Yesterday we got letters from Skatteverket (the tax authority) confirming that we're official Swedish residents! Kevin has a shiny new personnummer, and mine will do more than get me a passport. Without a personnummer, there's not a lot you can do in Sweden, including opening a bank account or getting a cell phone. We have been told there's an issue with Swedish phone companies not giving contracts to people without a credit history here, but we haven't tried yet, so we'll let you know.
Personnummers are Social Security Numbers in the US, but they are not kept secret. Even your resume has your personnummer on it! We still have a lot more tasks to do before we are fully integrated into the Swedish system, though. From opening bank accounts, to getting an apartment, there are so many things to think about, but we're managing to get by pretty well so far.
Wish us luck!
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