You want to extend Doctoral studies

You want to extend your residence permit for doctoral studies. You can apply for an extension of any family member’s residence permit at the same time.

  • Important to know
  • How it works
  • Apply

If you have a residence permit for doctoral studies in Sweden and will be continuing your doctoral studies, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit. Here you will find information about the requirements you must meet and how to apply.

If you will be starting other types of studies than those for which you currently have a residence permit, you should not apply to extend your current permit. In that case, you should submit a first-time application instead. For example, this applies if you have a residence permit for doctoral studies and are now going to study at the first- or second-cycle level.

These requirements must be met in order for you to be granted a residence permit:

You must have a valid passport

You must be admitted to full-time doctoral studies
You must be finally admitted to full-time doctoral studies in Sweden. You cannot be granted a residence permit for distance learning as a form of study.

You must have made acceptable progress in your studies

You must have, or have applied for, a comprehensive health insurance policy
If your total time in Sweden is less than one year, you will need comprehensive health insurance. If you do not have insurance through your higher education institution, you must have or have applied for your own insurance. The insurance must be valid for the entire time you will be in Sweden and cover costs for emergency and other medical care, hospitalisation, and emergency dental care. It must also cover expenses for home transportation for medical reasons.

If your total time in Sweden is longer than one year, you should get listed in the Swedish population register. This will give you access to health and medical care and dental care.

You must be able to support yourself financially
You must show that you have your means of financial support secured for the period for which you are applying for a residence permit, as well as for the remaining period of your current permit. If your family is applying with you, you must be able to support them as well, if they do not have their own means of financial maintenance.

You must attach copies of these documents to your application. Make sure that the information on your submitted documents is clearly visible.

Correctly made copies of your passport
You can never be granted a permit for longer than your passport is valid.
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Admission decision from the higher education institution
The decision must state that you will continue to pursue full-time doctoral studies in Sweden. You can attach a copy of your original admission decision.

Certificate from the higher education institution showing acceptable progress in your studies
You must enclose a certificate from your supervisor with information about, e.g., the education programme in which you are enrolled, its expected end date, and your academic performance during the time in which you have had a residence permit. The Swedish Migration Agency has developed a checklist outlining what this certificate must contain.

Checklists and examples – attestation of third-cycle studies (doctoral studies) Pdf, 874.9 kB, opens in new window.

Documents to submit if you have not made acceptable progress in your studies
If you have not made acceptable progress in your studies due to illness or a similar reason, or if your studies have been interrupted, you must submit documents proving this, such as a doctor's certificate if you have been ill. The documents must show how your ability to study has been affected.

Documents showing that you have or have applied for comprehensive health insurance
If you have been admitted to studies for less than one year and are not listed in Sweden’s population register.

Documents showing that you meet the maintenance requirement
You must attach different certificates depending on how you will be supporting yourself financially. If your family will be applying with you, your entire family’s financial maintenance must be arranged.

If you are employed as a doctoral student, you must attach

  • certificate of employment
  • payslips for the past three months.

You must attach a copy of the scholarship stating

  • who is the scholarship provider
  • that you are a recipient of the scholarship
  • the period for which the scholarship applies and that it is for your studies in Sweden
  • how much money you will receive
  • when the money will be paid out. If you will receive the money on an ongoing basis, information must be provided about when the payments will be made and how large the instalments will be, as well as the total amount
  • how much of the scholarship is intended to cover your living expenses.

You must attach a certificate of enrolment, which must contain information about

  • the monthly amount
  • the time period for which you will receive the money.

You must attach a recent bank statement to your application.

The following information must be included on your bank statement:

  • account holder(s)
  • bank name
  • date of issue
  • balance
  • currency.

If permission from a central bank or the equivalent is required to take out the money from your country, you must include such a permit.

Documents to attach if your family will be applying with you

Correctly made copies of each family member’s passport
Your family member can never be granted a residence permit for longer than their passport is valid.
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Documents showing that the family’s financial maintenance has been arranged
For example, bank statements that confirm that the family’s financial maintenance has been arranged for the time in Sweden.

Birth record or birth certificate stating the names of the child’s parents

Consent that the child may move to Sweden
If a child has two parents/legal guardians and the child’s other parent/legal guardian will be remaining in their country of origin, you must attach a statement of consent from the other parent/legal guardian to the application. If you share joint custody, a copy of the other parent or legal guardian’s passport or other identity document must also be attached
Consent for a child to settle in Sweden (217011) Pdf, 1.1 MB.

Sole custody decision
If you have sole custody of your child, you must attach a court decision to this effect. If the other parent is deceased, you must submit a death certificate.

Adoption documents, if your child is adopted

What does the requirement to be able to support yourself financially mean?
The so-called “maintenance requirement” means that you must show that you have funds (money) available through your own bank assets, scholarship, or doctoral student salary or doctoral grant. You can combine different forms of financial maintenance.

The maintenance requirement is

  • at least SEK 10,584 per month, if you applied in 2025
  • at least SEK 10,314 per month, if you applied in 2024.

If you can show that you receive free housing and/or food through the higher education institution or an organisation that works for international exchange, the amount per month can be reduced. The monthly amount can be reduced by

  • SEK 2,940 per month for free food and SEK 4,704 per month for free housing, if you applied in 2025
  • SEK 2,865 per month for free food and SEK 4,584 per month for free housing, if you applied in 2024.

If your family applies with you, the monthly amount will be higher. In that case, it will include an additional

  • SEK 4,410 per month for a spouse or cohabiting partner
  • SEK 2,646 per month for each child.


The Swedish Migration Agency assesses your family’s overall ability to support yourselves financially.

Read more about the rules for the different forms of financial maintenance

If you will receive a salary for employment as a doctoral student, you must show this with a certificate of employment.

Scholarships, for example from national authorities, higher education institutions, organisations, foundations, or companies, can be approved as a basis for financial maintenance.

If you will receive a doctoral grant, you need to show this with a certificate of enrolment issued by the higher education institution.

Having “personal bank assets” means that you have money in an account that belongs to you, and from which only you and your accompanying partner (if any) can withdraw funds. Credit, funds or shares are not approved as personal bank assets. Assets in a microfinance bank are also not approved.

Locked assets, i.e., bank funds that are deposited in an account for a certain period of time, cannot be a basis for financial maintenance if they will be frozen during the permit period for which you are applying.

You can apply for an extension no more than four months before your current permit will expire. You must apply before your current permit expires.

If you have lived in Sweden with a residence permit for doctoral studies for a total of four years during the past seven years and have a job or your own business in Sweden, you can apply for a permanent residence permit.

You want to apply – Permanent residence permits for doctoral students

If any of your family has a residence permit to live with you, you can apply to extend your residence permits together.

Yes, in parallel with your education, you can work with teaching, research or administration (up to 20 percent of full time). If you are an industrial doctoral student, you can work more than 20 percent of full time, under certain conditions.

You can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of four years at a time, or for the shorter period of your studies. You can never be granted a permit for longer than your passport is valid.

If you are granted a residence permit for the entire duration of your studies, the Swedish Migration Agency will add an extra two weeks to your permit period, to give you enough time to complete your studies and leave the country.

Your residence permit can be extended.

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 applications receive a decision within:7 months

Adults: SEK 1,500
Children under 18 years of age: SEK 750

The following people pay no fee to apply:

  • students at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö
  • Japanese citizens
  • students who have received a scholarship for studies in Sweden from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the EU, the Swedish Institute, or Uppsala University’s International Science Programme. The scholarship must be intended to be used for living expenses and not just cover tuition fees. The scholarship must be paid out during the period for which you are applying for a residence permit. The exception does not apply if you receive a salary, for example if you are employed as a doctoral student.

You can be granted a residence permit in Sweden even if you will be spending time in another country during part of the permit period, as long as the stay abroad is part of the education to which you have been admitted in Sweden.

Yes, you have the right to remain in Sweden while you wait for a decision. If you are employed, you still have the right to work while you wait for a decision, as long as you apply for an extension before your previous residence permit expires.

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.