Frequently asked questions about extension of temporary residence permits for former asylum seekers and their families

You can apply for a residence permit extension earliest two months before your current residence permit expires.

Yes, if you have applied for a residence permit extension in time (that is, before your old residence permit expires), you are allowed to work while you wait for a decision.

If you apply for an extension too late, that is, after your residence permit has expired, you will not have the right to work while waiting for a decision. You also risk losing certain benefits, such as start-up support, study allowance or parental allowance.

Moreover, if you apply too late, there is a risk your application will be rejected because you will have been in Sweden without a valid residence permit.

If you were previously issued an expulsion order and it is still valid, it can be enforced when your residence permit expires if you do not apply for an extension in time.

When we examine your application, we will make a decision based on the information we have received. All requirements must be met when you apply. You can supplement your application by sending documents by post to the Swedish Migration Agency if we have not yet made a decision. The processing times can vary so it is not possible to predict when your application will be examined.

Send your attachments to:

The Swedish Migration Agency/Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

No. Only people registered at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s Unit for Reception can get compensation for travel expenses.

The Swedish Migration Agency cannot answer how long the processing time is going to be. However, if you apply for an extension before your temporary residence permit expires, you have the right to stay in Sweden and continue to work or study while you wait for a decision.

Be sure to attach all documents to your application. It may take longer to process your application if it needs to be supplemented.

You can apply for a residence permit extension online or by filling in a form. In your application, you must state why you want to stay in Sweden.

We will go over your previous application and the documentation for your last decision, and then contact you if we need to ask additional questions about why you want to stay in Sweden.

It is very important that you apply for an extended residence permit before your current residence permit expires. If you were previously issued with an expulsion order and you do not apply for a residence permit extension in time, your expulsion order may be enforced when your current residence permit expires.

Read more about how to apply for a residence permit extension online

Read more about how to apply for an extension using the form

If you do not apply for an extension when your residence permit expires, you no longer have the right to be in Sweden and you must leave the country.

Send your application and attachments to:

The Swedish Migration Agency/Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

No, you must have a Swedish e-ID and an email address to apply for a residence permit extension online.

If you do not already have a Swedish e-ID, such as BankID, you can get one by contacting your bank. If you do not use online banking services, you can apply for an ID card from the Swedish Tax Agency that contains an e-ID.

List of banks that issue BankID and Mobile BankID External link, opens in new window.

Read more about the Swedish Tax Agency’s ID card with e-ID External link, opens in new window.

You can use another person’s email address to receive the code you need to log in to the e-service for the first time.

The Swedish Migration Agency may contact you about your application using that email address so you must have access to it until you have received a decision.

Send your application and attachments to:

The Swedish Migration Agency/Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

If you are unable to apply online, you can print out an application form and send your application to the Swedish Migration Agency by post.

Send your application to:

The Swedish Migration Agency/Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

You can apply for a residence permit extension earliest two months before your current residence permit expires. You cannot log in to the e-service before that.

The most common reason why a person is not eligible to use the e-service is that it is too early for you to apply for a residence permit extension. You cannot log in to the e-service until you have less than two months left on your current residence permit. Check the end date of your residence permit (stated on your residence permit card) and try again later.

You can also read more about the e-service to check whether it is the correct service for your type of residence permit.

Read more about how to apply for a residence permit extension online

Yes, custodial parents and legal guardians use their e-ID to apply for an extension for their children aged under 18 years. Once you have logged in, you will be asked whether you are applying for yourself or for a child for whom you are the guardian. You can submit multiple applications if you have multiple children, but keep in mind that you must complete and submit the application for each person before you can log in again to submit a new application for someone else.

If your child has two custodial parents/legal guardians in Sweden, the other person must give their consent by signing form 207011 Pdf, 1.1 MB, opens in new window. which you then attach to the child’s application in the e-service. Fill in and upload one form for each child.

First, make sure you have filled in the correct personal identity number or case number for your child. If the number is correct, but you still cannot fill out an application for your child, the child's other guardian can try to log in with their e-ID and complete the child’s application. If this does not work either, please contact the Swedish Migration Agency so that we can help you.

A legal representative cannot log in to the e-service. Children without guardians in Sweden can make their own application online if they have an e-ID. The Swedish Migration Agency will contact the child's legal representative or specially appointed legal guardian to have the application confirmed. If the child does not have an e-ID, the legal representative can apply by submitting the form 200011 Application for residence permit extension.

Application for residence permit extension, form 201011 Pdf, 666.9 kB, opens in new window.

Read more about how to apply for an extended residence permit by post

Applicants who want to use the e-service must log in themselves using their e-ID. Parents can log in using their e-ID and apply for a residence permit extension for their children aged under 18 years.

A legal representative who is helping someone to apply for a residence permit extension must send in the application by post and enclose a written power of attorney.

Read more about how to apply for an extended residence permit by post

Yes, you can use the e-service to apply for an extended residence permit for all reasons. You can select one or more reasons at the same time.

When you have completed your application, you will receive confirmation on your screen that the Migration Agency has received your information. You can also download a summary of your application in the form of a PDF.

Shortly after you have submitted your application, the Migration Agency will confirm it has been received by sending an email to the address you entered the first time you logged in to the e-service.

You can also use the My page service. Keep in mind that it can take up to one hour for an online application to appear in the system and it may take several days for documents that have been sent in by post to be registered.

Go to My page

When you have completed your application, you will receive confirmation immediately on your screen that the Swedish Migration Agency has received your information.

Once your application has been registered, the Swedish Migration Agency will send confirmation by email to the email address you provided when you first logged in to the e-service, that is, the same email address the login code was sent to. It can take up to one hour for the email to be sent.

If more than one hour has passed and you have still not received confirmation by email, or your application has still not appeared in My page, you should log into the e-service again to see if there is a paused application there. Sometimes people pause their application and then forget to complete it. It is important that you complete your application before your current residence permit expires.

Go to My page

The e-service becomes available to you when you have two months left on your current residence permit. During that time, you can log in to the e-service as many times as you like, provided you have not submitted the application. If you discover that you do not have all your attachments available digitally, you can pause your application and acquire the documents you need. When you are ready you can log in again and continue your application by uploading the documents. Remember that you must complete and submit your application before your current residence permit expires. If you have paused your application, you need to remember to complete it on time. You will not be sent a reminder.

If you submit the application without uploading the required documents for the application, you have to send the missing documents to the Swedish Migration Agency by post within two weeks. If we need to remind you to submit your documents, this may result in a longer processing time. We may also decide your case without the documentation you had intended to submit.

Send your application and attachments to:

The Swedish Migration Agency/Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

You can upload digital attachments, such as a PDF or a scanned or photographed document.

You may upload multiple files in the same upload box, but it is important that you use the correct upload boxes to attach the documents we have asked for. Next to the box, there is a text describing which document you need to upload into the box in question. If you upload a document in the wrong box, it will be more difficult for the administrator to assess whether your application is complete.

Attachments uploaded to the service must be in PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, or TXT file format.

Both you and your family should apply for an extension in the same manner. The easiest way to apply is online using e-ID. Parents can use their e-ID to submit applications for their children under the age of 18 years. In the application, each person states why he or she wants to stay in Sweden.

After three years with a residence permit in Sweden, you can apply for a permanent residence permit at the same time as you apply for an extended residence permit. Each family member must meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit.

Read more about how to apply for a residence permit extension online

The maintenance requirement for close relatives only applies the first time your family applies to relocate to Sweden to live with you.

If you are applying for permanent residence permits at the same time as you apply for extensions, each adult family member must be able to support themselves.

When you apply for an extended residence permit, the main rule is that you will be granted a two-year residence permit. This applies to both you and your family. After you have had a residence permit in Sweden for three years, you and your family members can apply for a permanent residence permit.