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LIVING IN SWEDEN

Residency, pastries and Swedish style: Essential articles for life in Sweden

How can you save money on your energy bill, the different types of permanent residency, how to dress like a Swede and how to talk to strangers without annoying them... here are six must-reads from The Local about life in Sweden.

Residency, pastries and Swedish style: Essential articles for life in Sweden
A Christmassy Stortorget in Stockholm's Gamla Stan. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

You’d have to have been living under a rock not to notice the rising cost of energy in Sweden over the past year.

However, there are some ways you can save money on your energy bills. Here are our tips.

Many of you reading this have some form of permanent residence document in Sweden, be it under EU rules, non-EU rules, or a UK post-Brexit permit. What you might not realise is that each of these documents are actually slightly different. Here’s a guide.

Swedish style is known for being minimalistic and monotone, with greys, whites and blacks popular, especially in the winter months. Those of you interested in taking inspiration from Swedish fashion (or knowing what to avoid if you want to stand out) can check out our eight tips on how to dress like a Swede below.

You’ve probably heard of fika, Sweden’s traditional mid-afternoon coffee break to eat a pastry or cake and take a break with colleagues. However, do you know your biskvi from your Budapestbakelse? Your chokladboll from your kanelbulle? If not, read on below.

For those of you who have mastered the Swedish language (or are well on your way to doing so), you might be wondering how to take the next step and learn more about Swedish society from the experts: Swedes.

Here’s The Local’s guide to the best TV shows to watch if you want to understand Swedish society (and which shows you can bring up in conversation with your colleagues if you want to impress them with your knowledge).

Finally, you may have heard the phrase ‘don’t talk to strangers’, as a child, but what you may not have realised is that this is a key cornerstone of Swedish society, with small talk frowned upon and mindless chat between strangers considered extremely odd.

Here are the few situations where it’s socially acceptable to talk to Swedes you don’t already know without freaking them out.

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LIVING IN SWEDEN

Dogs, dating and driving licences: Essential articles for life in Sweden

Including our guide to dating vocab, adopting a dog and how you can lose your licence, here are six must-reads from The Local about life in Sweden.

Dogs, dating and driving licences: Essential articles for life in Sweden

So you think you can handle Sweden? Here are 18 of some of the most common mistakes that newcomers make when they first arrive in the Nordic country.

Dating in Sweden can be a minefield. Here’s our guide to nine words you should learn to make your dating life easier.

Losing your job is stressful, especially if you’re in Sweden on a work permit. Here’s a guide to your rights if you’re made redundant or dismissed in Sweden.

Thinking of adopting a four-legged friend? Here’s a guide on how to adopt a rescue dog in Sweden, as well as what you should bear in mind before you take the plunge.

Did you know you can lose your driving licence for being drunk in public? Here are the nine ways you can lose your licence in Sweden, and how long each ban will usually last.

Finally, have you been wondering how long it takes for a law to be made in Sweden, or want to understand what it means when a law is at the utredning stage? Here’s our guide to how a law is made in Sweden.

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