Regulated profession

To exercise a regulated profession, you need some kind of identification or authorisation according to Swedish law. Currently about 75 professions are regulated in Sweden.

If you have qualifications from another country within the EU/EEA* and want to work in Sweden you can go to our service Find permits to see if the profession is regulated in Sweden. You can find information and instructions for how to apply. You apply for validation on the webpage of the responsible authority for your profession.

Find permits

*The 27 member states in the EU and the three European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein.

Licenses for a profession should easily be applicable for approval in another EU country. This is established in the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EG. The list of regulated professions is different for each Member State. Health care, security, education and transport professions are often regulated, but professions in other sectors may be regulated as well. The Regulated professions database shows if your profession is regulated in the country you want to work in.

The Regulated professions database

You can find more information on the regulated professions and the database functionality on the EU website Your Europe.

Your Europe

European Professional Card

Some of the regulated professions can be exercised within all EU countries through the European Profession Card. The following professions are applicable for the card:

• Mountain guide
• Nurse responsible for general care
• Pharmacist
• Physiotherapist
• Real estate agent

You will find more information about the European Professional Card on the EU site Your Europe. This is also where you apply for the card by registering and uploading your documentation to the responsible authority.

The European Professional Card

Professions with prior check when providing temporary and occasional services

For some professions the responsible authority have the right to make a prior check of the applicants professional qualifications. The authority shall, within one month after all the documents submitted notify the applicant of its decision to either allow the applicant to work in the country without any verification of qualifications, or that verification of qualifications means that services can be provided, or that the applicant must do an aptitude test. This applies to the following professions:

• Audiologist
• Authority to perform certain duties in the social services
• Biomedical scientist
• Chiropractor
• Dental hygienist
• Dietitian
• Medical physicist
• Medical social worker
• Naprapath
• Occupational therapist
• Optician
• Orthopaedic engineer
• Physiotherapist
• Prescriptionist
• Psychologist
• Psychotherapist
• Radiographer
• Security guard
• Speech therapist
• Specialist nurse

How to appeal

Contact the responsible authority if you want to appeal the decision.

Assistance centre

Swedish Council for Higher Education is Sweden’s assistance centre for the Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EG. You can send an e-mail if you want to work in Sweden and have questions about validation of your professional qualifications.

Send an e-mail to the Swedish Council for Higher Education

Search for available jobs at Arbetsförmedlingen (in Swedish)