How to immigrate and work in Sweden as a pharmacist?

Do you wish to work as a pharmacist in Sweden? It’s an amazing country with so many things to do, see and enjoy. This Visa Library blog will explain how to immigrate and work in Sweden as a pharmacist.

Immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist requirements.

You need these items to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist: 

Swedish language fluency

You must pass a language test in Swedish, so you need language fluency to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist. The exam consists of a theoretical and practical part so you must have enough fluency to pass them.

Passing the recognition and getting a license

If you get your degree from a foreign country and not in Sweden, you must pass the recognition process. Every pharmacist who wants to work in Sweden needs a license. So you must pass the process and get your pharmacy license.

The process is up to your nationality and the country you get your degree from. Look at the below section to learn more.

Finding a job and applying for a work permit.

If you are a non-EU national, you must get a work permit to work in Sweden. Only a Swedish employer can apply for a work permit, so you must find one willing to hire you.

Sweden visa for pharmacists

You might need a visa to enter Sweden during the process. This section tells you about the visa options. You must pick and apply for the right visa to enter Sweden. A wrong visa application will lead to rejection.

Sweden work visa

If you are from a non-EU country, you need a work visa and a work permit to work in Sweden as a pharmacist. You must get a work permit before you receive a work visa. Only a Swedish employer can apply for a work permit, so you must find an employer willing to hire you as a pharmacist. You can find a job as a pharmacist in different ways. You can look for a position through the websites that advertise job positions there or get help from recruiter agencies.

After you find a job, the employer and pharmacist must sign an employment contract. Then, the employer applies for a work permit, and after issuance, you can apply for a work visa.

You can find more information about Sweden work visa from the Visa Library article or watch the prepared video on our YouTube channel.

Sweden tourist visa

Look at your nationality. Are you from a non-EU country? If yes, you might need a visa to enter Sweden. Some non-EU countries are exempt from a visa to enter Europe and Sweden. If you are a national of them and have a passport, you can move to Sweden with your passport and stay for some time. But you may not work. If you need to visit Sweden during the recognition process or find a job, this privilege can help you.

You can find more information about Sweden tourist visa from the Visa Library article or watch the prepared video on our YouTube channel.

Sweden student visa

There is another way to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist, and you can use it if you have not got your degree yet. It’s to study for a pharmacy degree in Sweden.

First, you must find a Swedish university or school that provides a degree to foreign or international students. You must find and fulfill the requirements, then apply to the university. After getting an admission letter, you must gather the other supporting documents and submit your student visa application to Swedish officials.

You can find more information about Sweden student visa from the Visa Library article or watch the prepared video on our YouTube channel.

Eligibility criteria to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist

You must fulfill some eligibility principles to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist. Read them carefully to determine whether you are eligible.

Have a valid pharmacy license. 

If you get your degree from a foreign country, it must be here and from a verified university.

Have a license.

You must get a license to work as a pharmacist from your home country or the country you got your degree from.

Work experience. 

You’d better have some work experience and provide proof of it.

Get a license from Sweden. 

You must get a Pharmacy license from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare directly.

Work permit. 

If you are a non-EU national, you must get a work permit to work in Sweden.

Are pharmacists in demand in Sweden?

Sweden needs skilled workers. They are trying to attract them from everywhere around the world. The result of studies says that pharmacists who graduate from Swedish universities are hired before graduation.

AbbVie, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Baxter International are just some of the biggest pharma companies in Sweden. They need skilled pharmacists to fill the gap and keep the production going.

Where do pharmacists work in Sweden?

You might end up working in positions that you do not know about them. Also, there are some companies or organizations that require a pharmacist, and you might be unaware of them. These are some of the centers where you can work as a pharmacist in Sweden;

Pharmacies

There are hundreds of pharmacies that need a skilled pharmacist. You can find them on maps or by looking at the city information. They often have a website and advertise job positions in recruiting websites.

Pharmaceutical Firms 

There are large pharmaceutical companies that need skilled pharmacists:

• Amferia
• EnginZyme
• Mycorena
• Aprea
• Modus Therapeutics
• Diamyd Medical
• Hamlet Pharma
• BioInvent
• Gedea Biotech
• Anocca

Hospitals 

They often have a large pharmacy and need pharmacists handling the tasks. Also, there are some responsible for ordering medicine and spreading them.

Swedish governmental Organizations 

Ministry of Health or the National Board of Health and Welfare that, is responsible for the assessment of foreign pharmacists often need skilled workers.

Academic field 

If you have higher education and teaching or research experience, you might be able to find a job in the academic field.

Pharmacy degree types in Sweden

You can study for different pharmacy degrees in Sweden. Each one of them prepares you for a career path in the future. You’d better research about them and find out which one you like more and has a better job opportunity in the future: 

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Pharmacology
• Pharmacy
• Forensic Toxicology by Research
• Pharmaceutical Engineering Advanced Training
• I.A.S. Pharmacy
• BioPharmaceutical Science
• Next Generation Drug Discovery

How long does it take to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist?

It depends on the way you pick to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist. If you want to pass the recognition process, it could take 1-2 years or even three years. It’s much up to you to prepare yourself and avoid any delays.

Studying for a pharmacy degree in Sweden takes about 5 years.

How to find a job in Sweden as an immigrant pharmacist?

You can find a job in Sweden as a pharmacist in a different way. It’s up to your conditions to use one or all of them to find a job.

If you are a non-EU national, you must find a job as you need a work permit to work in Sweden and only Swedish employers can apply for a work permit.

The first way is to look for a position through websites that advertise job positions in Sweden: 

• CareerBuilder
• Jobbland
• Nyteknik
• Netjobs
• Indeed
• Jobisland.

The second way is to get help from recruiters or employment agencies. 

• Hays
• Academic Work
• Manpower
• Corner Stone
• Wise Professionals
• Beyondo
• Hammer & Hanborg

How to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist?

If you get your degree from a foreign country and not in Sweden, you must get it recognized. You must send your documents and diploma to Swedish officials for assessment. They evaluate them and determine whether you can work as a pharmacist in Sweden. Pharmacy is a protected title which means you must get a license to work in Sweden.

The procedure you must follow is different by your nationality. EU and non-EU nationals must follow a different path. This section brings you both of them.

Pharmacists from the EU/EEA moving to Sweden.

If you get your degree from an EU/EEA country, you must follow this procedure to get your degree recognized. Your nationality and the country you got your degree don’t matter. You must pass the recognition and need a language proficiency certificate. If you can speak Swedish, Finnish, Danish, or Norwegian and have a certificate for it, you do not have language proficiency. But if you do not know any of these languages, you’d better begin learning Swedish.

Gather the supporting documents.

For the first step, you must gather this list of supporting documents to send to the National Board of Health and Welfare. This is the responsible organization for the recognition of your documents:

1, An image or screenshot that you have paid the application fee of SEK 870 to Bankgiro 790-3750. If you have a Swedish personal Id number, write it (personnummer) in the message box in the format YYYYMMDDXXXX, without hyphens, dashes, or spaces.

If you do not have a Swedish personal ID number and want to pay the fee with foreign currency, pay it to the IBAN: SE3612000000012810104980, SWIFT: DABASESX.. 

2, A copy of your ID document.

3, If you have changed your name, a copy of the certificate showing the name change is needed.

4, A copy of your language fluency skills:

• Swedish at Level C1 in accordance with CEFRL
• Swedish, level 3

5, Your degree or diploma.

6, A Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Current Professional Status that shows you have the right to work as a nurse and have not been prohibited. It can not be older than 3 months ago at the time of application.

7, A certificate that verifies you fulfill the requirements of the  EU directive 2005/36/EC (pdf)

• 44
• 23

8, A document from the medical school, university, or college where you got your degree that shows the courses you have studied, duration, and content.

Translation.

If your documents are not in the following languages, you must have them translated into one of them:

• Swedish,
• Norwegian,
• Danish
• English

You can have them translated into any of the above languages and in any country. But a verified translation office must complete them. You can find a list of authorized translators with the Kammarkollegiet (The Legal, Financial, and Administrative Services Agency)

Application form.

After you gather the documents, you must complete the online application form. Choose “pharmacist” from the option. Then continue the steps to submit your application.

If you apply through the offline application form or use the offline format, you must send your application to this postal address and complete this paper application form:

Socialstyrelsen

Behörighet

106 30 Stockholm

European Professional Card – EPC

You can also apply through the European Professional Card – EPC if you are eligible.

Assessment of your application by Swedish officials

After you submit your application and Swedish officials receive it, you will receive a confirmation email. They examine your application and decide whether you are eligible to work as a pharmacist in Sweden or not.

If one part of your document is missing or they need further supporting documents, they email and ask you to send it. You must submit whatever they require.

If you are not eligible, you will receive a negative decision. You may not work as a pharmacist in Sweden.

But if you are eligible, you will receive a positive response, and you may work in Sweden as a pharmacist.

The processing time is about 4 weeks, but it might take longer on your nationality, special cases, or whether the Swedish officials require documents and their workload. It’s essential that you send a complete list of supporting documents to avoid any delays.

You must wait until you receive a positive response from the Swedish officials that you may work as a pharmacist in Sweden. If you begin working earlier and they find out, it will have heavy consequences.

After you receive a license or recognition of a specialist qualification, it will be registered with the National Board of Health. Employers can see that you are a licensed pharmacist and can begin your work in Sweden. As you do not need a work permit or visa to work in Sweden, you can begin your work right after receiving your license.

Pharmacists from the EU/EEA moving to Sweden.

You need a license to work as a pharmacist in Sweden if you are a non-EU/EEA national or got your degree from one of these countries. You can read about the way EU/EEA applicants must follow from the above section. This part tells the procedure that non-EU nationals must follow.

There are two ways to apply for a pharmacy license in Sweden. It’s up to you to pick one or use both to apply for a license. Either option you use, you must apply for a license after finishing the procedure.

Apply to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare directly. (Way 1)

The first method you can use is to apply directly through the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. In this method, you send your diploma and documents for recognition directly to Swedish officials. Follow these steps for this method:

Gathering the documents for recognition.

You must gather this list of supporting documents and send it to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare for recognition. 

1. Application form. You must complete and send it with your application.
2. A copy of the first page of your passport. If you have a Swedish ID card, submit a copy of it.

To submit the below list, you must submit it in the original language and the translation into English or Swedish. A verified translation office must translate your documents into English or Swedish. It must be on the office’s letterhead, with stamp, address, and contact details. 

3. A copy of your diploma or degree plus translation.
4. A copy of a certificate that lists the duration and the courses you have passed.
5. A certificate of name change if you have ever changed your name.

If you do not have one of the above documents, you must submit the documents you have and write a cover letter explaining why you do not have the document.

Attention: You do not need to submit a Swedish language proficiency certificate at this stage, but you must get it for the final stage and be fluent in Swedish to pass the other steps.

Sending the documents. 

You must post the physical documents to this postal address to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare:

Socialstyrelsen
Behörighet
106 30 Stockholm

You can also email your application to the Swedish officials through this email address:

socialstyrelsen@socialstyrelsen.se

After the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare receives your application, they will confirm it through email. After receiving the email, you must wait for processing. In the meantime, you must wait but can practice Swedish.

Take the Swedish language proficiency test.

After the Swedish officials assess your application, you must take a Swedish language test. You must take and pass it to become qualified and pass the next stages.

You must be fluent in Swedish to pass this exam, so you’d better work hard on your language proficiency skills.

The Uppsala University is responsible for conducting the test. They will send the result to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare.

There are two parts to the test: 

1. a theoretical part and
2. a practical part.

You must pass the theoretical part then you can pass the practical part. The University of Gothenburg emails the results to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare.

You must sign up for the test at the Uppsala University website. Then, you must take it on the website. After passing the first part, you can take the next one.

You only have 5 attempts to pass the theoretical part and only 3 attempts to pass the practical test. If you can not pass the test on your first attempt, you have 5 years to pass it. If you need further information about the test and to prepare for it, you can find the information you need on the university website.

The University will send the results to the Swedish official.

Take a course in Swedish laws and regulations.

After you pass the language test and the university sends the result to the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, they will email you to confirm it.

Then you must take a course in Swedish laws and regulations. It is to get familiar with the Swedish healthcare system, and you do not have to pay for it as it’s free. You must register for the course at Umeå University. The university will inform you of the available dates to take the course.

You can only take the course after the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare confirms you have passed the language test. If you do not pass the course, you may not continue the rest of the stages.

You will learn about the Swedish pharmacy system and how it works.

You must find a place to pass the clinical training. Swedish officials have nothing to do with it. You can search through the websites that advertise job positions or reach drug stores. After you find an employer willing to hire you as an intern, he/she must apply for special authorization.

After you finish your training, the employer and your supervisor complete a certificate. You will find useful information for the employer and intern at the beginning of this certificate. You must submit this certificate when you apply for a license to Swedish officials.

Your clinical training will last six months. You will not receive financial help during your training, so you must be able to cover yourself.

There is no way to skip the clinical training; you must complete it with one employer.

Apply for a pharmacy license to Swedish officials.

After you pass the clinical period successfully, you can apply for a license to work as a pharmacist in Sweden. But you need the completed certificate from your employer and supervisor.

1. Fill out this application form.
2. Pay the application fee.
3. Submit a copy of the first page of your passport.
4. A copy of your Swedish language proficiency certificate
5. The certificate signed by your employer that you have passed the clinical training.

Send your application to this address:

Socialstyrelsen

Behörighet

106 30 Stockholm.

Take additional training and studies in Sweden (way 2)

There is another way to immigrate to Sweden as a pharmacist. In the first way, you send your degree and documents for recognition to the Swedish officials directly. But in this method, you can take a training period in Sweden before applying for recognition.

You must find a center or university that offers additional training to foreign pharmacists. 

• Uppsala University
• Gothenburg University

You must visit the university’s website and learn about the requirements. Then, you must fulfill them and apply for the position. The number of centers providing the training period and the number of seats are limited. The competition is tough so you must work hard.

After you get admission and pass the training, you must apply for a license. You must follow the steps explained in the above section to get your license. But you must fill out the application form for non-EU/EEA nationals.

You must take the additional training in Sweden and there is no way to take remote learning.

Look for a job offer and apply for a work permit.

After you get your pharmacy license, you can begin your work in Sweden. But if you are a non-EU national, you need a work permit to work in Sweden.

A Swedish employer can apply for a work permit, and you can not apply for it. So you must find an employer willing to hire you. The employee or pharmacist can not apply for a work permit and only the employer can apply for it. So it’s necessary to find a job offer from an employer.

After you get the work permit, you can apply for a work visa and move to Sweden to begin your work.

Related jobs for an immigrant pharmacist in Sweden.

Do you have a pharmacy degree? You can explore so many job positions with your egress. You can use your degree in other fields and work in them. Also, they provide so many benefits.

If you know what you’re capable of and what other areas can work, you’ll be able to make a better strategic career decision. Knowing your career options is a wise step in the process of finding a job and moving to a foreign country.

This section introduces the alternative job positions for a pharmacist. You can get familiar with them and make a better decision in your career path. Some job seekers might see them but do not know they can work in these job positions. You are equipped with knowledge of knowing them and are a step ahead of any other applicant.

Pharmacists’ salary in Sweden

Your salary as a pharmacist in Sweden will depend on various factors. You can not expect to earn the same amount as a pharmacist with a few years of work experience, good language fluency skills, or a person who has studied in Sweden. All of these items are effective on your salary:

• Education
• Work experience
• The company you work with
• The city you work in.

There is an average salary in Sweden, and it’s not that you get paid less than usual.

Various sources have mentioned different figures for your salary. According to Glassdoor, the average salary of a pharmacist in Sweden is about SEK 37,679 per month.

According to Salary Explorer, the average pay is about 58,700 SEK. it says while the lowest salary is about 28,200 SEK, the highest pay is about 92,200 SEK.

Payscale says that the average income is about SEK 405,797 per year.

Best cities to immigrate and work as a pharmacist in Sweden

As you read through this article, it’s a bit long and tedious to immigrate and work as a pharmacist in Sweden, and there is a process you must follow. After you finish the process and get your license, you have to move to Sweden and live there. You must accept the pros and cons and adopt yourself.

One wide thing you can do is to find information about the city you are moving to. You might have some preferences and consider a few features of the city you want to live in. Look at these items to know how different your choice might be:

• Job Prospects
• Cost of Living
• Housing Market
• Education
• Weather
• Crime rates

There are two lists that can help you make a better decision. The first one is the largest cities in Sweden. Large cities provide higher job positions as big companies locate them. So it is with the pharmaceutical companies. If you can accept the pros and cons of living in big cities, look at the largest city in Sweden:

• Stockholm.
• Gothenburg.
• Malmö.
• Uppsala.
• Upplands Väsby.
• Örebro.

The second list is the most popular cities in Sweden. People like to live in or visit these cities for a reason. You can learn more about them and determine whether you want to live in them.

• Stockholm
• Gamla Stan
• Norrmalm
• Östermalm
• Södermalm
• Gothenburg

All in all, you must be able to find a job in the city you want to live in. If you can not find a job there, you can begin working in any city and then immigrate to the location you prefer.

Let’s sum up…

You learned how to immigrate and work in Sweden as a pharmacist through this Visa Library page. The list of requirements and the procedure you must follow are covered in detail. This is your ultimate guide to becoming a pharmacist in Sweden.

If you have any type of questions, write them down in the comment section. The Visa Library team will answer them.

Frequently asked questions about immigration to Sweden as a pharmacist.

Does Sweden need a pharmacist? 

Yes, they need skilled workers more than ever. The pharmacists who graduated from a Swedish university are hired before graduation.

Do Swedish universities offer a pharmacy course in English?

Yes, a few of them offer an English pharmacy course, but you must find out which one.

How can I work as a foreign pharmacist in Sweden?

You must pass the recognition process and get your license.

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