Residence permit cards

If you are granted a residence permit in Sweden, you will receive a residence permit card, which is proof that you have the right to be in the country.

The residence permit card has a computer chip that contains your fingerprints and a photo of you. The fingerprints and photo are only stored on the card’s chip and are not stored anywhere else. For this reason, every time you need a new residence permit card, you need to be photographed and fingerprinted again.

A residence permit card is not an official identity document or travel document. In other words, you cannot prove your identity with a residence permit card.

Photocopy of a residence permit card.

If you have been photographed and fingerprinted at an embassy or consulate-general, you will receive the card from them. It can take up to four weeks for the residence permit card to be produced and delivered to the embassy.

If you have been photographed and fingerprinted at the Swedish Migration Agency, your card will be sent to your address in Sweden within two weeks.

The residence permit card is produced in connection with the decision to grant you a residence permit, but no more than six weeks before your permit will begin to apply.

If you have changed your address

If the residence permit card is to be sent to your home address, we need your address. Remember to notify the Swedish Migration Agency if you have changed your address.

Once you have received your residence permit card, check that the name on your residence permit card is the same as the name on your passport. If your card has the wrong name, you should visit the Swedish Migration Agency or the embassy to get a new one. Bring your passport when you come.

Your residence permit card states, among other things, what type of residence permit you have and how long the residence permit card is valid. It also states your date of birth and nationality.

On the back of some cards, it says “får arbeta” [may work]. This text is included if you have the right to work but this is not directly stated in your permit (as it is if, for example, you have a work permit or a permanent residence permit). For children, the text “får arbeta” is included on the card from the age of 16.

A residence permit card is valid for the same period as your residence permit is valid, but for a maximum of three years. If you have a long-term resident permit in the EU, or if your residence permit card was issued before 2022, the card is valid for five years.

If you are granted a new or extended residence permit, you will always get a new residence permit card. This means you will need to be photographed and fingerprinted again. Bring your old residence permit card when you come to the Swedish Migration Agency to get a new card.

If your residence permit expires, you cannot extend your permit by applying for a new residence permit card; you must apply for an extended residence permit.

If you have a permanent residence permit, you do not need to re-apply for a permanent residence permit. In that case, you should apply for a new residence permit card when your card expires. If you have a permanent residence permit, you can be photographed and fingerprinted no more than three months before your current residence permit card expires. However, the order to the supplier who produces the card will be sent no more than six weeks before the card expires.

When you travel, you must present your residence permit card together with your valid passport. Your residence permit card cannot be used instead of a passport.

With your passport and residence permit card, you can enter Sweden and move freely within the Schengen area for 90 days within a 180-day period. If you are travelling to a non-Schengen country, you may need an entry visa.

If you change your name, you will need a new residence permit card. You must first contact the Swedish Tax Agency to register your new name, before you visit the Swedish Migration Agency to get a new residence permit card.

If you lose your residence permit card or if it is stolen, you must first report this to the police. Then you must make an appointment with the Swedish Migration Agency to be photographed and fingerprinted for a new card. You must bring a copy of the police report with you to the Swedish Migration Agency.

Have you been waiting a long time to receive your residence permit card? This may be because your card has been sent back to the Swedish Migration Agency. This can happen if the Swedish Migration Agency has the wrong address for you. Contact the Swedish Migration Agency if you have questions about this.

Contact the Swedish Migration Agency

The Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for considering applications from people who want to live in Sweden, seek protection or become Swedish citizens. Our work is based on Swedish laws and international conventions, with a focus on legal certainty and effective reception and return.