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COVID-19 HEALTH PASS

Six-week wait for Swedish Covid vaccine passes by post

People who have to apply for their Covid vaccine passes by post can expect delays of up to six weeks, reports the Dagens Nyheter newspaper.

Six-week wait for Swedish Covid vaccine passes by post
Many public events in Sweden require people to show a vaccine pass. Photo: Christine Olsson/TT

In November, before Sweden introduced a requirement to show a vaccine pass at many public events, the waiting time for postal applications was between around five and eight days.

But since then it has snowballed, with delays of up to six weeks for those who don’t have a Swedish electronic ID.

EXPLAINED: How to get your Covid-19 vaccine pass in Sweden

Applying online with an electronic ID takes minutes, but the option is not available to large parts of the population, for example people without a Swedish identity number, the personnummer, who instead have to fill in a paper form and send it in by post.

The eHealth Agency told Dagens Nyheter that it has only processed around half of more than 130,000 postal applications it has received since November 17th. It said it expects waiting times to go down in the future, as it hires more staff and rolls out new technical solutions.

Some groups of people have not been able to apply for a vaccine pass at all since they were launched in July.

But as The Local reported just before Christmas, people without a personnummer or a coordination number who got vaccinated in Sweden will be able to apply for a Covid-19 vaccine pass from January. The exact procedure depends on in which region you live – you can read more about how to apply HERE.

Sweden is also set to launch a new service which will allow residents who got vaccinated overseas to apply for a vaccine pass. It is now expected to be ready by February 1st at the latest.

Member comments

  1. Sent my form on December 2, 2021. Still waiting. Called covidbevis last week and was informed that they have reached forms received on December 3 and thought I should get mine sometime this week.

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COVID-19 HEALTH PASS

How to get a Swedish Covid vaccine pass if you got vaccinated abroad

Starting February 1st, foreign residents who got vaccinated in a third country are able to get a Swedish Covid vaccine pass. But where can they apply, who is eligible, and how does the process work?

How to get a Swedish Covid vaccine pass if you got vaccinated abroad
Foreign-vaccinated Swedish residents may soon be able to attend events requiring a vaccine pass. Photo: Pär Bäckström/TT

Where can I apply?

As of February 1st, it is possible to get your overseas vaccinations added to a Swedish vaccine pass by applying at an in-person visit to a National Government Service Centre in Stockholm, at their locations in either Stockholm City or Liljeholmen (find their addresses here).

The service will be rolled out in Gothenburg, Malmö and Luleå – the only other Swedish cities that offer it – on March 1st.

You cannot currently apply for this service via post or online.

How does it work?

Visit one of the National Government Service Centres: those in Stockholm are open Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm. You do not need to book an appointment. Note that Service Centres outside Stockholm will only be offering this service from March 1st.

At the Service Centre, you will need to show one of the following accepted ID documents:

  • ID card issued by the Swedish Tax Agency
  • Swedish passport with burgundy cover
  • Swedish national ID card
  • Swedish driving license
  • Swedish SIS-marked ID card issued by, for example, a bank, company, government agency or Svensk Kassaservice
  • Swedish service card (without SIS mark) issued by a government agency

You will also need to present “original documents” confirming your vaccination.

The Service Centre will verify your documents and forward your application to the eHealth Agency, which will then issue the vaccine pass to your digital mailbox. There is currently no information as to how long it will take for applications to be processed once they have been approved by the Service Centre, but the eHealth Agency has previously said that it aims to cut waiting times to a maximum of two weeks.

Who can use this service?

The service is available to people over the age of 16 who have a registered home address in Sweden (i.e. have a Swedish personal number) and a digital mailbox.

It is only possible for people vaccinated outside the EU to get a Swedish vaccine pass. However, the EU Covid certificate, as well as certificates from more than 30 non-EU countries, are valid as proof of vaccination in Sweden so they don’t need to be converted.

“You must have received the last vaccination dose in a series, in a third country,” said the eHealth Agency on its website about the requirements for receiving a Swedish vaccine pass. “Third countries are countries outside the EU/EEA as well as countries where it has not been possible to obtain a vaccination certificate, even though the country is connected to the EU’s digital Covid certificate system.”

It is not possible for foreign tourists or people who live in Sweden but don’t have a personal number to get a Swedish vaccine pass at this stage. The government has previously said it is looking into expanding the vaccine pass scheme to these groups, too.

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