Many Estonian war refugees made their way to Sweden first before moving along to North America. This year, 2009, marks the year that the first wave of their children, born in Sweden but living elsewhere, reach pension age. Many of those children did not necessarily get a birth certificate while in Sweden, as times were different. However, in order to apply for pension benefits abroad they require documentation including proof of age.
A reader found himself in that precise situation, and kindly forwarded to us the results of his efforts. Perhaps they may be of assistance to other “boomers.” The following advice is courtesy of the Swedish Foreign Ministry,
To obtain a copy of your birth certificate in English please follow these steps:
The department in Sweden that looks after the registration of births etc is called the skatteverket department, Swedish Tax Agency. Log into your computer and follow the steps below:
www.skatteverket.se Click on
"Folkbokföring" Click on
"Personbevis for utskrift" Click on
"kontakta oss" (bottom of page) Click on
"Skatteverket, lokal kontoren" From this you would select the area where the birth occurred ( i.e. Norrköping, Göteborg, Jonköping, Stockholm etc.)
An email address should show up in which case you would email the contact there and ask them for "An Extract of the population registry" in English (provide your full name, mothers name, place of birth etc)
There is a phone number that you can also call if required: 011 46 771-778-778
Some of our older subscribers, who worked in Sweden before moving to Canada, receive a Swedish pension and have found their government agencies most helpful and quick to respond to concerns. The birth certificate question is but another example of an efficient and polite bureaucracy. Only in Sweden… pity!
