🇸🇪 Sweden · City guide
Moving to Gothenburg: Language & First Steps
West-coast industrial and university city, friendlier on housing than Stockholm.
Living in Gothenburg
A west-coast industrial and university city (Volvo country), friendlier on housing than Stockholm; Majorna, Linné and Haga are popular. English is widely spoken, and the personnummer is still the key that unlocks services.
To settle into Gothenburg you'll need Swedish — and the practical kind: registration with Skatteverket to receive your personnummer, the key to almost everything, opening a bank account, and seeing a doctor. Here's what to do first and the phrases to learn.
Sources: Language Lab's Swedish curriculum & culture notes; city/official processes vary — confirm with Gothenburg's local authority. · Join the beta →
What to do in your first week in Gothenburg?
- Register your address / residency — registration with Skatteverket to receive your personnummer, the key to almost everything.
- Open a local bank account so you can get paid and pay rent.
- Register with a local doctor (GP) and sort health insurance.
- Get a local SIM / mobile plan and set up any required digital ID.
- Learn your transport options — tickets, passes and routes.
Swedish phrasebooks for Gothenburg
For the full country picture, see our guide to moving to Sweden.
Arrive in Gothenburg ready.
Language Lab teaches the Swedish you actually need to settle in — with a live AI tutor. Coming soon.
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