Students who have got a job and want to apply for a work permit

If you have a residence permit for studies at a university or university college you may work during this permit's period of validity. You need a work permit if you want to work in Sweden after completing your studies.

To apply for a work permit without leaving the country you should

have a residence permit for studies at a university or university college, or residence permit to seek employment in Sweden
apply for a work permit before your residence permit expires
have completed at least 30 credits in university college studies or one semester of postgraduate studies in Sweden.

To be eligible to receive a work permit while you are still in Sweden all of the requirements above must be met. Otherwise you must apply from your country of origin or from the country where you have permission to live.

To obtain a work permit you must

have an employment contract (if the employment contract is in a language other than English or Swedish, it must be translated. A copy of the original document must also be attached)
have a valid passport
have terms of employment that are at least on par with those set by Swedish collective agreements or which are customary within the occupation or industry
have a salary that is at least on par with that set by Swedish collective agreements or which is customary within the occupation or industry
have an employment that enables you to achieve a good income. This means that you must have a monthly salary that amounts to at least 80 percent of the median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) and which was valid at the time of application. Read about current maintenance requirement here
have an employer who intends to provide insurance covering health, life, employment and pension when you begins to work.

In order to obtain a work permit, you must fulfil the requirements for a work permit for one job. The requirements cannot be fulfilled by having two or more jobs at once.

Residence permit to seek employment or to examine the possibilities of starting your own business

If you have been granted a residence permit for studies at a university or other higher education institution in Sweden and have completed your studies, you can get a residence permit to seek employment or examine the possibilities of starting your own business here.

How to apply for a work permit

The employer initiates the application

Your employer in Sweden initiates the work permit application by providing information about the employment. Your employer needs information about your name, date of birth, citizenship, education and your email address. However, if you are a student and have been offered a position as a researcher, you must submit your application for residence permit as a researcher online by yourself.

It is important that you have access the email address you give your employer until you have received a decision regarding your application. The Swedish Migration Agency will use this email address to communicate with you throughout the application period.

Information for the employer

You receive an email

When your employer has provided information about the employment you will receive an email with information about how to apply for a work permit.

In the application you provide information about yourself. If you have a family which also needs residence permits you apply for their permits at the same time. You should also check that the information about your employment terms corresponds with what you and your employer have agreed on.

Enclose documents

The following documents are to be scanned or photographed and sent with your application:

copies of the pages in your passport which show your personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the passport's period of validity and whether your have permission to live in countries other than your country of origin
a certificate of at least 30 credits in university college studies or one semester of postgraduate studies in Sweden.
your employment contract.

If your passport is about to expire, you should renew it as you cannot obtain a permit for longer than the validity of your passport.

If you are also applying for residence permits for your family

copies of the pages in your family members' passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.

If your family are applying for a residence permit for the first time must also attach:

copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin
copies of marriage certificates or the equivalent (applies to married couples or registered partners)
documents showing that you have lived together in your country of origin (applies to cohabiting partners)
birth certificates for children
consent from the other parent/legal guardian, if they are not also coming to Sweden, stating that the child is allowed to move to Sweden, or documents that show that you are the sole legal guardian
documents showing that children above the age of 21 are financially dependent on their parents
adoption documents if the child was adopted
documents that show that you have enough income to support yourself and your family. The documents required are listed in the e-service or in the application form.

The documents should be translated to Swedish or English by an authorised translator. Copies of original documents should always be enclosed.

Maintenance requirement

In order for your family to receive a residence permit, you must be able to support yourself and your family.

If you are applying for a work permit to keep working for the same employer that you have previously been working for

a summary of your PAYE tax returns from the Swedish Tax Agency showing your income for each year you have worked for your employer
any payslips for this year.

Pay and submit your application

In most cases you must pay a fee. You can pay using Visa or Mastercard. The card must be enabled for Internet payment. Contact your bank for more information.

When the fee is paid you submit your application. You will receive an email confirming that your application has been submitted. The Migration Agency will contact you if it needs more information.

Application fees for work permits

The Migration Agency processes the application

If you have applied for a work permit before your residence permit for studies expires and you have completed at least 30 credits in university college studies or one semester of postgraduate studies in Sweden, you are entitled to work while waiting for a decision.

For the Migration Agency to make a decision about your application, all the details need to be filled in and all necessary documents enclosed. This means that the processing time will be shorter if all the necessary information is included from the start than if information is added afterwards.

Note that the Migration Agency may in some cases need to further examine your application even if you have included all the required information and documents.

Processing times for work permits

Show your passport

The Swedish Migration Agency may need to check your passport before a decision can be made. You will then need to visit one of the Swedish Migration Agency's service centres to present your passport.

In some cases, you will not be required to present 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.

Information needed for residence permit card

If you are granted a permit for more than three months you will receive a residence permit card. The card proves that you have permission to reside in Sweden and contains information such as your fingerprints and a photograph. You therefore need to book an appointment at the Migration Agency to be photographed and fingerprinted as soon as possible. You need to do this even if you have previously had a residence permit card, as your photograph and fingerprints are not saved.

The decision is sent to you

You will receive an email confirming that a decision has been made. The actual decision is then sent to your address in Sweden. Your employer will also receive a notification about the decision by mail. When the residence permit card is ready it is sent to you within about a week.

If you do not apply online

If you cannot apply online you fill in the form Application for Swedish work permit, 149011. If your family in Sweden also needs residence permits each family member must submit their own application. The application form specifies which documents to enclose.

Application for Swedish work permit, form 149011 Pdf, 851.7 kB, opens in new window.

Application for a permit for family members of workers, researchers, athletes or coaches and self-employed persons, form 133011 Pdf, 847.4 kB, opens in new window.

Send your application to:

The Swedish Migration Agency
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

In most cases you must pay a fee.