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READER QUESTIONS

Reader question: How do I get a Covid booster jab in Sweden?

The Covid vaccine is still free for everyone in Sweden, even if you don't belong to a group at particular risk of serious infection.

Published: 16 October 2023 10:48 CEST
Updated: 3 November 2023 06:20 CET
Reader question: How do I get a Covid booster jab in Sweden?
The Covid-19 vaccine is still free for everyone in Sweden. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

It is possible to get vaccinated against Covid at any time, but the Public Health Agency recommends that people generally wait until after November 7th, when an updated vaccine against the virus will be available. This is also to coincide with the start of seasonal influenza vaccinations and because the agency believes that the timing will be ideal to get those at risk vaccinated before the infection peak.

The Covid vaccine is free for everyone and the flu vaccine is additionally free for over-65s and people who belong to risk groups (see below for more information). People who don’t fit this category can still get the Covid vaccine for free at any time, but they have to pay around 200-400 kronor to get the flu vaccine, depending on where in Sweden they live. They will likely also have to wait a few weeks after the launch of the seasonal flu vaccination campaign on November 7th until everyone who needs the flu vaccine has had a chance to get it.

How to book a time for the Covid vaccine or booster varies depending on which Swedish region you live in.

Some regions may send out reminders to people in risk groups, but in other regions people have to contact health centres themselves.

Here’s how it works in Sweden’s three biggest regions as an example: In Stockholm, you can book a time in the region’s Alltid öppet app, contact your health centre or a vaccination centre directly, or visit a drop-in vaccination centre. In Västra Götaland, you can book a time online here or contact a health centre. In Skåne, you can book a time online, visit a drop-in centre or call a health centre.

The best way to find the regional rules is to go to the Covid vaccine page on national healthcare website 1177.se and choose your region (välj region) at the top of the page. If you don’t have a Swedish personal identity number, it’s usually best to call a health centre directly.

Here are the specific Covid vaccine recommendations for all age brackets:

Under-18s

Sweden no longer has a recommendation in place for children and teenagers aged 12-17 to get vaccinated against Covid. The Public Health Agency recommends that under-18s only get vaccinated in individual cases on a doctor’s specific recommendation.

People aged 18-49

There’s no longer any recommendation to get vaccinated against Covid for people aged 18-49 who don’t have an underlying health condition. However, people who belong to this group and would like to get vaccinated may do so, and the vaccine is free for them.

If it’s a booster, at least nine months must have passed since the last dose.

See below for information for over-18s with an underlying health condition, including pregnancy.

People aged 50-64

Unvaccinated people aged 50-64 are recommended to get one dose of the Covid vaccine this winter.

There’s no general recommendation for vaccinated people in the same age bracket, but the same rules as above apply to them: the booster dose is free and nine months must have passed since the last one.

People aged 65-79 and over-18s with an underlying health condition

People aged 65-79 are recommended to get a dose of the Covid vaccine this winter, regardless of whether or not they have previously been vaccinated. If they’ve had confirmed Covid-19 after August 1st and are in good health, they can choose not to get a booster dose, but if there’s any doubt whether or not they actually had Covid, they too are recommended to get a dose of the vaccine this winter.

If people in this group got vaccinated ahead of the autumn before the updated vaccine was available, they may get another dose, but at least three months have to pass between the doses.

The same recommendations apply to people who are aged over 18 and belong to a group especially at risk of developing serious Covid infection. These groups include pregnant people (after week 12) and adults with conditions such as chronic heart or lung disease, obesity, liver or kidney failure, diabetes, and people with weakened immune systems due to illness or ongoing medical treatment.

The flu vaccine is available for free for over-18s with underlying health conditions, including pregnancy, and over-65s and you can get both vaccines at the same time. The influenza vaccination season will start from November 7th, although there may be regional variations.

People aged 80 or older

People who are older than 80 or live in care homes for the elderly are recommended to get vaccinated against Covid this winter. If they’ve already had a booster this autumn, they may get another dose once the updated vaccine is available, at least three months after their last dose.

This guide is meant to be helpful and was correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. If in doubt about anything regarding your medical situation or vaccine recommendations, always speak with a healthcare provider. You can’t book a vaccine via Sweden’s national healthcare helpline 1177, but you can call them for advice in Swedish or English.

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For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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