If you are planning on bringing your family with you to Gothenburg, there are some things to consider – both in the planning process and after your arrival. On this page you will find a lot of information that will help you, and your family members, prepare for a life in Sweden.
Residence Permit for families
Regardless if you are bringing your family when travelling to Sweden or if they arrive later, you should apply for the residence permit as a family to make the process as quick and easy as possible. The co-applicants’ permit will be connected to your study period and permit. You can find a lot of helpful information on the Swedish Migration Agency website. Make sure to check the website thoroughly, as there might be different rules and conditions that apply to your family members’ permits.
Swedish Migration Agency - Residence permit för family members
Insurance & taxes for families
Students are covered by insurance when on campus (and travelling to and from) but make sure your partner and/or children have sufficient health insurance as well. Both you and your family members should also apply for a Swedish personal identity number (personnummer). Once you have this identity number you are part of the Swedish population register and are covered by the Swedish social insurance system. The personal identity number will be used when in contact with authorities such as banks, health care and more.
Government authorities to register with in Sweden
The Swedish Tax Agency
Accommodation for families
The housing guarantee only applies for one person (i.e., not partner, nor family), so make sure to apply for accommodation for you and your family members as early as possible. The demand for housing in Gothenburg in general is very high and it can be difficult for families to find an apartment. Chalmers has agreements with the housing agencies SGS and Chalmers Studentbostäder (CSB). You can contact the agencies directly with questions about housing for you and your family. Other options to look into are Boplats, where you queue for rentals, and Facebook or Blocket.se where you can rent second hand (beware of scams - never pay anything before you have seen the apartment).
Contact accommodations@chalmers.se if you have questions about accommodation.
Housing
The city of Gothenburg is a popular place to study, which means that there is a very high demand for housing. For the same reason it can be very difficult to find a place to live, especially in the central parts of the city. You are expected to take action to find housing yourself, and the steps differ depending on whether you are a fee-paying student or not. Regardless, it is important that you take part of the information on this page as soon as you are admitted to Chalmers.
More information about moving to Gothenburg
'Move to Gothenburg' can help you with a lot of practical advice on the move, and also provide tools, events and services to help you along the way.