Move to the USA step by step
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Step 1: Determine which visa you need: an immigrant visa to live in the USA permanently, or a temporary visa for work or study for a limited time.
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Step 2: Apply for the visa at the USA's embassy in Stockholm well in advance of the move. ESTA only applies to visits. our advice
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Step 3: Determine your moving date when the visa is ready. If you are going to live in the USA for at least one year, you will be deregistered from the population registration.
20 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026
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Step 4: Notify Skatteverket of your move at the latest one week before the move, using the e-service or form SKV 7665.
27 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026
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Step 5: Notify Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) of your move, who will assess if you are still insured in Sweden.
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Step 6: Terminate your rental agreement or sublet your home and book a removal company for the international move. Ask the company who will handle the customs documents.
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Step 7: Send your new address to banks and associations that do not retrieve it from Skatteverket.
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Step 8: Bring your immigration documents with you in the USA. With a visa or ESTA, you can download the I-94 entry form.
What visa do I need to move to the USA?
As a Swedish citizen, you travel to the USA without a visa for tourist visits up to 90 days, but you need ESTA, an electronic travel permit that you apply for online. ESTA does not give you the right to live in the USA. If you are going to stay for a limited time, for example for work or study, you apply for a temporary visa (non-immigrant visa). If you are going to live in the USA permanently, you need an immigrant visa. Both are applied for via the US Embassy in Stockholm, and a valid visa does not guarantee entry: it is tested at the border.
Source: U.S. Embassy in Sweden: Visas (English), Swedish Embassy in Washington: Travel information USA.
How do I report my move from Sweden?
If you are going to live in the USA for a year or more, you must report your move to Skatteverket no later than one week before the move. If the notification is received no later than the moving day, you will be considered moved from that day, otherwise from the day Skatteverket receives it. The e-service requires that you are over 18 and registered as unmarried, divorced or widowed; otherwise, you use form SKV 7665. The notification for children under 18 is signed by all guardians.
Source: Skatteverket: Move from Sweden, Folkbokföringslag (1991:481) (riksdagen.se). 20 and 27 §§ folkbokföringslagen (the Swedish Population Registration Act).
Försäkringskassan and pension
When you move to a country outside the EU and EES, Försäkringskassan assesses, based on the purpose of your stay and how long you will be away, whether you are still insured in Sweden. The income-based general pension is paid out even when you live in the USA, to a Swedish or foreign bank account. The guarantee pension is based on you living in Sweden and is withdrawn when you move. Every year, you send a certificate of life to Pensionsmyndigheten (the Swedish Pensions Agency).
Source: Försäkringskassan: Moving abroad, Pensionsmyndigheten: Pension for you who live outside Sweden, Pensionsmyndigheten: Submit a life certificate.
Tax after the move
You may need to file a tax return in Sweden even after the move, depending on whether you still have a significant connection here. Read the guide on SINK and tax when moving abroad.
Source: Skatteverket: Moving from Sweden.
Household goods and customs
What applies to the moving goods into the USA is determined by US customs. We have not been able to read their rules in this round, so we will not write our own. Ask the removal company who will handle the customs documents.
The documents in the USA
According to US federal law, foreign citizens must carry their immigration documents and be registered during their stay. If you have entered on a visa or ESTA, you can download the I-94 entry form as proof of your stay.
Source: Embassy of Sweden in Washington: Travel information USA.
Template for the new address
To banks, associations and newspapers that do not receive the address from Skatteverket.
Email: New address abroad To: Association, bank, insurance company or newspaper that does not pick up the address from Skatteverket
The template is in Swedish because it goes to a Swedish recipient.
- Authorities and companies that retrieve data from SPAR get the address via Skatteverket. You notify associations and newspapers yourself (Skatteverket).
- SPAR deletes the record five years after the move unless you request deferred deletion.
Common questions
Is ESTA enough to move to the USA?
No. ESTA applies to tourist visits up to 90 days. To live in the USA, you need a visa, and to live there permanently, an immigrant visa, according to the USA's embassy in Stockholm.
Will I keep my Swedish personal identity number if I move to the USA?
Yes. Your citizenship and personal identity number are not affected by being registered as emigrated, according to Skatteverket.
Do I get a Swedish pension in the USA?
The income-based general pension is paid out even when you live outside Sweden. The guaranteed pension is only paid out to those living in Sweden. You send a certificate of life to Pensionsmyndigheten every year.
The law behind it
The sections summarised, with a link to the legal text on riksdagen.se.
20 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026
A person who can be assumed to regularly spend their daily rest abroad for at least a year is to be removed from the population register as having emigrated.
27 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026
A person who intends to move abroad must report it at least a week before leaving, stating the day of departure. If the trip is cancelled or postponed, this is reported no later than the previously stated day.
29 § folkbokföringslag (1991:481), checked 5 October 2026
The notification of moving out must contain name and personal identity number, address in Sweden, departure date, address and type of home abroad, intention and expected length of stay, employer abroad and a home still owned or rented in Sweden.