Inactive coordination numbers need an identity check

A Swedish coordination number can stop being active after five years. If you still need it for Swedish errands, Skatteverket can reactivate it, but you normally need to explain your connection to Sweden, give a current contact address and pass an identity check.

A coordination number is for a person who has never been listed in the Population Register. The Swedish Tax Agency says you can apply yourself when you plan to stay in Sweden for less than one year and can show both a connection to Sweden and a need for the number.

That is different from moving here. If you plan to live in Sweden for at least one year, Skatteverket says you should notify your move instead of applying for a coordination number. When you are first listed in the Population Register, the agency assigns a personal identity number.

The practical problem is the five-year clock. An active coordination number carries details including name, date of birth, nationality, contact address and identity level. After five years it is automatically marked inactive unless there is a reason for it to remain active or be reactivated.

Reactivation is not only a form. Skatteverket says an individual request must state why the number is needed and describe the connection to Sweden. You must also use the Coordination number e-service, book a service-centre appointment for an identity check and provide a current contact address.

Bring the document that proves who you are. For an identity check, Skatteverket says you should bring a passport, national identity card or another identity document, and a residence permit card if you have one. The administrator checks the documents and returns them during the visit.

Time matters if a bank, employer, university, property matter or authority is waiting. Skatteverket's current processing guidance says an individual coordination-number application or reactivation request can take up to nine weeks before a case is assigned to an administrator; changing linked personal details can take up to 14 weeks.

The decision test is simple. If Sweden is now your home for at least a year, use the moving-to-Sweden route. If you are staying for less than a year or need the number from abroad, check whether your existing number is active before the deadline reaches you.

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