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You want to apply Citizenship for people aged 18 to 21

You are between the ages of 18 and 21 and want to file a notification to become a Swedish citizen.

To become a Swedish citizen, you must meet certain requirements. Before submitting your notification, you must meet the following requirements.

  • You must have turned 18 but not yet be 21 when the Swedish Migration Agency receives your notification

  • You must have one of the following:

    • a permanent residence permit
    • residence status
    • right of residence or a residence card
    • citizenship in another Nordic country.

    If you were born in Sweden and have been stateless since birth, you do not need to have a permanent residence permit if you have a temporary residence permit on any of these grounds:

    • you are a refugee or person eligible for subsidiary protection
    • you are a family member of someone in Sweden
    • impediments to enforcement
    • exceptionally or particularly distressing circumstances.

  • You must have proven it probable that your stated identity is correct

  • You must have lived in Sweden (been habitually resident here) for at least five years

    If you are stateless, you meet the period of habitual residence requirement if one of the following applies to you:

    • You have been habitually resident in Sweden for the past five years.
    • You have been habitually resident in Sweden for a total of ten years.
    • You have been habitually resident in Sweden from the age of 15.

  • You must not be reasonably suspected or convicted of certain crimes
    You must not be reasonably suspected or convicted of a crime for which the punishment under Swedish law is four or more years in prison. You also must not be convicted of repeated crimes. The exception to this requirement is if the repeated crimes were of a less serious nature according to Swedish law, or if they were committed a long time ago. This applies regardless of whether the suspected or committed crimes took place in Sweden or another country.

  • You must not pose a threat to Sweden’s national security or public safety

  • You must not be affiliated with certain groups or organisations
    You must not be affiliated with groups or organisations that have extensively abused other people.

Even if you have lived in Sweden for a certain amount of time, it is not certain that you may count all your time in Sweden towards your period of habitual residence. In most cases, it is your time with the residence permit that was the basis for your permanent residence permit that counts, but your period of habitual residence can be calculated differently, depending on the type of permit you have had and why you have settled in Sweden.

  • If you had a permanent residence permit or another residence permit that provided a basis for settlement when you entered Sweden, you can calculate your period of habitual residence from the day you arrived in Sweden. It states in the decision whether the permit you received provided a basis for settlement in the country.
  • If you did not have a permanent residence permit or residence permit that provided a basis for settlement when you entered Sweden, the time is counted from the date you submitted your application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden.
  • If you have received a decision to leave Sweden that is valid (has gained the force of law), you are generally not allowed to count the time before that decision. Your period of habitual residence begins to be counted from the time you receive a residence permit to settle in Sweden.

Some types of residence permits are not included

If you have had a temporary residence permit in Sweden, such as a visitor’s permit or a residence permit for studies or to work as an au pair, the time during which you had that permit is not included in your period of habitual residence. The same applies if you work at another country’s embassy or consulate-general in Sweden.

However, if you are studying or have studied at the doctoral (third-cycle) level, in some cases you can count the time during which you had a residence permit for studies towards your period of habitual residence. You can count this time if it is apparent that you have had the intention of staying in Sweden after completing your studies.

If you have travelled abroad

If you travelled abroad briefly, for example for visits or holidays, this has no impact on your period of habitual residence in Sweden. However, if you were abroad for more than a total of six weeks in a year, the entire time you were outside Sweden must be subtracted from your period of habitual residence.

If you move to a different country and settle there, your period of habitual residence in Sweden ends. You can start over and begin adding up a new period of habitual residence in Sweden from the day you move back here.

EU/EEA citizens must have had right of residence

In order for their time here to count as a period of habitual residence and be able to apply for Swedish citizenship, EU/EEA citizens and their family members must have met the requirements for right of residence.

If you have had right of residence in Sweden for five years, but have not requested a certificate of permanent right of residence or applied for a permanent residence card, the Swedish Migration Agency assesses whether you meet the conditions for right of residence in connection with your application for Swedish citizenship.

Other identity

If you have lived in Sweden under an identity other than your true identity, you may not include the time you were in Sweden with a false identity in your period of habitual residence.

If you have children under the age of 18 who live in Sweden, they become Swedish citizens at the same time as you if any of the following is true of you:

  • You have sole custody of the child.
  • You share joint custody with the child’s other parent, who is a Swedish citizen.
  • The other parent becomes a Swedish citizen at the same time as you.

If you are an EU/EEA citizen, you need to be able to show that you have and have had right of residence for the past five years. You must therefore submit documents showing that you have worked, been self-employed, had your own funds to support yourself, or studied in Sweden.

If you work or have worked, you must attach

  • a certificate of employment or employer’s certificate with information about the period of employment and terms of employment for the past five years
  • a certificate from the Swedish Public Employment Service verifying that you were registered as a jobseeker, if you have been unemployed for six months or more
  • a certificate from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency verifying that you lacked the ability to work for six months or more due to illness or accident, if applicable.

If you are or have been self-employed, you must attach

  • the registration certificate and F-tax card for the company
  • tax returns or other documentation showing that the company has been active for the past five years.

If you have or have had your own funds, you must attach

  • documents showing that you have had sufficient funds to support yourself and your family for the past five years, such as pension payments, wages/salary from abroad, or money in a bank (if you have your own funds for support, these must also be reported)
  • housing costs for the past five years
  • a certificate attesting that no one in the family has received income support under the Social Services Act in the past five years.

If you are studying or have studied, you must attach

  • transcripts for the periods during which you studied
  • a certificate verifying that you were able to support yourself financially during your time as a student.

Family member of an EU/EEA citizen

If you are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen, you need to be able to show that you have and have had right of residence by virtue of the fact that your close relative has it. You must therefore send in the documents described above, to show that your close relative has worked, studied, been self-employed, or lived off their own funds in Sweden for the past five years.

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, or whether we need to check with other authorities when investigating your case.

Here we show statistics on how long it has taken for people who have applied for the same permit as you.

75% of recently decided cases have been decided within:3 months

Notification fee for people aged 18 to 21: SEK 475

You will not receive a refund if your application is rejected.

The following people pay no fee to apply:

  • stateless people who have received a refugee status declaration
  • stateless refugees who have received travel documents from the Swedish Migration Agency.

If you do not meet the requirements to file a notification, you can submit an application for citizenship instead.

You want to apply – Citizenship for adults

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.

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.