THE SHORT ANSWER
Two kinds of protection on a trip can depend on where you reside. In one insurer's pre-purchase information, the travel cover in home insurance only applies worldwide if you are permanently resident and registered in the Swedish population register. According to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, you order the European Health Insurance Card from the country whose social insurance covers you.
This guide covers three situations: you reside abroad but still hold policies in Sweden, you have moved here and are waiting for registration, or you are visiting Sweden. The question is the same in all three: what does the policy require of you, and what applies until that requirement is met? [1][4]
Keep these points in mind
- Travel cover may require residence and registration in Sweden.
- The European Health Insurance Card comes from the country where you are socially insured.
- Visitor insurance is bought before arrival.
STEP BY STEP
How to check your cover
Find out where you are registered and insured
Population registration and social insurance are two separate questions. The Swedish Tax Agency says that anyone who has moved here and plans to stay here for at least a year should in most cases be registered, and that anyone planning to stay outside Sweden for a year or more must report it. Special rules apply when moving to another Nordic country.
According to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, which country's social insurance covers you depends on where you reside and work. If another country's social insurance in the EU/EEA, Switzerland or the UK covers you, you order the European Health Insurance Card there. Note both answers before reading your policies.
[5][6][4]Read the residence requirements in the terms
Look for the sections on where the policy applies and who it covers. In one insurer's pre-purchase information for home insurance, printed in March 2026, you must be permanently resident and registered in Sweden for the travel cover to apply worldwide. Otherwise the travel cover there only applies within Sweden.
Another insurer writes that the travel cover in home insurance no longer applies once you have registered in another country, and that all types of personal insurance with that insurer end on the date you move from Sweden when you emigrate. These are examples from individual insurers, not rules for all. Read your own policy and ask the insurer if the wording is unclear.
[1][2]Check the European Health Insurance Card for your situation
The card gives the right to necessary care during a temporary stay within the EU/EEA, Switzerland and the UK. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency says a common reason why the card cannot be ordered is that you are not registered as insured in the agency's system.
The card gives no right to payment for journeys back to Sweden, for example by air ambulance, and the agency says it is important to also have private travel insurance. So read the card and the travel cover together: if one is missing, the other does not fill the gap on its own.
[4]Ask what applies until you are registered
If you are new to Sweden, registration takes time. The Swedish Tax Agency says it takes about six weeks before a notification of moving to Sweden is assigned to a case officer. If you plan to stay for less than a year, you can apply for a coordination number instead.
Konsumenternas says several insurers have changed their home insurance terms for people who are waiting for a decision on staying and have not yet received a personal identity number. Contact the insurer and ask how the home insurance and its travel cover apply to you and to each person in the household who still lacks a personal identity number. Ask for the answer in writing.
[5][7]
Three situations, different things to check
Start with the situation that fits you. Each one has its own first question.
- You reside abroad and still hold policies in Sweden: read what happens to the travel cover after the move. One insurer writes that its policy for people living abroad to work or study can only be taken out by someone who is still registered in Sweden.
- You have moved here and are waiting for registration: ask whether the cover applies without a personal identity number, and which country you are socially insured in meanwhile.
- You are visiting Sweden: visitor insurance must be bought before arrival and can be bought in the home country or in Sweden.
Visitors to Sweden, including those over 70
Konsumenternas says visitors from a country whose citizens need a visa for Sweden need visitor insurance, and that it must pay necessary and reasonable costs of at least 30 000 euro. According to Konsumenternas, all visitor insurance applies for acute illness, acute dental problems and accidents. Legal expenses cover and liability cover are not included, and there are exclusions for injuries during risky activities.
If an older relative is travelling here, read the maximum age for taking out the policy first. Konsumenternas says both the excess and the maximum age vary between visitor policies. The guide on travel insurance certificates covers what the Swedish Migration Agency requires for the visa itself.
[8]Read the residence requirements in your own documents
Keep policy documents and terms in My Forsio, where you sign in with BankID. You have the documents in one place, and each detail shows the passage it came from, so you can read the residence requirements yourself. If the terms for a policy are missing, the cover is shown as Not verified, not as confirmed absent.
Forsio does not decide where you are registered, whether you are insured in Sweden or whether a policy applies after a move. The Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and the insurer decide that. Forsio is not an insurance intermediary and does not provide insurance advice.
Fictional example
Moved abroad, still holding a Swedish policy.
Erik has moved to Spain and reported the move to the Swedish Tax Agency. His home insurance in Sweden continues.
- Residence requirement in the terms
- Requires registration in Sweden
- Travel cover abroad after the move
- Only within Sweden under the termsPotential gapAsk the insurer what applies from the moving date.
- Social insurance after the move
- Not verifiedThe Swedish Social Insurance Agency decides this.
The policy continues, but the terms tie travel cover abroad to registration in Sweden. The insurer and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency need to confirm what applies after the move.
Common questions
Can I buy travel insurance in Sweden without being registered here?
That depends on the policy terms. In one insurer's pre-purchase information for home insurance, the travel cover only applies worldwide if you are permanently resident and registered in Sweden, and otherwise only within Sweden. Read the sections on who the policy covers and where it applies, and ask the insurer before buying. [1]
I am registered in Denmark. Can I buy travel insurance in Sweden?
Read the residence terms first, since they may require that you reside and are registered in Sweden. The Swedish Tax Agency says special rules apply when moving between Nordic countries. According to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, you order the European Health Insurance Card from the country whose social insurance covers you. [1][6][4]
What travel insurance do Swedes living abroad have?
That depends on each policy. One insurer writes that the travel cover in home insurance no longer applies once you have registered in another country. The same insurer offers a policy for people living abroad for a period to work or study, but it can only be taken out by someone who is still registered in Sweden. [2][3]
Is there visitor insurance for foreign visitors over 70?
Konsumenternas says the maximum age for taking out visitor insurance varies between policies, as does the excess. Read the age limit in the pre-purchase information before buying. The policy must be bought before arrival, in the home country or in Sweden. [8]
Can I use the European Health Insurance Card after moving from Sweden?
The Swedish Social Insurance Agency says you order the card from the country whose social insurance covers you, which depends on where you reside and work. A common reason why an order does not go through is that you are not registered as insured in the agency's system. [4]
What applies while I wait for registration?
The Swedish Tax Agency says it takes about six weeks before a notification of moving to Sweden is assigned to a case officer. Meanwhile, the terms for people without a personal identity number can differ between insurers. Konsumenternas says to contact the insurer and ask how the home insurance applies to someone who does not yet have a personal identity number. [5][7]
MY FORSIO
Bring the documents together when you move across a border.
Keep policy documents and terms in one place in My Forsio. Read periods, residence requirements and details that need confirmation. Free for individuals.
Sources and references
Sources checked
This guide explains general principles of Swedish insurance. Your policy schedule and terms set out what applies to you.
- An insurer's pre- and post-purchase information for home insurance, March 2026
- An insurer's information on insurance when moving abroad
- An insurer's information on insurance while living abroad for a period
- Swedish Social Insurance Agency: the European Health Insurance Card and care abroad
- Swedish Tax Agency: moving to Sweden
- Swedish Tax Agency: moving from Sweden
- Konsumenternas: insurance for people new to Sweden
- Konsumenternas: what visitor insurance contains and where to buy it