For those seeking asylum without a parent or other legal guardian
This information is for those who have arrived without their parents and has applied for asylum (protection) in Sweden. Here we describe what steps you go through as an asylum seeker, how the Swedish Migration Agency decides who is entitled to asylum, and what support asylum-seeking children and youth are entitled to.
The information can be used by children who are asylum seekers, by other young people who want to know more about what asylum is or by adults who want help explaining the asylum process to children and young people.
The information can be read in different ways. You can either read everything from the first to the last page to get knowledge about what happens when you apply for asylum. Or you can read the section that feels most important to you right now.
Applying for asylum
At your first meeting with the Swedish Migration Agency, you will answer many questions, you will receive information about the asylum process, and you can also get help to call your parents or other relatives to tell them where you are and how you are doing.
With the help of an interpreter, you can, for example, tell us
- who you are
- what language you speak
- about your family
- how you feel
- how you have travelled to Sweden
- why you have left your home country and what you think will happen if
- you go back
- if you have any friends or relatives in Sweden that you want to stay with
- or live closely to.
If you have special needs, such as a disability, you should tell us. If your disability makes it difficult for you to talk to the Swedish Migration Agency, you are entitled to help.
The staff will ask you this to register you in the Swedish Migration Agency’s information system and to prepare your application for investigation. You will receive similar questions from both the Swedish Migration Agency and the municipality you are going to live in. This is because the Swedish Migration Agency and the municipality have different information systems.
Show who you are
The Swedish Migration Agency wants to know who you are and where you come from in order to make the right decision. It is your responsibility to show what your name is, how old you are and where you come from. The best way to show who you are is by showing a passport or identity card.
It is especially important for the Swedish Migration Agency to know how old you are, since asylum-seeking children have different rights than asylum-seeking adults.
Photo and fingerprint
You will be photographed and fingerprinted. Fingerprints are taken by pressing your fingers against a machine that reads your fingerprints. If you are 14 years or older, the Swedish Migration Agency will check if your fingerprints are registered in another country in Europe. Children under the age of six years do not need to provide fingerprints at all.
If your fingerprints show that you have already applied for asylum in another country, and an investigation shows that you have received a decision in that country, the Swedish Migration Agency may decide that you should travel there.
The Swedish Migration Agency may also decide that you should have your application for asylum tried in another country in Europe if you have family members there. Before this is decided, you will have the opportunity to tell us what you think about it. These rules are called the Dublin Regulation.
After the first conversation
When your application for asylum is registered, you will receive a receipt that you have applied for asylum. After a couple of weeks, you can exchange the receipt for an LMA card that proves that you have applied for asylum and have the right to stay in Sweden while you wait for a decision. An LMA card does not count as an identity document, in other words it does not prove who you are, only that you are an asylum seeker in Sweden.
The Swedish Migration Agency will contact the municipality, which will ensure that you receive accommodation and a guardian. The Swedish Migration Agency will also appoint a public counsel to help you with your application.
Waiting for an asylum investigation
The next step in the asylum process is for you to come to an asylum investigation, a longer interview where you can tell us more about why you want asylum in Sweden. How long you will have to wait for an asylum investigation can be different for different people. It is important that you come to the meetings that you are summoned to. If we have to reschedule the investigation, it may take some time before you get a new appointment.
Asylum investigation
The asylum investigation is a conversation where you are asked to tell us more about why you want asylum in Sweden. The Swedish Migration Agency wants to hear your own story about what you have experienced and what you think will happen to you if you have to return.
Your public counsel must accompany you to the asylum investigation. Your guardian may also accompany you if you wish. A person from the Swedish Migration Agency is in charge of the investigation and writes down what you are talking about in a report. Sometimes there may be two people from the Swedish Migration Agency involved in an investigation, in that case one person will ask the questions and the other person writes. An interpreter translates what you say so that you can understand each other. The interpreter can sit in the room or be on video or phone.
Things that are hard to talk about
An asylum investigation takes between two and three hours and you will be asked questions about things that may be difficult or embarrassing to talk about. It is important that you tell the Swedish Migration Agency the truth, even if it is difficult. If you need to take a break, you can ask for it.
When the Swedish Migration Agency investigates your reasons for asylum, the case officer must try to adapt the investigation to your age, maturity and health. If you cannot understand a question you must let us know. It is also important that you speak up if you do not understand the interpreter.
At the asylum investigation, you will be asked questions about your identity, your family, what you have been through in your home country, how you got to Sweden and what you think will happen if you have to return. You have probably heard these questions before, but now you have the opportunity to tell us much more than you have done in previous conversations at the Swedish Migration Agency. The case officer will ask follow-up questions and ask you to tell them more details to really understand your story. Try to answer all questions as carefully as you can. If you are asked the same question several times, it does not mean that you have answered incorrectly, only that the case officer needs more information.
If you have any evidence, you should bring it to the investigation. This evidence may be identity documents or other things that show that what you tell us is true.
After the investigation
After the investigation, the case officer sends the report to your public counsel, who will review it together with you and your guardian. If there are any errors, or if you think that the case officer or interpreter has misunderstood you, it is important that your counsel notifies the Swedish Migration Agency quickly so that it is correct – otherwise it may be difficult for you to explain what is correct at a later date. Also tell your counsel if you think of with something important that you forgot to say at the investigation.
Decision
The Swedish Migration Agency decides whether you should be granted asylum in Sweden by looking at everything you have told and shown, and what we know about the situation in your home country. After that we compare this what the law says about who should be granted asylum in Sweden.
You will be informed that the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision on your application for asylum by you and your guardian being summoned to a meeting, or by the decision being sent to you by post. Even if you receive the decision by post, you and your guardian will be summoned to a meeting where the case officer will explain the decision and what happens next. The asylum decision is written in Swedish, but a case officer at the Unit for Reception will explain what it means with the help of an interpreter.
The case officer who tells about the decision may not be the same person who interviewed you and made the decision. There are always two people who make the decision together. This is so that we can be sure that the right decision is made. The case officers at the Swedish Migration Agency are not allowed to decide as they see fit, but must follow the law.
Yes or no
If you receive a yes to your application, you will be granted a residence permit and have the right to stay in Sweden.
If you receive a no to your application, your application is what you call rejected.
Who can get asylum?
Swedish law states who can be granted asylum in Sweden. The Swedish Migration Agency examines whether the reasons you tell us are enough to be granted asylum. In Sweden, all applications for asylum are examined individually by the Swedish Migration Agency. Sweden must grant a residence permit to those who are refugees, in need of alternative subsidiary protection or people who need to stay for other reasons.
Refugee
According to the UN Refugee Convention and Swedish law, you are a refugee if you have reason to be afraid of being persecuted because of:
- race
– for example, what skin colour you have - nationality
– for example, your citizenship, language or ethnic group - religion
- which god you believe in, or that you do not believe in a god at all - political views
– for example, your views on how your home country should be governed - gender
– if you are a girl or a boy - sexual orientation
– for example, if you are a girl who falls in love with girls or a boy who falls in love with boys - that you belong to a particular social group
– sometimes children can be considered a separate social group.
Sometimes it is those who decide in a country who persecute and threaten people so that they have to flee. But you can also apply for asylum if there are individual people or groups who are persecuting, and the authorities in the home country (such as the police) are unable or unwilling to protect and help the victims.
It is not enough that you have experienced this kind of persecution. There must also be a high risk that you will be exposed to it again if you go back. That is why the case officer at the Swedish Migration Agency asks about what you think will happen if you have to go back to your home country.
If you are considered a refugee, you will be granted a residence permit for three years.
Alternative subsidiary protection
According to Swedish law, you can sometimes get asylum in Sweden even if you are not considered a refugee in the way described in the items above, but are still afraid to return to your home country.
You are called eligible for alternative subsidiary protection if you risk torture, the death penalty, or other inhuman or degrading treatment in your home country. You can also get a residence permit as a person eligible for alternative subsidiary protection if there is so much war in your home country that everyone who stays there risks being killed.
A person who is considered eligible for subsidiary protection receives a residence permit for 13 months.
Residence permit in other cases
In some cases, an asylum seeker may be granted a residence permit even if he or she does not meet the requirements of the law to be called a refugee or a person eligible for alternative subsidiary protection. It is unusual and requires special circumstances, for example that the person is very ill or that the situation in the home country is very difficult.
If you are granted a residence permit
Residence permit means that you have received a YES to your application for asylum. You are allowed to stay in Sweden If you are granted a residence permit, you and your guardian will be invited to a meeting at the reception unit. An case officer will tell you about the decision and explain why you are allowed to stay and what happens next.
After the decision
You and your guardian must visit the Swedish Tax Agency to register you in the national population register. This means, among other things, that you get a personal identity number with the last four digits.
One month after you have been granted a residence permit, you will be discharged from the Swedish Migration Agency. Then you will no longer receive a daily allowance and your bank card will stop working. If you need the money that is on the card, it is important that you withdraw it before you are discharged from the Swedish Migration Agency. Your asylum case is then closed. In the future, the municipality where you live will have full responsibility for you. Your social worker will tell you more about what happens next.
How long is my residence permit valid for?
Most asylum seekers receive time limited residence permits. This means that you can stay in Sweden for a certain period of time, usually 13 months or three years. When your residence permit expires, you can apply for an extension. If you still need protection, you can get a residence permit for another two or three years.
If you are between 17 and 24 years old and studying at upper secondary school, you can in some cases get a longer residence permit to complete your upper secondary education.
Permanent residence permits
When you have had a residence permit for three years you can apply for permanent residence at the same time as you apply for an extension. If you are 15 years or older, you must live a well-behaved life in order to get permanent residence. For example, if you have committed a crime, your application for permanent residence may be rejected. If you are 18 years or older when you apply for permanent residence, you must also have a job and be able to support yourself.
If you do not meet the requirements for permanent residence, you may still be able to receive an extended residence permit if you still need protection.
If the Swedish Migration Agency rejects your application for permanent residence because you do not meet the maintenance or good behaviour requirement, you can appeal the decision.
Family reunification
If you have been granted a residence permit, your parents may in some cases be reunited with you in Sweden. The case officer who tells you that you have been granted a residence permit can tell you more about how it works.
If your application has been rejected
Rejection means that you have received a NO to your application for asylum. If you have been rejected, you have two choices: You can accept the decision and leave Sweden or appeal to the Migration Court.
Rejection
A rejection to your application means that the Swedish Migration Agency assesses that you do not have enough reasons to be granted asylum in Sweden. You and your guardian will come to a meeting where a case officer explains why you have been rejected and what happens now.
Accept the decision
If you accept the decision, you will have to sign a piece of paper saying that you do not want to appeal. Once you have accepted the decision, you can get help from the Swedish Migration Agency to prepare for your return home.
Appeal
You can appeal the decision if you disagree with the Swedish Migration Agency's decision. To appeal, you and your guardian must write a letter to the Swedish Migration Agency stating why you think the decision is wrong. Your public counsel can help you write an appeal. Your decision will state how long you have to appeal.
The Swedish Migration Agency will read your appeal and assess whether the decision should be changed. If the Swedish Migration Agency does not find that there is reason to change the decision, your appeal will be forwarded to the Migration Court. The Migration Court will review your appeal. If the Migration Court agrees with you, the Swedish Migration Agency will change the decision and you may stay.
If the Migration Court rejects your appeal, it means that they think that the Swedish Migration Agency's decision is correct. You can then appeal to the Migration Court of Appeal, but that court only tries certain special cases where it is unclear how the law should be interpreted. If the Migration Court of Appeal decides not to try your case, it means that you cannot appeal anymore and that the Swedish Migration Agency's decision comes into effect (gains legal force).
You can change your mind at any time and withdraw an appeal and instead decide to return home. You can then get help from the Swedish Migration Agency to prepare for your return home.
Return
Once your asylum application has been rejected you should prepare to return to your home country. The Swedish Migration Agency will help you arrange your return to your home country if you cooperate.
The Swedish Migration Agency will summons you to several meetings to talk about what needs to be done in order for you to return to your home country. As long as you cooperate, the Swedish Migration Agency will help you prepare for your trip back to your home country. If you do not cooperate, the Swedish Migration Agency may hand over responsibility for your case to the police.
If you are still under the age of 18 when you leave Sweden, there must be someone to receive you when you arrive. It can be a parent, relative or someone who works at an authority responsible for children who do not have a guardian. The Swedish Migration Agency's staff will travel with you and make sure that someone meets you at the airport when you arrive.
If your parents are safe in a country other than your home country, the Swedish Migration Agency may try to help you reunite with them there instead.
The Swedish Migration Agency will help you
You do not have to like the decision that you must leave Sweden. But if you accept the decision and agree to return voluntarily, the Swedish Migration Agency will help you plan your trip. For example, you can get help with booking the trip, arranging for a passport and contacting relatives in your home country.
In some cases, you can also apply for financial support or other forms of support to make it easier for you to enter society after you have returned.
If you do not comply with the decision
The Swedish Migration Agency can only help you prepare for your trip if you yourself agree to leave Sweden. If you do not come to the meetings that the Swedish Migration Agency invites you to, if you hide or otherwise show that you do not intend to go back, the Swedish Migration Agency may hand over your case to the police. This means that it is the police who is responsible for ensuring that you comply with the decision and leave Sweden. If you have reached the age of 18, you lose your right to financial support if you do not comply with the decision.
New events after rejection
Sometimes things may happen after the decision that prevents you from leaving Sweden. For example, it may be that you become too ill to travel, or that new reasons for asylum or new evidence of your reasons for seeking asylum emerge that the Swedish Migration Agency did not know about when we made the decision. If this happens, you and your guardian should write to the Swedish Migration Agency and tell us about what has happened. The Swedish Migration Agency will then decide whether the new reasons are sufficient to stop the deportation.
Sometimes the deportation can be stopped temporarily so that the Swedish Migration Agency has time to investigate the new event. A temporary stop is called inhibition.
While you wait to return home
You have the right to go to school, use the healthcare system and get help with money and accommodation while you remain in Sweden. Your guardian will help you until you leave Sweden or turn 18.
Your rights
That means, for example, that you have the right to live in safety, to go to school, and to have leisure time. You are entitled to any healthcare and dental care you might need. You get to make decisions about your own body, and no one can force you to have sex or get married. No one is allowed to hit you or threaten you.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the law in Sweden. It states what rights all children should have. Some of the most important rules in the Convention on the Rights of the Child are:
- All children have the right to live and develop.
- The best interests of the child should always be important.
- Children have the right to speak their minds.
- All children have the same rights.
When adults who are responsible for you make a decision that affects you, they need to listen to what you want and think about what is best for you. You have the right to say what you think and to be heard, but that doesn’t mean that things will always turn out the way you want.
You have the right to special support
Children who apply for protection without their parents, so-called “unaccompanied minors”, have the right to special support. It is the social services in the municipality where you live that must ensure that you get accommodations that suit you and your needs. You also get a “guardian” to speak for you when your parents cannot. You are entitled to this support even if you come to Sweden with an adult who is not your parent.
When you turn 18
Once you have turned 18, you are an adult and do not have the same right to support and protection as a child has.
Persons and authorities you will meet
You will meet people from many authorities and many different adults who are responsible for different things that affect you. Authorities are responsible for making sure that society functions in accordance with Sweden’s laws. Examples of authorities that you will have contact with are the Swedish Migration Agency and social services.
The Swedish Migration Agency
Among other things, the Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for:
- investigating your application and deciding whether you have the right to asylum or a residence permit or
- to appoint a public counsel who can help you with your application
- to provide you with financial assistance if you do not have your own money
- to decide which municipality will be responsible for providing you with accommodation, schooling and a guardian
- to help you connect with your parents, if possible
- to help you travel from Sweden if you are not allowed to stay here.
You will meet several different people at the Swedish Migration Agency. If you feel more comfortable talking to a man or a woman, you can tell us about it.
The municipality
Among other things, the municipality is responsible for making sure that:
- you get someplace to live that suits you and your needs
- you can go to school
- you get a guardian.
Social services
In each municipality, there is something called ‘social services’. Social services work according to rules on how society should help everyone who needs support. It is the social services that decide where you will live. All unaccompanied minors are assigned a contact person at the social services called a ‘social worker’.
Guardian
If you are under the age of 18 and come to Sweden without your parents, you will be assigned a guardian. You will not live with your guardian, but he or she is responsible for helping you with a number of things that your parents would otherwise have done.
For example, a trustee must:
- be present when you have contact with authorities, such as the Swedish Migration Agency or social services
- handle the contact with your school
- help you make an appointment with a doctor, dentist or psychologist
- be responsible for your finances if you are under 16 years of age.
Interpreter
In order for you and the staff at the Swedish Migration Agency to understand each other, an interpreter will translate what you say. The interpreter can speak both Swedish and the language that you speak. Either the interpreter is in the same room as you, or they are on the phone or video. It is the interpreter’s job to translate everything that is said in the room and not say anything more.
It is important that you and the interpreter understand each other and that you dare to say everything you want to say while the interpreter is there. If you do not understand the interpreter, you need to tell them. Also tell us if you and the interpreter are related or know each other in some other way. If you prefer to have a man or a woman as an interpreter, you should say so in advance.
Public counsel
A public counsel is a person who knows Swedish laws. He or she will give you legal advice and help you with your asylum application. It is the Swedish Migration Agency that appoints a public counsel for you, but he or she does not work for the Swedish Migration Agency. You can also suggest a person if you know someone you have confidence in, but you may not be able to get the particular counsel that you request. You can say whether you would prefer a male or female counsel.
Professional secrecy
Everyone who works at the Swedish Migration Agency, in the municipality, and in the healthcare service or schools has an obligation of secrecy. That means they are not allowed to share what you have said with anyone who does not have the legal right to know. Only the people working on your case have the right to know what you have said. The interpreter and the public counsel are also bound by professional secrecy.
A guardian, on the other hand, is not bound by an obligation of secrecy. This is because a guardian, just like a parent, needs to be able to talk to various authorities about you.
Anyone who has an obligation of secrecy may break their obligation of secrecy so that they can talk to another responsible adult if they think you are in any sort of danger.
Accommodation
The municipality is responsible for arranging accommodation that suits you and your needs.
When you apply for asylum, the Swedish Migration Agency will contact the municipality, which will arrange temporary accommodation for you. After a few days or weeks, you will find out which municipality will have long-term responsibility for you and make sure that you can go to school and get the support you need while you wait for a decision on your asylum application.
If you have relatives or friends in Sweden that you want to live with or if you want to live near them, you should tell the Swedish Migration Agency or the municipality when you apply for asylum.
You can live in different ways
The municipality is responsible for finding you good accommodation. There are different kinds of accommodation arrangements. For example, you could live with relatives or friends, with a family that takes children and young people in need of help into their home, or together with other young people in a home where there are staff to help you.
If you want to live with relatives in Sweden, the social services in the municipality where you are placed must approve this arrangement. Before social services makes a decision, they will investigate whether the family is able to take care of you.
If something happens that makes you feel unsafe where you live, tell your guardian or social worker immediately.
Accommodation for those who are 18 years of age or older
When you turn 18, or if the Swedish Migration Agency assesses that you are over 18, the responsibility for arranging accommodation for you is transferred from the municipality to the Swedish Migration Agency. This means that you may need to move to one of the Swedish Migration Agency's temporary accommodation or arrange your own accommodation.
Finances
When you apply for asylum in Sweden you have the opportunity to apply for financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency if you do not have your own money. There are two forms of financial support to apply for: daily allowance and special allowance.
Daily allowance
If you are entitled to a daily allowance, you will receive a sum of money per day, which is paid out once a month. Among other things, this money should cover your personal needs, such as clothes, shoes, medicine and things that you want to do in your leisure time. Sometimes you get money from the people who manage your accommodation, and then the Swedish Migration Agency does not pay a daily allowance.
Special allowances
If you have a special need for something your daily allowance cannot cover, you and your guardian can apply for a special allowance. For example, you might need eyeglasses, winter clothes or something else that you cannot do without.
Your guardian is responsible for your finances
If you are under the age of 16, it is your guardian who fills out the application and is responsible for your money. Once you turn 16, you have the right to apply for and be responsible for your daily allowance and any special allowance. You will receive your own bank card to which your daily allowance and special allowances will be deposited.
School
You have the right to go to school just like all other children who live in Sweden. School is free of charge. In Sweden, all children must go to school. It is the municipality that is responsible for your schooling, and your guardian who must ensure that you can start school as soon as possible.
Compulsory school
Compulsory school consists of primary and lower secondary school. It lasts ten years, and you usually start the year you turn six. The first year of school is called preschool class. It involves a lot of play and creative activities to prepare young children for their future schooling. In compulsory school, all students study more or less the same subjects.
Upper secondary school
Upper secondary school is a voluntary education where students have the opportunity to choose a specialisation to prepare for professional life or continued studies at a university or college. In order to study at an upper secondary school, you must have completed your compulsory school studies.
If you are an asylum seeker, you have the right to complete an upper secondary education if you started your upper secondary studies before you turn 18. This also applies if you move to another municipality.
Health
You are entitled to any healthcare and dental care you might need. These services are free for all children in Sweden. If you get sick or feel unwell and need to see a doctor or dentist, your guardian or someone from your accommodation can help you book an appointment. Remember to bring your LMA card with you to your visit.
Health exam
Everyone who applies for asylum in Sweden is offered a health exam. The purpose of the health exam is to make sure that you receive help and treatment as soon as possible if you need care.
During the exam, you will receive information about how the healthcare system in Sweden works. You will answer questions about your health and will be offered tests.
Take the opportunity to ask any questions you might have, and do not be afraid to tell healthcare staff how you are feeling. The healthcare staff are bound by professional secrecy, and the health exam does not affect your case with the Swedish Migration Agency.
Eye exam
If you need glasses, your guardian can help you apply for special allowance from the Swedish Migration Agency and book an appointment with an optician.
Dental care
You have the right to receive both preventive dental care and the treatment that the dentist decides you need. Dental care is free for all children in Sweden.
Violence and sexual abuse
Many asylum seekers have been subjected to violence or sexual abuse in their home country or while fleeing to Sweden. Such experiences can make you feel bad both physically and mentally, but help is available. For example, you can talk to the healthcare staff during your health exam, to staff at your youth guidance centre, or to the school nurse or counsellor at your school. They can help you get the right care.
All forms of violence and sexual assault are illegal in Sweden. It is always the person who has harmed you who is responsible, and you can never be punished for being subjected to violence or sexual abuse. This applies regardless of what relationship you have with each other. It also applies, for example, to rape within a marriage and when parents beat their own children. When an adult has sex with a child under the age of 15, it counts as rape. In Sweden, it is also illegal to force or trick someone into getting married, and children under the age of 18 are not allowed to marry.
Contact the police at telephone number 114 14 if you are being subjected to violence or sexual assault or if you are afraid of being married off. If you are in acute danger, call the police at 112.
Genital mutilation
Genital mutilation (or ‘female circumcision’, as some people call it) is when you cut or stitch up a girl’s vulva or damage it in some other way.
Genital mutilation is completely prohibited in Sweden and is seen as a serious crime. A person who has been subjected to genital mutilation can have both physical and mental problems. If someone has done this to you and you have problems because of it, you can get help from the healthcare service. Talk to your school nurse, the staff at your youth guidance centre, or your health centre.
Sexually transmitted diseases
You have the right to knowledge about how to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases and how to avoid infecting others. Examples of sexually transmitted diseases include chlamydia, hepatitis, gonorrhoea and HIV. If you know that you have such a disease, you must inform the healthcare staff during your health exam, so that you can receive care and avoid infecting someone else. If you are unsure whether you are infected, the healthcare staff can take samples.
Contraception and maternity care
In Sweden, maternity care and obstetric care is free for asylum seekers. You also have the right to free contraceptive advice, so that you can choose whether you want to become a parent. Both girls and boys have the right to information on how to protect themselves and others from pregnancy. Girls who have become pregnant and do not want to have the child have the right to terminate the pregnancy through an abortion.
Mental illness
It is common to feel worried about what will happen in the future while you are waiting for a decision on your asylum application. Some people may also feel bad because they have experienced frightening things or because they miss their family. Examples of symptoms of poor mental health include anxiety, difficulty sleeping or feeling sad and depressed.
You can get help and support from the healthcare service where you live. You can also talk to the counsellor or school nurse at your school.
Disability
A disability is when you have an injury or an illness that makes it difficult, for example, to move, hear, speak or understand things. If you have a disability, you have the right to receive practical support in your everyday life, at school or when you talk to the Swedish Migration Agency. Having a disability does not affect your application for asylum in Sweden. If you have (or if you think you have) a disability, you can tell the healthcare staff during your health exam.
More information about health
On www.1177.se/other-languagesExternal link, opens in new window., there is information in several languages about various diseases and how the healthcare system in Sweden works. You can also call the healthcare information services at telephone number 1177. Then you can talk to a nurse who can answer questions and give advice on where to turn to get the right care.
The website www.youmo.seExternal link, opens in new window. provides information for young people about health, relationships, sex and much more, in several languages.
At www.rfsu.se/uposExternal link, opens in new window. you will find short informational videos for those who want to know more about their body, sexuality and health. The films are available in many different languages. Here you can find, among other things, informational videos about contraception, childbirth and pregnancy.
Kvinnofridslinjen (Sweden’s National Women’s Helpline) offers advice and support to women have been subjected to threats and physical, psychological and sexual violence. Call 020-50 50 50. They can arrange for an interpreter in just a few minutes. You can also read more at kvinnofridslinjen.seExternal link, opens in new window.. The information is available in several languages.
Call the police at 114 14 if you want to report a crime, such as someone hitting you or sexually assaulting you. You can also call the police if you are afraid of being married off or circumcised. If the situation is urgent, call 112.
When you turn 18
According to Swedish law, you become an adult the day you turn 18. This means that you do not have the same right to support and help as an unaccompanied minor, and your application must be examined according to the same rules as an adult asylum seeker.
Shortly before you turn 18, or in connection with the Swedish Migration Agency deciding that your age will be changed to over 18, you will be invited to a meeting where you will receive information about how your rights and obligations will change when you turn 18.
Guardian
An important difference between being an unaccompanied minor and an adult asylum seeker is that once you turn 18, you usually do not have the right to a guardian. The guardian’s assignment ends because you are of legal age and no longer need a legal guardian. You can handle your contact with the authorities yourself and sign all necessary papers.
Accommodation
The Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for arranging temporary accommodation for all adult asylum seekers who need it. The municipality where you live may require the Swedish Migration Agency to take over responsibility for arranging temporary accommodation for you as soon as the municipality is informed that you have turned 18 or if the Swedish Migration Agency has changed your age to 18. This can happen even if you appeal the Swedish Migration Agency's decision to change your age.
If you need the Migration Agency's help with temporary accommodation, you will not be allowed to choose where to live. You must move to a place where the Swedish Migration Agency has vacant accommodation. The Swedish Migration Agency will try to arrange accommodation for you close to the area where you have previously lived, but there are no guarantees that this will be the case.
You can choose to arrange accommodation yourself, for example by staying with relatives or friends. Then you have to pay for your accommodation yourself.
Talk to your reception unit if you need help arranging accommodation.
Finances
When you turn 18, you become responsible for your own finances.
Healthcare and dental care
Asylum-seeking children have the right to free dental care and healthcare. An adult asylum seeker, on the other hand, is only entitled to emergency medical and dental care and care that cannot wait. It is the staff at the hospital, health centre, or dental clinic that assesses whether you should receive care.
Adult asylum seekers must pay for doctor’s appointments and medications. Show your LMA card and you will pay a lower price.
School
If you are studying at upper secondary school, you have the right to continue attending school while you wait for a decision on your application for asylum. Your right to continue your upper secondary studies applies even if you need to move to one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s temporary accommodations in another municipality.
If you are not studying at upper secondary school but still want to study while you wait for a decision, you can ask the Swedish Migration Agency about ‘early interventions for asylum seekers’ (also called TIA).
If your application has been rejected
If you have turned 18, it is no longer necessary for a relative or an authority to receive you when you return.
If you have received a decision to return to your home country, you must leave Sweden within the time limit stated in the decision, or immediately if there is no deadline and the decision can no longer be appealed. If you do not leave Sweden within that time, there is a risk that you will have a so-called re-entry ban, that is, you may not travel back into Sweden within 1–5 years.
You are entitled to accommodation and financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency until your deadline for voluntary return expires, or when the decision can no longer be appealed if you were not given a deadline. If you have children of your own who have also applied for asylum in Sweden, you are entitled to extended support from the Swedish Migration Agency.
The Swedish Migration Agency will help you prepare for your trip as long as you cooperate.
Your rights as a child in Sweden
Asylum-seeking children have the same rights as all children in Sweden. For example, all children have the right to go to school, to receive care when they need it, to live in safety, and to say what they think. Here you can read about the rights and special rules that exist to protect children.
Children are particularly vulnerable and need extra protection. The age limit for being considered a child or an adult can differ between different countries. In Sweden, you are considered to be a child until you turn 18.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the law in Sweden. The Convention on the Rights of the Child states what rights all children should have. There are also other laws in Sweden that exist to protect children.
You have the right to be free from violence
All children have the right to be free from violence. No adult is allowed to strike, kick, push, pull your hair, or threaten you.
Contact the police by calling 114 14 if you are being subjected to violence. If you are in acute danger, call the police at the number 112.
Child marriage is prohibited
Different countries have different age limits for when you are considered an adult and when you are considered a child. The rules for getting married also differ from country to country.
A child cannot marry
In Sweden, you are a child until the day you turn 18, and before that you cannot get married.
This is because it is believed that children should not bear the responsibility of a marriage. Early marriages can make children feel bad both physically and psychologically, because a child can be prevented from developing into their own, independent person and living the life to which they have a right.
Once you have reached the age of 18, you decide for yourself whether you want to get married and, if so, to whom. No one is allowed to force or trick someone into marriage. It is illegal to try to force or trick a child into travelling to another country to get married. This is a crime that can lead to imprisonment. It is also illegal to force a child to live in a relationship similar to a marriage. When an adult has sex with a child under the age of 15, it counts as rape.
If someone is under the age of 18 and married
If either of the people in a marriage were under the age of 18 when they married, the marriage will not be valid in Sweden.
If you are under the age of 18 and apply for asylum together with the person that you are married to instead of with your parents, you are considered an unaccompanied minor. You will then be appointed a guardian who will help you in your contact with the authorities.
Where to turn
If you have questions or need help, you can talk to a teacher, counsellor or healthcare professional. You can also contact the Swedish Migration Agency or social services. If you have a guardian, you can also turn to them.
If you are afraid that you or someone you know will be married off, you can call the police at 114 14.
Genital mutilation is prohibited
Genital mutilation, sometimes referred to as female circumcision, occurs in many parts of the world. Genital mutilation is when you cut or stitch up a girl’s vulva or damage it in some other way. No one is allowed to do that to a girl, even if it has been a tradition in the family.
Genital mutilation is completely prohibited in Sweden and is regarded a serious crime. The person who has been subjected to genital mutilation is never punished.
Contact the police at 114 14 if you are afraid that you or someone you know will be subjected to genital mutilation. You can also call Kvinnofridslinjen (the National Women’s Helpline) at 020-50 50 50 to get advice and support. Kvinnofridslinjen is a national helpline for women who have been subjected to threats or violence.
You have the right to freedom from honour related violence and oppression
In some families and extended families, it is important that the family maintain a good reputation. There may be rules about what clothes you can wear, who you can hang out with, that you cannot be together with and marry whomever you want, study what you want, or pursue the profession you want.
Both girls and boys are affected
These rules tend to be the strictest for girls, but there are also rules that apply to boys. If the rules cause you to be poorly treated or punished, this is known as “honour-related violence and oppression”. The poor treatment or punishment may include beatings, threats, or being called mean names. Exposing a child to honour-related violence and oppression is a violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Swedish law.
Sometimes children are forced to control their siblings because the family is worried that rumours about them will spread. But all people have the right to live their own life, the way they want to live it. This applies regardless of your religion or cultural background, what country you come from, or who your family is. All children have the right to live their own lives, and should not have to control anyone else.
Where to turn
If you or someone you know is being subjected to honour-related violence or oppression, you can turn to a teacher at your school, the social services in your municipality, or the Swedish Migration Agency for help. There are also various organisations that can provide support and information about honour-related violence and oppression.
GAPF – National Organisation against Honour-Related Violence (In Swedish): Here you can get support if you or someone you know are being subjected to honour-related violence or oppression. You can call 08-711 60 32, send an e-mail, or use the chat function. https://gapf.se/
Love is Free (In Swedish): Here you can get support via chat and e-mail if you have questions about honour-related violence or oppression, your rights, love, forced marriage or genital mutilation. https://www.raddabarnen.se/rad-och-kunskap/karleken-ar-fri
Tris – Girls’ Rights in Society (In Swedish): Here you can get support if you feel limited by your family or relatives or are subjected to threats or violence when you try to make your own choices. Call 010-255 91 91. https://www.tris.se/
The equal value of all people
In Sweden, there are many laws that state that all people are equal and have the same rights. We are entitled to have the same rights and opportunities in life no matter who we are, what we look like, where we come from, what we believe in, who we fall in love with, or how we function.
There are laws to prevent someone from being discriminated against or having their rights violated. As human beings, we are allowed to feel, think and believe as we please, but we are not allowed to do whatever we want. The Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression states that all people have the right to express their thoughts, opinions and feelings, as long as they do not infringe on the rights of someone else. We must all respect the right of our fellow human beings to their own identity and their own life choices.
Gender equality
Gender equality means that boys and girls are equal and should have the same opportunities in life. It also means that adult men and women should have the same rights and obligations. They should have equal power to influence society and their own lives.
Gender equality means that boys and girls are equal and should have the same opportunities in life. It also means that adult men and women should have the same rights and obligations. Members of each gender should have equal power to influence society and their own lives.
100 years ago, this was not the case in Sweden. Back then, women didn’t have much power to make decisions about their own lives. It was mostly men who got an education and worked while women stayed at home, taking care of the children, cleaning and doing laundry. A lot has changed since then.
In most families in Sweden today, both parents go to work or study and the children go to preschool, kindergarten, school and after-school care during the day. In the home, both parents often help each other to clean, do laundry, shop and cook, and they take care of the children together.
In order for society to be as fair as possible and give women and men equal power to influence society and their own lives, the Swedish Parliament has decided on various gender equality goals.
The goals state that
- men and women should have the same opportunity to be financially independent, so that no one is forced to be financially dependent on anyone else
- boys and girls should have equal access to education and the right to choose what educational path they wish to pursue
- men and women should have equal rights to make decisions about their bodies, and men’s violence against women must be eradicated
- household chores should be evenly distributed between men and women. This also means that sisters and brothers in the same family should have equal responsibility for helping with household chores.
Gender identity and sexual orientation
In Sweden, everyone has the right to their own gender identity and sexual orientation. Your gender identity is the gender(s) you feel you are, regardless of what others expect. Your sexual orientation describes the gender(s) of the people to whom you are attracted and fall in love. You have the right to love and be with whomever you want, regardless of whether the person is the same gender or a different gender than yourself.
You don’t have tell other people about your sexual orientation or gender identity unless you want to. There is no sexual orientation or gender identity that violates the law. On the contrary, it is illegal to treat someone unfairly or inferiorly, for example in school or in an organisation, because of the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Where to turn
There are several different organisations and youth guidance centres to which you can turn if you want to know more or if you need support.
RFSL: https://www.rfsl.se/en/
Through this organisation, you can connect with other LGBTQI+ people, participate in activities and get support. They also have a network for people who are new to Sweden, RFSL Newcomers: https://www.rfsl.se/en/organisation/asylum-and-migration/newcomers-contacts/
UMO – about sex, health and relationships: https://www.youmo.se/sprakvalsida/
UMO is a website for everyone aged 13–25 years where you can read more about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Racism
Racism assumes that people can be divided into different groups and that people belonging to certain groups are of lesser value. For example, it can involve dividing people into groups according to their skin colour, culture or religion.
In Sweden, there are laws that are created to protect people from being subjected to racism. For example, it is forbidden to deny a person a job or housing because of the person’s name or origin. It is also forbidden to wear jewellery or clothing with racist text, swastikas, or other symbols that are racist or offensive to a particular group. It is also not permitted to disseminate information claiming that a group or person is worth less, for example because of their skin colour or religion.
Sometimes when you are treated badly, it can be difficult to know whether or not what you have been subjected to is illegal. Talk to someone you trust about what has happened, such as a teacher or someone else with whom you feel safe.
For adults that are important to a child who has sought asylum
It is sometimes said that people who apply for asylum, and especially unaccompanied minors, are strong. That if they can get to the other side of the world on their own, they can probably do anything. But even the strongest and most hardened children need safe adults around them, so that they can just be kids. Refugee children are no exception, and when they don’t have their parents with them, or if their parents are exhausted, confused or perhaps traumatised, other important adults are needed to offer these children some security and calmness in an uncertain situation.
Every child is different and every asylum seeker has a unique story. Some asylum-seeking children have been refugees for a long time and may not have seen their relatives for years. Others have been separated from their parents recently. Some have contact with their close relatives, while others do not know where to start looking. All asylum-seeking children carry with them questions and concerns. Some have questions about their situation and ask for help. Others bottle up their worries and dare not ask about them.
As an adult, you play an important role. You are a person who can guide and support the child in their current situation. You can read these pages together with the child. Together, you can review the various stages that you go through when you are an asylum seeker.
An important adult may be
- a parent
- another legal guardian
- a guardian
- a relative
- a teacher
- a school counsellor
- someone from a non-governmental organisation (NGO)
- an employee of the Swedish Migration Agency.
More information and support
Here you will find tips on organisations that can offer you support and links where you can learn more about Sweden.
BRIS, Children’s Rights in Society, is an organisation that works for children’s rights. You can contact BRIS if you need an adult to talk to.
Call the BRIS helpline for young people: 116 111
www.bris.se/for-barn-och-unga (In Swedish)External link, opens in new window.
Save the Children is another organisation that works for children’s rights.
www.raddabarnen.se/rad-och-kunskap/barn-och-unga (In Swedish)External link, opens in new window.
The Swedish Red Cross is an organisation that works to protect and help people in need. The Swedish Red Cross can help you look for your relatives.
www.rodakorset.se/en/get-help/External link, opens in new window.
The Ombudsman for Children is an authority that ensures that other Swedish authorities comply with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Here you can learn more about your rights.
www.barnombudsmannen.se/stod-och-verktyg/kunskap-om-barnkonventionen/mina-rattigheter-for-barn-och-unga (In Swedish)External link, opens in new window.
Youmo is your online youth guidance centre online. Here you can read about sex, health and relationships in several different languages.
www.youmo.se/sprakvalsidaExternal link, opens in new window.
RFSL works to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people. RFSL Newcomers works with asylum seekers and new arrivals.
www.rfsl.se/newcomers/asyl/External link, opens in new window.
Kärleken är fri (Love is Free) is a chat-based support service for young people subjected to honour related violence and oppression.
www.raddabarnen.se/rad-och-kunskap/karleken-ar-fri/ (in Swedish)External link, opens in new window.
Kvinnofridslinjen (Sweden’s National Women’s Helpline) offers advice and support to women who have been subjected to threats and physical, psychological and sexual violence. The information is available in several languages. You can also call 020-50 50 50. They can arrange for an interpreter in just a few minutes.
www.kvinnofridslinjen.se/en/home/External link, opens in new window.
Kollpåsoc.se is a website with information about your rights and opportunities for support from social services.
www.kollpasoc.se/en/External link, opens in new window.
Min rätt – Din roll (My right – Your role) is aimed at unaccompanied minors, their guardians, and other actors who play different roles in helping these minors. Here you can get more information about these various roles and what rights you have. For example, you can watch short videos about what a guardian should help you with.
rfs.se/om-rfs/projekt/min-ratt-din-roll (In Swedish)External link, opens in new window.
The videos What happens now? is for unaccompanied minors in Sweden and who live in an accommodation or in a family home. In the videos you will find out what will happen during the first time in Sweden, who you can meet and how the asylum process works. You can watch the videos alone or together with an adult. The videos are available in several languages.
Search for “Socialstyrelsen” (the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare) and ‘Vad händer nu?’ (‘What happens now?’) on YouTube.External link, opens in new window.
Informationsverige.se is a portal for new arrivals in Sweden. Here you can get information about how Swedish society works - for example, in terms of accommodation, education and healthcare.
www.informationsverige.se/enExternal link, opens in new window.
Lärasvenska is a page on informationsverige.se about how you can learn Swedish on your own.
www.informationsverige.se/en/jag-ar-asylsokande/lara-svenska
What do the words mean?
A person in need of alternative subsidiary protection is someone who has applied for asylum in Sweden and been granted alternative subsidiary protection status. These people are usually granted a residence permit for 13 months.
Asylum means sanctuary. When a person applies for asylum, he or she seeks protection in a country other than his or her country of origin.
The asylum process is the various steps that an asylum seeker goes through – from application to decision.
An asylum seeker is a person who has arrived in Sweden and applied for asylum, but who has not yet received a final answer to their application.
An asylum investigation is an interview where you can say why you want protection in Sweden.
Rejection of an asylum application means that the Swedish Migration Agency has said ‘no’ to granting a person’s application for asylum.
Children are all people under the age of 18.
A decision in an asylum case is when the Swedish Migration Agency has decided whether or not an asylum seeker can stay in Sweden.
Daily allowance is an allowance from the Swedish Migration Agency that an asylum seeker can apply for if they do not have their own money.
Judgement. Most of the Swedish Migration Agency’s decisions can be appealed in the courts. When a court makes a decision, this is called a judgement.
A refugee is a person who has applied for asylum and been granted refugee status. This means that you meet the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Refugees, the so-called ‘Geneva Convention’. These people are usually granted a residence permit for 3 years.
A guardian is a person who must look after the interests of asylum-seeking children when their parents are unable to do so. It can be a man or a woman.
Identity means who a person is. When the Swedish Migration Agency asks about your identity, we mean your name, how old you are and where you come from.
Legal force means that the decision can no longer be appealed.
The Swedish Migration Agency is the authority in Sweden that examines applications from people seeking asylum. The Swedish Migration Agency also examines applications from people who want to visit or move to Sweden, or who want to become Swedish citizens.
Authorities ensure that society functions as it should according to the laws decided by the Parliament.
Public counsel is a person who knows Swedish laws. This counsel will help you with your asylum application. A public counsel is a lawyer or law graduate and does not work at the Swedish Migration Agency.
Social services are available in every municipality. They work according to a law called the Social Services Act. The Social Services Act deals with the right to health and social care that everyone in the municipality has. It contains rules for how society should assist people who need help but who cannot get it from anyone else.
Obligation of secrecy means that people who work at, for example, the Swedish Migration Agency are not allowed to tell share what you have said with anyone who does not have the right to know.
A residence permit means that a person has received a ‘yes’ to their application to live in Sweden.
When someone lodges an appeal, this means that they write to an authority or court and inform them that he or she does not agree with what the authority or court has decided. The person says they want the authority or court to change the decision.