Sunil RaoOn 26 August 2026, the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) published an official policy statement clarifying how the agency implements Sweden's new statutory reporting obligation (informationsplikten, officially codified in law as uppgiftsskyldighet).
The new reporting duty, which came into force on 13 July 2026 following Parliament's adoption of Government Bill Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet (2025/26:263), mandates six major state authorities to inform the Swedish Police (Polisen) if they encounter individuals who can be assumed to lack the legal right to reside in Sweden.
Following intense public and political debate regarding whether healthcare staff and birth registries would be turned into an enforcement mechanism, Skatteverket has drawn a firm legal boundary: birth notifications will not be used to report newborn children or their parents to the police.
1. Key Facts: Sweden's New Reporting Duty (Uppgiftsskyldighet)
The legislation introduced targeted amendments to the Swedish Aliens Act (Utlänningslagen 2005:716), establishing structured data-sharing between government bodies to combat the shadow economy while preserving fundamental civil registration functions.
| Administrative Area | Skatteverket Legal Handling | Police Notification Mandate? |
|---|---|---|
| Birth Notifications (Födelseanmälan) | Only records birth date, place, gender, and mother. Does not collect legal stay data. | NO (No routine reporting) |
| Population Register (Folkbokföring of Newborns) | Automatic registration if at least one guardian is registered (folkbokförd) in Sweden. | NO (Independent of legal stay) |
| Unregistered Parents (Non-Folkbokförda) | Issues documentation so parents can obtain foreign passports from home embassies. | NO (No address data collected) |
| Workplace Crime Inspections (Arbetslivskriminalitet) | Joint multi-agency raids targeting unauthorized labor and fraudulent subcontracting. | YES (Mandatory police referral) |
| Residence Audits (Bosättningskontroller) | Targeted audits on fraudulent population registrations and welfare benefit exploitation. | YES (If illegal stay is verified) |
2. Birth Registrations & Newborns: Why the Police Are Not Notified
During the parliamentary debate, healthcare professionals, municipal workers, and human rights advocates expressed deep concern that undocumented mothers would avoid hospitals and prenatal care out of fear that registering a newborn would trigger automatic deportation procedures.
Skatteverket's official legal stance directly addresses and clarifies these concerns:
- No Stay Status Collected: When a hospital or midwife submits a birth notification (födelseanmälan) to Skatteverket, the standard form contains only medical and maternal metadata. Skatteverket caseworkers do not request, verify, or process residence permit status during birth handling.
- Healthcare Staff Are Not Informants: Skatteverket explicitly confirmed that healthcare providers reporting a birth are fulfilling a vital civil vital statistics function, not reporting their patients to law enforcement.
- Automatic folbokföring for Registered Families: If either parent is already registered in the Swedish Population Register (folkbokförd), the newborn is automatically registered from birth. This registration occurs independently of whether a parent's temporary permit is currently under renewal or review at Migrationsverket.
- Embassy Documentation for Non-Registered Families: When neither parent is registered in Sweden, Skatteverket registers only the birth fact (date, location, gender, maternal relation). This certificate allows parents to register the birth with their national embassy and apply for a passport, without Skatteverket gathering or sharing local residential address data.
3. Where the Reporting Duty Applies: Workplace Crime & Organized Fraud
While birth registrations are insulated from immigration reporting, Skatteverket emphasized that the new reporting duty is actively operational across its economic inspection divisions.
A. Multi-Agency Workplace Inspections (Arbetslivskriminalitet)
Skatteverket participates in national joint enforcement teams alongside the Swedish Police, the Swedish Work Environment Authority (Arbetsmiljöverket), and the Swedish Gender Equality Agency.
When unannounced inspections at construction sites, cleaning companies, restaurant kitchens, and logistics hubs reveal employers using unauthorized workers without work permits or paying sub-minimum wages under false tax declarations, Skatteverket is now legally mandated under the amended Aliens Act to submit a direct notice to the Police.
B. Organized Crime & Identity Fraud
Skatteverket actively investigates criminal networks that register fictitious employees or create "paper companies" to exploit tax deductions (such as fraudulent ROT/RUT claims or false payroll tax declarations). Where undocumented individuals are exploited as part of broader organized schemes, data is systematically transferred to the Police.
C. Residence Audits (Bosättningskontroller)
In cases where Skatteverket conducts in-depth residence investigations into suspected false registrations (e.g. dozens of individuals registered at a single studio apartment to claim social welfare or child benefits), findings of unauthorized residence will be reported to the Police.
Practical Case Study: How Skatteverket Distinguishes Civil Services from Enforcement
Scenario 1 (Maternity Care): Leila, whose temporary visa expired while awaiting a family permit decision, gives birth at Karolinska University Hospital. The hospital submits the birth notification to Skatteverket.
Result: Skatteverket processes the birth certificate without checking Leila's visa status. No notification is sent to the Police.
Scenario 2 (Workplace Audit): Skatteverket auditors inspect a construction subcontractor in Malmö and discover three workers without Swedish work permits or EU right of residence working off-the-books.
Result: Under Section 263 of the amended Aliens Act, Skatteverket immediately files a formal notification with the Police regarding unauthorized employment and illegal stay.
4. What This Means for Legal Expats and International Workers
For international professionals, EU citizens, and expat families residing in Sweden legally:
- Standard Civil Services Remain Confidential: Ordinary interactions with Skatteverket—including annual tax returns (Inkomstdeklaration 1), changing your address (flyttanmälan), registering marriage certificates, or applying for ID cards—remain standard civil administrative processes.
- Permit Renewals: If your work permit or residence permit is currently being processed for extension by Migrationsverket, you retain legal right of residence during the processing window under Swedish law and are not subject to police reporting.
- F-skatt and Sole Trader Registrations: Legitimate entrepreneurs registering an Aktiebolag or Enskild firma must continue to provide valid Swedish identity documentation and proof of tax registration as usual.
NordDaily Tips
Actionable Advice: Always ensure your population registration address (folkbokföringsadress) reflects your actual physical home. Registering at a temporary friend's address or failing to report a move can trigger automated residence audits (bosättningskontroller) and delay important official notices from Skatteverket and Försäkringskassan.
Sources & Legal References
- Skatteverket — Så hanterar Skatteverket den nya informationsplikten (26 August 2026): skatteverket.se
- Swedish Parliament (Riksdagen) — Proposition 2025/26:263 Stärkt återvändandeverksamhet: riksdagen.se
- Swedish Aliens Act (Utlänningslagen 2005:716): riksdagen.se
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Frequently asked questions
What is the new Swedish agency reporting duty (informationsplikten / uppgiftsskyldighet)?
Effective 13 July 2026 under amendments to the Swedish Aliens Act (Utlänningslagen 2005:716), six government agencies—including Skatteverket, the Police, the Migration Agency, the Public Employment Service, the Enforcement Authority, and the Prison Service—are legally required to share information with the Police if it is assumed an individual lacks legal right of residence in Sweden.
Will Skatteverket report newborn babies or undocumented parents to the Police?
No. Skatteverket officially clarified on 26 August 2026 that birth notifications (födelseanmälan) do not contain residence permit data. Skatteverket will not ask for or collect legal stay status during birth registration, and submitting a birth notification does not constitute a police report.
Does a newborn baby receive a Swedish Personnummer if parents are not Swedish citizens?
If at least one parent/guardian is registered in the Swedish Population Register (folkbokförd), Skatteverket registers the child in the population register and issues a Personnummer from birth, regardless of citizenship or temporary permit status.
What happens if neither parent is registered in the Swedish population register?
If neither parent is folkbokförd, Skatteverket records only the child's birth date, place of birth, gender, and mother's identity. This documentation is issued so parents can obtain passports from their home country embassy. Skatteverket does not collect or track the family's physical address in Sweden for these records.
In which situations will Skatteverket report individuals to the Police under the new law?
Skatteverket will primarily apply the reporting obligation during joint workplace crime inspections (arbetslivskriminalitet) and anti-organized crime operations, where rogue employers illegally exploit undocumented workers, as well as during targeted residence audits (bosättningskontroller).
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