Sweden

Sweden – a pocket guide 69
Photo: Bengt Arne Ignell / REDAKTA
Caring for the
sick costs too
much money for
each municipality
to build up a
separate system.
Instead, health
service is
provided by the
county councils,
which serve larger
geographical
areas.
GOOD TO KNOW:
• You can find a wide range of information on your municipality
in the Green Pages of the telephone directory.
Many municipalities also operate their own information
offices, which help residents find answers to their questions.
These are sometimes called medborgarkontor –
“citizens’ advice bureaux”.
• If you wish to talk to a municipal official, you should
make an appointment. If you will need an interpreter,
let the official know when you make the appointment.
• If you have had a residence permit and lived in Sweden
for at least three years, you are entitled to vote in both
municipal and county council elections. You should
receive an elector’s registration card well in advance of
the election. If you have not received an elector’s
registration card, you can contact the Skattemyndigheten,
or Tax Authority (see the Pink Pages of the telephone
directory), to find out what the problem is.
• Most municipalities now have their own site on the
Internet. You can find them at www.kommunensnamn.se.
If the name of the municipality includes an å, ä or ö,
replace it with a or o; examples are www.malmo.se and
www.boras.se for the municipalities of Malmö and Borås.
The municipality