If you want to visit Sweden for more than 90 days, you must apply for a visitor’s permit. If you are in Sweden and want to extend your visit so that it will be more than 90 days in total, you must also apply for a visitor’s permit.
If you are exempt from the visa requirements and have a valid residence permit, issued by Sweden or another Schengen country, you do not need to apply for an extension of your visit if your stay will be shorter than 90 days after your residence permit expires. If you have visa-free days left, they may be reactivated. With the help of the EU’s visa calculator External link, opens in new window. you can calculate how many days you can stay. This may also apply if you have a valid Schengen visa.
If you already have an on-going application for a residence permit at the Swedish Migration Agency, you cannot be granted two permits at the same time. You will only receive a decision in the application considered to be most advantageous for you, which most often is an application for a residence and work permit as it gives you the right to settle in Sweden. If the application for a visitor’s permit is made while you are in Sweden, you are at risk of having your application for a residence and work permit rejected. If you are outside Sweden, you must wait until a decision is made in the application that is most advantageous for you. This may mean that the dates that you apply for a visitor’s permit may have passed when the decision is made. The Swedish Migration Agency therefore recommends that you do not apply for a visitor’s permit in these cases.
To be eligible for a visitor’s permit, you must
If any of these apply to you, you do not need to have medical travel insurance:
What you must enclose with your application and what terms apply for your visit depend on the reason for your visit. Choose the heading that suits you.
If you plan to visit close relatives such as siblings, children or grandchildren, you can be granted a residence permit for visits so that the total stay amounts to six months. If there are special reasons, a total stay of up to nine months can be granted.
Parents who are no longer able to work (for example pensioners), and who plan to visit their children in Sweden, can be granted a residence permit for visits so that the total stay amounts to one year.
If you plan to visit a partner in Sweden, a residence permit for visits can be granted so that the total stay amounts to six months.
The duration of the permit will be based on the circumstances of each individual case.
The visitor’s permit is only valid for a visit and not for you to work or settle in Sweden.
You are not registered as a resident in Sweden and are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits. The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
Pdf, 1.1 MB, opens in new window. )Pdf, 799 kB, opens in new window. )Pdf, 655.5 kB, opens in new window. )If the application concerns a child under the age of 18 travelling without a parent/legal guardian, you who represent the applicant must enclose:
If want to visit Sweden as a tourist for longer than 90 days you can be granted a residence permit for visits so that your total stay amounts to a maximum of six months. The duration of the permit will be based on the circumstances of each individual case.
The visitor’s permit is only valid for a visit and not for you to work or settle in Sweden.
You are not registered as a resident in Sweden and are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits. The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
If the application concerns a child under the age of 18 travelling without a parent/legal guardian, you who represent the applicant must enclose:
For business or conference visits, a residence permit for visits can in exceptional cases be granted if your stay will exceed 90 days. The duration of the permit will be based on the circumstances of each individual case.
You are not registered as a resident in Sweden and are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits. The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
If the application concerns a child under the age of 18 travelling without a parent/legal guardian, you who represent the applicant must enclose:
If you want to visit Sweden to undergo medical treatment, a residence permit for visits can be granted for the estimated period of treatment, provided it is less than one year.
The visitor’s permit is only valid for a visit and not for you to work or settle in Sweden.
You are not registered as a resident in Sweden and are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits. The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
If the application concerns a child under the age of 18 travelling without a parent/legal guardian, you who represent the applicant must enclose:
If you will visit Sweden for studies or research, you can apply for a permit for up to 1 year. If you have been admitted to a university, you must instead apply for a residence permit for studies.
The visitor’s permit is only valid for a visit and not for you to work or settle in Sweden.
You are not registered as a resident in Sweden and are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits.
It is sufficient that you are covered by insurance from your university/institution in Sweden or in your home country.
The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
If you are going to stay in Sweden as a missionary with a mission from a parish or a religious community, you can be granted a residence permit for up to a total of three years. Permits are then granted for one year at a time. If your stay will be longer than one year, the permit must be granted before you travel to Sweden.
Monks and nuns can apply for permits for as long as the monastery period runs although initially a maximum of one to two years. If your stay will be longer than one year, the permit must be granted before you travel to Sweden. After four years you can apply for a permanent residence permit in conjunction with an application to extend your residence permit. If you are not granted a permanent residence permit you can instead be granted an extension of your temporary residence permit. After another two years you can apply for a permanent residence permit again.
If you work for a religious organization and are invited to Sweden to participate in activities covered by your regular duties, such as providing visiting sermons and lectures, you must have a work permit to be permitted to conduct the activities in Sweden.
If you are granted a permit for a period of less than one year, you will not be registered as a resident and then are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits. The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
If you are granted a permit for longer than one year, you must visit the Swedish Tax Agency to be registered as a resident.
If you will visit Sweden as a volunteer or trainee, you can apply for a permit for up to one year.
If you are paid for your trainee work, different rules apply:
If you are applying within the scope of the European Solidarity Corps, different rules apply:
The visitor’s permit is only valid for a visit and not for you to work or settle in Sweden.
You are not registered as a resident in Sweden and are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits. The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
If you are applying within the scope of the European Solidarity Corps, the following are also required
If the application concerns a child under the age of 18 travelling without a parent/legal guardian, you who represent the applicant must enclose:
If you want to extend your visit due to an extraordinary event, you cannot at the same time state other reasons for your visit. You must be prepared to travel home as soon as opportunity allows. An extraordinary event can, for example, be an ash cloud or a pandemic that means that it is temporarily not possible to travel. It is the Swedish Migration Agency that decides that an event is extraordinary and this will then be announced on the website. There is currently no ongoing extraordinary event.
You can only apply for an extension on the basis of an extraordinary event if you are in Sweden.
The visitor’s permit is only valid for a visit and not for you to work or settle in Sweden.
You are not registered as a resident in Sweden and are not entitled to social welfare benefits. You must therefore have an individual medical travel insurance to be granted a residence permit for visits. The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that the insurance covers costs of at least EUR 30,000, that it is valid in all Schengen countries and that it covers emergency medical assistance, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons.
If the application concerns a child under the age of 18 travelling without a parent/legal guardian, you who represent the applicant must enclose:
In order for the Swedish Migration Agency to be able to make a decision in your matter, it is necessary that all information is entered and all necessary documents are included. The processing time will be shorter if everything required is present from the beginning than if the application needs to be supplemented afterwards. Note that the Swedish Migration Agency in some cases may need to investigate the application further even if all information is filled in and all documents have been included.
If you are staying in Sweden for more than 90 days, you can apply in the e-service. This applies both to people who are currently outside the country and to those who are already in Sweden and wish to extend their visit to more than 90 days in total.
In order to be able to use the e-service, you need to
When you conclude your application in the e-service, you will need to book an appointment at an embassy or consulate-general to show your passport and show that you are in your home country or country of residence (if you make your application outside Sweden) or in Sweden (if you make your application from Sweden). During the visit, you will also be fingerprinted and photographed. Please note that this also applies if you have previously had a residence permit card. This is because your photo and fingerprints are not saved. If you are abroad, you will also be interviewed at the embassy or the consulate-general.
If you want to visit Sweden for less than 90 days, you should not apply for a visitor’s permit, but you may need to apply for a visa.
If you are outside Sweden, you must submit your application at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general.
If you want to visit Sweden for less than 90 days, you should not apply for a visitor’s permit, but you may need to apply for a visa.
Fill in application forms and attachments:
In the application, you enter information about yourself and the person or organisation that you will visit. You must fill out one application per person.
You need to enclose several documents with your application. What you must enclose depends on the reason for your visit. See the heading Conditions for your visit and what you must enclose with your application.
You must submit your application at the embassy or consulate general-of the country where you are a citizen or live. Not all Swedish embassies and consulates-general handle migration matters.
You can see the opening hours of the embassies and consulates-general on their websites.
Most people must pay a fee in connection with the application being submitted.
You will need to attend an interview in connection with turning in your application. Contact the embassy or consulate-general for more information as to whether you need to book an appointment for the interview. During the interview, you will answer questions about your visit to Sweden. Children for whom applications are submitted must also attend.
If you are already in Sweden and wish to extend an ongoing visit to longer than 90 days in total, you must not only submit your application by post, but also book an appointment to complete your application.
To make an appointment, you must first have submitted your application and gotten a confirmation that it has been received. During your visit, you must be able to present your passport. You will also be fingerprinted and photographed. Please note that this also applies if you have previously had a residence permit card. This is because your photo and fingerprints are not saved.
If you want to visit Sweden for less than 90 days, you should not apply for a visitor’s permit, but you may need to apply for an entry visa.
In your application, you must enclose
You need to enclose further documents to your application. What documents are to be enclosed depends on the reason for your visit. See the heading Conditions for your visit and what you must enclose with your application
You pay via bank giro number 5223-7005. The IBAN account number is SE6912000000012810106908 and the BIC/SWIFT code is DABASESX (Danske Bank).
In the box Message to payment recipient you write
The application must be placed in an envelope that you write “Application for visitor’s permit” on.
An application for a visitor’s permit is sent in the post to
Swedish Migration Agency
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå
Sweden
You can also submit the application in a letter-box at any of the Swedish Migration Agency’s service centres.
Once we have received your application, we send a receipt and information on simplified service to the address you have provided in Sweden.
You will also be asked to book an appointment to complete your application. You must yourself book the appointment with the Swedish Migration Agency. At the visit, you must be able to present your passport. You must also submit your fingerprints and have your photograph taken. Note that you will need to submit fingerprints and be photographed even if you previously had a residence permit card. This is because a photograph and your fingerprints are not saved.
If you apply from abroad and have had an interview at the embassy and at the same time submitted your fingerprints and been photographed, your application is sent to the Swedish Migration Agency in Sweden, which processes and makes a decision in the matter.
You will be contacted by the embassy and receive information when the decision is ready.
If you have applied through the e-service, you receive a receipt with information on the application received and simplified service to the email address you provided when you applied. When you completed your application, you had to book an appointment to submit fingerprints and be photographed. At the visit, you must be able to present your passport. Note that you must do this even if you previously had a residence permit card. This is because a photograph and your fingerprints are not saved.
If you have applied by paper form, we send a receipt and information on simplified service to the address you have provided in Sweden. You will also be asked to book an appointment to complete your application. At the visit, you must be able to present your passport. You must also submit your fingerprints and have your photograph taken. You must yourself book the appointment with the Swedish Migration Agency. In order to book an appointment, you must first have sent in your application and received a confirmation that it has been received. Note that you will need to submit fingerprints and be photographed even if you previously had a residence permit card. This is because a photograph and your fingerprints are not saved.
If you applied for a residence permit from within Sweden, the decision will be sent home to the address in Sweden you provided in your application. If you have provided any authorisation to represent you, the decision is sent to that person.
If you travel home before receiving a decision
If you have applied from within Sweden and choose to travel home before you have received a decision, you should notify the Swedish Migration Agency if you no longer want to continue with your application. We can then write off your application. The easiest way to contact us is by email:
You need to state your case number when you contact us. You can find your case number on the top right of the receipt of your application.
If you leave Sweden after your visa, visa-free period or residence permit has expired, we recommend you to take your receipt of the application with you when you leave. The border police are responsible for border controls when entering or leaving Sweden. You should therefore contact them if you have any questions regarding border controls.
In order to obtain an impression how long you need to wait for your decision, you can visit the page Time to a decision. Note that the average time that is shown on the page is calculated based on previously decided cases in the same category. The time can vary from application to application. The decision can take longer if the case officer must ask you for more information. It is therefore to your advantage that the application is complete so that we do not need to ask you for supplemental information.
