Instructions for online application for applicants who wish to live with a family member in Sweden
On this page you can find information on how to make an online application for a residence permit to move to a close relative in Sweden.
Making an online application makes it easy for you to get it right from the start. When you make an online application, you will be given clear instructions on how to fill in the application form, and what you need to attach, which means you are more likely to receive a decision all the sooner.
Read about the requirements for obtaining a residence permit to live with a family member in Sweden
If you have children under the age of 18
You cannot apply online if you want your application to include children under 18 years of age, or if you are applying for a residence permit to live with your child aged under 18 years in Sweden. This applies even if your family member in Sweden is a Swedish citizen. You should contact a Swedish embassy or consulate-general to submit your application.
Read more about how to apply at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general
Your family member may apply for you online
Your family member in Sweden can make an online application for you if you give them a power of attorney. A copy of the power of attorney should be attached to the online application.
Read more about the power of attorney
If your family member is going to make an online application for you, he or she first needs to complete the application for you and then complete a questionnaire themselves. Instructions for filling in the questionnaire are sent to your family member by email when the application has been received by the Swedish Migration Agency.
1
Fill in the application
In the application, fill in information about yourself and the person in Sweden that you want to move to. You must also attach various documents. In addition to the address, telephone number and email address of the family member in Sweden, you also need his or her Swedish personal identity number.
Before you apply, you should check whether the person you are going to move to in Sweden is covered by the maintenance requirement and, if so, whether they fulfil it.
Read more about the maintenance requirement
You should also state which Swedish embassy or consulate-general you will be visiting to have your interview. You should visit the embassy or consulate-general in the country in which you live. Not all Swedish embassies and consulates-general deal with migration cases.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general
External link, opens in new window.
In order to apply online
- you and the person you are moving to in Sweden must be 18 years of age or older
- you must have a valid email address
- you must be able to pay the application fee by Visa or MasterCard
- you must be able to scan or photograph the documents you are enclosing.
In cases where the parents of a child who has a residence permit in Sweden apply for a residence permit, the child does not need to be over 18 years of age. It is also possible to make an online application for children if they apply together with a parent.
If your family member in Sweden is a Swedish citizen, you cannot make an online application. In these cases, you must apply at the embassy or consulate-general in the country where you live.
For applicants with a residence card
If your are a non-EU/EEA citizen with a residence card and you wish to continue living in Sweden with your family member who is a EU/EEA citizen, you should instead apply for a permanent residence card.
For applicants with a permanent residence permit
If you have a permanent residence permit, you should not apply for a new permit when the period of validity for your residence permit card ("UT-kort") expires. Instead, you should make an appointment with the Swedish Migration Agency to have your photograph taken and leave your fingerprints for a new residence permit card.
2
Attach documents
Documents you will need to submit
- copies of the pages in your passport that show your personal details,period of validity, country of issue, signature, and whether you have permission to live in countries other than your country of origin. If your passport is about to expire, you should renew it as you cannot obtain a residence permit for a period longer than the validity of your passport.
- documentation to show how you and the person in Sweden are related to each other
- certification to show that you and your relative are dependent on each other and would have difficulty living apart
- documentation to show that you have been living together with your relative immediately before he or she moved to Sweden.
- a power of attorney – if your close relative in Sweden is applying for you.
All documents you submit should be translated into Swedish or English by an authorised public translator. The document must be attached in the original at all times.
Check that the information given in the documents you attach is clear. Digits and characters at the very top and the very bottom of your passport must also be clearly visible on the copies of your passport.
3
Pay the fee
In most cases, you will pay a fee for the application. You pay the fee with a credit card or a debit card. The application will know whether or not you need to pay, depending on the information you give about yourself and your family member.
4
Questionnaire for the family member in Sweden
When the Swedish Migration Agency has received your application, your family member will get an email. The email contains instructions on how to log in to a questionnaire containing questions about his or her income, accommodation and your relationship. Your family member should answer the questions within 14 days. If no email has been received, it is a good idea to check that it has not ended up in the folder for junk mail.
5
Book an appointment at the embassy or consulate-general
Once the Swedish Migration Agency has reviewed the application and questionnaire, you will receive an email in which we ask you to book a time for an interview at the embassy or consulate-general.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general External link, opens in new window.
6
Interview
Take along your passport and the originals of the documents you submitted with your application. Children applying will also need to attend. During the interview you will need to answer questions about your relationship with the person 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 photograph. Your fingerprints and photograph are only stored on the card’s chip.
If you need a visa to travel to Sweden, you will need the residence permit card when travelling to Sweden. You will therefore be photographed and asked to leave your fingerprints when you have your interview.
If you do not need a visa to travel to Sweden, you may travel without the residence permit card and leave your documents for the residence permit card with the Swedish Migration Agency after you arrive in Sweden.
7
The Migration Agency processes the application
To enable the Swedish Migration Agency to make a decision on your case, all information must be given and all necessary documentation must be attached to your application. This means the processing time will be shorter if you include everything that is required from the start than if additional information is given at a later stage.
Please note that the Migration Agency may in some cases need to investigate your application further, even if all details are complete and all documents are provided.
If the Migration Agency needs more information from you
The Swedish Migration Agency will contact you if we need further information or documentation from you. You do not need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency. If you have applied online and the Swedish Migration Agency asks you to provide additional information, you should do so by email. You should not send documents to the Swedish Migration Agency by regular post. You can read more about providing additional information in support of your case in the communication the Swedish Migration Agency sends if you need to submit further information.
Waiting for a decision
The decision must already have been taken before you travel to Sweden. While you are waiting for the decision, you are able to apply for a visa for a temporary visit to Sweden. It is the embassy in the country where you live who will examine your application for a visa and each application is always assessed individually. One condition for being granted a visa is that the embassy assesses that you intend to leave Sweden after your visa has expired. If you are granted a visa for a visit, it is important that you return home after it has expired and that you wait there for the decision on your application for a residence permit. A residence permit cannot normally be granted if you are in Sweden.
You must apply for a visa at the Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you are staying. In the countries where Sweden does not have its own embassy or consulate-general, Sweden cooperates with other member states. When other member states represent Sweden, that country’s regulations apply. Other countries may have different practices which will not allow you to get a visa during your waiting period.
People who do not require a visa for Sweden and who are waiting for a decision on a residence permit are also able to go to Sweden for a temporary visit.
Given that you cannot hold two residence permits at the same time, the Migration Agency recommends that you not apply for one to visit longer than 90 days. We will make our decision concerning the matter that is most favourable to you. Your application for a residence permit to move in with someone may be denied if you also request one to visit while in Sweden. You will need to await a decision concerning the application that is most favourable to you if you are not in Sweden. As a result, the period during which you would like to visit may have passed by time we make a decision. Our recommendation is not to apply for a permit to visit under such circumstances.
You may request withdrawal of your application for a residence permit to move in with a member of your family if your extended stay is urgent. You will need to reapply for a permit to move in with someone after having returned to your country of origin.
Follow your case in My page
You can use the My page e-service to see how your case is progressing and, for example, whether a decision has been made.
If you change your mind and no longer want to apply
If you want to withdraw your application, you must say so in a written letter to the Swedish Migration Agency. In the letter, you must state your name, date of birth, personal identity number (if you have one) and your case number. Also state your telephone number and address so that the Swedish Migration Agency can reach you if we have any questions. You must sign the letter. If you have given a power of attorney to someone, that person can withdraw the application on your behalf.
8
Receiving the decision
You will receive an email when the decision has been made. You will need to contact the embassy or consulate-general to receive the decision and, if necessary, make an appointment to collect it. You will need your passport to collect the decision. Some embassies and consulates-general send the decision and the residence permit card out by post. Contact the embassy or consulate-general for further information.
If you have given someone power of attorney, authorising them to represent you, the decision is sent to this person. He or she will inform you what the decision says.
Begin application
I am presently
You can not submit an online application to move to a family member if you are already in Sweden. You must return to your country of origin, or where you are permanently resident, and make your application from there.