Resi­dence cards in accor­dance with EU/EEA rules for family members of Nordic citi­zens

If you are a Nordic citizen, your family are citizens of a non-EU/-EEA country and you intend to live in Sweden for more than three months, they should apply for a residence card. Residence card applications may be submitted once you have arrived in Sweden. Your family have a right to be granted visas to Sweden if they need it to travel here. They can submit their visa application to an embassy or consulate-general in the country where they live.

Swedish (svenska)
Print

Your family may have right of residence in Sweden. Their right of residence is dependent on you yourself having right of residence through work, through studies, by being self-employed or by receiving a pension or having sufficient means to support yourself. If your family will stay in Sweden for more than three months, they need to apply for a residence card. Your family will need to submit documents from you demonstrating how you meet the requirements for right of residence.

Your family may instead of a residence card apply for a residence permit in accordance with Swedish rules.

Read more about applying for a residence permit in accordance with Swedish rules

Requi­re­ments for resi­dence permits

For your family members to obtain a residence card,

  • they must have valid passports
  • they must be able to show that you are a family
  • you must be able to demonstrate that you meet the requirements for right of residence in Sweden through work, self-employment, studies or with sufficient means.

There is no fee for applying for a residence card.

Who counts as a family member?

A family member is

  • your partner (cohabiting partner, spouse or registered partner)
  • your or your partner's children under 21 years of age
  • your or your partner's children over 21 years of age if they are dependent on you for financial support
  • your or your partner's parents, if they are financially dependent on you
  • another family member who is dependent on you for their subsistence, is part of your household or if you are required personally to take care of the family member for serious health reasons.

Cohabitation refers to two people who permanently live together in a relationship and have a joint household. That you have lived together during, for example, a tourist visit is not enough.

If your family need visas

If your family need visas they should submit visa applications to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where they live. Close relatives of an EU/EEA citizen do not need to pay any fees when applying for a visa to accompany the EU/EEA citizen to an EU/EEA country.

Each family member who is not an EU/EEA citizen, including children, must submit their own application. The form used is entitled Application for Schengen Visa, 119031. Read more about which rules apply at the embassy or consulate-general concerned.

Application for Schengen Visa, form 119031 Pdf, 788.3 kB, opens in new window.

Read more about applying for a visa

Countries whose citizens need a visa to enter Sweden External link, opens in new window.

Swedish embassies and consulates-general

Right to start working or studying straight away

If you fulfil the requirements for right of residence, your closest family members have the right to start working or studying immediately after coming to Sweden. They do not need to wait until they have applied for or been given a residence card before starting to work or study. In this context, close family members means a husband, wife, cohabiting partner and children under 21 years of age.

This should be enclosed to your family's appli­ca­tion

Which documents your family should enclose to their application depends on what your employment is or what livelihood you have. Choose the heading that suits you.

Your family should enclose

  • copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
  • a copy of your marriage certificate or corresponding document, if you are married
  • a document proving that you have lived together, if you are cohabiting partners
  • for children, a copy of their birth certificate including the parents' names
  • documents showing how the family members are dependent on your and in what way you are related (applies to children over 21 years of age and other close relatives).

Your family also needs to include documents showing how you meet the requirements for residence permit:

  • employment certificate from your employer
  • your last three months' wage specifications if you are employed by the hour.

Your family should enclose

  • copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
  • a copy of your marriage certificate or corresponding document, if you are married
  • a document proving that you have lived together, if you are cohabiting partners
  • for children, a copy of their birth certificate including the parents' names
  • documents showing how the family members are dependent on your and in what way you are related (applies to children over 21 years of age and other close relatives).

Your family also needs to include documents showing how you meet the requirements for residence permit:

  • copy of your admission certificate for an education programme or course of an upper secondary school (gymnasium) level or higher
  • copy of a European health insurance card (EU card) or other fully covering health insurance
  • proof that you have sufficient means to support yourself and your family.

Read more about the European health insurance card (EU card) External link, opens in new window.

Your family should enclose

  • copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
  • a copy of your marriage certificate or corresponding document, if you are married
  • a document proving that you have lived together, if you are cohabiting partners

  • for children, a copy of their birth certificate including the parents' names
  • documents showing how the family members are dependent on your and in what way you are related (applies to children over 21 years of age and other close relatives).

Your family also needs to include documents showing how you meet the requirements for residence permit:

  • F-tax card and registration certificate from the Swedish Companies Registration Office
  • your latest VAT accounts (if your company is liable to account for VAT)
  • certification that you are conducting operations, for example using invoices sent to customers, receipts of purchased materials and leases for the operations' premises.

Your family should enclose

  • copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
  • a copy of your marriage certificate or corresponding document, if you are married
  • a document proving that you have lived together, if you are cohabiting partners
  • for children, a copy of their birth certificate including the parents' names
  • documents showing how the family members are dependent on your and in what way you are related (applies to children over 21 years of age and other close relatives).

Your family also needs to include documents showing how you meet the requirements for residence permit:

  • deed of transfer
  • the latest annual report.

Your family should enclose

  • copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
  • a copy of your marriage certificate or corresponding document, if you are married
  • a document proving that you have lived together, if you are cohabiting partners
  • for children, a copy of their birth certificate including the parents' names
  • documents showing how the family members are dependent on your and in what way you are related (applies to children over 21 years of age and other close relatives).

Your family also needs to include documents showing how you meet the requirements for residence permit:

  • certificate showing that you and your family are covered by the social insurance system in your country of origin. The certificate should be issued by the authorities in your country of origin and should make it clear that you and your family are covered by another EEA country's social security system. If you are unable to get such a certificate you need to sign a full-coverage private healthcare insurance which applies throughout your stay in Sweden
  • lease specifying the rent amount, if you are renting your accommodation
  • certificate of purchase if you own your property
  • information about the monthly costs of your housing, such as cost of loan and amortisation and any monthly fees if you own your property
  • pension statement if you are a pensioner.

Your family should enclose

  • copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
  • a copy of your marriage certificate or corresponding document, if you are married
  • a document proving that you have lived together, if you are cohabiting partners
  • for children, a copy of their birth certificate including the parents' names
  • documents showing how the family members are dependent on your and in what way you are related (applies to children over 21 years of age and other close relatives).

Your family also needs to include documents showing how you meet the requirements for residence permit:

  • certificate that shows that you and your family are covered by the social security system in your country of origin. The certificate should be issued by the authorities in your country of origin and should make it clear that you and your family are covered by another EEA country's social security system. If you are unable to get such a certificate you need to sign a full-coverage private healthcare insurance which applies throughout your stay in Sweden
  • lease specifying the rent amount, if you are renting your housing
  • certificate of purchase if you own your housing
  • information about the monthly costs of your housing, such as cost of loan and amortisation and any monthly fees if you own your property
  • payslips from your employers for the previous three months, if you are employed
  • certificate of any other allowances or other forms of income
  • receipts of costs related to commuting across Swedish borders, for example in the form of a monthly ticket or similar.

Your family should enclose

  • copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
  • a copy of your marriage certificate or corresponding document, if you are married
  • a document proving that you have lived together, if you are cohabiting partners
  • for children, a copy of their birth certificate including the parents' names
  • documents showing how the family members are dependent on your and in what way you are related (applies to children over 21 years of age and other close relatives).

Your family also needs to include documents showing how you meet the requirements for residence permit:

  • specify in the application form how long you plan to live in Sweden
  • enclose a bank statement showing how much money you have
  • enclose information about share dividends or other disposable income.

How to prove that you are cohabiting partners

To show that you have lived together you should submit documents supporting this fact. It can be personal information records or other certificates stating that you have been registered at the same address. It can also be documents showing that you have had joint bank accounts or insurance. You can also submit copies of bills that are jointly addressed to you, or to each of you individually but to the same address, such as telephone bills.

Each family member should apply individually. This also applies to children. They fill out the form Application for residence card, 145011, and send it in to the Swedish Migration Agency.

Send your application to:

The Swedish Migration Agency/Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

There is no fee for applying for a residence card.

Application for residence card, form 145011 Pdf, 873.4 kB, opens in new window.

The Migration Agency's visiting addresses and opening hours

Postal addresses to the Migration Agency's Permit Units

After you have made the application

A residence card contains a photograph and fingerprints. Your family must therefore visit the Swedish Migration Agency to be photographed and fingerprinted. They should do so as soon as possible after they have submitted their application for a residence card. To visit the Swedish Migration Agency, they must book an appointment first.

Book an appointment before you visit us

You can use the My page e-service to see how your case is progressing and, for example, whether a decision has been made.

Log in to My page

The residence card is sent to your address in Sweden. The card is valid for a maximum of five years, but the cards validity period can vary. Submit a new application for a residence card before the validity period of the residence card has expired. When you have lived in Sweden with right of residence continuously for five years you have a permanent right of residence. If your family wants a certificate of their permanent right of residence you can apply for a permanent residence card.

Read more about applying for a permanent residence card

If you meet the requirements for right of residence your family have the right to start working or studying immediately after coming to Sweden. They do not need to wait to apply for or be granted their residence card.

If the Swedish Migra­tion Agency refuses the appli­ca­tion

If the Swedish Migration Agency refuses your family's application, they may appeal the decision within three weeks of the day you received it. Information on how to do this can be found in the decision.

Impor­tant infor­ma­tion about insu­rance

Your family members need to have an insurance policy that will cover any costs that may arise in connection with illness or injury when they are living in Sweden. If they are registered in the Swedish population register they are covered by the Swedish social insurance system. If they are not registered in the population register it is important that they get their own health insurance policy.

To be registered in the Swedish population register you generally need to have the right to stay in Sweden and plan to stay here for a year or longer.

Information about how to register at the Swedish Tax Agency External link, opens in new window.

Last updated: