How to Get a Swedish ID Card: A Guide for Indians Living in Sweden

Buddy Hive
6 min read · Oct 11, 2026

You have your personnummer. Before a Swedish bank gives you an account and BankID, it usually wants to see a Swedish ID card (id-kort). Pharmacies, post offices and parcel lockers also ask for one, and Swedes rarely carry their passports.

As an Indian citizen you get the card from the Swedish Tax Agency, Skatteverket. This guide covers who can apply, how to pay and book, what to bring, and the change coming in December 2026, when the Police start issuing a new ID card to foreign residents.

Photo: Dirk Baker on Pexels

The journey at a glance

1. Check you qualify: you are registered in Sweden, have a personnummer and are at least 13.
2. Pay the fee: SEK 400, paid before you book.
3. Book a service office: only some offices issue ID cards.
4. Visit in person: bring your residence permit card, passport and payment receipt. Your photo is taken there.
5. Wait about two weeks: you get a text or letter when the card is ready.
6. Collect the card: in person, within two months, without a booking.

Step 1: Check that you qualify

You can get a Skatteverket ID card if:

• You are registered in Sweden (folkbokförd) and have a personnummer. A samordningsnummer is not enough. If you do not have a personnummer yet, start with our personnummer guide.
• You are at least 13 years old. Children aged 13 to 17 need written consent from both guardians.
• You can prove who you are. For most Indians this is the residence permit card (see Step 4).

Your citizenship does not matter. Indian citizens get the same card as Swedes registered in Sweden.

Official source: Skatteverket: how to apply for or renew an ID card

Step 2: Pay the SEK 400 fee

Pay first. You cannot pay at the service office, and you need proof of payment at the visit.

• From a Swedish bank: bank transfer (bankgiro) or Swish.
• From India or another country: international transfer (IBAN and BIC).
• Message: your personnummer in 12 digits with no dash, for example 199001011234.

Get the payment details from Skatteverket's payment page. Anyone can pay for you, for example a colleague before you have a Swedish account, as long as your personnummer is in the message. Save the receipt or a screenshot of the transfer.

Step 3: Book a service office

ID cards are issued at state service offices (servicekontor), but not every office issues them. Book a time in the service office booking system and pick an office that offers ID cards.

• Slots in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö can be booked out for weeks. A smaller office in a nearby town is often quicker and worth the train ride.
• Cancel or move your time if you cannot make it, so someone else can use it.

Official source: Skatteverket: how to apply for or renew an ID card

Step 4: Visit the service office

Bring:

• Your residence permit card (UT-kort). This is your proof of identity. Skatteverket checks it with the Migration Agency.
• Your Indian passport. It is not accepted as proof of identity on its own: Skatteverket only accepts Swedish, EU, EEA and Swiss documents. Bring it anyway.
• Proof that you paid the fee.
• For a child aged 13 to 17: both guardians in person, or their written consent on form SKV 1502.

You do not need a photo. They take one at the office and measure your height. Glasses with dark lenses and head coverings are only allowed for religious or medical reasons.

No residence permit card?

If you have no accepted document, someone who knows you well can come with you and vouch for your identity (intygsgivare). They must bring their own valid Swedish ID. They can be:

• your spouse, or a partner you have lived with for at least six months
• a parent, grandparent, or an adult child or sibling (18 or over)
• your employer, but only if you have worked for them for at least a year, with a document showing that

For most newcomers the residence permit card is the simple route. Keep it valid and with you.

Official source: Skatteverket: how to apply for or renew an ID card

Step 5: Wait and collect your card

• The card takes about two weeks, longer if Skatteverket needs to check something. If details are missing you get a letter, and you may have to visit again.
• You get a text message or letter when it is ready.
• Collect it yourself at the same service office within two months. No booking is needed. Bring the receipt you got when you applied.
• The card has an e-ID on it. The codes come in a separate letter to your home. Do not bring that letter to the office.

If you hear nothing, or cannot collect within two months, call Skatteverket on 0771-567 567.

The card is valid for five years. Skatteverket does not remind you before it expires.

Official source: Skatteverket: how to apply for or renew an ID card

The change in December 2026: an ID card from the Police

Sweden is moving all state ID documents to one authority, the Police (Polisen).

• From 1 December 2026 a new state e-ID (statlig e-legitimation) comes into force. Foreign citizens registered in Sweden can get it on a physical ID card from the Police, with the same details as today's Skatteverket card.
• On 1 March 2027 the government proposes that Skatteverket stops issuing ID cards. Until then you can still apply at Skatteverket as described above, and applications made before that date are finished under the old rules.
• Existing cards stay valid until they expire.

What this means for you:

• Applying before December 2026: go to Skatteverket as described above.
• Applying from December 2026: the Police card is likely the better choice, as it carries the new state e-ID and will be the only option from March 2027. Check polisen.se for the fee and how to book once it opens.

The Skatteverket card is not a travel document, and neither is a card for foreign citizens. Always travel with your passport and residence permit card.

Official sources: Government: winding down Skatteverket's ID card operations (in Swedish), Government bill: a state e-ID, prop. 2025/26:250 (in Swedish)

After you have your ID card

1. Open a Swedish bank account. Bring the ID card, passport, residence permit card and work contract. Our bank account and BankID guide covers what banks ask.
2. Get Mobile BankID from your bank, and set up Swish at the same time.
3. Keep your address up to date with Skatteverket, so letters about your card reach you.

Our free Sweden newcomer checklist puts all of these in order and tracks what you have done.

Common problems

• "There are no free times." Try other offices in the region, and check back often, as cancelled slots are released.
• Turned away because the fee was not paid. The payment must be made before the visit. Bring the receipt.
• Your residence permit card has expired. Apply for an extension with the Migration Agency first. Without a valid card you will most likely need someone to vouch for you.
• Lost or stolen card. Call 010-331 10 10 straight away to block it, which also blocks the e-ID on the card. Report a theft to the police too. Then apply for a new card and pay the fee again. See Skatteverket: if you lose your ID card (in Swedish).

Useful official links

• Skatteverket: how to apply for or renew an ID card
• Skatteverket: how to pay for the ID card (in Swedish)
• Service office booking
• Our guide: how to get a personnummer in Sweden
• Our guide: Sweden residence permit from India for work or study