Internship in connection with higher education
If you are a citizen in a country outside the EU and have been offered an internship in Sweden at a company, university, authority or organisation, you need a residence permit for an internship. The internship must have ties to your education.
Requirements for residence permit
To be eligible for a residence permit as a trainee, you must
- have received a degree from higher education within two years before the application or be pursuing an educational programme that leads to such a degree
- have a valid passport (if your passport will expire soon, you should renew it since you cannot get a permit for longer than the validity of your passport)
- have received a written internship agreement that presents the conditions for your internship
- have, or have applied for, comprehensive health insurance (if you will be in Sweden for a maximum of one year)
- have enough money for your stay in Sweden and to be able to pay your travel home.
The internship must have ties to your education. This means that the internship must be done in the same field and at the same level of qualification as the educational programme you are attending or have completed.
Read more about the requirements that apply to your employer
Requirements for using the e-service
In order to use the e-service you need
- to get an email from the employer with a link that leads you to the e-service
- copies of the pages in your passport that show personal data, photo, signature, passport number, issuing country, period of validity and if you have permission to live in countries other than your home country (if your passport will expire soon, you should renew it since you cannot get a permit for longer than the validity of your passport)
- to be able to pay the application fee by card
- certificate(s) on on-going education or a degree in higher education
- to have, or have applied for, comprehensive health insurance (if you will be in Sweden for a maximum of one year)
- an internship agreement.
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.
Be photographed and have your fingerprints taken
If you are granted a permit for more than three months, you will receive a residence permit card. The card is a certification that you have permission to be in Sweden and contains your fingerprints and a photo of you, among other information.
If you need a visa to travel to Sweden, you must visit the Swedish embassy or consulate-general to be photographed and provide your fingerprints 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 the information is not saved.
If you do not need a visa, you must book an appointment to submit your fingerprints and be photographed after you arrive in Sweden.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general
External link, opens in new window.
Read more about residence permit cards
Follow your case in My page
If you have made your application in the e-service, you can log in to My page to follow your case and see if you have received a decision.
The decision is sent to the embassy or consulate-general where you turned in your application or that you wrote in your online application. If the trainee organisation has applied on your behalf, the decision will be sent to the embassy or consulate-general closest to where you live. When you go to collect your decision, you must bring your passport with you. You can receive a permit for the period you are offered training, but never longer than the validity of your passport. A permit as a trainee can be granted for one or more periods for a combined maximum of 18 months.
When the residence permit card is ready, the embassy or consulate-general will hand out or send the finished card to you. Keep in mind that it can 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 travel into Sweden, you must present the residence permit card together 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 travel in. As soon as you can after arriving in Sweden, you must book an appointment to submit fingerprints and be photographed. When the residence permit card is ready, it will be sent to your address in Sweden.
If you are granted a permit for less than three months, you do not receive a residence permit card and must therefore present the decision together with your passport when you travel to Sweden.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general External link, opens in new window.
It is not possible to extend a residence permit for an internship with ties to higher education.
If you get a job
If you get a job in Sweden, you have the possibility to apply for a work permit without travelling home. You have to apply before your residence permit for the internship expires.
Read more about applying for a work permit
Important information about insurance
If you need to seek care in Sweden, you may need to pay for the care yourself if you are not nationally registered in Sweden and do not have a Swedish personal ID number. If you are nationally registered, you may also be registered with the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) and be covered by Swedish social insurance.
To be nationally registered and get a Swedish personal ID number, you must generally have been granted a residence permit for at least one year in Sweden and that you plan to live here for one year or more. You should therefore get nationally registered as soon as possible after you have moved to Sweden.
Information about how to register at the Swedish Tax Agency 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.
If you apply online, you are given clear instructions on how to complete your application and what you have to send in with it. It is easy to do it right from the beginning, which increases your chances of getting a decision faster.
If you apply online, you are given clear instructions on how to complete your application and what you have to send in with it. It is easy to do it right from the beginning, which increases your chances of getting a decision faster.
If you cannot apply online, you complete the form Application for a residence permit for internship in connection with higher education, 101031, and turn it in at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country in which you live. The application form indicates what documents you must attach to it. Contact the embassy or consulate-general before you turn in the application. If it is not possible to apply in your country, you must apply at the embassy or consulate-general that is closest to the country in which you live. Contact the embassy or consulate-general for more information before you turn in your application.
If you apply at an embassy or a consulate-general, you pay the fee when you submit your application. For information on fees, contact the embassy or consulate in question since they do not have the same fee regulations as the Swedish Migration Agency.
Swedish embassies and consulates-general External link, opens in new window.
Frequently asked questions about insurances – researchers
