I’m the type of person who thrives with projects that have a clear step-by-step progression. I’m okay with pivoting when necessary, but when everything falls into place and the actions I take are successful, it’s almost a high.
Add to this “high” something I have dreamed about for over 40 years finally becoming closer to reality, and I’m just about bursting with excitement.
The Big Day
Last week I caught BART to downtown San Francisco, visited the Swedish Consulate for the third time, and finally picked up my Swedish passport.
I made the appointment with a little bit of hope since I hadn’t received confirmation that my passport was ready for pickup. My appointment to submit the passport application, get my photo taken, and have biometrics entered was on September 11th. I was told it would take at least 4-6 weeks for processing, so I felt safe making my pickup appointment for November 6th. I received the email from the Swedish Polis on October 2nd, 2025 – it only took three weeks! (Passports are processed by the police department in Sweden.)
The morning of the appointment, I was so excited I could barely get any work done. The appointment window is only 15 minutes and I wanted to be sure I was on time, taking into consideration finding parking and then taking the train. Of course it all went off smoothly and I entered the building just 10 minutes before my appointment. (In my world, on time is too late. I’m always early.)
Visiting the Swedish Consulate is always interesting. It’s in a large office building in downtown San Francisco that houses all manner of business ventures and other consulates. I had to check in at the lobby desk where they confirmed the appointment and provided me with a name sticker. Then comes the weird part where my “old person” brain kicks in: the elevator is… uh… different. Instead of buttons inside where you select your floor, you enter the destination floor on a keypad and wait for your specific elevator that takes you to your pre-selected floor. Of course I’ve messed this up in the past, ending up on a random floor with no clue how to get where I’m going. Times like that make me question my cognitive abilities!
The Moment
I could barely believe it. Seeing that rich burgundy-colored cover was beyond exciting. Finally having a halfway decent passport photo was a bonus! The passport is weighty with more plastic pages containing biometric information and a weird little window cut out to only show my mouth and nose. My husband laughed out loud when I showed him. Apparently it’s for facial recognition without the distraction of the eyes? Or something… Whatever it is, I have it and I’m excited!
What This Passport Really Means
When the consulate representative placed my passport on the metal tray between their booth and the outside office, I still could barely believe it was real. I half expected to open it and see it was for someone else. But sure enough, it was definitely my information and my photos.
My signature was a digital image which I had to replicate with a pen in front of the consulate rep. I included my middle name, which I now had to add to a signature I’ve been doing since I was 13 years old. My brain struggled with adding that middle name! My first and last names have 4 letters each while my middle name is 9 characters. I did my best and it matched well enough that I was sent on my way.
Holding that passport, the first word that came to mind was “escape.” I’m not really sure why, because we have a lovely life in the San Francisco Bay Area with great friends, great jobs, and a comfortable way of life. We are not marginalized in our community at all. What exactly are we escaping from?
A better word would probably be “options,” because that is really what this passport means to me. Not only do I have immediate rights to move to Sweden at any time, I could also settle in any EU country if I so choose. Sweden is the natural choice since I already speak the language and my family is there. Moving overseas is significantly eased when there is family to help with bureaucracy, as well as tips for apartment and job hunting. For now, the plan is to move to Sweden, and this passport gets us as close as we can get until we establish our budget and timeline.
The Practical Freedoms
To break down what finally reaching this goal actually means, I can now:
- Live and work anywhere in the EU without permits or visa requirements
- Access the Swedish healthcare system when we move
- Vote in Swedish elections and participate fully in civic life
- Travel freely through 27 EU countries without restrictions
- Establish residency immediately when we’re ready to move
This isn’t just symbolic – it’s the key that unlocks our entire future plan.
Celebrating the Moment
The first thing I did when I left the Consulate was run across the street to See’s Candy to buy some celebratory treats to bring home. I started babbling to the clerk about my journey and getting my passport and how I was celebrating with candy. He seemed bemused if nothing else.
I then descended into the BART station for the quick ride under the Bay, back to our home, and back to working. Working from home has its benefits.
While on the train, I texted a photo of my new passport to friends. Nice to know they’re happy for me! The entire ride home I worried I would drop the passport somehow. I wanted to take it out and look at it more closely but was too paranoid. I kept placing my hand inside my purse to feel for the passport, and each time I touched it, I felt a new level of excitement.
The Journey to This Moment
I reflected on the patience and fortitude it took to press through all the steps to finally get to this place. Looking back in my email history, I’ve wanted to explore Swedish citizenship for at least 10 years. The process seemed overwhelming and lacked certainty, so I kept putting it off. But after one particularly wonderful family visit to Sweden, I became obsessed with at least trying to make this happen.
It took me a year to gather the information needed, fill out the form completely, and finally mail off the packet. I know it took longer than it should have because I was scared – and fear is the enemy of any progress. From sending off that packet in early December 2023 to now, it’s been nearly two years of ups and downs. I would be hopeful, then resigned to it never happening.
Waiting for something like this is incredibly difficult because my future depended on the result. I had to keep reminding myself: at least now I’ll know. At least I finally did it and whatever happens, I know I gave it my best shot.
What’s Next
Now that I hold this passport in my hands, the dream shifts from “maybe someday” to “here’s the plan.” Nick and I still have work to do – establishing our moving budget, finalizing our timeline, navigating his immigration process as a US-only citizen. But this passport means I’m no longer planning to move to Sweden “if” everything works out.
I’m planning to move to Sweden. Period.
The steps ahead are clearer now: continue building our housing queue days, research job opportunities, plan our finances for the transition. But holding this burgundy passport, I finally feel like a Swedish citizen – not just someone with a letter saying I always was one.
Forty years of dreaming. Two years of bureaucracy. Three weeks of waiting for this specific document.
And now? Now we can actually make this happen.