2025-03-21
Important changes for people applying for Swedish citizenship
New measures are being introduced to improve security in Swedish citizenship cases. The new measures also affect people who have already applied and are waiting for a decision.
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You are between the ages of 18 and 21 and want to file a notification to become a Swedish citizen.
To become a Swedish citizen, you must meet certain requirements. Before submitting your notification, you must meet the following requirements.
You must have turned 18 but not yet be 21 when the Swedish Migration Agency receives your notification
You must have one of the following:
If you were born in Sweden and have been stateless since birth, you do not need to have a permanent residence permit if you have a temporary residence permit on any of these grounds:
You must have proven it probable that your stated identity is correct
You must have lived in Sweden (been habitually resident here) for at least five years
If you are stateless, you meet the period of habitual residence requirement if one of the following applies to you:
You must not be reasonably suspected or convicted of certain crimes
You must not be reasonably suspected or convicted of a crime for which the punishment under Swedish law is four or more years in prison. You also must not be convicted of repeated crimes. The exception to this requirement is if the repeated crimes were of a less serious nature according to Swedish law, or if they were committed a long time ago. This applies regardless of whether the suspected or committed crimes took place in Sweden or another country.
You must not pose a threat to Sweden’s national security or public safety
You must not be affiliated with certain groups or organisations
You must not be affiliated with groups or organisations that have extensively abused other people.
Even if you have lived in Sweden for a certain amount of time, it is not certain that you may count all your time in Sweden towards your period of habitual residence. In most cases, it is your time with the residence permit that was the basis for your permanent residence permit that counts, but your period of habitual residence can be calculated differently, depending on the type of permit you have had and why you have settled in Sweden.
If you have had a temporary residence permit in Sweden, such as a visitor’s permit or a residence permit for studies or to work as an au pair, the time during which you had that permit is not included in your period of habitual residence. The same applies if you work at another country’s embassy or consulate-general in Sweden.
However, if you are studying or have studied at the doctoral (third-cycle) level, in some cases you can count the time during which you had a residence permit for studies towards your period of habitual residence. You can count this time if it is apparent that you have had the intention of staying in Sweden after completing your studies.
If you travelled abroad briefly, for example for visits or holidays, this has no impact on your period of habitual residence in Sweden. However, if you were abroad for more than a total of six weeks in a year, the entire time you were outside Sweden must be subtracted from your period of habitual residence.
If you move to a different country and settle there, your period of habitual residence in Sweden ends. You can start over and begin adding up a new period of habitual residence in Sweden from the day you move back here.
In order for their time here to count as a period of habitual residence and be able to apply for Swedish citizenship, EU/EEA citizens and their family members must have met the requirements for right of residence.
If you have had right of residence in Sweden for five years, but have not requested a certificate of permanent right of residence or applied for a permanent residence card, the Swedish Migration Agency assesses whether you meet the conditions for right of residence in connection with your application for Swedish citizenship.
If you have lived in Sweden under an identity other than your true identity, you may not include the time you were in Sweden with a false identity in your period of habitual residence.
If you have children under the age of 18 who live in Sweden, they become Swedish citizens at the same time as you if any of the following is true of you:
If you work or have worked, you must attach
If you are or have been self-employed, you must attach
If you have or have had your own funds, you must attach
If you are studying or have studied, you must attach
If you are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen, you need to be able to show that you have and have had right of residence by virtue of the fact that your close relative has it. You must therefore send in the documents described above, to show that your close relative has worked, studied, been self-employed, or lived off their own funds in Sweden for the past five years.
It is not possible to say exactly how long you will need to wait for a decision. There are many things that affect the waiting time, for example whether your application is complete to begin with or whether we need to request more information, or whether we need to check with other authorities when investigating your case.
Here we show statistics on how long it has taken for people who have applied for the same permit as you.
Notification fee for people aged 18 to 21: SEK 475
You will not receive a refund if your application is rejected.
The following people pay no fee to apply:
If you do not meet the requirements to file a notification, you can submit an application for citizenship instead.
To be able to use the e-service, you must
Be aware that if you are an EU/EEA citizen or their family member, you must attach the documents required of you. See which documents you must attach under the Important to know tab.
By logging in you accept the terms of use
The e-service is now open after an update on 31 march – 1 april. If you started an application but did not finish it before the e-service closed for updates, you will have to start over with a new application.
If you cannot file the notification in the e-service, you must fill in the form:
Submit the notification to:
Migrationsverket
Medborgarskapsenheten
601 70 Norrköping
If you submit your application by post, we will contact you via email or letter with information about how to pay the application fee.
2025-03-21
Important changes for people applying for Swedish citizenship
New measures are being introduced to improve security in Swedish citizenship cases. The new measures also affect people who have already applied and are waiting for a decision.
2025-03-05
The Swedish Migration Agency's new website has now been launched
On 5 March, the Swedish Migration Agency launched a completely new version of migrationsverket.se, with a new structure and a more user-friendly navigation. The purpose of the new website is primarily to make it easier for visitors to find the information they need.