Sweden CV Format 2026: Personligt Brev, Collective Pay, Permits and Tax

By AIResume Editorial Team

Last updated: 31 October 2026

A Swedish CV is short, factual and tailored to the advert. Arbetsförmedlingen, the Swedish Public Employment Service, says that 1 to 2 pages is sufficient, that you do not need to list everything, and that a photo is optional: its own CV templates exist with and without one.[^1] None of this is law. What the law does regulate is whom an employer may not discriminate against when hiring, what it may do with your application data, when it may require a police record extract, and what you are paid and charged once you are hired.

This guide covers the CV and the personligt brev (cover letter), discrimination and data rules, an annotated fictional CV, recognition of foreign qualifications, pay under collective agreements, the economy, work permits, labour law, social security, taxes and job scams. It is written for EU/EEA nationals, for Swiss and UK nationals, for non-EU skilled workers who want a work permit or an EU Blue Card, for international graduates, for Working Holiday makers and for Japanese nationals. For job boards and a longer look at the labour market, see our Sweden job-board guide; this article summarises its permit and tax sections and does not repeat its board lists.

Editorial boundary: This is practical job-search guidance, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Our references are the law texts on riksdagen.se, Arbetsförmedlingen, Migrationsverket (the Migration Agency), Skatteverket (the Tax Agency), Försäkringskassan (the Social Insurance Agency), IMY (the data protection authority), DO (the Equality Ombudsman), UHR (the higher education authority), Polisen (the police), SCB (Statistics Sweden), Medlingsinstitutet (the Mediation Office) and the ECB. We only list figures we could read in an official or primary source, and we mark the rest as "commonly advised", "reported" or "likely". Some sources could not be opened normally: the MOFA site refused automated requests, so we read it in a browser; the older workinsweden.se address sits behind a maintenance login, so we use sweden.se; and the tax tables and calculator on Skatteverket's site could not be read, so we give no net-pay example.

Exchange rates move daily. This guide uses the European Central Bank reference rates of 30 October 2026: EUR 1 = SEK 10.978 = USD 1.1172 = JPY 175.68, so SEK 1 is about US$0.1018 and about JPY 16.00. At those rates SEK 30,000 a month is about US$3,050 / JPY 480,000.[^2][^3]

Swedish CV format at a glance

Discrimination law, personal data and fair hiring

What employers may not do or ask

Diskrimineringslagen (2008:567). The act, consolidated up to SFS 2025:736, protects against discrimination on seven grounds (1 kap. 4 §): sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age. In working life, an employer may not discriminate against anyone who "gör en förfrågan om eller söker arbete" (2 kap. 1 §), which in practice reaches both the advert and the selection. An unsuccessful applicant can ask the employer in writing for the education, experience and other merits of the person who was hired (2 kap. 4 §), and other claims must be brought within two years from the act (6 kap. 6 §).[^9] DO, the Equality Ombudsman, publishes guidance on the act.

Questions about pregnancy and parental leave. The law prohibits disadvantaging someone, not a particular question as such. DO's guidance is that an employer should keep to job-relevant questions; disadvantaging an applicant because of pregnancy or expected parental leave is discrimination. An employer need not hire a pregnant applicant, but it must treat her like the others.[^10] Föräldraledighetslagen (1995:584), amended up to SFS 2025:733, adds protection for people who take or plan to take parental leave.[^11]

Personal data and how long employers keep applications

The EU GDPR is supplemented in Sweden by the Dataskyddslag (2018:218).[^12] IMY says an employer may process applicant data only as long as needed for the recruitment, after which it should as a starting point be deleted or anonymised. The employer may keep it as long as the applicant can still take legal action, and keeping it for future recruitments requires the applicant's consent. IMY also says personal data in references may be processed only as long as needed for the recruitment.[^13] IMY gives no fixed number of years. For orientation, the two-year time limit in 6 kap. 6 § Diskrimineringslagen is what makes a period of roughly two years defensible.[^9]

Criminal record extracts (utdrag ur belastningsregistret)

Employers do not have a general right to demand an extract. The law requires one in specific areas, according to Polisen's employer page (reviewed 17 September 2026): schools and preschools (Skollag), child services under LSS, HVB homes, other work with children (lag 2013:852), insurance distribution (lag 2018:1219) and, from 1 March 2026, home care for older and disabled adults (lag 2026:43) and leading positions in municipalities (lag 2026:44).[^14][^15][^16]

• How it works. The person who is to be hired orders the extract and shows it to the employer. Polisen does not send it to the employer. It may be at most 6 months old (3 months for insurance distribution), and in most of the regimes the employer may only note that it was shown. Ordering it is free of charge.[^14]
• Use abroad. Under 9 § Belastningsregisterlagen (1998:620) you can order a limited extract for use abroad or for a work permit abroad.[^17]
• Outside the listed areas. We found no general ban on employers asking for an extract, so expect the question in other sectors and answer it case by case (likely).

Public employers and offentlighetsprincipen

Applications to a public employer are generally public documents once they arrive, under the principle of public access (offentlighetsprincipen) in the Tryckfrihetsförordning and Offentlighets- och sekretesslagen (2009:400, OSL), so anyone can ask to read them. The secrecy exceptions that concern applicants are narrow: 39 kap. 5 a § OSL protects selection tests, and 39 kap. 5 b § protects the identity of candidates only for the heads of agencies directly under the government and for Riksbank governors. Keep your application free of anything you would not want a journalist to read.[^18]

Structure of a Swedish CV

Arbetsförmedlingen's headings are Education, Experience, Contact details and a Summary, with languages and computer programs as common extras; Saco lists personal details, education, work experience, languages and references.[^1][^19] The Swedish headings below are the usual equivalents, and the order is editorial advice.

1. Kontaktuppgifter (contact details). Name, phone, e-mail, city or postal address and, optionally, LinkedIn or a website. A photo only if you choose to add one.[^1]
2. Profil (summary). Two or three lines on who you are, your main strengths and the kind of job you want.
3. Arbetslivserfarenhet (work experience). Latest job first, with employer, title, place and dates. Under each job add two to four bullets with a result you can defend at interview, written as numbers where you can.
4. Utbildning (education). Highest degree first. For a foreign degree you can mention a UHR assessment if you have one (see below).
5. Kompetenser (skills). Tools and methods that the advert asks for, matched honestly to its keywords.
6. Språk (languages). State your level for each language, for example "Swedish B2, English C1".
7. Körkort (driving licence). Only if the job needs one.
8. Referenser (references). Ask the people first and name two or three, as Arbetsförmedlingen advises.[^7]

Use plain headings, one column and standard fonts for an ATS; our ATS-friendly CV guide explains how. Akademssr advises a Swedish CV that covers roughly the last ten years.[^4]

Sweden vs Norway vs Denmark

We read no primary source that compares the three countries' CV customs, so the table below shows only what is confirmed for Sweden and where to check the neighbours.

Annotated fictional Swedish CV

The sample is entirely fictional: person, employers, contacts and numbers. It sets no legal rule, and employers are described generically on purpose. Replace every item with truthful information. Only the headings are in Swedish; have a native speaker read any Swedish text before you send it.

Elin Exempel, Production Planner · Gothenburg · [email protected] · +46 70 XXX XX XX

*Annotation: fictional contacts. A city is enough; the full street address is optional. No photo and no personnummer.*

Work authorisation: Japanese citizen · Swedish work permit, valid to June 2028 (fictional)

*Annotation: one line for a non-EU applicant. EU/EEA applicants leave it out.*

Profil

Production planner with six years in discrete manufacturing and a focus on lead times and planning software. Looking for a planner role in the Gothenburg region.

Arbetslivserfarenhet

*Annotation: latest job first, one result per role. If readers will not know the firm, say what it makes and roughly how large it is.*

Utbildning

*Annotation: give the official name of the award and mention the UHR statement if you have one.*

Kompetenser: SAP (daily user) · Excel (pivot tables) · lean methods · Python (basic)

Språk: Japanese (native) · English (C1) · Swedish (B1)

Körkort: B

Referenser: Two names, one at the Gothenburg manufacturer and one at the Malmö distributor, shared once you have asked them and the employer is interested (fictional).

*Annotation: Arbetsförmedlingen's advice is to ask the referees first and tell them which job it is. The same CV would fit a Stockholm, Uppsala or Malmö advert after you tailor the profile and the skills list.*

Personligt brev, references and documents

The personligt brev. Arbetsförmedlingen says the letter should be at most one A4 page.[^8] Commonly advised content: a first line that names the job, one paragraph on why this employer, one or two on evidence from your experience and a closing line on availability. Use the contact person's name if the advert gives one, otherwise a simple greeting. No law requires a letter.

Spontanansökan (open application). Many employers accept applications without a vacancy. Commonly advised: name the team you aim for and send a CV with a short letter. Interviews, tests and assessment days are commonly reported, and we found no official standard for them.

Referenstagning. Taking references is not mandatory and not a legal requirement. Employers may take them, and Arbetsförmedlingen's advice to you is to ask the referees first, so that nobody is surprised by a call.[^7]

Written terms of employment. Under 6 c § LAS the employer must give you written information on the key terms of the employment no later than the 7th calendar day after the start. A probation period (provanställning) can last at most six months (6 § LAS). A fixed-term "särskild visstidsanställning" (SÄVA) turns into a permanent job after more than 12 months within a five-year period (5 a §).[^21]

Personnummer and samordningsnummer. Skatteverket registers you in the population register (folkbokföring) and gives you a personnummer if you plan to stay in Sweden at least one year; for shorter stays you get a samordningsnummer. For a non-EU applicant the period of the permit is decisive.[^22] Skatteverket's ID card requires folkbokföring, costs SEK 400 (about US$41 / JPY 6,400) and is expected to move to the Police for new applications from 1 December 2026.[^23][^24] Share your personnummer only with an employer you have verified.

Foreign qualifications, languages and regulated professions

Degree assessment at UHR. UHR's statement is a free digital document, and the average handling time is about 2 to 4 months according to its page. It covers upper secondary, post-secondary vocational (at least one year) and higher education. UHR's online assessment tool already holds more than 1,000 qualifications from 93 countries, which can help you describe your degree before you apply.[^25][^26]

Regulated professions. For nurses and doctors with a qualification from outside the EU/EEA, Socialstyrelsen's route is an education assessment, a knowledge test in Swedish, a course in Swedish law, a period of practical service and then the licence. Swedish can be shown with Svenska 3 or SVA 3, a C1 certificate, higher-education eligibility or a passed knowledge test.[^27] The Skolverket fee for a teacher or preschool-teacher licence is SEK 1,890 (about US$192 / JPY 30,200).[^28] Each authority sets its own document requirements, so check them before you pay for translations or legalisation.

Swedish for Immigrants. The right to SFI is limited to three years from first admission from 1 January 2026, so start early if you plan to use it.[^29]

Apostille and documents for Japanese applicants

Japan (in force 27 July 1970) and Sweden (in force 1 May 1999) are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention.[^30] A Japanese criminal-record certificate (犯罪経歴証明書) is issued by the prefectural police headquarters, free of charge, only when a foreign public body requires it; the Tokyo Metropolitan Police page describes an in-person application with fingerprints that takes about two weeks.[^31] The Apostille is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which asks for documents issued within three months and notes that Apostilles issued from 1 June 2026 carry a QR code or URL for verification.[^32] Do not assume that an embassy issues the certificate. An employer in Sweden will usually ask for a Swedish extract once you live there, not a Japanese one (see above).

Pay: no statutory minimum wage, collective agreements instead

Sweden has no statutory minimum wage. Collective agreements (kollektivavtal) set pay floors, and in 2025 they covered 88% of employees aged 18 to 68: 83% in the private sector and 100% in the public sector. Union density was 66% of employees (73% white-collar, 54% blue-collar).[^20][^33] The industrial agreement shows how pay rounds are set: it runs from April 2025 to March 2027 with a total labour-cost increase of 6.4% (3.4% in April 2025 and 3.0% in April 2026). It is a cost mark, not purely a pay rise.[^34]

The retail agreement runs to 31 March 2027, HÖK 25 from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027 (with SEK 24,676 and SEK 26,572 from 1 January 2027) and the construction agreement from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2027.[^35][^37][^38] We found no official 2026 minimum for manufacturing, so we print none.

The work-permit salary requirement is the de facto floor for non-EU workers. Migrationsverket requires 90% of the SCB median wage at the time of application: with the median at SEK 38,300 (about US$3,898 / JPY 613,000) since 16 June 2026, that is SEK 34,470 a month (about US$3,510 / JPY 552,000), and at least the collective-agreement level. The 75% level of SEK 28,725 (about US$2,923 / JPY 460,000) applies only to the groups in the permits section below.[^39] A non-EU worker's offer therefore has to clear a bar that is well above the retail and hotel minimums in the table.

What this means for a job seeker: ask which agreement covers the job, which group and experience step you are placed in, and whether the pay is above the floor. Entry floors in the sectors above start around SEK 23,600 to 28,400 a month, and the permit floor of SEK 34,470 sits above all of them except construction.

Sweden's economy in numbers

*Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (accessed 21 October 2026).*[^40]

World Bank (ILO-modelled) unemployment for 2025 is 8.7%, with youth (ages 15 to 24) at 24.3%, and the World Bank counts an international migrant stock of 2,272,158 for 2024.[^40] The national figures are more recent. In September 2026, SCB's labour force survey showed unemployment of 8.7% (seasonally adjusted and smoothed), an employment rate of 69.6% and youth unemployment of 23.2%. In the second quarter of 2026 unemployment among people aged 20 to 66 was 13.6% for the foreign-born and 5.0% for the Swedish-born.[^41] On 31 December 2025 Sweden had 10,605,529 residents, of whom 2,210,638 (20.8%) were foreign-born.[^42] The Riksbank policy rate has been 1.75% since 1 October 2025 and was unchanged on 30 October 2026.[^43]

The general election was held on 13 September 2026, and the election authority fixed the result on 19 September: S 99, M 70, SD 62, V 30, C 25, KD 22, MP 22 and L 19 of 349 seats. As of 31 October 2026 no new government had been formed, so the new government's labour-migration plans are not yet known.[^44][^45]

What this means for a job seeker: with unemployment at 8.7% and foreign-born unemployment at nearly three times the Swedish-born rate, competition is real even in a rich economy, and Swedish and local references matter. About one in five residents was born abroad, so employers are used to international colleagues.

Work permits and rules for foreign workers

EU/EEA citizens may work without a permit and register with Skatteverket if they plan to stay at least a year.[^22] Swiss and UK nationals should check Migrationsverket for their own case; UK citizens appear among the nationalities in the permit statistics for third-country workers (457 first-time work permits for employees in 2025).[^46]

Non-EU nationals need a permit granted before entry, and the rules changed on 1 June 2026:

• Work permit. The employer must advertise the job in Sweden and within the EU/EEA and Switzerland for at least ten days and sign the contract only after that period. The terms must be at least on a par with collective agreements, and the employer must hold insurance on a par with collective agreements or practice. From 1 June 2026 an employee staying at most one year must show comprehensive health insurance.[^47][^48]
• Salary. At least 90% of the SCB median at the time of application, which is SEK 34,470 a month since 16 June 2026 (about US$3,510 / JPY 552,000). The 75% level, SEK 28,725, applies to occupations on the list in Utlänningsförordningen (2006:97) 5 kap. 6 §, to former students and researchers with a Swedish study or research permit who apply for their first work permit, to people with temporary protection, to doctors, dentists and nurses with foreign qualifications who are being certified in Sweden, and to employees of qualifying start-ups. Japanese citizens pay no application fee.[^39][^49]
• Tied to employer and occupation. A work permit is tied to the employer and the occupation in the decision. A new employer, a new occupation or new duties needs a new application, and you may start the new job once you have applied if your old permit is still valid. If the employment ends you may stay up to three months to find new work.[^50]
• EU Blue Card. At least SEK 53,625 gross a month (about US$5,457 / JPY 858,000) from 15 July 2026, valid for up to four years per grant since 1 June 2026. The fee is SEK 2,000 (about US$204 / JPY 32,000); Japanese citizens pay no fee.[^51][^49]
• Search for work after studies. Up to one year after a completed bachelor's or master's degree (doctoral graduates 12 to 18 months), if you apply before the study permit expires. You must show maintenance of at least SEK 10,656 a month (about US$1,085 / JPY 171,000); the fee is SEK 1,500 (about US$153 / JPY 24,000); health insurance is required if the total stay is under a year.[^52]

Illegal employment. An employer who hires someone without the right to stay or work pays a särskild avgift of two times the prisbasbelopp, SEK 118,400 (about US$12,050 / JPY 1.89 million), per person, and four times, SEK 236,800 (about US$24,100 / JPY 3.79 million), if the employment lasted more than three months. There is no fee if the employer checked the right to stay, kept a copy and notified the authority (Utlänningslagen 20 kap. 12 §). New offences, exploitation of foreign labour and trading in work permits, came into force on 1 June 2026 (20 kap. 10 and 10 a §§).[^53][^54] Employers therefore ask for proof of the right to work.

Japanese nationals

Japanese citizens may visit Sweden visa-free for 90 days in any 180, but a job requires a work permit granted before entry, apart from the Working Holiday below.[^49] The Japan-Sweden Working Holiday scheme started in 2020; MOFA's list, as of 1 April 2026, shows no annual quota. Migrationsverket's rules: ages 18 to 30, up to one year, no extension, work must not be the main purpose, at least SEK 15,000 (about US$1,527 / JPY 240,000), a return ticket or funds for one and comprehensive health insurance, and the first application must be made from outside Sweden.[^55][^56]

Agreements. The Japan-Sweden social security agreement has been in force since 1 June 2022; posted workers can keep the Japanese pension scheme and get an exemption from the Swedish scheme with a certificate of coverage applied for before the posting.[^57] The Japan-Sweden income tax treaty was signed on 21 January 1983, with protocols signed in 1999 and 2013.[^58] MOFA counted 4,911 Japanese residents in Sweden on 1 October 2025 (1,252 long-term and 3,659 permanent residents).[^59]

What this means for a job seeker: an EU/EEA citizen can start at once and register. A non-EU applicant needs a job offer at SEK 34,470 or more (SEK 53,625 for the Blue Card) and should not resign or travel before the permit is granted.

Labour law: hours, leave, notice and dismissal

*Sources: consolidated texts on riksdagen.se, read 31 October 2026 (LAS amended up to SFS 2022:836); collective agreements often add to or vary these rules.*[^60][^61][^21][^62][^63]

What this means for a job seeker: expect a 40-hour week, 25 days of paid leave and, once employed, a written summary of your terms in the first week. Check the agreement for overtime pay, which the statutes leave to the parties.

2026 public holidays

Lag (1989:253) om allmänna helgdagar lists the public holidays. In 2026 they fall on:[^64]

Easter Eve (4 April), Midsummer Eve (Friday 19 June), Christmas Eve (Thursday 24 December) and New Year's Eve (Thursday 31 December) are not public holidays under the act, but many workplaces close or shorten the day by custom, so check your agreement.[^64]

Social security: what you pay and what you get

In 2026 employers pay contributions (arbetsgivaravgifter) of 31.42% on top of gross pay:[^65]

For people born in 2003 to 2007 (ages 19 to 23) a reduction applies from 1 April 2026 to 30 September 2027: 20.81% on pay up to SEK 25,000 a month (about US$2,544 / JPY 400,000), and the full 31.42% above that. Employees aged 67 or more at the start of the year cost the employer only the 10.21% pension component.[^65]

• Your pension fee. The employee pays a general pension fee of 7% on income, at most SEK 47,100 (about US$4,793 / JPY 754,000), and receives a full tax credit for it. Pension-qualifying income is capped at 8.07 inkomstbasbelopp, SEK 673,038. The prisbasbelopp is SEK 59,200, the förhöjt prisbasbelopp SEK 60,500 and the inkomstbasbelopp SEK 83,400 (about US$8,488 / JPY 1.33 million).[^66][^67]
• Unemployment insurance (a-kassa). Membership of an unemployment insurance fund is voluntary. Since the reform of 1 October 2025 you need an income of at least SEK 120,000 (about US$12,200 / JPY 1.92 million) over 12 months. Benefit is 80% of previous income for days 1 to 100, 70% for days 101 to 200 and 65% from day 201.[^68][^69]
• Sickness. The employer pays sick pay for the first 14 days; after that Försäkringskassan pays sjukpenning.[^67]
• Parental benefit. 480 days: 390 days at the sickness-benefit level and 90 days at SEK 180 (about US$18 / JPY 2,880) a day. Child benefit (barnbidrag) is SEK 1,250 (about US$127 / JPY 20,000) per child per month.[^63][^67]
• Japan agreement. The Japan-Sweden social security agreement has been in force since 1 June 2022 (see above).[^57]

What this means for a job seeker: the headline 31.42% is paid by your employer, not you, so compare offers on gross pay. Join an a-kassa early, because the income test looks back 12 months.

Taxes on employees

In Sweden the main income tax on most employees is local. The average municipal and regional income tax (kommunalskatt) in 2026 is 32.38%.[^66] The rate ranges from 28.93% in Österåker to 35.65% in Dorotea.[^70] For Stockholm, Skatteverket's 2026 rate file gives 18.22% municipal plus 12.33% regional plus a 0.07% burial fee, a total of 30.62% before any church fee.[^71]

• State tax. 20% is added on taxable income above SEK 643,000 a year (about US$65,400 / JPY 10.29 million). That figure is taxable income after the basic allowance (grundavdrag), not gross pay. The gross break-even (brytpunkt) is SEK 660,400 a year (about US$67,200 / JPY 10.57 million) for people born in 1960 or later, which is about SEK 55,033 a month.[^66]
• Basic allowance. For people under 66 the grundavdrag is SEK 17,400 at the lowest, SEK 25,100 (about US$2,554 / JPY 402,000) at low incomes and at most SEK 45,600.[^66]
• Jobbskatteavdrag. The in-work tax credit was increased from 1 January 2026; the government says an average earner pays about SEK 400 a month less tax than in 2025.[^72]
• Funeral and church fees. Non-members of the Church of Sweden pay a funeral fee (begravningsavgift) of 0.292% of taxable income, and the church fee (kyrkoavgift) applies only to members.[^66]
• Expert tax (expertskatt). Qualifying foreign experts can have 25% of pay exempt for up to seven years. The condition is presumed met if monthly pay exceeds 1.5 times the prisbasbelopp, SEK 88,800 (about US$9,040 / JPY 1.42 million) in 2026; Forskarskattenämnden decides (11 kap. 22 to 23 a §§ Inkomstskattelagen).[^73]
• SINK. Non-resident employees pay a flat 22.5% on income received after 31 December 2025, falling to 20% from 1 January 2027.[^74]
• VAT. The standard rate is 25% and 12% applies to hotels, restaurants and catering. A 6% rate covers passenger transport, books and newspapers, and from 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2027 food is also taxed at 6%.[^75]

Municipal income tax vs Japan's 住民税

Sweden's local income tax is not comparable to Japan's resident tax (住民税, juminzei). In Sweden the municipal and regional tax is the bulk of the income tax on a normal salary, set per municipality and withheld from each salary payment by the employer, so it comes out of the same pay slip as the rest. Japan's 住民税 is a separate tax that is normally paid the year after the income. We found no separate per-head local levy in Skatteverket's 2026 figures.

What this means for a job seeker: work out net pay with your municipality's rate rather than the national average, and remember that the state tax only starts at about SEK 55,000 a month. Ask whether you qualify for expert tax or SINK before you sign.

Where to find jobs, recruitment agencies and job scams

Where to search. Platsbanken is Arbetsförmedlingen's national vacancy database, EURES covers EEA-wide search and LinkedIn Jobs is the international network that loaded when we tested it.[^76][^77][^78] Our Sweden job-board guide compares the channels and lists the employer pages.

Recruitment agencies (bemanningsföretag). Under 6 § Lag (1993:440) om privat arbetsförmedling, whoever runs placement may not ask for, agree to or receive payment from job seekers for offering or assigning work.[^79] Under Lag (2012:854) om uthyrning av arbetstagare, agency workers have equal treatment on basic pay and working terms (6 §), and the agency may not charge the worker (10 §).[^80]

Scams. Never pay for a job, a permit or a placement. Polisen warned in January 2026 about fake "easy home job" adverts on social media that can involve money laundering. Arbetsförmedlingen says impostors exist and that it never asks for account or login details through social media or chat. Migrationsverket warns that a company or agent cannot promise a permit, and that you should pay only Migrationsverket's own fee.[^81][^82][^83] Konsumentverket collects advice on fake texts and e-mails.[^84] Do not use BankID for an employer, check the organisation number and compare the advert with the employer's own career page. If you have paid money or shared your details, contact the police.

Final checks before you apply

• [ ] The CV is 1 to 2 pages, tailored to the advert and in its language.
• [ ] I decided about the photo (optional) and left off my personnummer.
• [ ] If I need a permit, one line states my permit type and end date; as a non-EU applicant my gross pay is at least SEK 34,470 a month (SEK 53,625 for a Blue Card).
• [ ] The personligt brev is at most one page and does not repeat the CV.
• [ ] I asked my referees first and told them which job it is.
• [ ] I know which collective agreement covers the job and that the offer is at or above its 2026 minimum.
• [ ] I will receive written information on my terms within seven days of starting, and I know the notice and probation rules.
• [ ] I compared net pay using my municipality's tax rate.
• [ ] No one has asked me for a fee for a job or a permit.

How to use AIResume

Keep one master CV in AIResume and cut a Swedish and an English version for each advert: use the advert's keywords, lead with your strongest result and add one work-authorisation line if you need a permit. Leave out your personnummer, export a PDF and check it with our ATS-friendly CV guide before you apply.

Related AIResume guides

• Sweden job-board guide
• Norway job-board guide
• Denmark job-board guide
• Finland job-board guide
• Switzerland CV format guide
• Belgium CV format guide
• How to write an ATS-friendly CV

Sources

[^1]: Arbetsförmedlingen, writing a CV

[^2]: ECB, euro foreign exchange reference rates

[^3]: ECB data portal, EUR/USD, EUR/JPY and EUR/SEK reference rates of 30 October 2026

[^4]: Akademssr, skriv ett bra CV

[^5]: Sveriges Ingenjörer, CV

[^6]: Akademssr, ATS-anpassat CV

[^7]: Arbetsförmedlingen, job references

[^8]: Arbetsförmedlingen, writing a personal letter

[^9]: riksdagen.se, Diskrimineringslag (2008:567)

[^10]: DO, an applicant says she is expecting a child: must I hire her?

[^11]: riksdagen.se, Föräldraledighetslag (1995:584)

[^12]: riksdagen.se, Lag (2018:218) med kompletterande bestämmelser till EU:s dataskyddsförordning

[^13]: IMY, recruitment systems and competence databases

[^14]: Polisen, information for employers about criminal record extracts

[^15]: riksdagen.se, Lag (2026:43)

[^16]: riksdagen.se, Lag (2026:44)

[^17]: riksdagen.se, Belastningsregisterlag (1998:620)

[^18]: riksdagen.se, Offentlighets- och sekretesslag (2009:400)

[^19]: Saco, CV and personligt brev

[^20]: Medlingsinstitutet, collective-agreement coverage and union density

[^21]: riksdagen.se, Lag (1982:80) om anställningsskydd

[^22]: Skatteverket, moving to Sweden

[^23]: Skatteverket, how to apply for and renew an ID card

[^24]: Skatteverket, consultation response of 14 August 2026

[^25]: UHR, apply for an assessment

[^26]: UHR, what does your education correspond to

[^27]: Socialstyrelsen, licence for nurses educated outside the EU/EEA

[^28]: Skolverket, fee for a teacher licence

[^29]: Skolverket, new SFI rules from 1 January 2026

[^30]: HCCH, Apostille Convention status table

[^31]: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, certificate of criminal record

[^32]: MOFA Japan, Apostille

[^33]: Medlingsinstitutet, news of 9 June 2026

[^34]: Medlingsinstitutet, wage development to February 2026

[^35]: Handels, retail agreement pay table

[^36]: HRF, din lön

[^37]: SKR, Huvudöverenskommelse (HÖK) 25 with Kommunal-25-med-Kommunal.pdf)

[^38]: Byggnads, new wages 2026

[^39]: Migrationsverket, salary requirements for a work permit

[^40]: World Bank, World Development Indicators: Sweden (accessed 21 October 2026)

[^41]: SCB, Labour Force Surveys (AKU), September 2026

[^42]: SCB, population statistics

[^43]: Sveriges Riksbank, policy rate (latest observation)

[^44]: riksdagen.se, the 2026 election

[^45]: Valmyndigheten, election result fixed (19 September 2026)

[^46]: Migrationsverket, work permit statistics

[^47]: Migrationsverket, employing someone from outside the EU/EEA

[^48]: Migrationsverket, new rules for work permits from 1 June 2026

[^49]: Migrationsverket, employed

[^50]: Migrationsverket, change employer or occupation, or stop working

[^51]: Migrationsverket, EU Blue Card

[^52]: Migrationsverket, look for work after completing your studies in Sweden

[^53]: riksdagen.se, Utlänningslag (2005:716)

[^54]: Migrationsverket, new work permit rules apply from 1 June 2026

[^55]: MOFA Japan, working holiday

[^56]: Migrationsverket, working holiday visa for young people

[^57]: Japan Pension Service, Japan-Sweden social security agreement

[^58]: Ministry of Finance Japan, list of tax conventions

[^59]: MOFA Japan, Japanese nationals abroad (1 October 2025)

[^60]: riksdagen.se, Arbetstidslag (1982:673)

[^61]: riksdagen.se, Semesterlag (1977:480)

[^62]: riksdagen.se, Sjuklönelag (1991:1047)

[^63]: Försäkringskassan, parental benefit

[^64]: riksdagen.se, Lag (1989:253) om allmänna helgdagar

[^65]: Skatteverket, employer contributions

[^66]: Skatteverket, amounts and percentages 2026

[^67]: Försäkringskassan, current amounts

[^68]: Arbetsförmedlingen, new unemployment insurance from 1 October 2025

[^69]: LO, how the new a-kassa works

[^70]: SCB, municipal tax rates 2026

[^71]: Skatteverket, municipal tax rates 2026 (rate file)

[^72]: regeringen.se, press release of October 2025 on the 2026 tax cuts

[^73]: riksdagen.se, Inkomstskattelag (1999:1229)

[^74]: Skatteverket, SINK

[^75]: riksdagen.se, skatteutskottets betänkande 2025/26:SkU9

[^76]: Arbetsförmedlingen, Platsbanken

[^77]: EURES

[^78]: LinkedIn Jobs

[^79]: riksdagen.se, Lag (1993:440) om privat arbetsförmedling

[^80]: riksdagen.se, Lag (2012:854) om uthyrning av arbetstagare

[^81]: Polisen, warning of 2026 on fake job adverts

[^82]: Arbetsförmedlingen, protect yourself from scam messages

[^83]: Migrationsverket, avoid being scammed by fake job offers

[^84]: Konsumentverket, fake texts and e-mails