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Business and conference visits

If you wish to visit Sweden for business or to attend a conference and are a citizen of a country outside the EU, you will in most cases need a visa.
 
In the right column, you will find a list of countries whose citizens require a visa.
As of and including 5 April 2010, the EU´s Visa Code applies as law in Sweden. Through the Visa Code, the provisions on visas for a period shorter than three months are brought together in one EU Regulation. The Visa Code applies to all Schengen countries . A visa granted by any one of these countries is also valid for visits to the others. In exceptional cases — for example, if the holder's passport is not approved by all Schengen countries — the visa may only be valid for entry into the issuing country or only for certain countries. Click on the link on the right to see which countries are signatories to the Schengen Agreement.

Requirements for obtaining a visa


If you wish to visit Sweden and the other Schengen countries, you must have
  • a passport which is valid for at least three months after the final date of the visa.
  • money for your keep and for the journey home. Sweden requires that you have SEK 370 for each day spent in Sweden. In certain circumstances, this amount may be lower, for example in the case of a young child, if the cost of food and accommodation is paid in advance or if you are going to stay with relatives or friends. You must be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds for your keep with the help, for example, of bank statements or a document in which the person inviting you to Sweden promises to meet all expenses during the visit.
  • individual medical travel insurance which covers the costs which could arise as a result of emergency medical assistance, emergency hospitalisation or medical repatriation. The insurance should cover costs of at least EUR 30,000 and be valid in all the Schengen countries.

Requirements of Swedish missions abroad


Some requirements differ from country to country. It is therefore important that you check what applies in your case. The requirements may change depending on the current circumstances. You will find more information and contact information on the website of the relevant embassy. Click on the link in the right column to find the appropriate embassy.
 

Special agreement for certain countries


Special rules apply for citizens of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia, Macedonia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Serbia and the Ukraine due to the Visa Facilitation Agreement concluded between these countries and the EU. More information about this agreement can be obtained from the embassies and consulates of the EU Member States in these eight countries.

Applying for a visa


You should hand in your visa application to a Swedish mission abroad. In certain countries, Sweden is represented by another Schengen country. There are also countries where Sweden does not have its own mission and is not represented by another country. If this is the case, anyone wishing to hand in a visa application must travel to the nearest country where there is a Swedish mission.
 
If you intend to hand in your visa application at another Schengen country's mission abroad, you should contact the mission in advance. In such cases, it is this country's documentary requirements which will apply. The documents should also be translated into the language of that country.
 
To apply for a visa, you must fill in the form Application for Schengen Visa.
 

Ensure your application is complete


To enable the authorities to process your application, you must clearly state:
  • why you are visiting Sweden
  • how long you intend to stay in Sweden
  • how you will support yourself during your time in Sweden
  • the type of passport you hold and for how long it is valid
  • where you intend to travel following your visit to Sweden
  • if you have a permit to enter the country you intend to travel to after your stay in Sweden.
With your application, you must enclose:
  • two passport photographs in which you are looking straight ahead and which are not more than six months old
  • appendix D form, no. 201031 (family appendix)
  • appendix A form, no. 210021
  • an invitation — a letter — from the company or the organisation arranging the conference
  • other documents which the embassy may require.

The invitation must contain information about you, for example:

  • your personal data
  • the reason for your visit to Sweden
  • how long you intend to be in Sweden
  • who will be responsible for supporting you financially during the time you are in Sweden.

Decisions on visas


In the vast majority of cases, the mission abroad makes the decision. Sometimes it will make certain checks with the other Schengen countries. If the mission abroad is uncertain how to assess your application, the application may be sent on to the Migration Board in Sweden which will make the decision.

Most people who apply for a visa are successful. Your application may be rejected if the decision-making authority judges that you are unlikely to leave the Schengen zone after your visit and that the purpose of your visit is not as specified in your application. You may also be rejected if you are listed in the SIS computer system (Schengen Information System), where Member States register people who are not permitted to enter the Schengen zone.  

How long will it take?


You will normally receive a response within two weeks, but processing times can vary at missions abroad. If you need current information about this, contact the Swedish mission abroad which will process your application. If the Swedish mission sends your application on to the Migration Board, the process may take longer. To be sure that you receive your visa in time, you should submit your application at least two months before you are due to travel to Sweden. During the June-August holiday period, the processing time could be longer.

Validity period for visa


A visa is time-limited and is valid for a maximum of three months in any six-month period. This means that if you have spent three months in the Schengen zone, you must leave the area for three months before you can be granted a new Schengen visa.

If you have special grounds, you may be granted a visa for a longer period - up to a maximum of one year - a so called D-visa. Special grounds can for example be that you need to travel to Sweden to visit your children for a period of time that exceeds 90 days in half a year. A D-visa gives you the right to move freely within the Schengen area.

The permit sticker glued into your passport states how many days you can use your visa during the permit period. This is often a little longer than the validity period of your visa. The reason for this is that the authorities expect that you could need a little time to arrange the trip — booking tickets and purchasing medical insurance, for example.

It should be noted that you may not stay in Sweden or any other Schengen country beyond the number of days stated on the permit sticker. The time is calculated from the date of entry on the first trip. The permit sticker states how many times you may enter and leave the Schengen zone during the period of validity.
 

Extending a visa


A person who is in Sweden and wishes to extend their visit must in most cases apply for a residence permit for the visit. In certain cases it is also possible to extend a visa.

The cases where this applies are:

  • Force majeure — for instance there may be a rebooking of a flight owing to a strike by an airline or extremely bad weather
  • Humanitarian grounds — for instance the holder of the visa or a close relative of theirs who is resident in Sweden may suddenly become seriously ill
  • Strong personal reasons - this may, for instance, involve healthcare or business visits.
In addition to these reasons, the basic requirements for the grant of a visa must be satisfied, see above.

You should submit your application for an extension of your visa to one of the Swedish Migration Board´s Permit Units. Extensions of visas can only be granted so the total period of the stay in the Schengen area does not exceed 90 days during a period of 180 days. If you wish to stay for a time longer than this period, you can apply for a residence permit for the visit instead.

Residence permit for a visit


You should submit the application at one of the Swedish Migration Board´s Permit Units if you wish to stay for a longer time than for which your visa is valid or if you wish to stay for a period longer than 90 days in a 180-day period. Such a residence permit can be granted for a period longer than 90 days during a 180-day period.

If you obtain a residence permit for visits, the decision will be sent to you by post. You must visit one of the Swedish Migration Board´s Permit Units in order to get a sticker in your passport.

Application fees


There is no charge for an extension application owing to force majeure or humanitarian grounds. However, an application for an extension of a visa on grounds of strong personal reasons costs EUR 30, that is to say about 300 kronor. It costs 1 000 kronor per adult and 500 kronor for a child under the age of 18 to apply for a residence permit for visits.

Appeals


You can only appeal a visa decision if you are a relative of an EU citizen and only decisions made by the Migration Board may be appealed. These appeals are heard by a migration court.
 
The following persons are classified as relatives:
  • husband, wife or common-law spouse
  • registered partner
  • a child under the age of 21 or an older child who receives financial support from its parents
  • parents who are financially dependent on children in Sweden.

Reconsideration


In all other cases, it is not possible to appeal a rejected visa application. However, you may ask the authority (embassy, consulate or Migration Board) which rejected the application to reconsider its decision, i.e. to consider whether there are grounds to change the decision. A reconsideration does not mean that the decision will be changed. You request a reconsideration by writing a letter to the authority which reached the decision, stating the new reasons you wish the authority to take into account when reassessing your application. You also have the opportunity to submit a new visa application.
Page updated: 2010-04-05