Personal identity number (Sweden)
Encyclopedia
The personal identity number is the Swedish
national identification number
. When it was introduced in 1947 it was probably the first of its kind covering the total resident population of a country (The US number
is older, but it did not cover the whole population). Numbers are issued by the Swedish Tax Agency
(Swedish: Skatteverket) as part of the population register
(Swedish: Folkbokföring).
The number is used by authorities, by health care, schools and universities (both public-run and private), by banks and insurance companies. Other companies often ask for it in return for a post-paid service, like a telephone subscription, to be able to check e.g. the person's credit record or address or if needed to perform debt collection.
The link between a person and the identity number is established through the civil registry
and through identity document
s and secondarily through the widespread use of the number in various contacts with authorities, businesses etc. They are necessary for personal service at banks, authorities, health care and other services which use the personal identity number. Most people are familiar with their full number and those of e.g. their children without hesitation. Personal identity numbers of individuals are openly available from the Swedish tax authorities to anyone who asks (over phone, letter, over the desk, but not over the internet), according to the Swedish principle of freedom of information
. Redistribution of these numbers using computers are however governed by the law of personal details, an implementation of the Data Protection Directive.
The personal identity number consists of 10 digits and a hyphen
. The first six correspond to the person's birthday
, in YYMMDD form. They are followed by a hyphen. People over the age of 100
replace the hyphen with a plus sign
. The seventh through ninth are a serial number
. An odd
ninth number is assigned to males and an even
ninth number is assigned to females. Some county authorities, such as Stockholm
, and some banks, have started using 12 digit numbers to allow YYYYMMDD. This format is also used on some Swedish ID-cards
and on the Swedish European Health Insurance Card
s but not on state-issued identity documents.
Up to 1990, the seventh and eighth digits were correlated with the county where the bearer of the number was born or (if born before 1947) where he/she had been living, according to tax records, on January 1, 1947, with a special code (usually 9 as 7th digit) for immigrants.
The tenth digit is a checksum
which was introduced in 1967 when the system was computerized. Originally, when the personal identity number was introduced, it had nine digits and the seventh and eighth denoted the county
(Swedish: län) in which the subject was born or had been living in 1947 - see above. The seventh digit was 9 for foreign born. This system was replaced with the current system in 1990. Everyone however keeps their number and it is not hard to find out someone's number if you know the birth date, the birth county and the checksum algorithm. Even easier is to call the tax authority and ask, since the personal identity number is public information.
With citizens and other persons born in Sweden, the identity number is issued soon after the birth of a child has been reported by (normally) the parents and medical professionals. In exceptional cases, the number may be changed later in life, typically because the date of birth or the registration of gender of the child were in error. If a person undergoes full gender reassignment surgery later in life, the serial number is changed to make the 'gender digit' (no. 9) conform with their new physical sex. Changes in the records of who were someone's biological parents do not affect the number, which has nothing to do with family circumstances.
A review on the Swedish Personal Identity Number was published in 2009 by medical researchers and representatives of the Tax authority, Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare.
People who have no Swedish personal identity number or co-ordination number but need health care, e.g. foreign tourists, unconscious people, newborn children and some more, will get a reserve number which is temporary and used only for the health care. They have the birth date (if known) and four more digits that can't be a real identity number.
Also, all organisations and companies have organisation numbers . They look like personal identity numbers but have a "month" number of 20 or higher. They are used for tax purposes etc. and have to be printed on receipts.
gives
The sum
has the last digit of 
. That is then subtracted from ten to give the value: 
; the checksum is the last digit (in this example, the only digit) of this: 
If the sum had been
, then subtraction of the last digit 
from 
would give the value 
. The last digit of this is 
which would be the resulting checksum.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
national identification number
National identification number
A national identification number, national identity number, or national insurance number is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other...
. When it was introduced in 1947 it was probably the first of its kind covering the total resident population of a country (The US number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
is older, but it did not cover the whole population). Numbers are issued by the Swedish Tax Agency
Swedish Tax Agency
The Swedish Tax Agency is a government agency in Sweden responsible for national tax collection and administering the population registration....
(Swedish: Skatteverket) as part of the population register
Population registration in Sweden
Population registration in Sweden is the civil registration of vital events of the inhabitants of Sweden. The data is kept in the population registry and is administered by the Swedish Tax Agency...
(Swedish: Folkbokföring).
The number is used by authorities, by health care, schools and universities (both public-run and private), by banks and insurance companies. Other companies often ask for it in return for a post-paid service, like a telephone subscription, to be able to check e.g. the person's credit record or address or if needed to perform debt collection.
The link between a person and the identity number is established through the civil registry
Civil registry
Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database is called civil register or registry, or population registry. The primary purpose of civil registration is to create legal documents that are used to...
and through identity document
Identity document
An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
s and secondarily through the widespread use of the number in various contacts with authorities, businesses etc. They are necessary for personal service at banks, authorities, health care and other services which use the personal identity number. Most people are familiar with their full number and those of e.g. their children without hesitation. Personal identity numbers of individuals are openly available from the Swedish tax authorities to anyone who asks (over phone, letter, over the desk, but not over the internet), according to the Swedish principle of freedom of information
Freedom of information
Freedom of information refers to the protection of the right to freedom of expression with regards to the Internet and information technology . Freedom of information may also concern censorship in an information technology context, i.e...
. Redistribution of these numbers using computers are however governed by the law of personal details, an implementation of the Data Protection Directive.
The personal identity number consists of 10 digits and a hyphen
Hyphen
The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes , which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign which is also longer...
. The first six correspond to the person's birthday
Birthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...
, in YYMMDD form. They are followed by a hyphen. People over the age of 100
Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...
replace the hyphen with a plus sign
Plus and minus signs
The plus and minus signs are mathematical symbols used to represent the notions of positive and negative as well as the operations of addition and subtraction. Their use has been extended to many other meanings, more or less analogous...
. The seventh through ninth are a serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
. An odd
Even and odd numbers
In mathematics, the parity of an object states whether it is even or odd.This concept begins with integers. An even number is an integer that is "evenly divisible" by 2, i.e., divisible by 2 without remainder; an odd number is an integer that is not evenly divisible by 2...
ninth number is assigned to males and an even
Even and odd numbers
In mathematics, the parity of an object states whether it is even or odd.This concept begins with integers. An even number is an integer that is "evenly divisible" by 2, i.e., divisible by 2 without remainder; an odd number is an integer that is not evenly divisible by 2...
ninth number is assigned to females. Some county authorities, such as Stockholm
Stockholm County
Stockholm County is a county or län on the Baltic sea coast of Sweden. It borders Uppsala County and Södermanland County. It also borders Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The city of Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. Stockholm County is divided by the historic provinces of Uppland and Södermanland...
, and some banks, have started using 12 digit numbers to allow YYYYMMDD. This format is also used on some Swedish ID-cards
Identity documents in Sweden
There are several identity documents used in Sweden. None are compulsory by law, meaning that there is no formal penalty for not possessing one. Certified identification cards are issued by the tax agency. The police issues passports and national identity cards, but only for Swedish citizens...
and on the Swedish European Health Insurance Card
European Health Insurance Card
The European Health Insurance Card is issued free of charge and allows anyone who is insured by or covered by a statutory social security scheme of the EEA countries and Switzerland to receive medical treatment in another member state for free or at a reduced cost, if that treatment becomes...
s but not on state-issued identity documents.
Up to 1990, the seventh and eighth digits were correlated with the county where the bearer of the number was born or (if born before 1947) where he/she had been living, according to tax records, on January 1, 1947, with a special code (usually 9 as 7th digit) for immigrants.
The tenth digit is a checksum
Checksum
A checksum or hash sum is a fixed-size datum computed from an arbitrary block of digital data for the purpose of detecting accidental errors that may have been introduced during its transmission or storage. The integrity of the data can be checked at any later time by recomputing the checksum and...
which was introduced in 1967 when the system was computerized. Originally, when the personal identity number was introduced, it had nine digits and the seventh and eighth denoted the county
Counties of Sweden
The Counties of Sweden are the first level administrative and political subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is divided into 21 counties. The counties were established in 1634 on Count Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, superseding the historical provinces of Sweden to introduce a modern administration...
(Swedish: län) in which the subject was born or had been living in 1947 - see above. The seventh digit was 9 for foreign born. This system was replaced with the current system in 1990. Everyone however keeps their number and it is not hard to find out someone's number if you know the birth date, the birth county and the checksum algorithm. Even easier is to call the tax authority and ask, since the personal identity number is public information.
With citizens and other persons born in Sweden, the identity number is issued soon after the birth of a child has been reported by (normally) the parents and medical professionals. In exceptional cases, the number may be changed later in life, typically because the date of birth or the registration of gender of the child were in error. If a person undergoes full gender reassignment surgery later in life, the serial number is changed to make the 'gender digit' (no. 9) conform with their new physical sex. Changes in the records of who were someone's biological parents do not affect the number, which has nothing to do with family circumstances.
A review on the Swedish Personal Identity Number was published in 2009 by medical researchers and representatives of the Tax authority, Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare.
Similar identity numbers
People who have no Swedish personal identity number can receive a co-ordination number instead. It is issued by the Tax Agency at the request of a public agency. It is used for contact between a person and an agency which would otherwise require the use of a personal identity number, for example for people staying less than a year in the country or for Swedish citizens who have never been residents of Sweden. It is structured along the same lines, but with the day in the date of birth advanced by 60 (giving a number between 61 and 91).People who have no Swedish personal identity number or co-ordination number but need health care, e.g. foreign tourists, unconscious people, newborn children and some more, will get a reserve number which is temporary and used only for the health care. They have the birth date (if known) and four more digits that can't be a real identity number.
Also, all organisations and companies have organisation numbers . They look like personal identity numbers but have a "month" number of 20 or higher. They are used for tax purposes etc. and have to be printed on receipts.
Checksum
To calculate the checksum, multiply the individual digits in the identity number and 212121-212. The resulting products (a two digit product, such as 16, would be converted to 1 + 6) are added together. The checksum is the last digit of 10 minus the last digit in this sum (note that if the last digit of the sum is zero, the checksum is 0).Example
givesThe sum
has the last digit of . That is then subtracted from ten to give the value: ; the checksum is the last digit (in this example, the only digit) of this: If the sum had been
, then subtraction of the last digit from would give the value . The last digit of this is which would be the resulting checksum.