If you have or are expecting a child with someone in Sweden

If you have a child who is a Swedish citizen or who has a permit to live in Sweden, you can in some cases receive a residence permit because of your relation to the child, without having to leave Sweden.

Normally a person who wants to live together with a family member in Sweden has to apply for a residence permit at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in his or her country of origin, or in another country where he or she has a residence permit. The residence permit must be issued before the person travels to Sweden.

Read more about what is required to get a residence permit because of close family ties to someone in Sweden

Applying for a permit without leaving Sweden

If you have applied for asylum and you have or are expecting a child with a person who is living in Sweden, you can in some cases receive a residence permit without having to leave Sweden. This applies if you have a child who has a residence permit in Sweden or who is a Swedish citizen, or if you are expecting a child with a person who is a Swedish citizen or who has a permanent residence permit.

If you need to stay in Sweden in order not to be separated from your child, you should tell the Migration Agency about your family situation. Write a letter in which you describe the situation with your child, or with your unborn child. Describe why you cannot be separated from your child in order to travel to your country of origin to apply for a residence permit from there, and include certificates proving your kinship or the pregnancy. Also fill in and include the form Application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden, form number 161011.

Application for residence permit to settle in Sweden, form 161011 Pdf, 779.4 kB, opens in new window.

You can describe your family situation to the Migration Agency at any time when you are in Sweden, regardless of whether your child has been born or regardless of whether you have submitted an application to the Migration Agency or to a migration court.

Read more about what to do if you have received a decision for refusal of entry or for deportation which can no longer be appealed, but you want to stay in Sweden because of the relation to your child

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