Children born in Sweden
Children born in Sweden receive the same citizenship as the parents. If the child's parents are citizens of a country outside the EU, the parents must apply for a residence permit for the child. The child most often receives the same permit as that of the parents.
EU and EEA citizens
By “EU citizen”, the Migration Agency also means citizens of the EEA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, which are also covered by the freedom of mobility within the EU. Citizens of countries within the EU and EEA do not need residence permits to live in Sweden.
Children born after 1 April 2015
If your child is born after 1 April 2015, he or she will become a Swedish citizen at birth, no matter where they are born, as long as one of the parents is a Swedish citizen.
A child born after 1 April 2015 is always given Swedish citizenship if:
- one of the parents is a Swedish citizen. It does not matter if the child is born in Sweden or abroad.
- a deceased parent to the child was a Swedish citizen upon their death.
Children born before 1 April 2015
If the child's mother is a Swedish citizen
A child born before 1 April 2015 but after 1 July 2001 to a woman who is a Swedish citizen automatically becomes a Swedish citizen.
Read more about automatic citizenship
If the child's father is a Swedish citizen
If the child is born before 1 April 2015 but after 1 July 2001 in Sweden and the child's father is a Swedish citizen, the child also becomes a Swedish citizen. If you are not married, the social welfare board in the municipality must first establish paternity. When paternity has been established, the child is registered as a Swedish citizen. The Tax Agency will inform the Migration Agency when this is done, and you do not need to apply for a residence permit for the child. If you still receive a letter from the Migration Agency saying that you have to apply for a residence permit for the child, you can disregard this letter.
Permits for children who do not have Swedish citizenship
When the Migration Agency receives notification of a child without Swedish citizenship having been born in Sweden, the Migration Agency sends a letter to the parents. It is the parents who must apply for a residence permit for their child.
Daniel and Nour in Sweden had a child together before April 1 2015. Nour is an American citizen, but Daniel is a Swedish citizen. They are therefore surprised when they receive a letter from the Migration Agency saying that they have to apply for a residence permit for the child.
Daniel contacts the Migration Agency and is told that they must contact social services in their municipality in order to establish paternity, since they are not married. Once paternity has been established, the child will be registered with the Tax Agency as a Swedish citizen and they do not have to apply for a residence permit for the child.
How to apply for a residence permit for your child
If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and do not have a Swedish citizenship, you have to apply for a residence permit for your child. If one of you has a residence permit in Sweden and the other has applied for asylum, you can apply for a residence permit for your child. If the child is in need of protection, you can apply for asylum for the child.
You can apply online for a residence permit for the child.
In most cases, you will have to pay a fee.
If the child has a passport, you must enclose copies of the child's passport showing personal data, a photo, passport number, country of issue, the passport's period of validity and if the child has residence permits in any countries other than his or her country of origin.
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If the parents are EU citizens
If you are citizens of a country within the EU, you may have right of residence. If either of the parents has right of residence in Sweden and your child is also an EU citizen, the child automatically has right of residence. In this case, you do not need to contact the Migration Agency.
Read more about residence permits for EU citizens
As EU citizens you may also have residence permits in accordance with the Swedish Aliens Act. If you have a residence permit you should apply for a residence permit for the child. Read more on how to apply for a residence permit for the child above under the headline If the parents are citizens of a country outside the EU.
If you are EU citizens with right of residence but the child is not an EU citizen, you should apply for a residence card for the child. You apply for a residence card by filling out the form Application for residence card, number 145011, and sending it to one of the Migration Agency's permit units.
This is what you should include
- documents demonstrating that you still qualify for right of residence, such as tax account statements, employer's certificate, study results if you are a student or tax account statements for the company if you are self-employed
- copies of the pages in the child's passport showing personal data, a photo, passport number, country of issue, the passport's period of validity and if the child has residence permits in any countries other than his or her country of origin.
- copies of the pages in the parent's passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
- a national identity card showing personal information, citizenship and the period of the card's validity (if one of the parents are an EU citizen).
If the child does not have a passport, you should apply for one as soon as possible. Please contact the embassy of your country of origin for more information.
There is no fee for applying for a residence card.
Application for residence card, form number 145011
If you do not apply online
Application for residence permit
If you cannot apply online, you must fill out the form Application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden – for a child under the age of 18, number 163011.
If the child has a passport, enclose copies of the child's passport showing personal data, a photo, passport number, country of issue, the passport's period of validity and if the child has residence permits in any countries other than his or her country of origin.
You do not need to enclose the form Family appendix when you apply for residence permit for your child.
Send your application to The Swedish Migration Agency, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå