Visas for Sweden

Moving to Sweden for any number of reasons could be a simple process for you – especially if you’re living within the EU or EEA. The Free Movement of Persons Agreement gives EU and EEA citizens the right to live, work and study in Sweden, and the Schengen Agreement also entitles many more nationals from non-EU / non-EEA countries to visit for up to 90 days with a Schengen Visa. For everyone else – known as ‘third country residents’ – there are clear rules and obligations that must be met for travel to Sweden for tourism, business, work or study.

Short stay (Schengen) visas

This sort of visa is valid for 90 days within a 180 day period and also permits travel into the other 25 countries of the Schengen Area. You start clocking up your 90 days on the day you enter the Sweden – or another Schengen state – but you must apply specifically for a multiple-entry visa if you want 90 days over 180 days than 90 consecutive days in Sweden. Listed below are the territories known as third-countries, whose nationals will need a Schengen Visa before entering Sweden.

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Required documents – Schengen Visa

Depending on what you intend to do in Sweden during your 90 days, there will be extra documents you will need to add to your application, but here are the key documents all Schengen Visa applications will require:

• Application form for a Schengen Visa
• Valid passport or valid travel document valid for at least three months after your departure from the Schengen area, issued within the past ten years and with at least two empty pages for visa stamps
• Two passport standard photographs
• Medical insurance worth at least EUR 30,000
• 3 months’ worth of bank statements proving your financial stability. EUR 50 per day in Sweden is deemed a sufficient amount to exist on – less is required if your board is free, if you will be financially supported in Sweden or if you have already paid for your accommodation costs
• Enough money for the return journey home, or proof of a return ticket

For working in Sweden:

• All of the above, plus a letter from employer or at least three recent payslips

For visiting friends and relatives:

• Application form countersigned by the relative or friend in Sweden inviting you to visit
• Civic registration or family certificate for the relative or friend in Sweden

If the relative or friend will support your stay in Sweden, you will also need to provide their payslips, pension statements or bank statements for the past 3 months.

EU Family Visa

Spouses or dependants of EU or EEA nationals can apply for an EU Family Visa to visit Sweden, with the following documents:

• Schengen application form
• Two passport standard photographs
• Marriage or Birth Certificate
• Your passport, issued within the past ten years
• EU citizen’s passport
• Photocopies of all above documents

Business Visa

• Completed questionnaire – Appendix A, form 210021
• Invitation from the company or organisation in Sweden stating the trip’s purpose and duration, plus details of who will be supporting you financially during your stay
• Swedish registration document in the case of small businesses

Sports and cultural visits

• An invitation from the organisers if you wish to visit Sweden for a cultural activity
• A document showing that you take part in the sport in question if this is the purpose of the visit

Tourist visits

• Detailed travel plan
• A copy of your hotel booking and travel documents

Residents permit

If you wish to visit Sweden for more than 90 days in a 180 day period, you must apply for either a Residence Permit for shorter-term visits, or a National Visa – also known as a D-Visa – for long term residency. These rules do not apply to EU and EEA citizens, who benefit from the right to live, work and study in Sweden without the need to contact the Swedish Migration Board first. If you need to apply for a Residence Permit, you will need to supply the following:

• Completed application form
• A valid passport
• A copy of the first page in your passport
• Your biometrics (fingerprints and pictures), to be taken at your local Embassy
• A copy of travel documents for your return journey
• For under 18s or those travelling with minors, an application for a children’s visitor permit
• Valid travel insurance for the entire visit to Sweden

Work permit

As an EU or EEA citizen you enjoy the legal right to work or study in Sweden without the need to apply for a visa or permit. Third-country applicants will need to produce, in addition to a completed application form:

• An offer of employment in Sweden
• A valid passport
• Proof that they will earn enough to support themselves in Sweden (salary details)

Student residence permit

The Free Movement of Persons Act entitles EU and EEA students to come to Sweden for study without a visa, but students must register their residence with the Swedish Migration Board within 90 days of arrival in Sweden. They can then apply for a Swedish ID number at their nearest tax office. The ID number is a must for living in Sweden, and something you must provide all employers, schools, universities, property agents and banks with before being able to deal with them.

Third-country applicants should apply for their student residence permit online here, or in person at their local Swedish Embassy or Consulate. They will need to show that they have been accepted onto a course of study first.

Application fees

Visa application fees cannot be refunded if your application is rejected. Fees are linked to the euro and amended in the event of big exchange rate shifts.

• Adults: EUR 60
• Children aged 6 – 12: EUR 35

Fee exemptions

• Children under six
• Students and teachers on educational or research trips
• Third-country nationals on scientific research trips
• Representatives of non-governmental organisations aged under 25 and travelling for seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by NGOs
• Relatives of EU citizens or citizens of Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland

For further information on visa and permit applications for Sweden, visit the Swedish Embassy website here. Application forms can all be found and downloaded from the Migrationsverket website here.