Work permit for seafarers
If you are going to work as a seafarer on board a Swedish ship in domestic traffic, you need a work permit. A seafarer is employed to carry out ship work, e.g. as a ship's officer, sailor, marine engineer, or on-board service personnel.
Requirements for work permit
To obtain a permit, you must
- have a valid passport
- plan to work on a ship that is registered in the Swedish Register of Ships and operates in domestic traffic in Sweden
- have the qualifications required for your profession, according to the Swedish Transport Agency’s rules on qualifications for seafarers
- have a written employment contract with the employer in Sweden
- have the right terms and conditions of employment; your salary/wages and other working conditions must be at least on par with Swedish collective agreements or common practice in your profession 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
For work lasting less than three months, citizens of certain countries must also have a visa.
Read more about applying for a visa
Requirements for using the e-service
In order to use the e-service, you need to get an email from your employer with a link that will take you to the e-service
What is meant by “domestic traffic”?
“Domestic traffic” means journeys from a Swedish port to the same port or to another Swedish port. A ship that operates between two Swedish ports is considered to be in domestic traffic, even if it occasionally passes through international waters.
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.
Residence permit card
If you are granted a permit for more than three months, you will be given a residence permit card. The card is proof that you have permission to be in Sweden and contains, among other things, your fingerprints and photograph.
If you need a visa to travel to Sweden, you must go to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general to have your fingerprints and photograph taken as soon as possible, if you did not do this in connection with showing your passport. You need to do this even if you have previously had a residence permit card, as your photo and fingerprints are not saved.
If you do not need a visa, you must go to the Swedish Migration Agency after arriving in Sweden to provide the necessary information for your residence permit card.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general
External link, opens in new window.
The decision will be sent to the embassy or consulate-general you stated in your application. You must take your passport with you when you go to get your decision. You can get a permit for the period of time you are being offered work but for no longer than your passport is valid. If you are going to continue working in Sweden, you must apply for an extension of your permit.
Once the residence permit card is completed, the embassy or consulate-general will issue or send it to you. Please note that it may take up to four weeks to manufacture and deliver the card to the embassy or consulate-general after you have received your decision. When you enter Sweden, you must present the residence permit card along with a valid passport.
If you can travel to Sweden without a visa, you should be able to present a copy of the decision when you enter the country. After arriving in Sweden, you must make an appointment as soon as possible to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at the Swedish Migration Agency. Once your residence permit card is ready, it will be sent to your address in Sweden.
If you have a permit for less than three months, you must present the decision together with your passport when you travel to Sweden.
The Swedish Institute's website about Sweden External link, opens in new window.
If the Swedish Migration Agency rejects your application
If the Swedish Migration Agency rejects your application, it means you are not entitled to a residence permit for Sweden. You may lodge an appeal against the decision within three weeks of the date when you received notification of the decision. Information on how to lodge an appeal can be found in your decision. If you have given someone a power of attorney document that authorises him/her to represent you, this person is able to lodge an appeal on your behalf.
If you are still in Sweden when your application is rejected, you must leave the country within the timescale given in the decision.
Important information regarding insurance
In order for you to receive a work permit, your employer must be planning to sign you up for health insurance, life insurance, occupational injury insurance, and occupational pension insurance when your employment begins. The insurance must be valid starting the day that your employment begins.
In order for you to extend your work permit, you need to have been covered by health insurance, life insurance, occupational injury insurance, and occupational pension insurance throughout the time you have had a work permit in Sweden.
If you need to seek medical care in Sweden, you may need to pay for the care yourself if you are not registered in Sweden in the Population Register, and do not have a Swedish Personal Identity Number. If you register in the Swedish Population Register, you can also be registered with the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, and covered by the country’s social insurance. However, to meet the insurance requirements that apply to work permits, it is not enough to be registered with the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
To be registered in the Swedish Population Register and receive a Swedish Personal Identity Number, you generally need to have been granted at least a one-year residence permit in Sweden, and you generally need to be planning to live here for one year or longer. Therefore, you should register in the Population Register as soon as possible after moving to Sweden.
Information about how to register at the Swedish Tax Agency External link, opens in new window.
If you are not able to apply online, fill in the form Application for Swedish work permit, 149011, and submit it to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you live. The application form shows which documents you must enclose. Contact the embassy or consulate-general before submitting your application.
Application for Swedish work permit, form 149011
Pdf, 851.7 kB, opens in new window.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general External link, opens in new window.
If it is not possible for you to apply in your home country, you must apply to the embassy or consulate-general that is closest to the country where you live. Before submitting your application, you must contact the embassy or consulate-general for more information.
If you apply at an embassy or consulate-general, you pay the fee when you submit your application. For information about the fee, please contact the embassy or consulate in question since they do not follow the same fee regulations as the Swedish Migration Agency.
If you are applying to extend your permit, fill in the form Application for Swedish work permit, 148011 (in Swedish). The application form shows which documents you must enclose.
Send the application to
Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå
Application for Swedish work permit, form 148011 (in Swedish) Pdf, 855.2 kB, opens in new window.
In most cases, you will pay a fee.
