How do I get a protected identity in Sweden?

If you are a Swedish citizen with a protected identity, chances are you are severely limited in your capacity to have an e-ID and access online services. This is yet another form of digital exclusion that many people are experiencing as society becomes more and more digital.

Fortunately, Freja can play at least a small part in combatting this phenomenon as Swedes with protected identities can now get Freja eID, which is the first government approved mobile e-ID in Sweden to access a growing number of online services in Sweden.

How to get Swedish birth certificate?

You must always register the birth of your child in the country where they were born. How you register a birth varies by country. If you live in the Netherlands and your child was born abroad, you must also register the birth in the Netherlands.

You will need your child’s birth certificate to apply for a passport for them. This is an extract from the population register in your child’s name (personbevis typ 120 – med alla relationer). The birth certificate must be issued in English, and signed and stamped by the Swedish Tax Agency. It does not have to be legalised. When you make an appointment to apply for a passport you will receive a complete list of the documents required for your application.

Why you should protect your identity?

There is a huge demand for personal information protection these days, especially with the current surge in identity theft cases thanks to increased internet usage for social media and online shopping in our daily lives.

Although the use of social media, online shopping, and similar services make it easier and more comfortable for us to get things done, it also increases the risk of identity theft, since these platforms require us to share our personal information. As a result, some precautions must be taken to avoid such occurrences.

How much does it cost to get a Swedish ID card?

As a resident of Sweden, you need a Swedish ID-card. ID cards are issued by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket). You can use the ID card as proof of identity and proof of age, for example when you collect prescription medication from the pharmacy, pay by credit card in stores, and conduct bank transactions. Since May 5, 2015, many Swedish banks including Nordea Bank require a Swedish ID Card to open a bank account. You may open an account in any bank you wish. Lund University pays salaries through Nordea Bank. Please note that if you have a child, the child needs to be at least 13 years of age to receive an ID card. Furthermore parent/guardian approval is necessary if you are less than 18 years of age.

HOW TO GET A SWEDISH ID CARD

What is a protected identity in Sweden?

Swedish health care and national health registers are dependent on the presence of a unique identifier. This paper describes the Swedish personal identity number (PIN) and explores ethical issues of its use in medical research. A ten-digit-PIN is maintained by the National Tax Board for all individuals that have resided in Sweden since 1947. Until January 2008, an estimated 75,638 individuals have changed PIN. The most common reasons for change of PIN are incorrect recording of date of birth or sex among immigrants or newborns. Although uncommon, change of sex always leads to change of PIN since the PIN is sex-specific. The most common reasons for re-use of PIN (n = 15,887), is when immigrants are assigned a PIN that has previously been assigned to someone else. This is sometimes necessary since there is a shortage of certain PIN combinations referring to dates of birth in the 1950s and 1960s. Several ethical issues can be raised pro and con the use of PIN in medical research. The Swedish PIN is a useful tool for linkages between medical registers and allows for virtually 100% coverage of the Swedish health care system. We suggest that matching of registers through PIN and matching of national health registers without the explicit approval of the individual patient is to the benefit for both the individual patient and for society.

Keywords: Civil registration number, Identification, Personal identity number, Pin, Population, Review, Sweden

In 1686 the Swedish church started to keep local registers of parish members, and population statistics began in 1749 [1] (Personal communication: Marie Lennersand, 8th Jan, 2009). This enabled the church, and through the church also the Swedish state, to keep a population census and to enrol soldiers for the army.

The personal identity number (PIN) was introduced in 1947 and then consisted of date of birth and a three-digit number. From 1947 and onwards, every individual that has resided in Sweden on a permanent basis (and been recorded in the Total population register, TPR) has been assigned a PIN. In 1967, a check digit was added to the three-digit number. The check digit verifies that data of birth and the three-digit number are correct. In 1991, when the responsibility for the local population registers was moved from the local parishes to the local tax offices, the National Tax Board took over the full responsibility for the Swedish PIN. When the local population registers were computerized in 1967, Statistics Sweden established the TPR.

In 1997, the National Tax Board initiated a new notification system with partially new data. As of today (year 2009), all notifications are delivered from the National Tax Board to other administrations, including Statistics Sweden, on a daily basis. Statistics Sweden stores all notifications with updates in a notification database.

The PIN is the unique identifier in the TPR [1]. The TPR includes data on name, place of residence, sex, age, civil status, place of birth (country, county, parish), citizenship, immigration (date, country, ground for settlement), and relations (married couples, child–parent). Until the year 2000, PINs were sometimes assigned also to individuals who had not entered into the TPR [3], but since that year individuals that do not qualify for a PIN receive a personal coordination number instead (see below). On Dec 31 2007 the total population of Sweden was 9,182,927. The estimated number of PIN’s in Sweden since 1969 is however, larger, and has been estimated to some 13,500,000 until Dec 31 2007 (Statistics Sweden).

What is proof of identity in Sweden?

The national identity card is valid for five years and costs 400 SEK. Applications are filed at police stations which have a passport office.[5]

When applying, a valid Swedish identity document is needed in order to check the identity. If the applicant does not have a valid Swedish identity document, then the applicant must be accompanied in person by another that does have such a document. That person must be a near relative or an employer or municipal official who knows the applicant. There is no age limit to get a card, but people below 18 must be accompanied by their guardian (preferably both) at application. These rules are the same as for a Swedish passport (see that article).

The identity card is plastic and rectangular in shape, about 86 × 54 millimetres in size. On the left-hand side is a gold-plated contact chip, and on the right-hand side is the photograph of the bearer. Along the top of the card, the name Sweden is written in three languages, Swedish, English, and French (SVERIGE SWEDEN SUÈDE), below which the name of the card is available in the same three languages (Nationellt identitetskort/National identity card/Carte nationale d'identité), followed on the right by the biometric passport symbol () and the nationality of the bearer in Swedish and a country code (SVENSK/SWE).

The national identity card is equipped with a contact chip ready to function as an electronic identity card (eID) at a later date, and also a contactless RFID chip at the bottom right of the rear side[6] containing a digital representation of the printed data along with the photograph of the bearer.[7]

What happens if a foreigner gives birth in Sweden?

By “EU citizen”, the Migration Agency also means citizens of the EEA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, which are also covered by the freedom of mobility within the EU. Citizens of countries within the EU and EEA do not need residence permits to live in Sweden.

A child will become a Swedish citizen at birth, no matter where they are born, as long as one of the parents is a Swedish citizen.

What is a valid Swedish identity document?

The national identity card is valid for five years and costs 400 SEK. Applications are filed at police stations which have a passport office.[5]

How do I secure my identity?

According to a 2021 poll by Debt.com, four in 10 people reported being victims of identity theft. While that might leave room for many people to say, “Oh, it won’t happen to me,” new figures on rising instances of identity theft bring cause for alarm.

According to a February 2021 report from the Federal Trade Commission, Americans reported losing $3.3 billion to fraud in 2020–a significant jump from the $1.8 billion reported in 2019. The number of Americans reporting losing money to fraud is also on the rise, with 34% of 2020 fraud reports citing loss of money, versus 23% in 2019.

In 2021, rising identity theft cases came from an unlikely source: government benefits. Naftali Harris, co-founder and CEO of SentiLink, a firm specializing in fraud schemes, tactics and identity verification, says “Much of this is due to fraudsters taking advantage of weakly secured unemployment insurance programs [and fraudsters] stealing the identities of citizens and claiming benefits in their name,” he says.

How do I make sure my identity is not stolen?

The U.S. Department of Justice explains that identity theft (which is also called identity fraud) refers to when a criminal uses someone else's personally identifiable information (PII) to commit fraud or deception. This is usually done for financial gain. There are many ways to commit identity theft, including hacking, financial and social media account takeovers, credit card fraud, phishing, ransomware attacks, tech support fraud, medical ID fraud, and others. PII includes important information that can be used to identify you, such as your date of birth, passwords, passport number, Social Security number or Social Security Card, credit and bank account numbers, telephone number, birth and death certificates, medical ID number, and biometric data, like fingerprints and scans.

Identity thieves who steal your PII can use it to open new financial accounts in your name, make purchases using your credit cards, receive medical care with your health insurance, or withdraw cash from your bank accounts. The Federal Trade Commission advises consumers to pay close attention to unexplained bank account withdrawals, calls from collections agencies about debts that aren't yours, or notices that your account information was compromised by a data breach. A fraudster can file a tax return in your name and get a refund. You might get a notice from your health insurance provider that a claim was filed for treatment you never received. These are clues that someone might have compromised your PII.

We use our personal information, like passwords and account numbers, almost every day to access online accounts and perform other routine tasks. Unfortunately, there is always a chance that someone could steal this data whenever we provide it. However, you can take simple steps to reduce the chance of identity theft.

The best way to help prevent identity theft is to sign up for an identity theft protection service. Although an identity theft protection service can't prevent identity theft, it can alert you promptly when it happens to limit the damage and help you recover. Identity theft protection can help safeguard your personal information for a monthly or annual fee. Subscriptions can include monitoring of credit reports, financial accounts, medical information, social media activity, the dark web, and more. Identity theft protection companies also provide recovery services if your information is compromised. Some offer identity theft coverage of up to $1 million and access to attorneys or private investigators to help you restore your credit and reputation. Most also give you a dashboard to view notifications and contact customer service if fraudulent activity occurs.

Besides subscribing to an identity theft protection service, there are other ways to help prevent identity theft. These include:

Can I travel in EU with Swedish ID card?

Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark (without the Faeroes and Greenland)
Estonia
Finland
France (without French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion)
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Norway (without Spitsbergen)
Poland
Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)
Slovenia
Slovakia
Spain (including the Balearic and Canary Islands)
Sweden
Switzerland

Do you need a Swedish ID card to open a bank account?

EU/EEA citizens living in the EU/EEA are entitled to a basic current account, even if they are not resident in Sweden. It is against the law to reject customers on the grounds of not having a Swedish address or a Swedish personal identity number.

In addition to the account, you are also entitled to a debit card (betalkort) for payments and withdrawals and to enable you to make online payments. These are the payment services normally available in your Internet bank. It enables you as a customer of a bank to withdraw and deposit cash, make payments with a debit card with a balance check, and receive money in the account. Certain banks have commuter accounts for people who commute to work in another Nordic country.

Even if you do not have a Swedish personal identity number or a Swedish address, or if you have a protected identity, you are entitled to open a bank account. The bank must be able to confirm your identity before you can open an account. If the bank cannot confirm your identity, you cannot open a bank account.

Do they check ID in Sweden?

26 Jun 2023

POP-UPs for ID and passport controls to be conducted in July 2023 in the US and Canada for visa exempted applicants who applied for student or work permit. These POP-UP ID and passport controls will be conducted by officials from the Swedish Migration Agency along with staff from the Embassy of Sweden in Washington DC.

Do you need to carry ID in Sweden?

What has the government actually announced?

In a press release issued on July 5th, Sweden's government said it aimed to "study the possibility of going ahead with proposals which will give the police and coast guard increased possibilities at so-called internal checks on foreigners to request the person's passport and other ID documents and keep hold of those types of documents until the person gets permission to remain in Sweden or leaves the country."

Does Sweden have digital ID?

The Swedish digital identity provider Bank ID – the largest such service in Sweden owned by several banks – is to develop a QR coded digital ID card that can be stored on a smartphone as proof of identity to merchant and companies that use BankID. Holders must verify their identity first in the BankID app.

The digital ID card will have the same features as a physical card including features like the person’s photo, name, personal identity number and age.

What is a protected identity?

protected identity means the identity of any person reporting suspected criminal activity to a crimestoppers organization or to the council.

What are identity theft protection services?

Many companies sell identity theft protection services that may include credit monitoring, identity monitoring, identity recovery services, and identity theft insurance. These services also might be offered by your Credit monitoring services scan activity that shows up on your credit reports.

How do I protect my personal information from identity theft?

The best way to safeguard your personal information is to make use of the best identity theft protection services to suit your needs. These services typically offer ID protection, credit monitoring and more to keep your sensitive data away from prying eyes.

How can Businesses protect PII and prevent identity theft?

Of course, businesses aren’t the only ones responsible for protecting PII. Here are the steps you can take at the individual level to protect your PII and prevent identity theft: Use identity theft protection. The best identity theft protection services scan multiple criminal and financial areas for your PII.