Extending a residence permit under the temporary law

In order for your application to be complete, you may need to submit documents showing that you meet the requirements for staying in Sweden. What documents you must submit will depend on why you want to stay in Sweden. If you have several reasons for wanting to stay in Sweden, you can submit several documents. If you are only applying for a residence permit extension because you need protection, or because you need to stay for health reasons, you do not need to submit any documents.

When you apply using the e-service, you need to have your documents available in digital form. Before you send in your application, you will see a compilation in the e-service of the information you have provided and the documents you have uploaded. If you have failed to upload certain documents, you will be able to go back and upload those documents. If you don't have ready access to all the documents you need, you can pause your application and upload them later. Please note that you must complete your application via the e-service and submit it before your current residence permit expires.

If you complete your application in the e-service without uploading all the required documents, you will have two weeks in which to send the remaining documents to the Swedish Migration Agency by post. After that, we can start processing your application. If we see that certain information or a document that we need in order to make a decision is missing, we may contact you to ask for supplementary documents. If you do not submit the supplementary information we have asked for in time, we may make a decision on the basis of the information we have. It may take longer to process your application if we have to ask you for supplementary information.

If you want to stay in Sweden because you need protection (asylum), you must state whether you have the same grounds for asylum as before or if you have new grounds for asylum that you have not informed us about previously.

If you have applied for asylum before and still have the same grounds, you do not need to tell us about them again. The case officer knows the grounds for asylum that you have explained to both the Swedish Migration Agency and the Migration Court.

If you state you have new grounds for asylum, we will contact you to find out more about why you need protection (asylum). An applicant with new grounds for asylum usually needs to come to the Swedish Migration Agency for an interview. New grounds for asylum could be, for example, that something has happened after you applied for asylum which you have not told the Swedish Migration Agency or the court. Another example of new grounds for asylum could be something that you have not informed us about before because you came to Sweden as a close relative and have not applied for asylum before.

If your only reason for applying for a residence permit extension is because you need protection in Sweden, you do not need to submit any documents.

Read more about who can get asylum in Sweden

If you have applied for asylum and have been given a temporary residence permit, you can apply for a residence permit extension if you can support yourself as an employee or self-employed person. You can add up your sources of income from several jobs, several own companies or from both jobs and your own companies. If you want to add up income from several jobs, they must all fulfil all the requirements.

If you can show that you can support yourself, you can be granted a permanent residence permit. The Swedish Migration Agency cannot take a decision on a permanent residence permit until earliest the day after your temporary residence permit has expired. Remember you must apply for an extension before your temporary permit expires. If you apply too late, you are not allowed to work while waiting for the decision.

In order to get a permanent residence permit as an employee, the following must be fulfilled:

• you have a temporary residence permit under the temporary law
• you have sufficient income to support yourself (you can add up sources of income from several jobs and/or your own companies)
• your terms and conditions of employment must be at least on a par with Swedish collective agreements or what is customary in the profession or industry (terms of employment include salary and insurance policies)
• you have permanent employment or a contract for at least two years' employment
• your employer has reported to the Swedish Tax Agency that you work there
• you are able to present a special license, ID or permit to practise your profession if the profession so requires
• if you are under 25 years of age, you must show that you have completed upper secondary education or the equivalent foreign education
• your employment must not be subsidised by any kind of government grant, such as an introduction job.
  

Read more about the requirements your employer must fulfil

Docu­ments you must submit with your appli­ca­tion

You must attach the following to your application

• contract of employment
• pay slips for the last 1–3 months
• statement from a trade union, form 224011 (print and fill out the form and ask your trade union to sign it before submitting the form with your application).
  

Trade union statement, form 224011 (in Swedish)

If you work in an industry with one of the following SNI codes (81290, 81210, 55101, 56, 9602, 9604, 9609, 41200, 421, 42990, 43, 782, 471-478, 0113, 012, 02102, 452, 88101, 88102), you must submit

• a balance sheet and profit report for the current financial year
• information about cash and cash equivalents in the bank or overdrafts.

You can get these documents from your employer.

If you work in a start-up company (a company that has started its actual business in the last 12 months), you must submit

• a balance sheet and profit report for the current financial year
• information about cash and cash equivalents in the bank or overdrafts
• any contracts you have signed regarding ongoing and upcoming assignments or the renting/purchasing of premises.

You can get these documents from your employer.

If you work in a start-up company or a company with one of the SNI codes listed above, and your employer has previously participated in applying for a work permit and has employed nationals of non-EU/EEA countries and Switzerland, you must submit

• a tax account statement from the Swedish Tax Agency for the last three months.

You can get this document from your employer.

In order for the Swedish Migration Agency to be able to assess whether you can earn a living from your income, you will also have to answer questions about your housing costs and your travel expenses to and from work. Irrespective of whether you support yourself through employment or as a self-employed person, you must therefore submit

• the rental agreement for the place where you live, if applicable
• the most recent electricity bill for the place where you live
• home insurance contract.
  

If you are under 25 years of age, you must also submit a certificate of completion of upper secondary education. If you have completed equivalent education in your country of origin, you can show this through, for example, a statement from the Swedish Council for Higher Education.

How to apply for a statement from the Swedish Council for Higher Education, UHR (in Swedish)

Your employer must report to the Swedish Tax Agency

In order for you to be able to obtain a permanent residence permit, you must have started working when the Swedish Migration Agency examines your application, that is, when your temporary residence permit expires. Your employer must have reported that you are working to the Swedish Tax Agency by filling in a form stating your name, address and length of employment. The Swedish Migration Agency will contact the Swedish Tax Agency to check that your employer has reported your employment. You do not need to submit a certificate showing that your employment has been reported. If your employer has not reported your employment to the Swedish Tax Agency, the Swedish Migration Agency cannot grant you a permanent residence permit, even if you meet the other requirements for your permit to be extended.

The employer must use the form "Notification – Employment of foreigner SKV 1160", to report the employment to the Swedish Tax Agency.

The form and more information can be found on the Swedish Tax Agency's website (in Swedish)

If you have applied for asylum and have been given a temporary residence permit, you can apply for a residence permit extension if you can support yourself as an employee or self-employed person. You can add up your sources of income from several jobs, several own companies, or from both jobs and your own companies.

If you can show that you can support yourself, you can be granted a permanent residence permit. The Swedish Migration Agency cannot take a decision on a permanent residence permit until earliest the day after your temporary residence permit has expired. Remember you must submit your application before your temporary permit expires. If you do not meet all of the requirements to get a permanent residence permit on the basis of your work or your business activities, you may still be able to get a residence permit extension based on other reasons that you state in your application.

To get a permanent residence permit as a self-employed person, you must be able to prove that you are the person who is running the company, who has main responsibility and owns at least half of the company. You also need to show that your company’s finances are stable and that you can support yourself and will be able to do so for the next two years. The Swedish Migration Agency will conduct a financial assessment of your business activities.

Docu­ments you must submit with your appli­ca­tion

You must attach the following to your application

• purchase contract
• bank document showing that you have paid the purchase price or your share of the purchase price
• any loan documents for the purchase of the company
• bank statement for your private account for the last six months
• your most recent private tax return (Income tax return 1 – income tax return sent to you by the Swedish Tax Agency and your income tax return receipt)
• partnership (trading company) agreement or share register
• the last two annual accounts or annual reports (if the company has been active in the past)
• balance sheet and profit statement for the period you have been running the company up to and including the previous month
• the company's tax account statement for the last six months
• bank statement for the company account for the last six months
• all salary specifications for the current year (if you are running a limited liability company)
• the company's latest tax return:
  income tax return 4 if you are running a trading company (partnership),
  income tax return 2 if you are running a limited liability company,
  NE form if you are running a sole proprietorship business,
  N3A form if you are a partner in a trading company (partnership)
• any permits for your specific business (e.g. operating licence for a taxi business or cash register permit)
• contracts with customers or suppliers and any rental contracts for premises
• business plan.
  

In order for the Swedish Migration Agency to be able to assess whether you can earn a living from your income, you will also have to answer questions about your housing costs and your travel expenses to and from work. Irrespective of whether you support yourself through employment or as a self-employed person, you must therefore submit

• the rental agreement for the place where you live, if applicable
• the most recent electricity bill for the place where you live
• home insurance contract.
  

If you are under 25 years of age, you must also submit a certificate of completion of upper secondary education. If you have completed equivalent education in your country of origin, you can show this through, for example, a statement from the Swedish Council for Higher Education.

How to apply for a statement from the Swedish Council for Higher Education, UHR (in Swedish)

You can get a residence permit extension if you have a family member who has a residence permit or Swedish citizenship.

The following count as a family member

• husband
• wife
• registered partner
• cohabiting partner
• child under 18 years
• parent of a child under 18 years.
  

If you currently have a residence permit because you are a family member of a person with a temporary residence permit under the temporary law, you can get a residence permit extension if you are still living together.

You can also apply for a residence permit extension if you have a new family relationship. This applies both to those who came to Sweden to apply for asylum and received a temporary residence permit under the temporary law, and those who came to Sweden as a family member. A new family relationship means that you do not already have a residence permit because this person is your family member. The person in question could be a new family member, but it could also be someone who has been a member of your family for a long time, but on account of whom you have not previously applied for a residence permit on grounds of family ties.

You will have to answer questions about who your family member is and what sort of relationship you have. The Swedish Migration Agency will check with the Swedish Tax Agency whether you are registered at the same address. In some cases, we may also contact your family member to ask questions.

If you apply for a residence permit extension for a child under 18 years, both of the child's parents/guardians in Sweden must approve the application. To show that he or she approves the child's application, the other parent/guardian must sign the form Confirmation of application for residence permit for child, form 207011, which you then upload in the e-service for the application for a residence permit extension. The form can also be sent to the Swedish Migration Agency by post afterwards.

Confirmation of application for residence permit for child, form 207011

You can apply for a residence permit for studies at upper secondary level if you have reached the age of 17, but not 25 years (in some cases 18 years but not 25 years), and you are studying a programme at upper secondary level that is covered by the “Upper Secondary School Law”.

The programmes below are covered by the “Upper Secondary School Law”:

• introductory programme at upper secondary school or upper secondary special school
• national programme at upper secondary school or upper secondary special school
• full-time studies at upper secondary level at folk high school
• full-time studies at upper secondary level at Komvux or Särvux
• vocational programme aimed at facilitating establishment on the labour market that is provided within the framework of an introductory programme at upper secondary school, known as a “vocational package” (yrkespaket)
• full-time studies at a cohesive vocational programme at Komvux or Särvux, known as a “vocational package” (yrkespaket).
  

When applying for a residence permit for upper secondary studies, you must attach one of the following documents:

• individual study plan from upper secondary school, upper secondary special school, Komvux or Särvux
• the equivalent planning document from a folk high school.
  

The Swedish Migration Agency needs to know

• that you have started your studies
• what type of study programme you are doing
• that you are studying full-time or if you are studying part-time, why that is the case
• the duration of the programme, i.e. the date when the programme will end.
  

If any of this required information is not stated in your individual study plan or planning document, you can attach other documents, such as a study certificate or a medical certificate.

If you are studying a vocational programme, known as a vocational package (yrkespaket), it is important that the study plan states the vocational orientation of the programme and that the goal is for you to be able to work after completing the programme.

If you are applying for an extended residence permit because you need more time than expected to complete your studies, you must attach a new study plan that includes the new estimated date of completion, as well as a certificate explaining why you need more time.

You must also attach documents showing that you have participated actively in your studies as well as documents or certificates explaining why you need more time to complete your studies.

Read more about a residence permit for studies at upper secondary level

You may be entitled to a residence permit for up to six months after graduation if you have completed a national programme at upper secondary school or upper secondary special school, full-time studies at upper secondary level at Komvux, Särvux, a folk high school or a “vocational package” (yrkespaket).

If you have a 13-month residence permit for studying an introductory programme, you cannot get a residence permit extension to look for work. This is because introductory programs do not count as completed studies at upper secondary level.

If you have less than six months left of your residence permit when you have completed your studies, you can apply for an extension so that you have a total of six months after graduation to look for work.

When you apply for a residence permit extension to look for work, you must submit your school diploma or another certificate showing the date on which you completed your studies.

If you have so little time left on your current residence permit that you must apply for a residence permit extension before you receive your diploma, or equivalent certificate, you can instead submit a certificate (for example, a study certificate) showing that you will soon complete your studies. Once you have completed your studies, you must complete your application by submitting a new certificate showing the date you completed your studies.

Please note that you can get at most a six-month residence permit, calculated from the date of graduation, to find a job and that within that time you must reapply for a residence permit extension if you find a job through which you can support yourself financially.

Read about the requirements for getting a permanent residence permit because you are able to support yourself through employment

Read about the requirements for getting a permanent residence permit because you are able to support yourself through self-employment

In exceptional cases, an asylum seeker can get a residence permit even though they do not need protection against persecution. There must be special circumstances whereby a decision to refuse a residence permit would be in breach of Sweden's international obligations. One example could be a person with an extremely serious health problem.

You do not need to submit a medical certificate with your application. We will contact you if we need more information.