Population registration: where should you be registered?

Registering at the right address in six steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Count where you sleep: where you sleep at least one night a week under normal living conditions.

   § 7 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026

2. 2

   Step 2: If you live in several places: go through what Skatteverket takes into account, such as family, work and where your belongings are.

3. 3

   Step 3: Make the flyttanmälan within a week of the move, with the correct apartment number.

   § 25 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 3 October 2026

4. 4

   Step 4: Put your name on the door and the letterbox.

5. 5

   Step 5: If your mail should go somewhere else for at least six months: register a special postal address. It is free.

   § 25 § andra stycket folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026

6. 6

   Step 6: If you will live abroad for a year or more: report your emigration instead.

   § 20 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026

What is the difference between a population registration address and a postal address?

The population registration address is where you live, and it is where your mail normally goes. A special postal address is a supplement: you register it if you want your mail sent, for at least six months, to a different address from the one where you are registered. It is free and does not change your population registration. It also does not end when you report a move, so you end it yourself. If you only want your mail to follow you for a shorter time after the move, mail forwarding is what you need.

Source: Skatteverket: Särskild postadress, Folkbokföringslag (1991:481) (riksdagen.se). 25 § folkbokföringslagen.

What does c/o mean, and how do I register a c/o address with Skatteverket?

C/o means care of, i.e. that the post should go to you at someone else's. You write c/o before the name of the person receiving the post, and it is used for a special postal address, which you register with Skatteverket. The registration is free and applies when the post is to go there for at least six months. An example with fictional names:

Anna Svensson
c/o Per Nilsson
Storgatan 1
123 45 Exempelstad

Source: Skatteverket: Särskild postadress.

Can I write c/o if I am a lodger?

No. If you are a lodger or sublet, you should not write c/o in the flyttanmälan. Put your name on the door and the letterbox instead. A c/o address cannot be registered as a population registration address.

Source: Skatteverket: Särskild postadress, Skatteverket: Folkbokförd på rätt adress.

I live at two addresses

If you live in several homes and at least one seventh of the time in each, you have double residence. You can still only be registered in the population register at one address, where you have your actual home. If you do not sleep regularly in a particular place, you are considered to be resident where you have your strongest connection. The deduction in the declaration when you have a home in two places is in the guide on deduction for double residence.

Source: Skatteverket: Bo på flera adresser, Folkbokföringslag (1991:481) (riksdagen.se). 7 and 12 §§ folkbokföringslagen.

Where should students be registered?

If you are moving from home to study at a university or college, you should be registered at the place of study, regardless of whether you live in a student room, with a friend or in your own apartment. Pupils under 18 who must live in another location for primary or secondary school should be registered with their parents, until their 21st birthday at the latest. If you are studying in Gothenburg, there are queues and rules in the guide to student housing in Gothenburg.

Source: Skatteverket: Folkbokförd på rätt adress, Skatteverket: Anmäla flytt som student.

What happens if I am registered at the wrong address?

You should be registered where you live. If you cannot be registered on a particular property, you can be registered in the municipality instead, and then you need a special postal address to receive mail. Read more at Skatteverket.

Source: Skatteverket: Folkbokförd på rätt adress, Skatteverket: Folkbokförd på kommunen.

What do I do if someone is incorrectly registered at my address?

If it concerns your own or your family's address, you make a flyttanmälan. If someone else is incorrectly registered at your address, you notify Skatteverket in the e-service View population registration on the same address, where you also see who is registered there. You do not need to know the person's personal identity number. Without e-identification, you use the non-logged-in service Report incorrect population registration. Post to the person is returned to the sender with a note that the recipient does not live there; you do not need a stamp.

Skatteverket decides fastest when the person is likely to be incorrectly registered and you are affected by it. Otherwise, Skatteverket often sends a reminder to the person. The person who provides incorrect information about their population registration can be convicted of population registration crime.

Source: Skatteverket: Report incorrect population registration. 42 § folkbokföringslagen.

What is protected population registration?

You can be registered at a different address if you are at risk of crime, persecution or serious harassment. The new address is not registered and not shared with other authorities. Skatteverket receives the post and forwards it. Skatteverket has three types of protection: protected population registration, secrecy marking and fictitious personal details. You apply on form SKV 7706, and a family member living with you can get the same protection. How flyttanmälan, post and forwarding work with protection is explained in the guide on moving with protected personal details.

Source: Skatteverket: Protected personal data. 16 § folkbokföringslagen.

How long can I be away without notifying?

If you are abroad for less than a year, your population registration is not affected. If you will live abroad for a year or more, you report your emigration at least a week before you leave, see moving abroad.

Source: Skatteverket: Folkbokförd på rätt adress, Folkbokföringslag (1991:481) (riksdagen.se). 20 § folkbokföringslagen.

The law behind it