Vanliga frågor och svar för varaktigt bosatta
Questions and answers about the application
Yes, you must pay an application fee. There may be exceptions to the rules about who must pay an application fee.
If you are not registered in Sweden’s national population register, it is important that you notify the Swedish Migration Agency if you have changed your address or other contact details, as the Swedish Migration Agency will not receive this information automatically. Also remember to state whether you have a c/o address or apartment number and be sure that your name is clearly posted on your mailbox or post box. It is your responsibility to keep the Swedish Migration Agency updated about your current contact information, for example so that you can receive letters from the agency.
If you send information via e-mail, you should be aware that in terms of confidentiality, the Swedish Migration Agency cannot guarantee the security of transmissions to and from external e-mail addresses. For this reason, the Swedish Migration Agency requests that documents be submitted by post. If you still choose to submit documents via e-mail, they will be registered in your case.
If you have submitted an application, the Swedish Migration Agency will contact you if your case needs to be supplemented with more documentation. We will contact you by post and provide you with information on how to submit the supplementary information we require.
The application and documents should be sent to:
The Swedish Migration Agency
PO Box 3100
903 03 Umeå
If your application is being processed, you must always submit new information about your employment status to the Swedish Migration Agency. You can send it by post or hand submit documentation at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s offices.
Read more about the Swedish Migration Agency’s postal addresses
If you need more time to submit your documents, you can request a brief respite. After the deadline has passed, the Swedish Migration Agency can make a decision based on the documents in the case, which may mean that your application is rejected.
To be granted a residence permit on this basis, you need to be able to show that you are either an employee, self-employed, a student, or have sufficient funds to support yourself. If you do not meet the requirements for the residence permit for which you applied, there is a risk that your application will be rejected and that you will be expelled from Sweden.
If you wish to withdraw your application, you must write a letter to the Swedish Migration Agency. You can apply again later when it makes sense for you to do so.
Questions and answers about passports and EU/EC residence permit cards
Before a decision can be made, the Swedish Migration Agency must verify your passport in original form. In some cases, you will not be required to present your passport. For example, if we have already checked your passport at a previous appointment, we do not need to do so again.
If you need to present your passport, we will contact you with information about how and when you can do so.
Yes, it is your responsibility to prove that you have long-term resident status. You will therefore need to present a valid EC/EU residence permit card from the other EU country that issued it.
Questions and answers about family members
The Swedish Migration Agency will contact you or your representative by letter and may ask you to book an appointment for an interview at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general. You should not book an appointment before you have been asked to do so.
Addresses and telephone numbers for Swedish embassies and consulates can be found on this page: www.swedenabroad.com
External link, opens in new window.
Bring your passport and the original documents requested by the Swedish Migration Agency. For the passport to be approved, it must have a signature.
Children who are applying should also accompany you. During the interview, you will answer questions about your relationship to your family member in Sweden. The passport and the original documents will be checked at the embassy or consulate-general.
If you are granted a residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card. The card contains your fingerprints and a photograph of you, among other information. The fingerprints and photo are only stored on the card’s chip.
If you need an entry visa to travel to Sweden, you need the residence permit card when you travel to Sweden. You will therefore be photographed and fingerprinted during your interview appointment. If you are granted a residence permit to settle in Sweden, your residence permit card will be sent to the embassy where you had your interview. If you would rather have your residence permit card sent to your family member in Sweden, you must notify the Swedish Migration Agency of this. Please note that you must first grant power of attorney to your family member in Sweden.
Read more about power of attorney
If you do not need an entry visa to travel to Sweden, you can travel without the residence permit card. You must submit what is needed for the residence permit card at the Swedish Migration Agency once you have come to Sweden.
The documentation from your interview is sent to the Swedish Migration Agency for processing. We will contact you if we need more information or documents from you or your family member who lives in Sweden. You do not need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency.
Questions and answers about processing time
Yes, by submitting a complete application.
You can also submit documents such as your latest payslip or new employment contract (if you change employer or form of employment) on an ongoing basis, to ensure the information in your case is up to date.
Read more about which documents to submit with your application
Processing times can vary. Two cases submitted at the same time can have different decision dates. This is because the processing consists of several steps before a decision can be made. Different steps take different amounts of time. One reason why one case may take longer than another is if the Swedish Migration Agency needs to request additional information.
The Swedish Migration Agency does not grant priority.
However, if you feel that the processing of your application is taking a long time, you can submit a written request for the Swedish Migration Agency to decide the case. To be able to submit such a request to the Swedish Migration Agency, four months must have passed since you sent in your application. The Swedish Migration Agency must then either decide your case or reject your request within four weeks.
A request for the Swedish Migration Agency to decide your case must be made in writing. Use Form 270011, “Request to decide a case”, and send it to the Swedish Migration Agency.
Only one request can be made in each case.
Request to decide a case, Form 270011
Pdf, 661.8 kB, opens in new window.
If you are submitting a request for a decision on behalf of a person other than yourself and that person is an adult, they must have given you power of attorney to represent them in a Swedish Migration Agency case.
Questions and answers about residence permit cards
If you have been photographed and fingerprinted at the Swedish Migration Agency, your card will be sent to your home address within a week.
If you have been photographed and fingerprinted at an embassy or consulate-general, you will receive the card from them. Once you received the decision on a residence permit, it can take up to four weeks before you can collect it at the embassy or consulate-general.
Your residence permit card will be sent to the Swedish address you have provided in your application or to your registered address, if you are registered in Sweden’s national population register. If you move, you must notify the Swedish Migration Agency of your new address.
If you are currently outside Sweden, your residence permit card will be sent to the Swedish embassy where you were photographed and fingerprinted.
If you would rather have your residence permit card sent to your family member in Sweden, you must notify the Swedish Migration Agency of this. Please note that you must first grant power of attorney to your family member in Sweden.
General questions and answers
If you have long-term resident status in another EU country, you are exempt from the requirement to have applied for a residence permit before entering Sweden. That is why you can enter the country and start working or studying immediately after you arrive in Sweden.
If you are a family member of a person with long-term resident status in another EU country, you are also exempt from the requirement to have applied for a residence permit before entering Sweden. If you yourself have long-term resident status or a residence permit in another EU country, you can therefore enter Sweden before you have been granted a residence permit.
If you are a family member without your own residence permit in another EU country and need an entry visa to enter the country, you must wait for a decision.
You can apply for an entry visa at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in your country of origin or another country (outside Sweden) where you are currently living. Your application will be examined in accordance with the Visa Code. Among other things, this means that your application may be rejected if the authority that takes the decision assesses that you are unlikely to leave the Schengen area after your visit and that the purpose of your journey is not what you have stated in your application.
Persons who have long-term resident status in another EU country are exempt from the requirement to obtain a work permit. You therefore have the right to continue working for as long as you retain your long-term resident status in another EU country.
To obtain a residence permit on this basis, you must be able to show that you are employed or self-employed in Sweden, or that you are able to support yourself as a student, through your pension, or with other sufficient funds.
The exemption from the requirement for a work permit also applies to the spouse or cohabiting partner of a person with long-term resident status in another EU Member State and their children who are under the age of 21 or dependent on them. As a family member of a person with long-term resident status in another EU country, you can start working or studying immediately after you arrive in Sweden. You do not need to wait for the long-term resident to receive a decision regarding their residence permit.
If you are the parent of a person with long-term resident status and are financially dependent on them, you are not one of the types of family members covered by the exemption and are therefore not exempt from the requirement to obtain a work permit in Sweden. You do not have the right to start working until you have received your decision regarding your own residence and work permits.
The Swedish Migration Agency does not issue any certificates regarding whether a person has the right to work while they wait for a decision regarding a residence permit application. Anyone with long-term resident status in another EU country is exempt from the requirement to obtain a work permit.
It is up to the employer to find out what laws and rules apply before employing a foreign citizen who wants to work in Sweden. If a person has been granted long-term resident status, this is stated on the person’s residence permit card.
Read more about what should be stated on the card for each country
No. If you are a long-term resident in another EU country and are employed or self-employed in Sweden or live here with other sufficient means of supporting yourself, and are granted a residence permit on this basis, you can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of five years at a time. If you are a student, you will be granted a permit for the duration of your studies, but for a maximum of one year at a time.
If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and
- have been living in Sweden with a residence permit, or have been legally resident in Sweden on other grounds, for at least five years,
- are able to support yourself and your family,
- and can prove your identity,
you can apply for long-term resident status in Sweden.
If you successfully apply for long-term resident status in Sweden, you will also be granted a permanent residence permit. Before submitting an application, carefully check whether you meet the requirements.
If you do not meet the requirements for long-term resident status in Sweden, you should instead apply for an extended residence permit. If you are uncertain whether you meet the requirements, you can choose to apply for both an extended residence permit and long-term resident status at the same time.
Questions and answers about the application
Yes, you must pay an application fee. There may be exceptions to the rules about who must pay an application fee.
Yes, you can apply for long-term resident status in Sweden while you still have a valid permit. This is because an application for long-term resident status in Sweden is an application for status and not a residence permit. Keep in mind that you must still meet the requirement of five years of residence in Sweden before you submit your application.
Yes, you can have open applications for both long-term resident status in Sweden and a residence permit at the same time. This is because an application for long-term resident status in Sweden is an application for status and not a residence permit. Keep in mind that you must still meet the requirement of five years of residence in Sweden before you submit your application for long-term resident status in Sweden.
Read more about the requirements for being granted long-term resident status in Sweden
Yes, if you apply for long-term resident status in Sweden before your current permit expires, you have the right to continue living and working in Sweden during the processing time.
Questions and answers about an applicant’s period of residence
Du måste uppfylla kravet på fem års vistelse i Sverige innan du lämnar in din ansökan om ställning som varaktigt bosatt i Sverige.
Questions and answers about legal residence
You can include the time you have spent living in Sweden with a residence permit or for which you have been legally resident in Sweden on other grounds.
Residence permits
All the time you have spent in Sweden with a residence permit can be included, except for residence permits for temporary reasons (such as visits) or for studies at a lower level than the doctoral level.
Legally resident on other grounds
The term "legally resident" covers the time during which you have resided in Sweden with right of residence or permanent right of residence.
If you are a refugee or a person in need of subsidiary protection, you can count the time from the date on which you submitted your application for asylum or your application for re-examination. Even if you are allowed to stay in Sweden during the processing time for other applications, this time is not included in your total period of residence with a valid permit or as a legal resident of Sweden.
This means that you can be granted long-term resident status in Sweden even without having had a residence permit, provided that you have resided in Sweden continuously for the past five years on one of these grounds or a combination of them.
No, even though your child was born in Sweden five years ago, they must have had a valid residence permit for five years when their application for long-term resident status is submitted.
No, your family members cannot be granted long-term resident status in Sweden, because they were granted their residence permits four years ago. Each family member must apply individually and meet the requirements in order to be granted long-term resident status in Sweden. Your family members have not had a residence permit for five years and thus do not meet the requirement regarding their period of residence in Sweden. Your family members should instead apply for an extended permit.
Even if you are allowed to stay in Sweden during the processing time for your application, this time is not included in your total period of residence with a valid permit or as a legal resident of Sweden.
There are some exceptions when it is possible to count the time during which your application for a residence permit was still being processed. If you are a refugee or a person in need of subsidiary protection, you can count your period of residence from the date on which you submitted your application for asylum or your application for re-examination.
Yes, as long as you have not spent more than six consecutive months or ten months in total outside of Sweden during the last five years before you submitted your application for long-term resident status in Sweden.
Yes, all time spent abroad is included, including business- or study-related trips. Travel within the EU/EEA is also included.
Questions and answers about maintenance requirements
There is no requirement that you must have an income sufficient to support yourself financially. This means that if you are supported by your spouse/cohabiting partner, you can be granted long-term resident status in Sweden. Your spouse’s/cohabiting partner’s income must be permanent and cover their family’s maintenance and housing costs.
No. To meet the maintenance requirement, you must have an income that is of a permanent nature.
Questions and answers regarding identity
No. To be granted long-term resident status in Sweden, you must be able to prove your identity. If you have a passport or other identification documents that you have not previously presented to the Swedish Migration Agency, you can attach copies of these to your application and receive a new assessment of your identity.
Questions and answers about EU/EC residence permit cards
No, you do not need to submit a new application. To get a new card, you must book an appointment to submit biometrics and photographed. You can do this via the Swedish Migration Agency’s website.
Questions and answers about processing time
Yes, by submitting a complete application.
You can also submit documents such as your latest payslip or new employment contract (if you change employer or form of employment) on an ongoing basis, to ensure the information in your case is up to date.
Processing times can vary. Two cases submitted at the same time can have different decision dates. This is because the processing consists of several steps before a decision can be made. Different steps take different amounts of time. One reason why one case may take longer than another is if the Swedish Migration Agency needs to request additional information.
No, the Swedish Migration Agency does not grant priority.
If you feel that the processing of your application is taking a long time, you can submit a written request for the Swedish Migration Agency to decide the case. To be able to submit such a request to the Swedish Migration Agency, six months must have passed since you sent in your application. The Swedish Migration Agency must then either decide your case or reject your request within four weeks.
A request for the Swedish Migration Agency to decide your case must be made in writing. Use Form 270011, “Request to decide a case”, and send it to the Swedish Migration Agency.
Only one request can be made in each case.
Request to decide a case,Form 270011 Pdf, 661.8 kB, opens in new window.
General questions and answers
An application for long-term resident status in Sweden is not an application for a residence permit, but rather an application for status. If your application for long-term resident status in Sweden is rejected, and you do not have a valid residence permit or an open application for a residence permit in Sweden, the rejection of your application may be combined with an expulsion decision.
If you have been granted long-term resident status in Sweden, your family members’ applications will be examined in accordance with national legislation. Among other things, this means that as the sponsor of these close relatives, you will be subject to a maintenance requirement.
Read more about residence permits based on close family ties
Read more about the requirements imposed on sponsors (close relatives living in Sweden)