Swedish Migration Board - start page
Print

Letter about applying for a residence permit for your child

Any citizen of a country outside the Nordic countries must according to Swedish law have a residence permit or right of residence to live in Sweden. This also applies to children born here. The general rule is that a child will be given the same status as the parent or parents.
When the Swedish Migration Board receives information that a child who is not a Swedish citizen has been born here we send a letter to the parents. The parents are responsible for applying for a residence permit or registering a right of residence for the child. On this page you can learn what to do.

If the child's father is Swedish


If the child is born i Sweden and the child's father is Swedish, the child also becomes a Swedish citizen. If the parents are not married the social welfare board in the municipality shall establish paternity and then notify the Tax Agency. When paternity has been established, the Immigration Board is informed by the Tax Agency that the child is a Swedish citizen, and you do not need to apply for a residence permit for the child.

For citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA  


If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU/EEA you must apply for a residence permit for your child. Other rules may apply, for example if you have a residence card.

In order to apply for a residence permit, fill in the form Residence permit to settle in Sweden - for a child under the age of 18, No. 163011.

Please send us the following with your application:

  • Receipt of application fee payment
  • If your child has a passport you must send a copy which shows the child's identity and the passport's term of validity clearly.

Please note that you do not need to submit the appendix Family details, nor a civic registration certificate.

For information on how to pay the application fee, please see the page Fees.

For citizens of an EU/EEA country


As a citizen of an EU / EEA country, you may have right of residence. You may also have a residence permit under the Aliens Act. If you have a residence permit you should apply for a residence permit for your child (see above). There is no fee for this for EU citizens.

If one or both of you have right of residence and your child is also an EU/EEA citizen, you should register the right of residence for your child. To do this, use the form "Registration of right of residence", number 141011.

If you have right of residence but your child is not an EU/EEA-citizen, you should apply for a residence card for your child by filling out the form "Application for residence card", number 145011.

When registering your child's right of residence or applying for a residence card you must submit:

  • proof of familial relationship (eg birth certificate or civic registration certificate) stating who the child's parents are.
  • proof that one or both of you still qualify for right of residence.
  • copy of the child's passport or national identity card in which the identity, nationality and term of validity are shown.
  • copy of the parents' passport or national identity card which the identity, nationality and term of validity are shown. (Please not that a Swedish identity card is not admissable in this case.)

If you do not have a passport or national ID card for your child, you should apply for these as soon as possible.
 
There is no cost for registering right of residence or applying for a residence card.

Sidan senast uppdaterad: 2012-04-16