Get healthcare without a personal identification number
The Swedish healthcare system has different rules if both of the following apply to you:
you do not have a Swedish personal identification number (personnummer)
you are not registered in Sweden.
Please note that people seeking asylum in Sweden always have the right to emergency healthcare, dental care and other urgent treatment.
How Sweden’s healthcare system works
The Swedish healthcare system is run on a regional level. There are 21 regions in Sweden.
If you’re ill or hurt and it’s not an emergency, you’ll generally need to visit a clinic or contact 1177 who can help you and guide you to the right caregiver. If it’s an emergency, call 112 immediately.
You have the right to understand all information about your health and treatment. This also includes the details of your appointment. If you do not speak Swedish, you can ask for an interpreter. This is free of charge. Please tell the clinic if you need an interpreter when you book your appointment.
Healthcare for children under 18
All children under 18 years old have the same rights to healthcare and dental care in Sweden. This includes children registered in Sweden, children seeking asylum and children who live in hiding. Children under 18 also have the right to certain vaccinations.
Please note that this does not apply to children who are only visiting Sweden.
Most healthcare is free of charge for children under 18 years old, but this can vary between regions. Children never have to pay for prescription medication.
Healthcare for adults over 18
Adults over the age of 18 can only get full, subsidised healthcare and dental care if they are registered in Sweden or citizens of another EU/EES country.If you are an EU citizen, you can apply for a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This means that you pay the same fees for medically necessary healthcare as people who are registered in Sweden. You can order this card in your home country.
If you are from a Nordic country (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands, or Åland), you only need to provide your address and show a valid form of identification. You pay the standard fees for medically necessary healthcare.
Medically necessary healthcare is care that can’t wait until you’re able to get care in your home country. The doctor who sees you will decide if your care is considered medically necessary. This means that if you live outside of Sweden, you might have to pay a fee of 595 SEK for a video call with Kry. Please note that we can’t help you with prescriptions or referrals if you live outside of Sweden.
If you come from outside the EU, you must pay for all healthcare yourself.
If you are seeking asylum, you have the right to the following kinds of healthcare in all regions:
emergency healthcare
emergency dental care
care during pregnancy and childbirth
abortion services
advice on contraception
full medical examinations
healthcare for infectious diseases.
You also have the right to prescription medications for the above kinds of healthcare.
You can find more information about the right to healthcare for asylum seekers on the website of the National Health and Welfare Agency (Socialstyrelse, in Swedish).
Regional differences
Regions can choose to offer people seeking asylum more healthcare than the legal minimum. Many regions have their own rules to decide what kinds of healthcare people seeking asylum can access. Contact the region you live in for more information.
Common questions
People who have a residency permit and are covered by the temporary protection directive (massflyktsdirektivet) have the same rights to healthcare as people seeking asylum.
This means that the following rules apply:
- Children under 18 years old have the same rights to healthcare as all children in Sweden.
- Adults over 18 years old have the right to emergency care, maternity care, abortion care, and advice on contraception.
This applies in all regions.
An LMA card proves that you are seeking asylum in Sweden. You apply for an LMA card at the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). You need to show your LMA card when you get healthcare or collect prescription medication from a pharmacy.
In some cases, your LMA card means that you’ll pay less for your healthcare. You’ll also pay less for most prescription medication.
If you’ve applied for asylum but do not have your LMA card yet, you can show your confirmation from the Swedish Migration Agency instead.
Find more information on how to get an LMA card on the Swedish Migration Agency website.
You can find more information on healthcare charges for people seeking asylum on the Swedish Migration Agency website.
No. A coordination number (samordningsnummer) is given to people who have never been registered in Sweden. A coordination number is not a temporary personal identification number. This means it does not give you the right to healthcare.
This depends on the kind of personal details that are protected. You can still use the Kry app if your protected identity allows you to use a personal BankID.
When you register in our app, we automatically get your personal details from the national address registry (SPAR). Your clinician will be able to see that your personal number, phone number, and email address are protected.
If a clinician needs to make a referral, they will need your personal identification number and phone number. Please tell them if you cannot give them this information because this means they will not be able to make a referral.
We cannot issue a prescription if you have a protected identity. This is because people with protected identities cannot use the national e-prescription service.
Unfortunately, children with protected identities cannot use Kry’s digital services. Please contact your clinic instead.
If you are a Swedish citizen but are registered as living abroad, you may still have the right to healthcare in Sweden. The amount you pay depends, for example, on the country you live in and the kind of care you need. Contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan, in Swedish) or the region you are in for more information.