If you already are in Sweden and want to apply for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden

If you want to live with someone in Sweden, the main rule is that you must submit your application from your country of origin or the country where you legally reside. Your residence permit must be ready before you travel to Sweden. In certain cases you may receive a residence permit without having to leave Sweden. This may apply to you if you already have another residence permit, or if you have or are expecting children.

If you already have a resi­dence permit

If you are already in Sweden with a valid residence permit, you may in certain cases receive a new residence permit without having to leave the country. This may apply to you if you have, for example,

  • a work permit
  • a permit as a self-employed person
  • a permit for studies and have completed at least 30 credits in university collage studies or one semester of postgraduate studies in Sweden.
  • a residence permit as a family member of a Swedish citizen, Nordic citizen or someone with a permanent residence permit
  • a residence permit as a family member of an employee with a residence permit, a self-employed person with a residence permit or a student with a residence permit for studies
  • applied for asylum and have received a temporary residence permit. It also applies to you if you have a temporary residence permit due to particularly or exceptionally distressing circumstances, or to impediments to enforcement. You must be able to prove your identity, for example with a national passport.

Your permit must be valid when you submit your new application. However, you can not receive a residence permit for the reason that you want to live with a family member in Sweden before your current permit expires. If you are in Sweden with a visa or a temporary visitor's permit, you can usually only be granted a permit for an extended visit, rather than a permit to settle in Sweden.

If you have a residence permit as a family member to an EU citizen with right of residence, you can no longer be granted an extension to your residence permit. However, you may have the possibility to apply for a residence card.

Read more about the residence card

If you have or are expecting a child in Sweden

If you are in Sweden without a valid residence permit, you can, in some cases, get a residence permit on the grounds that you want to live with someone in Sweden without needing to leave the country. A pregnancy or a common child does not automatically mean that you can get a residence permit in Sweden without needing to leave the country. Having your application examined and granted when you are in Sweden is an exception, and a short separation from your child can be considered reasonable, for example.

The requirements for getting a residence permit without needing to leave Sweden are that

  • you meet the conditions for getting a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden
  • it is clear that you would have been given a residence permit if you had submitted your application before you came to Sweden and
  • it is not reasonable to require you to travel back to your country of origin to apply.

You may not need to leave Sweden to apply if you

  • are a parent and legal guardian of a child who has a residence permit or who is a Swedish citizen
  • have or are expecting a child with a person who is a Swedish citizen, has a permanent residence permit or has some other permit entitling them to live in Sweden (you yourself also have to live together with the child).

The person you are going to live with in Sweden must be able to support you all and must have a home of a sufficient size and standard that you all can all live in. There are some exceptions to the requirement concerning support and a home that you can read more about on the page For the relative in Sweden.

Read more about the maintenance requirement for the relative in Sweden

The child's best inte­rests

The impact on your child of being separated from his or her parent determines whether or not you can be granted a residence permit without having to leave Sweden. Your application may be rejected if

  • you do not meet the requirements for a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden
  • it is likely that the embassy will be able to process your application within a reasonable period of time
  • it is believed that your child will not be harmed by your temporary separation.

Your application may also be rejected if you have a criminal record or have been an illegal resident, or if you have provided false information.

If you have applied for a resi­dence and work permit to settle in Sweden and now also want to apply for a resi­dence permit for a visit

You cannot be granted two residence permits at the same time. If you are in Sweden when we consider your application for a residence and work permit to settle in Sweden, you risk having it rejected.

Read more about the disadvantages of applying for a residence permit for a visit at the same time as you have an ongoing application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden on the page Visit Sweden for more than 90 days

If you have previously received a rejec­tion of an appli­ca­tion and been deported from the country

If the Swedish Migration Agency has previously rejected your application for a residence permit and expelled or deported you from the country, and the Migration Court has rejected your appeal (the decision has entered into force legally), special rules apply. The Migration Agency cannot determine your right to settle in Sweden – it can only determine whether there are obstacles to you returning to your home country (so-called impediments to enforcement).

Read more about impediments to enforcement when a person comes for protection and asylum (the same information applies to those who have not applied for asylum)

How to apply

You need to fill in the forms Application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden, 161011, Frågeformulär om anknytning till partner – Ansökan efter inresa i Sverige, T109, and Family details 239011. You and your partner are to jointly fill in the form Assurance of cohabitation – appendix to application for extended residence permit, 243011B.

If the application is made for a child under the age of 18, you fill in the form Residence permit to settle in Sweden – for a child under the age of 18, 163011.

If you have had a residence permit based on employment, for studies or as a self-employed person, you must also submit documents demonstrating your occupation in Sweden. These can be, for example, grades from studies or a certificate of employment and payslip.

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

Frågeformulär om anknytning till partner – Ansökan efter inresa i Sverige, form T109 (Questionnaire about relationship to partner – Application after entrance to Sweden, only in Swedish) Pdf, 784.9 kB, opens in new window.

Family details, form 239011 Pdf, 876.4 kB, opens in new window.

Assurance of cohabitation – appendix to application for extended residence permit, form 243011B Pdf, 1.2 MB, opens in new window.

Residence permit to settle in Sweden – for a child under the age of 18, form 163011 Pdf, 850.6 kB, opens in new window.

Send your appli­ca­tion to

The Swedish Migration Agency
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

If you do not have a residence permit and need health care in Sweden

The first time you apply for a residence permit as a family member to someone in Sweden, you must apply from your home country or the country where you legally reside. If you apply for a residence permit from within Sweden, you are not entitled to health care but must pay for any health care costs yourself. The Swedish Migration Agency will not pay for health care costs.

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