Before your studies

Welcome to Swedish Red Cross University! Here is all you need to prepare before your travel to Sweden.
Welcome to Swedish Red Cross University! Here is all you need to prepare before your travel to Sweden.
Publicerad: 03 Apr 2023
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Once you have been accepted to your exchange studies at the Swedish Red Cross University there are a few preparations that need to be made. On this page you find information about the most important things that you need to do prior to your exchange. Please remember that it is important that you send us any documents that might be asked from you in time, since some of the bureaucratic processes are drawn-out.

The following information is only for Erasmus+, Japanese and Colombian students. KCMUCo students, please refer to Prior to your studies at SCRUC for information about travel arrangements.

Travel arrangements

Arrival-date information

We ask you to inform us about your arrival and departure dates once you have booked your tickets to and from Stockholm. You can reach us at: ic@rkh.se

A student mentor will meet you up either upon your arrival or prior to course start. The mentor will give you practical information and be your contact person during your study period.

Traveling to Stockholm from the airport

The main international airport in Stockholm, Arlanda Airport, is located 40 km north of Stockholm. From there, you can go to Stockholm either by bus, train, taxi or Uber. 

  • Airport coaches (Flygbussarna or Swebus) depart every 10-15 minutes from Arlanda to Stockholm (Cityterminalen/Centralstation). The journey takes about 50 minutes. For more information about long-distance bus lines, please visit Cityterminalen.
  • The Arlanda Express train takes you between Arlanda and Stockholm Central Station in 20 minutes (Arlanda express). You can also go by regular train lines, either with the national train company SJ or the local commuter train SL.
  • A number of taxi companies have fixed prices to and from Arlanda (for example Taxi Stockholm or Taxi Kurir).

Stockholm Skavsta Airport is located 100 km south of Stockholm. Airport coaches (Flygbussarna) depart once or twice an hour from Skavsta Airport to Stockholm city (Cityterminalen). The journey to Stockholm city takes about 80 minutes.

All airport trains and buses to Stockholm arrive to the Central Station/Cityterminalen. From Stockholm city (Cityterminalen) you can easily reach all the underground- and commuter train lines, many bus lines, as well as taxis. Uber taxis are available within the Stockholm area (instructions on how to download the app here).

Flight tickets and transportation

As soon as you have booked your trip to Stockholm please send an e-mail to the International coordination team at the Swedish Red Cross University at ic@rkh.se and inform us when you are coming!

Students from countries outside Europe  will get picked up at the airport by taxi. European students are responsible to arrange for their transportation to their housing.

Students that will get their flight tickets arranged by the Swedish Red Cross University, must send a passport copy, including an indication of first, middle- and surname, as soon as they have been elected for studies with us. Please send this information to ic@rkh.se. 

Visa

Students that are not from an EU/EEA country must apply for a visa at a Swedish embassy or consulate in their home country prior to departure. Please note that issuing processes may be long, which is why it is important to start the visa application as soon as possible after you receive the notification of your acceptance to the Swedish Red Cross University. More specific information on documentation requirements can be found on the Swedish Migration Board’s (Migrationsverket) website.

For Swedish diplomatic missions abroad, see Sweden Abroad.

For a list of foreign embassies and consulates in Stockholm, visit Embassies Abroad.

Housing

Finding housing in Stockholm can be a challenge and it is both hard to find a place to stay inside the city, and expensive to rent. The public transportation system, however, is very efficient and students are encouraged to look for apartments or rooms a little further outside. Due to the large distances (Stockholm is not a populous city but due to the many islands it is rather stretched-out) it is not uncommon that travel times to school or the workplace vary between at least 30 minutes to an hour. 

In order to find housing we encourage you to contact the International coordination team at the Swedish Red Cross University since we sometimes have contacts who rent rooms. You are, however, also welcome to search for places in the following web pages.

Links for student housing

Short-term housing

Private host arrangements

Other websites with private housing advertisements

There are several websites with private advertisements. Most of the advertisements are legitimate and serious. However, frauds occur, so please remember to be careful when you look for housing in Stockholm. Do not pay anything in advance if the person does not have a Swedish bank account, can't show the flat or room in person and/or can't provide you with a written proof from the landlord that they are allowed to rent out their flat or room. We recommend that you only pay in advance if you are using a real estate agency (they usually charge a service fee). The following websites provide private housing advertisments:

For further tips on how to avoid scams, and other useful information, please visit Moving2stockholm.

Insurance

The Swedish Red Cross University insurance coverage for incoming exchange students is limited to general liability insurance and accident insurance during study hours at the Swedish Red Cross University.

The student must arrange for her/his own insurance coverage, including: health, accident (outside study hours) and housing. All incoming exchange students are responsible to make sure that they are appropriately covered by insurance during their study period at our university college and they will be asked to show insurance coverage before arrival to the Swedish Red Cross University.

Important! Electronic ID

At your clinical placement, you will need an electronic ID issued by the Stockholm City Council, that will be ordered before your arrival. In order to obtain the electronic ID, we need to receive a passport copy from you, with its authenticity confirmed by a witness signing the copy, at least 5 weeks prior to your arrival.

This is what you need to do:

  • Copy the photo page of your passport
  • Ask your international coordinator (or someone else) to write for example: THIS COPY IS TRUE TO THE ORIGINAL, and sign their name on the copy  
  • Scan the witnessed copy (photos of copy are not valid), and send by e-mail to ic@rkh.se.
  • Only if we receive your e-mail five weeks before your arrival, you will get your e-ID on time.

You will then receive information about how to book an appointment in order to collect your e-ID. A mentor student will assist you personally and it is important that both you and the mentor bring your identifications to the appointment.

Health clearance

A Health Clearance is required of all students attending  placement on a healthcare programme within Stockholm County Council (SLL). The International coordination team at the Swedish Red Cross University will send you instructions about this  before your exchange studies. 

Upon arrival in Stockholm you will bring your health clearance to  the Student Health Centre at Karolinska Institutet (KI) where you will also make a MRSA test. Click here for more information about MRSA and MRSA-screening.

Student mentors

All incoming exchange students at the Swedish Red Cross University will get a local student at the Swedish Red Cross University as student mentor. The student mentor will contact you before your arrival to Sweden. Upon arrival s/he will help you find the way to the university and to the clinical placement, to the student health centre and to other places.

Other practical aspects

  • Bring warm clothing, especially if you will study in Sweden during the winter. Although not that common, the temperature can drop to about -20 degrees Celsius!
  • Bring an electronic adapter to make sure you can use your electronic devices while you are in Sweden
  • Sweden is a multicultural society and although Swedish is the main language, you might also benefit from knowledge in, for instance, Arabic, Persian and Turkish