LMA card for asylum seekers
LMA is an abbreviation of the Swedish name for the Reception of Asylum Seekers Act. The LMA card is a plastic card with a photo of you that shows that you are an asylum seeker.
When you seek asylum in Sweden, you are photographed. Later, you receive a so-called LMA card. The card is not an identity card (ID card), but a certificate that you are an asylum seeker and that you may be in Sweden during the time that you are waiting on a decision. The card is personal and replaces the receipt you received when you submitted your asylum application. The LMA card also contains information on whether you have a right to work during the time as an asylum seeker, known as “AT-UND”.
Zoom imageLMA card. Click on the picture to make it larger.
Always have your LMA card with you
Your case number with the Swedish Migration Agency is under the photo on your LMA card. This number is good to have when you talk with the Swedish Migration Agency staff. Using this number, it is easier to quickly access your documents.
Present your LMA card when you contact authorities or need to show an employer that you have the right to work. If you have gotten a job and want to open a bank account, you must show your LMA card to the bank.
In some cases, you can use the LMA card to identify yourself when picking up postal packages from abroad or registered mail from the Swedish Migration Agency.
You pay a lower fee for most medicines you buy with a prescription from a doctor if you show your LMA card at the pharmacy. In some cases, you also pay a lower patient fee if you show your LMA card when you visit the healthcare services.
Read more about health care for asylum seekers
LMA card’s period of validity
You do not need to replace your LMA card during the time that you are an asylum seeker, but you need to visit the Swedish Migration Agency regularly to extend the card’s period of validity.
The LMA card is updated digitally and the period of validity can be extended by three months every time you visit the Swedish Migration Agency regardless of the reason for the visit. Feel free to ask the case officer you meet if the card’s period of validity has been extended. If you do not visit us for a few months, you will receive a reminder two weeks before the card expires. If your children also have LMA cards that must be extended, the children need to go with you to the Swedish Migration Agency.
The LMA card has a QR code
The new LMA cards issued after 1 January 2022 have a QR code that means that everyone with access to a QR reader can easily check if the card is valid and if you have the right to work (so-called AT-UND). No more personal information about you is shown and the check is not logged.
When you receive a decision on AT-UND, it is directly registered on your LMA card and your employer can check it by scanning the QR code.
If you lose your LMA card
If your LMA card is stolen, or if you lose it, you must report to your reception unit or service centre. The Swedish Migration Agency then freezes your card and orders a new one.
Return the card
You must return the LMA card when you are deregistered from the Swedish Migration Agency. This applies regardless of whether you have been granted a residence permit, your right to assistance expires for other reasons or if you are to leave Sweden.