Employing a person who has long-term resident status in the EU
Those who are long-term residents do not need a work permit to work in Sweden, but should apply for a residence permit if they will be staying for longer than three months.
A person who has long-term resident status may begin working immediately and does not need to wait to receive the decision about the residence permit.
What does long-term resident mean?
Long-term resident status is a special form of residence permit which may be granted to those who have lived in an EU country for at least five years with a residence permit. This makes it easier to move to another EU country, such as Sweden, in order to, for example, work. You can see on the residence permit card if the person has long-term resident status. Examples of EC residence permits in various languages.
Countries which are covered by the directive on residence permits for long-term residents
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
You need to give your employee the following
You should give those who work for you a certificate of employment. Use the form Anställningsintyg för personer med status som varaktigt bosatta i en annan EU-stat, number 227021 (the form is only available in Swedish).
You may also write your own certificate of employment which should include the following:
- The name, address and phone number of your business
- The company registration number of your business
- The employee's details (name, date of birth and citizenship)
- The salary you are paying
- The percentage of full-time employment
- Whether the position is temporary or permanent
- The number of hours worked per week
- Whether you are paying by the hour or when you need extra help.
The certificate of employment, which should be signed by you, may not be more than three months old. Those who work for you should include their certificate when they submit their application for a residence permit.
If you hire a person with a long-term resident status, you must keep documents that show that the person has the right to stay and work in Sweden. The documents must be kept on file during the entire employment period and for 12 months after the employment has ended.
How long are permits valid for?
If your employee is granted a residence permit, this is usually valid for five years. In cases where the Swedish Migration Agency has difficulty judging how long the employment will last, they may be granted a shorter permit. If they would like to continue living in Sweden after their permit has expired, they should submit an application to extend their permit. When a residence permit is extended, you should, as the employer, fill out at new certificate of employment. Then give the certificate of employment to your employee who will send the document with their application.
When they have had a residence permit for five years, they may be granted a permanent residence permit. The permanent residence permit is valid for as long as they are resident in Sweden.
