Samordningsnummer Sweden: Coordination Number Explained

A samordningsnummer — "coordination number" in English — is a unique identifier that the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) can assign to a person who has never been listed in the Swedish Population Register. It is the number used by people who are not registered as residents, so Swedish authorities and employers still have a way to identify you when you work or deal with the state in Sweden without living here as a registered resident.

If that sounds like a lesser version of the famous personnummer, that is roughly the right instinct. Both are official identifiers used with Swedish authorities, but they serve different situations: the personnummer is for registered residents, and the coordination number fills the gap for everyone else. This guide explains what a coordination number is, who needs one, how it is structured, and how to apply — using only what Skatteverket publishes on its official English-language pages.

Coordination Number vs Personnummer

The distinction Skatteverket draws is simple. A personnummer (personal identity number) is what everyone registered in the Swedish Population Register receives. A coordination number is the identifier used by people who are not registered as residents. Both are official identifiers you use with authorities.

The practical difference matters more than it first appears. Skatteverket states that a personnummer is required as your official identifier when communicating with government authorities and private companies in Sweden. That is the source of a common frustration: a coordination number is more limited in what it unlocks than a personnummer. It identifies you, but it is not a full substitute for being a registered resident.

If you want the full picture of the resident's number, read the companion guide on the personnummer in Sweden, and the guide on registering with Skatteverket, which covers population registration itself.

Who Needs a Coordination Number

Skatteverket ties this directly to how long you are staying:

• If you move to Sweden and plan to stay one year or more, you should normally be listed in the Population Register and receive a personnummer.
• If you plan to be employed in Sweden and stay less than one year, you should not be registered — and you need a coordination number instead.

So the coordination number is fundamentally the short-term worker's identifier. For EU/EEA citizens weighing whether they are "moving" or just working temporarily, the guide on EU registration in Sweden and the length-of-stay rule above are the deciding factors.

Importantly, the coordination number is not permanent by nature. If Skatteverket later adds you to the Swedish Population Register and assigns you a personal identity number, that personnummer replaces your coordination number. And unlike the coordination number, a personnummer — once obtained — stays with you for the rest of your life.

You May Not Need to Apply at All

One point that surprises many newcomers: a coordination number is often not applied for by the individual. Skatteverket allows public authorities, universities and colleges, and passport authorities to request one for you — for example, as part of an F-tax approval or a passport case. In other words, you may be assigned a coordination number without ever filling in a form yourself, simply because another authority needed to identify you.

So before you start an application, it is worth checking whether the process you are already going through (a work-tax registration, a study enrolment, a passport matter) will generate a coordination number for you automatically.

How to Apply Yourself

If no authority is requesting one on your behalf, you can apply directly — provided you meet Skatteverket's conditions. To apply yourself you must be planning to stay in Sweden for less than one year, have "a connection to Sweden," and be able to show that you need the number (Skatteverket's example is applying to register ownership of property in Sweden).

There are two ways to submit an application:

1. Use Skatteverket's "Coordination number" e-service, which is available in English and Swedish.
2. Submit paper form SKV 7540, which is in Swedish only.

Either way, you must book an appointment and attend an in-person identity check at a Skatteverket service centre. This in-person step is not optional. At the appointment you bring your passport or national identity card (and your Swedish residence permit card if you have one), and your documents are verified in person.

How Long It Takes

Skatteverket states that an individual application for a coordination number can take up to 7 weeks for the case to be assigned to an administrator (as of 2026 — check Skatteverket's processing-times page for the current figure). A reactivation request made by an individual also takes up to 7 weeks. Because Skatteverket revises these times, treat the number as a planning estimate and confirm the current figure on the official page before relying on it.

What the Number Looks Like

A coordination number consists of 10 digits, like a personal identity number. It is built from your date of birth in YYMMDD form, but with 60 added to the day-of-month digits, followed by a three-digit individual number and a check digit. Skatteverket's own example: a man born 3 October 1970 gets 701063-2391 — the "63" is the day (03) plus 60, which is how you can spot a coordination number at a glance.

Identity Levels

Not all coordination numbers are treated as equally verified. Skatteverket assigns an identity level: Confirmed, Probable, or Uncertain. If you apply yourself and attend the in-person identity check, you get the "confirmed" level. The lower levels apply mainly to numbers that were assigned on an authority's request without an in-person check. If your identity was properly verified in person, you are in the strongest position.

Tax While You Work Short-Term

Because the coordination number is the short-term worker's identifier, it is closely tied to how you are taxed. For employment of less than one year you generally have limited tax liability, and you either use SINK (special income tax for non-residents) or instead register for preliminary A-tax.

If you have a coordination number, Skatteverket requires you to state it in your A-tax notification or SINK application. You then show the resulting decision notice to your employer so they deduct the correct tax from your salary. Skatteverket's page listed the SINK rate for non-residents as 22.5% (as of 2026), but tax rates change — verify the current rate on the official Skatteverket page rather than treating that figure as fixed.

For getting paid and managing money in your first weeks — especially if you are on a short contract and still setting up your Swedish banking — many newcomers use a service like Wise or Revolut to receive and hold funds across currencies while their local arrangements catch up. These are practical money bridges, not a substitute for your Swedish tax and identity paperwork.

When It Becomes Inactive, and Leaving Sweden

A coordination number is not permanent, and it can go dormant. Skatteverket automatically marks a coordination number inactive after 5 years if it has not been used. If you still need it after that, it can be reactivated through Skatteverket (again, up to 7 weeks for an individual reactivation request). And if you leave Sweden permanently, you should notify Skatteverket.

A Note on Fees

Skatteverket's coordination-number and short-term-employment pages describe the entire process — the e-service or SKV 7540 form plus the in-person identity check — without listing any application fee, and no fee is mentioned by Skatteverket for obtaining a coordination number. Since services and rules change, confirm the current requirements on Skatteverket's official pages before you go, and do not pay any third party who claims to charge you for the number itself.

Once you cross the one-year threshold and become a registered resident, the coordination number gives way to the personnummer — at which point the guides on the personnummer and on BankID in Sweden become your next steps for unlocking banking, healthcare, and the rest of everyday Swedish life.