Apply for protec­tion under the Tempo­rary Protec­tion Directive for the first time

If you have fled the war in Ukraine, or were already in Sweden when the war broke out, you may be entitled to a residence permit with temporary protection in Sweden under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive. Here you can read about who is covered by the Temporary Protection Directive and how to apply.

Requi­re­ments for tempo­rary protec­tion under the EU’s Tempo­rary Protec­tion Directive

You can get a residence permit with temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive if you

• are a Ukrainian citizen; or
• have the status or residence permit of a person in need of protection in Ukraine; or
• are an accompanying family member of someone belonging to either of the two groups described above.

If you have a passport or other identification documents showing that you belong to one of these groups, you must present them when you apply for protection.

You may be entitled to protection under the Temporary Protection Directive if you belong to one of the three groups above, have lived in Ukraine, and left the country due to the war on 24 February 2022 or later.

In December 2023, the Swedish Government decided that more people should be able to receive protection in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive. The decision means that if you belong to one of the three groups in the list above, you may be entitled to protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, provided that you were legally resident in Sweden before 22 December 2023. This means that people who were already in Sweden when the war began can now receive protection under the Temporary Protection Directive. The decision primarily affects people living in Sweden as asylum seekers because they have not previously been covered by the Temporary Protection Directive. People in this group may have their application rejected if they have been convicted of a crime punishable by at least two years’ imprisonment.

If you have applied for asylum and have not yet received a decision, you do not need to do anything. The Swedish Migration Agency will review your application and decide whether you are covered by the Temporary Protection Directive. You will receive information about what applies to you.

If you already have a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive and need to apply for extended protection no later than 4 March 2024, you will be able to obtain an extended residence permit according to the same requirements that apply to your current permit.

Read more about extending residence permits under the Temporary Protection Directive

Your appli­ca­tion will prima­rily be examined under the Tempo­rary Protec­tion Directive

If you are seeking protection in Sweden due to the war in Ukraine and the Swedish Migration Agency assesses that you meet the requirements, you will primarily receive a temporary residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive. If you apply for protection but we assess that you do not meet the requirements for obtaining a residence permit under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive, we will instead examine whether you meet the requirements for being granted asylum under Swedish law.

Persons who have committed certain criminal offences (such as war crimes or other serious crimes), or who pose a threat to the security of Sweden, cannot be granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, nor can they be granted asylum under Swedish law.

How to apply for protec­tion under the Tempo­rary Protec­tion Directive

To apply for a Swedish residence permit with protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, you must currently be in Sweden. You can register your application online or by visiting the Swedish Migration Agency in person. If you apply via the e-service and have made your own accommodation arrangements, you do not need to visit the Swedish Migration Agency until after we have made a decision. You must visit our offices in person if you need help with accommodation, but please submit an application in the e-service before you come so that we can help you faster.

If you do not have any money of your own, you may be entitled to financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency when you have applied for a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive. If you need financial support you must hand in your application in person or send a signed application form by post.

Submit your appli­ca­tion in person

If you cannot use the e-service, you must visit the Swedish Migration Agency in person to register your application. You will be asked questions about who you are and when you left Ukraine. You will need to present your passport or identity documents, and the Swedish Migration Agency will take your photograph and fingerprints.

You can apply for a residence permit for temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, and can also get help with accommodation or financial support, at the following offices of the Swedish Migration Agency:

• Boden – Service Centre
• Gothenburg, Kållered – Arrival Unit
• Malmö
• Norrköping – Service Centre
• Stockholm, Sundbyberg – Service Centre
• Sundsvall – Service Centre
  

You cannot make an appointment to submit your application or get help with accommodation or financial support.

After you submit your appli­ca­tion

If we need more information from you, we will contact you.

It takes a few days for the Swedish Migration Agency to check whether you are entitled to protection under the Temporary Protection Directive.

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.

Log in to My page

After the deci­sion

Once we have made a decision, we will send a letter to the address you provided in your application. If you have received help with accommodation from the Swedish Migration Agency, a decision will be sent to the address we have given you.

It may take a few more days for the letter to reach you. Make sure that you are able to receive mail at the address you provided in your application. It is important that you notify us as soon as possible if you change your address.

Address notification or change of address, form Mot93 (in Swedish) Pdf, 631.9 kB, opens in new window.

How to fill in the Adressanmälan eller adressändring (Mot93) form

Save the control number or case number you received when you applied for a residence permit. You should provide this number when you contact the Swedish Migration Agency.

If you have arranged your own accommodation but your situation changes so that you need help with accommodation while you are waiting for a decision, you can visit the Swedish Migration Agency for help at any time. The same applies if your financial situation changes and you need financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency. In that case, you should visit us at one of the offices listed above.

• Read more about how the Swedish Migration Agency can help you with accommodation
• Read more about your right to financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency
• Read more about the right to health care and school, and the right to work
• Read about what happens after the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision

To ensure that a person only uses their right to financial assistance in one country, the Swedish Migration Agency uploads your personal data to a database that we share with the other EU countries. In this database, we can see if you have already been granted a residence permit in another EU country. The authorities in that country will then stop providing you with assistance. Similarly, the Swedish Migration Agency can stop providing you with accommodation or financial assistance if you are later granted protection under the Temporary Protection Directive in another EU country.

Read more about how the Swedish Migration Agency handles your personal data