How to apply for a residence permit for contract or specialisation education
You must apply for a residence permit and have it granted before travelling to Sweden.
If you are to support yourself with bank assets, you must submit your application no earlier than three months before the date from which you apply for a residence permit. This is so that you will be able to show that you can support yourself in close connection with the beginning of the education and so that your documents will not have time to become to old. This does not apply if you will receive continuous income, such as a stipend or scholarship.
You can apply for a residence permit through a form. In most cases, you pay a fee. You fill in the form Application for residence a permit for contract or specialisation education – First-time application, 213011, and send it to the Swedish Migration Agency.
The form informs you on where your application and any related documents should be sent.
Fees for residence permits for studies
You can pay by bank giro after submitting your application. You pay the fee through the bank giro number 5223-7005. The IBAN account number is SE691200000012810106908 and the BIC/SWIFT code is DABASESX (Danske Bank). In the box “Message to the payee”, fill in the first and last name of the person the application fee refers to and the personal identity number and/or case number. If you are paying for multiple individuals at once, state all their personal identity numbers and/or case numbers.
If you are applying at an embassy or a consulate-general you pay when handing in your application. For information regarding the fee, contact the embassy in question or the consulate as they do not follow the same regulations regarding fees as the Swedish Migration Agency.
1
Fill in the application
You can fill in a physical application form. In the application, you fill out information about yourself and your chosen education. You must also send in various documents. If your family is accompanying you to Sweden, you can apply for permits for them simultaneously with your own. Your family shall use the form Application for co-applicant to student and doctoral student, form number 135011. Each accompanying family member needs their own form. In most cases, your co-applying family members will need to pay an application fee.
Fees for residence permits for studies
The form informs on which documents you must attach when applying for the first time.
Make sure that the information on the document you attach is clearly visible. Numbers and signs along the passport’s sides must be clearly visible on the passport copies.
2
The Swedish Migration Agency’s process
In order for the Swedish Migration Agency to be able to make a decision in your case, all information must be completed and all necessary documents must be included. This means that the processing time is shorter if everything needed is included from the beginning, than if the application is supplemented afterwards.
Please note that in some cases, the Swedish Migration Agency may need to investigate an application further even though all the documents have been attached.
If you change your mind and no longer wish to apply
If you wish to withdraw your application, you must write a letter to the Swedish Migration Agency and inform them of this. The letter should contain your information; name, date of birth, any personal identity number, and your case number. Also provide your phone number and address so that the Swedish Migration Agency can reach you should there be any questions. Sign the letter with your signature. If you have given someone power of attorney, that person may complete your application for you.
3
You must show your passport
The Swedish Migration Agency must check your passport before a decision can be made. You may therefore need to show your passport at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general if you are outside Sweden, or one of the Migration Agency's service centres if you are in Sweden.
In some cases, you can have your passport checked digitally, instead of showing it in person.
Read more about the digital passport check e-service
In some cases, you will not be required to show your passport, for example, if we have already checked your passport during a previous visit.
If you need to show your passport, we will contact you with information on how and when to do so.
If you need an entry visa or residence permit card to travel to Sweden, you will in most cases have your fingerprints taken and be photographed when you show your passport at an embassy or consulate-general.
If your family also applies for a residence permit, the Swedish Migration Agency must check their passports as well. The requirement to show your passport in person does not apply to children under the age of five, it is sufficient that the parent brings the child's passport to the visit. However, if the child needs a residence permit card, they must come along to be photographed for it.
4
Visit the embassy or consulate-general
Should you need a visa to travel to Sweden and were not photographed and had your fingerprints taken in connection with showing your passport, you should visit the embassy or consulate-general after being granted a residence permit. This also applies to your family, if they apply together with you. During the visit, you will need to leave fingerprints and have your picture taken. You do this in order to be granted a residence permit so that you may enter Sweden. You must do this even if you already have a residence permit card from earlier, as the information is not saved. Not all embassies are able to take appointments to photograph you and get your fingerprints. Contact the embassy or consulate-general before your visit for more information.
If you do not need an entry visa, you can travel to Sweden without a residence permit card, but you must be able to prove your decision to enter Sweden. Therefore, you do not need to visit an embassy to receive a residence permit card. Instead, you leave the documentation for a residence permit with the Swedish Migration Agency upon arriving in Sweden. However, the permit must be issued before you travel to Sweden.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general
External link, opens in new window.
5
Receiving the decision
The embassy or consulate-general will contact you regarding the decision. Some embassies and consulates-general send out the decision and the permit card in the post. Contact the embassy or consulate-general for more information.
If you are applying at an embassy or a consulate-general you pay the fee when handing in your application. For information regarding the fee, contact the embassy in question or the consulate-general as they do not follow the same regulations regarding fees as the Swedish Migration Agency.