Sweden’s public sector assumes you have a phone with an e-ID on it. Here is how the system fits together, what works without a Swedish identity number, what changes on 1 December 2026, and the offline routes that still exist.
When you need this
A Swedish agency website shows a single “Logga in med BankID” button. You’ve just moved to Sweden and want to know which e-ID to get first. You’re an EU citizen wondering whether your own national e-ID works here. Migrationsverket has emailed you a link to check your passport with an app called Freja. Or you need Skatteverket, Försäkringskassan or Migrationsverket and have no e-ID at all.
How the system fits together
Three layers sit on top of each other:
| Layer | What it is | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|
| Personnummer | Sweden’s personal identity number | People registered as living in Sweden (folkbokförda) |
| E-legitimation (e-ID) | BankID, Freja+, SverigeID from December 2026 | Mostly people with a personnummer |
| E-tjänst (e-service) and Mina sidor (My Pages) | Tax, benefits, permits, healthcare records | Whoever the agency lets in, usually by personnummer |
The bottom layer decides almost everything. Banks issue BankID only against a personnummer, and a coordination number (samordningsnummer) is not enough. Once you have BankID, nearly every e-service opens; without it, you’re looking for side doors. The personnummer guide explains who gets the number, and BankID for visitors explains why tourists can’t get the e-ID.
Agencies accept more than BankID. Transportstyrelsen, typical of the larger agencies, lists BankID and Mobile BankID, Freja eID Plus, Telia eID and, in some services, a “Foreign eID”.
Agency by agency: what works without a personnummer
| Service | Without a personnummer | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Migrationsverket applications | Yes: an account made with an email address (one-time codes), or Freja with email or a chipped passport | Full access with Freja Plus or BankID needs a personnummer |
| Skatteverket | Partly: “Foreign eID” for EU e-IDs, Freja in some services | Most e-services need a personnummer and Swedish e-ID |
| Försäkringskassan My Pages | No, not even with a coordination number | Phone, or a government service office |
| 1177.se | No: personnummer plus BankID or Freja+; foreign e-IDs refused | Phone 1177 and skip the personnummer prompt |
| Online police report | Needs a personnummer or coordination number | Contact the police directly |
| Digital mailbox (Kivra, Billo, Min myndighetspost) | No: needs a Swedish e-ID | Agencies send paper letters instead |
Two warnings belong here. Migrationsverket’s email account lives and dies with the inbox: lose access to that email address and you have to create a new account. And a working Freja login doesn’t mean every service lets you in. Many look you up by personnummer, so you can log in and still be shown “no access” at Försäkringskassan or 1177.
Freja for foreigners: what it does and doesn’t do
Freja is a private e-ID app. It comes in levels:
- Basic account: anyone can open one with an email address. Skatteverket accepts it in a few services, and Migrationsverket accepts it for applications.
- Passport-registered account: passport holders from more than 170 countries can add a chipped passport. Freja says this international e-ID is state-approved at the same assurance level (tillitsnivå) as e-IDs issued to people with a personnummer.
- Freja+: the full version. Foreign citizens living in Sweden can get it with a verified coordination number registered at Skatteverket, and at present all EU/EEA citizens qualify. If you registered Freja+ directly with a passport or national ID card, you also need a physical ID check before it works for logins across EU borders (eIDAS).
So Freja is the most useful e-ID a newcomer can get before a personnummer, especially for Migrationsverket. It is not a key to everything: Försäkringskassan and 1177 still ask for a personnummer.
Digital passport check. Some Migrationsverket applicants with a chipped passport from a listed country get an emailed link to check their passport with the Freja app instead of showing it in person. The link is valid for seven days, and you may still be asked to show the passport in person later.
EU e-IDs and “Foreign eID”
If your home country issues a national e-ID notified under the EU’s eIDAS regulation, look for Foreign eID on the login page. Skatteverket offers it and says the list of connected countries grows over time; Transportstyrelsen accepts it in some services. In practice it mainly opens Skatteverket’s My Pages and a few other services, because most e-services still need a Swedish personnummer behind the login.
SverigeID and the 1 December 2026 changes
The law on a state e-ID, Lag (2026:1358), enters into force on 1 December 2026. Read from the statute:
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Who | Swedish citizens and foreigners registered as living in Sweden, from the year they turn nine |
| How | In person at the police, with facial image and fingerprints taken |
| Validity | Five years; three years for children under 12 |
| Fee | The police may charge one; Polisen’s page states no amount |
| Recognition duty | Public bodies must accept every e-ID in the state authorisation system at the assurance level their service requires |
Polisen’s page adds the practical detail. Applications open on 1 December 2026. Registered residents without Swedish citizenship book only by phoning 114 14 from 1 November 2026 and apply at certain police stations. You use SverigeID through an app, and Polisen calls it a complement to other e-IDs, not a replacement for BankID.
The recognition duty is broader than it sounds. “Public body” in the law includes state and municipal agencies and also publicly funded private schools, healthcare and dental providers and some social services. It covers Swedish authorised e-IDs, though, not foreign ones.
Digg, the Agency for Digital Government, also plans the first version of a state digital identity wallet for December 2026, with an e-ID based on SverigeID at the highest assurance level. A fully certified EU wallet is targeted by 2029.
Good to know: Older guides may suggest otherwise, but SverigeID is limited by statute to citizens and registered residents. It does not open a route for tourists or short-term visitors.
Mina meddelanden: where agency letters go
Mina meddelanden (My messages) is the state’s shared system for digital post from agencies, municipalities and regions. Digg runs it. You never open it directly: you choose one mailbox, Kivra, Billo or Min myndighetspost, and letters arrive there. It’s voluntary and free, and without a mailbox, agency letters come on paper.
Registering needs a Swedish e-ID and, in practice, a personnummer or verified coordination number, so it’s a resident’s tool. Setting one up, and what lands there, is covered in Kivra and digital mail.
No e-ID at all: the offline routes
Sweden is digital-first, not digital-only. Statens servicecenter runs government service offices (servicekontor) where you can get help with Skatteverket, Försäkringskassan, Pensionsmyndigheten, Arbetsförmedlingen and Migrationsverket, and the agency says explicitly that people without an e-ID can get help there. For healthcare, phone 1177 rather than trying to log in; see 1177 medical advice.
For newcomers, the usual order is: register in the population register, get a personnummer, get an ID card, then BankID. Non-EU arrivals often wait longer at the ID-card step, because Skatteverket’s card accepts no passports from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland, so you may need an attestor such as your employer of at least one year. The first-month sequence is in moving to Sweden for work.
Warning: Never let anyone log in or sign for you with their BankID, and ignore offers of “BankID for foreigners”. Whatever is signed with BankID is legally the holder’s act, and no legitimate route exists without a personnummer. See phone and BankID scams.
Practical information
| Item | What to know | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile BankID | No charge to get it, per Swedbank; each bank sets its terms | 2026-10-14 |
| Digital mailbox | Free to get for private persons | 2026-10-14 |
| SverigeID | Applications from 1 December 2026; booking for non-citizens via 114 14 from 1 November; fee allowed by law, none stated by Polisen | 2026-10-14 |
| Freja account | Opened with an email address; no price on the eligibility page | 2026-10-14 |
| Government service office | No fee mentioned; helps people without an e-ID | 2026-10-14 |
| Migrationsverket passport-check link | Valid seven days from the email | 2026-10-14 |
FAQ
What is Mina meddelanden?
Mina meddelanden is the Swedish state’s shared system for sending digital post from agencies, municipalities and regions. Digg runs it, and you never use it directly: you choose one mailbox, Kivra, Billo or Min myndighetspost, and letters arrive there. It is voluntary and free. Without a mailbox, agency letters come on paper. Registering needs a Swedish e-ID.
Can I use Swedish government e-services without BankID?
Some. Residents can use Freja+, which Transportstyrelsen and 1177 accept alongside BankID. Without a personnummer, Migrationsverket’s application services take an e-mail account or Freja, and Skatteverket accepts EU e-IDs and Freja for a few services. Försäkringskassan’s My Pages and 1177.se need a personnummer. For anything else, phone the agency or visit a government service office.
Can a foreigner get Freja eID?
Yes. Anyone can open a basic Freja account with an e-mail address, and passport holders from more than 170 countries can add a chipped passport. Freja says this international e-ID has state approval at the same level as Swedish ones. The full Freja+ needs a personnummer or, for residents, a verified coordination number, currently for EU/EEA citizens.
Does my EU national e-ID work in Sweden?
Sometimes. Skatteverket’s login has a “Foreign eID” option for e-IDs notified under the EU eIDAS regulation, and the list of connected countries grows over time. Transportstyrelsen accepts it in some services. But most e-services still need a Swedish personnummer, so an EU e-ID mainly opens My Pages and a few services, not benefits or healthcare records.
What is SverigeID and can I get it?
SverigeID is Sweden’s state e-ID, issued by the police, with applications from 1 December 2026. The law allows it only for Swedish citizens and for foreigners registered as living in Sweden, from the year they turn nine. You apply in person and give fingerprints. It complements BankID rather than replacing it, and tourists cannot get it.
What can I do if I have no Swedish e-ID at all?
Use the offline routes. Statens servicecenter runs service offices that help with Skatteverket, Försäkringskassan, Pensionsmyndigheten, Arbetsförmedlingen and Migrationsverket, explicitly including people without an e-ID. For healthcare, phone 1177 and skip the personnummer prompt. Migrationsverket applications work with an e-mail account. Agencies still send paper letters to anyone without a digital mailbox.
Related guides
- BankID for visitors — the e-ID behind most logins, and why tourists can’t get it
- Kivra and digital mail — setting up the mailbox that Mina meddelanden delivers to
- Personnummer explained — the number every Swedish e-ID rests on
- Coordination numbers and bank accounts — the non-resident’s number and what it unlocks
- Moving to Sweden for work — the first-month order: registration, ID card, BankID
Facts verified 2026-10-14. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Lag 2026:1358), Polismyndigheten, Digg, Skatteverket, Migrationsverket, Försäkringskassan, Transportstyrelsen, Statens servicecenter, 1177, Swedbank and Freja eID — full register in this topic’s source file. This is general information, not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.