Non-EU doctor in Sweden: how to get a Swedish medical licence (legitimation)

🇸🇪 SE · jobs · 2026-10-18

Translating to Italian. Showing the English original for now.

Yes, doctors trained outside the EU and EEA get licensed in Sweden, after a fixed sequence of steps taken mostly in Swedish. The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) offers two routes. Its own route has five steps: degree assessment, proficiency test, a course in Swedish laws, six months of clinical training and the licence application. The board says this usually takes 2 to 4 years. The other route is a complementary programme at a Swedish university followed by a medical internship (AT), which the board says usually takes 1 to 3 years. On both routes you must prove your Swedish, for example at level C1, and the title doctor of medicine is protected by law: you may only use it once you hold a licence (legitimation).

Step 1: have your medical degree assessed

The first step is an application to Socialstyrelsen to assess whether your education is equivalent to the Swedish one in level, length and content. You do not need to speak Swedish for this step, and you do not need a Swedish personal identity number, a residence permit or an address in Sweden.

You send the board's application form, a passport copy, a fee receipt and copies of your diploma and course list, translated into Swedish or English unless they are in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English. Send copies, not originals.

The fee is SEK 990. The board says the assessment takes about 3 months. If it decides that your education is not similar enough to the Swedish one, you cannot continue on its route, and the fee is not refunded. The alternatives are the complementary programme or a Swedish degree.

Steps 2 to 4: proficiency test, laws course and clinical training

The proficiency test. Umeå University runs the test on behalf of Socialstyrelsen. It has a theoretical part and a practical part, and you must pass the theoretical part before you can take the practical one. It is in Swedish and taken on site in Umeå. You have up to five attempts at the theoretical part and three at the practical part. If you fail the first attempt, a five-year time limit starts from that day. If you use up your attempts, this route is closed to you.

The course in Swedish laws and regulations. After you pass the test, you take a web course run by Lund University on the laws that govern Swedish healthcare. The course is free, and you can take it full-time or part-time. You may take it before, after or alongside clinical training.

Clinical training. The training lasts 6 months at one workplace, such as a healthcare centre or a hospital ward, and you have to find that workplace yourself. You need a special authorisation for it: state healthcare providers can issue one if you passed both parts of the test, and private providers have to apply for one. Previous experience does not shorten it, and Socialstyrelsen pays no financial aid during it. Your manager and supervisor then sign a certificate of clinical training.

The licence application. You send the application form, a copy of your passport, your certificate of Swedish proficiency and the original certificate of clinical training. If you paid SEK 990 at step 1, you do not pay again. The board says a complete application currently takes about 2 to 4 weeks, and it checks police records before deciding. You can start practising as soon as you receive the licence.

The Swedish language requirement

You need Swedish for steps 2 to 5 and must send proof at the latest with the licence application. Socialstyrelsen accepts an approved grade or certificate in one of these:

Swedish 3 or Swedish as a Second Language 3, for example at municipal adult education (Komvux);
Swedish at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages;
a course or exam that meets the entry requirements for higher education in Sweden;
equivalent proficiency in Norwegian or Danish, shown by meeting the entry requirements of a Norwegian or Danish university.

A healthcare provider can also assess your language skills on the board's form. Since the proficiency test is in Swedish, in practice you need the language well before step 5.

The other route: complementary programme and internship (AT)

Instead of starting with Socialstyrelsen, you can apply to a complementary programme for doctors at Karolinska Institutet, the University of Gothenburg, Linköping University, Lund University or Umeå University. Each university sets its own entry requirements, places are limited, and many universities require a decision from Socialstyrelsen that your education is equivalent. You need Swedish to attend, and the programme is not a distance course.

After the programme you send the board a certificate and receive a decision that you may do your medical internship (AT). The internship is a supervised position of at least 18 months of full-time work on a block appointment, including at least three months of psychiatry. You find the employer yourself. The licence fee after an internship in Sweden is SEK 3,300, or SEK 2,310 extra if you already paid SEK 990.

How long it takes and what to do meanwhile

Socialstyrelsen gives a usual total of 2 to 4 years for its own route and 1 to 3 years for the complementary programme, depending on your situation.

While you wait for a decision, the board suggests starting to learn Swedish, working in a healthcare profession that does not require a licence or a protected title (the employer then decides whether you have the right skills). Once you have passed both parts of the proficiency test, you can also work as a doctor for a limited period before your clinical training, on a special authorisation.

This page covers only the Swedish process; Germany has its own rules, and our guide to Germany's Opportunity Card in 2026 is a starting point for the German side.

Country specifics

You need a Swedish personal identity number or a coordination number when you apply for the licence. If you have neither, Socialstyrelsen asks the Swedish Tax Agency to assign you a coordination number. You can also apply for one yourself beforehand. For how the numbers work, see getting a personnummer in Sweden as a self-sufficient EU citizen.

To work or study in Sweden you also need a residence or work permit from the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket); the licence does not replace it. If a Swedish employer offers you a job, the rules in Sweden's work permit salary requirement apply to that offer.

To work as a specialist you first need the licence; recognition of a specialist qualification is a separate application.

FAQ

Do I need Swedish to get a medical licence in Sweden?

Yes, for every step after the degree assessment. Level C1 is one accepted proof.

How long does the Socialstyrelsen route take?

Usually 2 to 4 years, according to the board.

How many times can I take the proficiency test?

Up to five attempts at the theoretical part and three at the practical part, within five years from a first failed attempt.

Can I skip clinical training if I already worked as a doctor?

No. Previous experience does not shorten the 6 months.

How much does it cost to apply?

SEK 990 on the board's route, paid once. After an internship (AT) in Sweden it is SEK 3,300.

Can I work in healthcare before I have the licence?

Yes, in a healthcare job that needs no licence. After passing the proficiency test you can also work as a doctor for a limited period on a special authorisation.

How Jobsy fits

We build Jobsy, a service that searches for employers and recruitment agencies in Sweden for you and prepares applications in the recipient's language. It does not handle licences or Socialstyrelsen applications. The first result is free.

Sources

Sources: Socialstyrelsen: Doctor of medicine educated outside EU and EEA · Socialstyrelsen: Step 1, education assessment · Socialstyrelsen: Step 2, proficiency test · Socialstyrelsen: Step 3, course in Swedish laws · Socialstyrelsen: Step 4, clinical training · Socialstyrelsen: Step 5, licence application · Socialstyrelsen: Complementary programme · Socialstyrelsen: Do internship (AT)