You are waiting for a decision You have applied for the first time

You have applied for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden and are waiting for a decision.

  • Important to know
  • How it works

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For the Swedish Migration Agency to be able to consider your application for a residence permit, we need to receive information about the person with whom you want to live once you get here. That is why we will send an email or a letter with questions to the person in Sweden after we have received your application. The person in Sweden must answer these questions within 14 days. The answers are an important complement to your application and the documents you have previously submitted.

This does not apply to residence permits for children born in Sweden or adopted children. Likewise, if you have applied for a residence permit due to another connection to Sweden, you will not need to complete this step.

If you are applying for a residence permit, you need to visit an embassy or consulate-general to be interviewed and present your passport.

You will receive an email from the Swedish Migration Agency asking you to book an appointment for an interview at the embassy or consulate-general that you selected in your application. Bring your passport and the originals of the documents you sent in with your application. Any children who are applying with you must accompany you to the appointment.

Children born in Sweden who are applying for a residence permit do not need to visit an embassy or undergo an interview. However, the Swedish Migration Agency still needs to check the child’s passport.

If you have applied for a residence permit for a child who is being adopted, no interview will be conducted. However, the embassy needs to check the child’s passport.

You will answer questions and present your passport

During the interview, you will answer questions about your relationship with the person in Sweden. You will also be asked to present your passport and the documents you have brought with you.

You will be photographed and fingerprinted

If you need an entry visa to travel to Sweden, and your application for a residence permit is granted, you need a residence permit card before you travel.

That is why you may also be fingerprinted and photographed during your interview appointment.

Countries whose citizens need an entry visa to enter Sweden External link.

If something is missing from your application or if we need more information, we will contact you or the person in Sweden.

It is not possible to say exactly how long you will need to wait for a decision. There are many things that affect the waiting time, for example whether your application is complete to begin with or whether we need to request more information.

On the page Waiting times you can see statistics on the average waiting time for different types of applications.

If you applied in the e-service, you will receive an email as soon as we have made a decision. The email will tell you whether you have been granted a residence permit or if your application has been rejected. The decision will then be sent by post to your chosen embassy or representative. You may need to book an appointment at the embassy to pick it up.

If you have applied using a paper form, you will not receive an email from us. Instead, the embassy will contact you to inform you of the decision. If you have a representative, the decision will only be sent to your representative.

A copy of the first page of the decision, which states whether you have been granted a residence permit or your application has been rejected, will also be sent to the person in Sweden.

When you receive the decision, you can find out the reasons on which we based our decision and learn what to do if you want to appeal. If your application is rejected and you are currently in Sweden, you must prepare to leave the country.

The decision about your residence permit application must be issued before you travel to Sweden. However, you can visit Sweden temporarily before then.

You may need an entry visa to travel to Sweden.

Countries whose citizens need an entry visa to enter Sweden External link.

You who are an EU/EEA citizen can travel into Sweden before you have received a residence permit.

You who are a family member of a Nordic citizen can enter Sweden before you have received a residence permit if

  • you are married, cohabiting or registered partners
  • you are under 21 and must live with a parent
  • you are over 21 and must live with a parent on whom you are financially dependent
  • you are a parent and will live with your adult child on whom you are financially dependent.

If you wish to visit Sweden before you have received a decision, you can apply for an entry visa for a temporary visit lasting no more than 90 days. You can only do this at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you are.

The embassy will then examine your application for an entry visa by conducting an individual assessment. You can only be granted an entry visa for a temporary visit if the embassy assesses that you will leave Sweden once your visa has expired.

If you are granted an entry visa to visit the country, it is important that you return home when it expires and wait there for a decision in your residence permit case.

If you wish to Sweden for more than 90 days, you need to apply for a visitor’s residence permit. However, there are three reasons why we do not recommend this:

  • You cannot be granted two residence permits at the same time. The Swedish Migration Agency will make a decision in the case that is the most advantageous for you.
  • If you apply for a visitor’s residence permit for a visit while you are in Sweden, you risk a rejection of your application for a residence permit to move here to live with someone.
  • If you are outside Sweden, you must wait until a decision is made about the application that is most advantageous for you. This may mean that by the time we make our decision, the dates for which you applied for a visitor’s residence permit have already passed.

You can withdraw your application at any time while your case is being processed. Once you have withdrawn your application, you will receive a decision that your application has been dismissed.

You can withdraw your application by sending us a message when you are logged in to My Page, or by sending a letter to the Swedish Migration Agency.

In the message or letter, you must tell us that you want to withdraw your application. You will also need to provide your name, date of birth or personal identity number, case number, telephone number, and address. If you send us a letter, sign it with your signature. If you have applied from within Sweden, you must also attach proof that you have travelled out of Sweden.

If you have granted someone power of attorney, they may withdraw your application on your behalf.

Send the letter to:

Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

If you leave Sweden after your visa, visa-free period or residence permit has expired, we recommend that you take your receipt for the application with you when you leave. The border police are responsible for border controls in and out of to Sweden. You should therefore contact them if you have any questions regarding border controls. Neither the Swedish Migration Agency nor the Border police can give an advance decision on whether you will be allowed to travel back to Sweden. This decision is made directly at the border control.

If you have new information that may affect your application, for example if you have a new passport, married, or had a baby, you should contact the Swedish Migration Agency.

You can submit this new information at the embassy or consulate-general where you submitted your application. If you are in Sweden, you can instead visit one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s service centres or send the information by post to:

The Swedish Migration Agency
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

If you made a mistake when paying an application fee – for example, if you accidentally paid the fee twice – you can get a refund. Contact the Swedish Migration Agency to ask for your money back. If you submitted your application at an embassy or consulate-general, you should contact them instead.

When requesting a refund, you should write

  • your given name and surname
  • your personal identity number or date of birth
  • your address
  • why you want the fee refunded
  • the case or control number to which the fee relates
  • the bank and account number where you want the money to be deposited.

You must also attach a bank statement or receipt where it is clearly visible that you have paid a fee to the Swedish Migration Agency.

Send this information in a letter to:

Migrationsverket
601 70 Norrköping
Sweden

If it has been at least six months since you applied for a residence permit/Swedish citizenship, you can submit a written request for the Swedish Migration Agency to conclude your case.

When you submit your request to the Swedish Migration Agency, one of the following things may happen:

  • We make a decision about your application for a residence permit.
  • We reject your request to conclude the case. We do this if we believe that we cannot make a final decision about your application for a residence permit within four weeks.

You can only submit one request, on a single occasion, during the time that the Swedish Migration Agency is processing your case. Even if your request is rejected, the processing of your application for a residence permit will continue.

How to submit a request to conclude a case

To request that the Swedish Migration Agency conclude your case, fill in the form:

Request to conclude a case (271011) Pdf, 649.6 kB.

Sign the form and send it to the Swedish Migration Agency. The address is stated on the form.

If you are acting as someone’s representative, you need to attach a power of attorney, unless a power of attorney has previously been submitted in the case.

News

2025-03-05

The Swedish Migration Agency's new website has now been launched

On 5 March, the Swedish Migration Agency launched a completely new version of migrationsverket.se, with a new structure and a more user-friendly navigation. The purpose of the new website is primarily to make it easier for visitors to find the information they need.

2024-12-16

Now you can see your complete deci­sion on My Page

If you are waiting for a decision from the Swedish Migration Agency, you can now see the complete decision on My page. Previously, you have only been able to see if the decision is positive or negative, and the justification has only been sent home to you in paper format.

2024-11-26

Citi­zens of Kazak­hstan, Kyrgyz­stan, Taji­kistan, Turk­me­nistan and Uzbe­kistan will from 2 December 2024 contact the Swedish Consu­late General in Istanbul

Until now citizens of, or persons otherwise legally residing in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, have had their applications for residence- and work permit handled by the Swedish Embassy in Moscow. From December 2 2024 you will instead have your applications handled by the Swedish Consulate General in Istanbul.

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.