EU/EEA citizen (english)

For those who are an EU/EEA citizen and are staying in the Municipality of Luleå

Staying for three months

As an EU/EEA citizen you have the right to study, work or simply temporarily stay in Sweden for up to three months, without needing a residence permit. This will also apply to your family members.

Continued stay after the first three months

After a three-month stay in Sweden, those who are an EU/EEA citizen continue to have a right
to reside without a residence permit if they are employed by a company or are self-employed, or are actively looking for gainful employment.

There is also a continued right to reside when one is studying at an established educational institution or is simply staying in the country. This is contingent upon that you have sufficient
financial resources to support yourself and any accompanying family members, and that you and your family have comprehensive health insurance coverage that is valid in Sweden.

Those who are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen who has a right to reside in Sweden, also
have a right to reside in Sweden. The right to reside for EU/EEA citizens and their family members exists as long as the criteria are fulfilled.

When the right to temporarily stay in Sweden has ceased

If you do not fulfil the requirements for the right to reside in Sweden and nor do you have a residence permit, you do not have the right to stay in Sweden and therefore are required to leave the country.

Applying for financial support

Financial support (ekonomiskt bistånd) provided by the government is individually means-ested, and it is a requirement that you have done everything possible to provide for yourself and your family. The objective is always that financial support is to be of a temporary nature and that you must become self-sufficient as soon as possible.

If you want to apply for financial support, contact the Social Services Dept. Reception unit in Luleå, during office hours. After office hours, the municipal emergency services are responsible for the municipality’s social services.

Investigation

After your application is submitted, the Social Services Dept. investigates whether or not you
fulfil the requirements and qualify for the financial support you have applied for. The investigation consists of several parts. All requirements must be fulfilled for you to be assessed as being entitled to financial support.

An investigation is made into if the right to reside exists

The Social Services Dept. investigates whether you have a right to reside in Sweden. You must have a right to reside in Sweden as a financially active person as a precondition for financial support to be granted. You are considered to be financially active if you fulfil any of the
following criteria.

• You are an employee or are self-employed in Sweden.
• You are an active job seeker and are assessed to have
  a real possibility to find gainful employment.
  

To be regarded as being an active jobseeker, you must be registered with the Swedish Public Employment Service and be prepared to accept take work that has been assessed as being suitable for you. You must be prepared to participate in the activities that are organised within the framework of the labour market policy. If you have actively sought gainful employment for a period of at least six months without success, you are generally not considered to have a real possibility for being employed.

• You are a family member of a person who is an EU/
  EEA citizen with a right to reside in Sweden according
  to the above two points.
  

Investigation of domicile/habitual residence

An assessment must also be made of whether you have your “actual residence and habitual residence” in the Municipality of Luleå or in a different municipality. This test of eligibility includes an assessment of whether you have arranged housing for you and your family in the
Municipality of Luleå.

Investigation of the need

If the Social Services Dept. finds that you have both a right to reside in Sweden and your habitual residence in the Municipality of Luleå, your application will be assessed in the same manner as an application from a Swedish citizen. The Social Services Dept. then investigates, among other things, whether the need can be satisfied in another manner.

For example, if you have a right to reside as a self-employed person, you are required to manage on the income from your company or otherwise look for other work. Or if you have a partner in your home country who has the responsibility to support you, the need can be
satisfied by travelling home

Acute situations

If you do not fulfil the above requirements for the right to reside, habitual residence and needs, you are not entitled to financial support other than in an especially acute situation. The Municipality of Luleå’s responsibility for persons present in the municipality (either residing or
staying temporarily) includes examining whether temporary immediate financial support is needed to assist with an especially acute situation. In this test of eligibility, the Social Services Dept. must pay special attention to the needs of any children.

Even in especially acute situations, the Social Services Dept. must test whether your needs can be satisfied in another way. Therefore, before applying you must have investigated the possibilities for obtaining financial assistance via your embassy or consulate. If the Social
Services Dept. makes the assessment that you are in an emergency situation that cannot be resolved in any other way, financial assistance can be provided in the form of individual grants for food, temporary accommodations, or travel home.

CONTACTS

Monday-Friday 8-17, Luleå Municipality Customer Centre 0920-45 30 00.

Other times, if it is an urgent situation, contact the Social Services Dept. acute services in Luleå via SOS alarm on 112.

Further information and contact information can be found at www.lulea.se under Social Care & Support