degree you apply for a lärarlegitimation from Skolverket.

• Your education must correspond to the Swedish one to a sufficient extent.
• You need university-level Swedish, for example TISUS or C1. Native speakers of Nordic languages are exempt.
• Cost: 1 890 kr.
• How: online with BankID or Freja eID+, or by post. For BankID see the guide BankID, bank account and ID card.

Lawyers

If you are qualified in another EU country and work in Sweden on a lasting basis, you register as an EU-advokat with Advokatsamfundet, the Swedish Bar Association. Conditions and documents are on the official registration page.

Skills without a certificate: validering

Do you have experience but no certificate, or a qualification that is not recognised? Arbetsförmedlingen offers validering: an assessment of skills that do not show up in a diploma. Ask about it when you register as a jobseeker: more in the guide SFI, work and a-kassa.

Unions and collective agreements

For pay, employment contracts and unemployment insurance, see the guide Unions and unemployment funds.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the UHR assessment qualifies you to practise. It is not a Swedish degree and does not replace a legitimation.
• Waiting for the assessment before applying for jobs. You do not need it to look for work.
• Starting work in a regulated profession without a licence. Ask the competent authority first.
• Underestimating the language requirement. Health and teaching need Swedish at a high level (C1 is accepted proof).
• Miscounting the time. UHR 2–4 months, Socialstyrelsen 3–4 months, and for a non-EU doctor usually 2–4 years.
• Not checking Socialstyrelsen's fees on the official website.
• Forgetting BankID if you want to apply online to Skolverket (otherwise you can send it by post).
• Not using validering when your skills have no certificate behind them.