Work permit requirements – information for employers

Information about the regulations that apply to prospective employees for obtaining a work permit, and your role as an employer.

Swedish (svenska)
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Is the person covered by special rules?

The requirements listed on this page apply to general work permits. For certain professions and countries, special rules apply. You will find them in this list:

Is the person already in Sweden?

The main rule is that the person you are going to hire must apply for and have their permit ready before the trip to Sweden. However, some can submit their application for a work permit here in Sweden:

Work permit requi­re­ments

Advertise for a minimum of ten days

You must advertise the position in Sweden and within EU/EES and Switzerland for a minimum of ten days. The requirement for advertising is due to the fact that the recruitment procedure must be compatible with Sweden's commitments within the EU. See chapter 6 cap 2§ of the Aliens Act (in Swedish) External link, opens in new window..

Read more about advertising on the page When you are employing someone

Sign an employment contract

Sign an employment contract with the employee. It must be signed by both parties. Read about what an employment contract should contain.

Agree with the employee on terms of employment and salary for a good live­li­hood

Employment conditions and salary must be at least at the same level as Swedish collective agreements or what is customary in the profession or industry. The employment must also make it possible for the employee to achieve a good livelihood. This means that the employee must have a monthly salary that amounts to at least 80 percent of the median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) and which was valid at the time of application. Read about current maintenance requirements here.

Arrange insurances

In the application, you must state which insurance policies you intend to take out for the employee in connection with the employee starting employment with you. Once the employment begins, the insurance must been valid. Read more about insurance.

Provide infor­ma­tion about the employment

You must provide information about the employment and allow the relevant trade union to provide a statement of opinion regarding the terms of employment. Read more on the page When you are employing someone.

In order for the Swedish Migration Agency to assess whether the employment meets the conditions for a work permit an employment contract should contain, among other things, the following information:

  • the employee’s name and address
  • the employer’s name and address
  • information about the workplace
  • brief description of tasks and title
  • form of employment (permanent, fixed-term or probationary employment)
  • start date of employment or time of start
  • notice period, length of probationary period or end of employment
  • salary, other salary benefits and how often the salary is to be paid
  • working hours
  • what applies to overtime or additional hours and payment for such work
  • vacation days or vacation pay
  • which collective agreement applies if the employer has signed a collective agreement.

You can avoid extra proces­sing through a flex­ible start to the employment

If the processing of your case takes time, the start date you specified in the employment contract may be passed. Then the Swedish Migration Agency may need to obtain a new start date from you - something that risks extending the processing time.

To avoid this, you can formulate the employment contract so that it does not specify a specific start date, but instead states that the employment starts from the day the Swedish Migration Agency grants the work permit.

Certain industries are subject to more stringent control

You who are hiring in cleaning, hotels and restaurants, construction, trade, agriculture and forestry, car repair, service, staffing, personal assistance and newly started businesses in all industries are subject to more stringent control. This means that, for example, you need to attach more documents when you start an application for a work permit.

Read more about certain indu­stries are subject to more strin­gent control

A company is considered newly established if the company has been operational less than a year. If you have a newly established company, you must, in addition to meeting the general requirements, also document how the company is able to guarantee the salary for the person applying for a work permit.

Newly established companies registered in a non-EU country but which operate in Sweden must have a subsidiary branch registered in Sweden. The subsidiary branch is responsible for documenting the applicable terms of employment when the information about the employment is provided, as well as providing further information to the Migration Agency where necessary.

Are you going to hire someone who has had a work permit in Sweden and want to apply for an extended work permit?

In the case of an application for an extension of a work permit, the Migration Agency checks that the conditions for a work permit have been met during the periods of validity of the prospective employee’s previous work permit periods. For applications to be complete, the employee needs to submit documents that show that salary and insurance requirements have been met for each month they have held a work permit in Sweden.

When applying for an extension, the employee may work during the processing time if they have had a work permit for at least six months and the application is submitted to the Swedish Migration Agency before the previous permit has expired.

If the employee applies for a permanent residence permit as well as an extension of their work permit, the Migration Agency may need to wait to process the application. The reason for this is that a decision of a permanent residence permit can only be made when the temporary permit has expired. If we need to wait, we cannot fulfil the goal of processing applications regarding highly qualified workers within 30 days. Therefore, we recommend that an application for extended work permit and permanent residence permit not be submitted more than 30 days prior to the expiration of the current permit.

Read more about what is required of an employee applying for an extension of their work permit

You must provide insu­rances

In order for an employee to receive a work permit, the employer must provide health insurance, life insurance, industrial injury insurance and occupational pension insurance for the employee when they begin working.

Health insu­rance

Health insurance is insurance that provides financial support if the insured becomes ill or injured. A health insurance should not be confused with a healthcare insurance, which helps the insured to get faster access to care.

Life insu­rance

Life insurance provides financial security if the insured dies. The money that is then paid out can for example ensure that the family can afford to stay in the house or cooperative home.

Occu­pa­tional injury insu­rance

Occupational injury insurance means that the insuranceholder can receive compensation in the event of unemployment or sick leave for a longer period. The insurance provides compensation if the insuranceholder is injured at work or on the way to or on the way home from the workplace.

Occu­pa­tional pension insu­rance

Occupational pension insurance is an insurance solution to secure an occupational pension. It can be signed by the employer for the benefit of the employee, or signed by the employee, but then paid by the employer. When occupational pension insurance is taken out can vary between different collective agreements.

In order for an employee to extend their work permit, they must have been provided with health insurance, life insurance, industrial injury insurance and occupational pension insurance for the entire period in which they have had a work permit in Sweden. To show that the insurance has been valid throughout the employment period, the document must state the start date of the policies and their terms and conditions.

Someone who has been in Sweden for less than one year does not have the same rights to social benefits as someone who is a resident of Sweden. For this reason, it is important that the person in question has been provided with insurance to cover any costs that may arise in the event of illness or an accident.

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