Right to healthcare

Everyone in Sweden has the right to emergency healthcare and certain care that cannot wait—meaning care where there is a risk of serious or life threatening harm or illness if you do not receive treatment quickly.

There are rules about who pays the full cost of healthcare and who may pay a reduced fee. Some healthcare services are only available to people who are registered residents in Sweden. This chapter aims to clarify which healthcare services you are entitled to as an asylum seeker or undocumented person. In some cases, healthcare staff will determine what care you can receive, based on their interpretation of what qualifies as “care that cannot wait.”

As an asylum seeker or undocumented person, you have the right to:

• Emergency medical care, for example if you are seriously injured or ill and need immediate healthcare.
  
• Emergency dental care
  
• Care that prevents serious physical harm, illness, or the need for complicated treatments
  
• Treatment for certain sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV, and hepatitis
  
• Certain medications
  
• Care during pregnancy and childbirth, and care related to birth control or abortion
  
• Assistive devices for disabilities (such as wheelchairs, crutches, or other aids)
  
• Medical transportation for people with disabilities (travel to and from healthcare facilities)

Children (under 18 years old) who are asylum seekers or undocumented are entitled to the same healthcare and dental care as all other children in Sweden. In some cases, long treatments may be denied if the child risks having to leave the country and would be negatively affected by not being able to complete the treatment. Healthcare for children is free of charge.

Emergency care

If you are seriously injured or have a medical emergency and need urgent care, call 112 for help. If it is not an emergency, contact your health center (“vårdcentral”).

Healthcare information

You can read about symptoms and illnesses and find information about your nearest health clinics and hospital at www.1177.se. At the bottom of the page, you can select your language. You can also call 1177 for healthcare advice and to find out where to seek care. Calling 1177 is free of charge, and you can ask for an interpreter if you need one.

Youth Clinics (Ungdomsmottagningar)

Youth clinics are available for people aged 13 to around 20–25. There you can get free condoms, prescriptions for birth control, testing and treatment for STIs, or talk to someone about your sexual health, gender identity or sexual orientation. Find your nearest clinic at www.umo.se. Visits to youth clinics are free of charge.

Right to an Interpreter

When you contact healthcare services, you always have the right to an interpreter if you need one. This service is free of charge. For planned visits, request an interpreter as soon as possible before the time of your visit. 

Confidentiality in healthcare 

Everyone working in healthcare is bound by confidentiality. This also applies to interpreters. That means they are not allowed to share information about your health or anything you’ve talked about with anyone else. What you say during a healthcare visit will not affect your asylum process. This applies to all healthcare staff, even if it is someone you know personally.

When you seek care, healthcare staff will write a medical record. This record is confidential, meaning only the staff involved in your care are allowed to open and read it—no one else.

Asylum Seekers

When you apply for asylum in Sweden, or if you are a refugee from Ukraine, you are offered a health screening. You will receive a letter with the time and location for the screening. The health screening is free of charge and voluntary to attend.

During the screening, you will be asked questions about your health, and a doctor may examine your body. The purpose is to see what kind of healthcare you may need in Sweden. You will be offered testing for HIV and Hepatitis B. You have the right to decline parts of, or the entire examination. This will not affect your chances of being allowed to stay in Sweden. You cannot be deported simply because you are living with HIV or any other illness. At the screening, you will receive an individual number (a temporary identification number, called reservnummer). Bring this number with you whenever you seek healthcare. It helps healthcare staff keep medical records and track the care you receive.

When you apply for asylum, you will receive an LMA card. Bring this card with you when you seek healthcare, it ensures you pay lower fees:

• A visit to a health center or public dental clinic costs 50 SEK.
  
• A visit to a nurse or counselor at a health center costs 25 SEK.
  
• Most medications cost no more than 50 SEK.
  

If you have paid more than 400 SEK for healthcare and medication within a six-month period, the Swedish Migration Agency may help pay the amount above 400 SEK. Keep all receipts for all care and medication if you wish to apply for cost relief.
 

Undocumented Individuals

If you are undocumented, you need to say so when seeking healthcare in order not to be charged full price. A visit to a health center costs 50 SEK. Other types of care, including emergency care, can cost more, and the rules differ between regions. If you want to know what applies in your region, call 1177.

As an undocumented person, you also have the right to an initial health screening. Unlike asylum seekers, you will not receive a letter. You must contact your nearest health center and ask for a health screening yourself.

The first time you seek healthcare, you will receive a temporary ID number (reservnummer) so that healthcare staff can start medical records. Ask them to write down the number for you so you can keep it. This ensures safe care, since staff can access information about your previous treatment and care. 

Duty to report undocumented immigrants/”Informant Law” (Angiverilagen)

The “Informant Law” is sometimes called an information obligation. This law requires certain authorities to report if they suspect someone is undocumented. Healthcare services are not included in this law, and healthcare workers are not allowed to report someone for being undocumented. This means that you can feel safe seeking healthcare without the risk of being reported or deported.

The authorities required to report undocumented people are the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), the Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden), the Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), the Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan), the Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) and the Pensions Agency (Pensionsmyndigheten)

Sexual health for men who have sex with men

This law gives you the right to free testing and treatment for HIV, hepatitis and certain STIs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and mpox). Do you want to learn more about sexual health, click here.