If you already are in Sweden and want to apply for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden
The main rule is that if you want to live with someone in Sweden you must have applied for, and been granted, a residence permit before you enter Sweden. If you are already in Sweden, you can only in certain cases be granted a residence permit without having to leave the country.
The vast majority of people cannot obtain a residence permit while they are in Sweden. If you still choose to stay when you apply, the Swedish Migration Agency may reject your application and reject or deport you from Sweden. In this case, you may be subject to a re-entry ban and will not be able to enter a Schengen country for as long as that ban is in force.
Examples of when you can apply for a residence permit without leaving Sweden
In some cases, you can stay in Sweden and apply. We provide some examples here. Even if one of the examples apply to you, you must also meet all other requirements for a residence permit, otherwise we will reject your application and you will have to reapply. If you have been staying illegally in Sweden, you may need to leave the country to apply, even if one of the examples applies to you.
The right to apply for a residence permit when you are in Sweden may in some cases apply:
- If you have children who are citizens of Sweden or another EU/EEA country or are expecting a child in Sweden. You will not automatically receive a residence permit, but the Swedish Migration Agency takes into account, among other things, the best interests of the child and the right to private life and family life.
- If you suffer from a very serious illness that prevents you from travelling.
- If you cannot return to Sweden if you need to leave the country.
If you already have a residence permit
If you are already in Sweden with a valid residence permit, you may in certain cases receive a new residence permit without having to leave the country. This may apply to you if you have, for example,
- a work permit
- a permit as a self-employed person
- a permit for studies and have completed at least 30 credits in university collage studies or one semester of postgraduate studies in Sweden.
- a residence permit as a family member of a Swedish citizen, Nordic citizen or someone with a permanent residence permit
- a residence permit as a family member of an employee with a residence permit, a self-employed person with a residence permit or a student with a residence permit for studies
- applied for asylum and have received a temporary residence permit. It also applies to you if you have a temporary residence permit due to particularly or exceptionally distressing circumstances, or to impediments to enforcement. You must be able to prove your identity, for example with a national passport.
Your residence permit must be valid when you submit your new application. However, you cannot be granted a residence permit because you want to live with a family member in Sweden before your current permit expires. If you are in Sweden with a visa or a temporary residence permit for visits, you cannot usually obtain a residence permit to settle in Sweden when you are here on a visit. If you intend to settle in Sweden, you will also not be able to get a residence permit for visits.
If you have a residence permit related to an EU citizen with a right of residence, you cannot be granted an extended residence permit. However, you may be able to apply for a residence card.
Read more about the requirements for residence cards
If you have applied for a residence and work permit to settle in Sweden and now also want to apply for a residence permit for a visit
You cannot be granted two residence permits at the same time. If you are in Sweden when we consider your application for a residence and work permit to settle in Sweden, you risk having it rejected if you also apply for a residence permit for a visit.
If you have previously received a rejection of an application and been deported from the country
If the Swedish Migration Agency has previously rejected your application for a residence permit and expelled or deported you from the country, and the Migration Court has rejected your appeal (the decision has entered into force legally), special rules apply. The Migration Agency cannot determine your right to settle in Sweden – it can only determine whether there are obstacles to you returning to your home country (so-called impediments to enforcement).
Read more about impediments to enforcement when a person comes for protection and asylum (the same information applies to those who have not applied for asylum)
How to apply
If you are in Sweden and are applying for the first time, you must fill in the forms Application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden, 161011, Frågeformulär om anknytning till partner – Ansökan efter inresa i Sverige, T109, and Family details 239011. You and your partner are to jointly fill in the form Assurance of cohabitation – appendix to application for extended residence permit, 243011B.
If the application is made for a child under the age of 18, you fill in the form Residence permit to settle in Sweden – for a child under the age of 18, 163011.
If you have had a residence permit based on employment, for studies or as a self-employed person, you must also submit documents demonstrating your occupation in Sweden. These can be, for example, grades from studies or a certificate of employment and payslip.
Family details, form 239011
Pdf, 876.4 kB, opens in new window.
Send your application to
The Swedish Migration Agency
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå
If you do not have a residence permit, you must pay for healthcare in Sweden yourself
The first time you apply for a residence permit as a family member to someone in Sweden, you must apply from your home country or the country where you legally reside. If you apply for a residence permit from within Sweden, you are not entitled to health care but must pay for any health care costs yourself. The Swedish Migration Agency will not pay for health care costs.