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Home > Immigration > Residency Permits
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General Information:
If you wish to move here to live with a close relative who is already a Swedish resident, you must have a residence permit of your own. This applies for instance if you are married or cohabiting or intend to marry or cohabit with someone who is permanently resident in Sweden. It also applies to unmarried children under 18.
When applying for a residence permit you must present your application to a Swedish embassy or a Swedish consulate yourself. Your relative in Sweden cannot apply on your behalf.
Make sure you fill in all the particulars on the form. You should also ensure that you supply the correct address to your relative in Sweden.
If you are married or cohabiting or intend to marry or cohabit with someone who is permanently resident in Sweden
Once you have presented your application, you will be summoned to an interview at the embassy or consulate. You should take along some form of documentation proving your relationship to the person concerned in Sweden, such as letters, photographs or the marriage certificate. You must also take along your passport and two passport photographs.
If you are under 18 years of age, unmarried and your parents are resident in Sweden you must be able to show that you lived together in your country of origin/domicile before your parent or parents moved to Sweden. If you are a parent or some other close relative of a person who is now resident in Sweden.
In exceptional cases, other relatives may qualify for residence permits by reason of family ties. You must be able to show that you lived together with your relative immediately prior to his/her move to Sweden and that you are dependent on that person in such a way that it is difficult for you to live apart. This means that you must be financially, socially or emotionally dependent on the relative who lives in Sweden. You should apply for a residence permit fairly soon (not more than 8 months) after the date your relative was granted a residence permit in Sweden.
A relative of a refugee or of a person who has been granted asylum for some other reason can, in exceptional cases, be granted a Swedish residence permit if the two have had a very close relationship, even if they have not lived together in their former country of domicile.
Where do I apply?
You apply for a residence permit at a Swedish embassy or a Swedish consulate in your country of origin or in your country of domicile. The addresses of Swedish embassies/consulates are listed here.
If you want to renew your permit, you apply at one of the Migration Board's offices in Sweden. The addresses are available here. Remember to apply in good time.
What does it cost to apply?
You may be required to pay an application fee. If your application is denied, the fee will not be refunded. You can read about the fees In a special information sheet.
Who decides my case?
The embassy or consulate sends yours application to us at the Migration Board in Sweden and we decide whether or not you are to be granted a residence permit. The residence permit must be entered in your passport before your arrival in Sweden. You cannot travel to Sweden and wait for a decision here. The embassy or consulate to which you submitted your application will notify you of our decision. Your relative in Sweden will be informed of the decision by post.
How long will I have to wait for a decision?
It can take a long time for a decision to be reached. Once you have presented your application, the embassy/consulate will summon you for a personal interview. At some embassies/consulates you may have to wait several months for this interview. When the interview has taken place, the embassy/consulate forwards your application to the Swedish Migration Board for a decision. This may take up to four weeks. The Migration Board then makes additional inquiries, either by inviting the relative in Sweden to a personal interview or by sending him/her a questionnaire by post. The questions must be answered in writing and sent back to the Migration Board.
The Migration Board almost never gives an applicant special priority. The only exceptions are in the case of persons in an advanced state of pregnancy or seriously ill, or in the case of a minor who has no custodian in his/her country of domicile. In such cases, the relative in Sweden has to write to the Migration Board and request priority treatment (förtur) and also supply documentation supporting the grounds given. Clickhere
to read one real life experience timeline for obtaining a Residence permit.
How long is a permit valid?
If you lived together with your relative in your country of origin/domicile, the Migration Board will normally grant you a permanent residence permit (PUT). This entitles you to live in Sweden for as long as you like.
If you did not live with your relative in your country of origin/domicile but intend to set up home together on your arrival here, the Migration Board will normally grant you a permit for 12 months (in some cases for six months). You then have to apply for an extension to your permit. If you are still living together, your permit will be extended for a further 12 months (or six months).
If you are of working age, you will automatically be granted a work permit as well. When you have had a limited residence permit for two years and your relationship is still intact, you will be granted a permanent residence permit.
How do I renew my permit?
If you wish to apply for an extension to a residence permit of limited duration, you must submit your application to one of the Migration Board offices in Sweden. You can also collect the application form there. Make sure you supply all the particulars in your application and don't forget to enclose a civic registration certificate (personbevis) and a copy of your passport (all pages). The civic registration certificate can be requisitioned from the Swedish Tax Office's automatic answering service, tel +46 020-567 000.
Your application will be processed quicker if you have provided all the particulars requested on the form.
The processing period varies from office to office. If you would like to know how long you will have to wait at the office to which you will be submitting your application, you can find the phone number in the telephone directory or here.
Can I appeal if the Migration Board turns down my application?
If the Migration Board decides not to grant you a residence permit, you may lodge an appeal with the Aliens Appeals Board (Utlänningsnämnden). This must be done in writing within three weeks of the date on which you received notice of the decision. Send your appeal to the Migration Board - Migrationsverket, SE 601 70 Norrköping, Sweden. The Migration Board then goes through your case once again to see whether your appeal contains information that would cause it to revise its decision. If it finds no relevant new information, it forwards your appeal to the Aliens Appeals Board in Stockholm. If your relative in Sweden has been authorized to represent you, he or she may write the letter of appeal and send it in.
The Schengen Agreement
The rules in the Schengen Agreement on travel within the Schengen zone now apply in Sweden as well. One result is that people with Swedish residence permits can travel freely throughout the zone for a period of three months without first applying for a visa. All travellers must have a valid passport and be able to prove their identities.
The countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
Further information
For further information on Swedish residence permits by reason of family ties, contact the nearest Swedish embassy or consulate or the Swedish Migration Board - Migrationsverket, Ambassadenheten, SE 601 70 Norrköping, Sweden
Real life example for obtaining a Residence Permit
Click here to read a timeline of an American obtaining a Residence Permit for Sweden which was based on him having a Swedish girlfriend.
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