Extending a residence permit for former asylum seekers and their families – if you are not able to use the e-service
If you have previously applied for asylum and were granted a temporary residence permit, you must apply for an extension of your residence permit if you want to stay in Sweden. This also applies if you are a family member of a person who previously applied for asylum and was granted a temporary residence permit.
This information applies to those who have applied for asylum and been granted a temporary residence permit as a refugee or a person in need of subsidiary protection, due to particularly or exceptionally distressing circumstances, or because there is a temporary impediment to enforcement that prevents them from being deported. It also applies to those who came to Sweden as a close relative of a person who has a temporary residence permit for one of these reasons, and to those who have been granted a residence permit for studies at upper secondary level.
How to get a residence permit extension
You can apply for an extension of your residence permit if you meet the requirements for one or more of the following reasons:
- You need protection (asylum).
- You are a family member of a person who is resident in Sweden.
- You are studying at upper secondary level.
- You want to look for work after completing studies at upper secondary level.
- You have studied at upper secondary level and can financially support yourself.
- There are particularly or exceptionally distressing circumstances.
Apply before your residence permit expires
It is important that you apply for an extension before your temporary residence permit expires, but no earlier than two months before it expires. If you do not apply for an extension before your residence permit expires, you cannot work while you wait for the decision. You also risk losing certain benefits, such as start-up support, study allowance or parental allowance.
If you already have a valid expulsion order, it can be enforced when your residence permit expires if you do not apply for an extension in time.
If you cannot use the e-service to apply online, fill in the form Application for an extension of a residence permit, form 201011. You can fill in the form on your computer before printing it off or print it off first and fill it in by hand. If you do not have your own printer, you can often get help to print the form at your nearest library or Citizens Advice Bureau. You can also have the forms sent by mail to your address. You can place your order for paper forms on the collection page for forms.
All family members who have a temporary residence permit must apply for an extension of their residence permit at the same time. This applies both to those who have previously applied for asylum and those who came to Sweden later to be reunited with family members who have applied for asylum and received a temporary residence permit.
All family members including children must have their own application form. Parents fill in the application form and attachments for their children, but remember the questions are addressed to the child.
Remember to sign your form. Parents/legal guardians sign their children's forms.
Application for an extension of a residence permit, form 201011
Pdf, 690.5 kB, opens in new window.
In the application form, explain why you want to apply for a residence permit extension. In order for your application to be complete, you might have to submit documents showing that you meet the requirements. What documents you need to 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.
Apply for a permanent residence permit
On the form Application for an extension of a residence permit, 201011, you can also apply for a permanent residence permit. You can only apply for a permanent residence permit in connection with your applying for an extended residence permit, and only after having had a residence permit in Sweden for three years.
Each person must meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit, regardless of whether they have a temporary residence permit as a refugee or a person in need of subsidiary protection, due to impediments to enforcement, due to particularly or extraordinarily distressing circumstances, or if they have a residence permit as the close relative of a person who has a temporary residence permit on one of these grounds.
Read about the requirements for being granted a permanent residence permit
Those who have a residence permit due to studies at upper secondary level may also apply for a permanent residence permit, although they are subject to different requirements to be granted a permanent residence permit.
Do you want to apply for an extension digitally?
The e-service allows you to answer questions and upload all your attachments digitally. To use the e-service, you must have an e-identification and an email address.
Read more about how to apply for an extension of your residence permit using the e-service
Read more about the requirements that apply to you and the documents to be submitted depending on the reasons for your application
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 have a residence permit because you are a spouse, partner or cohabiting partner of a person with a temporary residence permit under the temporary law and you are still living together, you must submit the form Assurance of cohabitation, 223011. Both you and your family member must sign the Declaration of cohabitation to confirm that you are still living together. When we process your application, the Swedish Migration Agency will check with the Swedish Tax Agency whether you are both registered at the same address.
Assurance of cohabitation, form 223011 Pdf, 1.1 MB, opens in new window.
If you came to Sweden as a family member of a child or parent and want to apply for a residence permit extension because of your family ties to that person, you do not need to submit any attachments. The Swedish Migration Agency will use information in your previous applications, or the Swedish Tax Agency's population register, to confirm that you are a family.
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, and those who came to Sweden as a family member of someone who has applied for asylum. A new family relationship means that you do not already have a residence permit because the person in question is a member of your family. 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.
If you want to stay in Sweden because you are a family member of a person who is resident in Sweden and you do not already have a residence permit on grounds of family ties to this person, you must submit the form Questionnaire on newly established relationships, T78.
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.
Please note that if you apply for a residence permit extension for a child aged under 18 years, both of the child's parents/legal guardians in Sweden must sign the form Application for residence permit extension, 201011. If you are not able to sign the same form, the other parent/legal guardian can submit the form Confirmation of application for residence permit for child, 207011, to show that he or she approves the application for a residence permit for the child.
Application for an Pdf, 690.5 kB, opens in new window.extension Pdf, 690.5 kB, opens in new window. of a residence permit, form 201011 Pdf, 690.5 kB, opens in new window.
You can apply for a permanent residence permit in accordance with the Swedish Upper Secondary School Act if you have studied at upper secondary level and can financially support yourself as an employee or a self-employed person. You must show that you fulfil the requirements for a permanent residence permit before your temporary permit expires. Which documents you must attach depends on whether you are supporting yourself as an employee or a self-employed person. You can combine your incomes from multiple jobs, multiple companies of yours or from both employment and self-employment. If you want to combine incomes from multiple jobs or companies, you must attach the documents below for all jobs and companies.
To show that you can support yourself, you must fill in the form Information on means of financial support, 202011.
The form consists of several parts. On the first page, you enter your personal details and your housing costs. If you are working for someone as an employee, fill in Part 2. If you are self-employed, fill in Part 3. If you are both an employee and a self-employed person, you must fill in both Part 2 and Part 3.
You can add up your sources of income from several jobs and from both jobs as an employee and your own companies. If you have more than one job as an employee, fill in Part 2 for each job. If you want to add up income from several jobs, they must all fulfil all the requirements. If you have several companies, fill in Part 3 for each company.
You must attach several documents to show your housing costs and to show that you fulfil the requirements for a residence permit as an employee. Read the form carefully to see which documents you must attach.
Where should you send your forms and attachments?
Where to send your forms and attachments depends on where you live. Use your postal code to find out which address to use.
Find out where to send your attachments
External link, opens in new window.
If you submit your application by post, you will receive a letter of confirmation after about a week.
After you have submitted your application
When you apply for an extension on the web, you will receive confirmation straight away on your screen that the Swedish Migration Agency has received your application. You can save the confirmation by sending it to your email address, downloading it or printing it off straight away.
Not everyone who has applied for a residence permit extension needs to visit the Swedish Migration Agency for an interview. We will contact you if we need more information. We may need to see you to ask questions, for example, if you wrote in your application that you have new grounds for asylum. We may also ask questions over the phone or ask you to submit additional information by letter.
If your situation changes before the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision, you can supplement your application by post. It may be, for example, that you have started working, that you have completed your studies or that your family situation has changed.
Find out where to send your attachments External link, opens in new window.
You should not leave Sweden while you are waiting for a decision. In most cases, the Swedish Migration Agency cannot grant a residence permit extension to a person who is outside Sweden. To enter Sweden, you need a valid residence permit card that you will be given when the Swedish Migration Agency has granted your application for a residence permit extension. This means that you will not be able to come back to Sweden if you are abroad when your residence permit expires.
After the decision
Once the Swedish Migration Agency has made its decision, you will be sent a letter. Usually, we use simplified notification which means we send you a letter with the decision by post to your home address. In some cases, you will receive a summons asking you to come to a meeting at the Swedish Migration Agency so a case officer can tell you about the decision.
When sending letters and summons to your home, the Swedish Migration Agency will primarily use your registered address, which we will get from the Swedish Tax Agency. Therefore, it is important that you notify the Swedish Tax Agency if you move. The Swedish Migration Agency cannot change your registered address.
If you have applied for a residence permit extension for your child, the Swedish Migration Agency will send the decision to the child's registered address. Parents/legal guardians can change their children's registered address by contacting the Swedish Tax Agency.
If you get a residence permit extension, you will need a new residence permit card. Then you need to make an appointment so you can have your fingerprints taken and be photographed so the Swedish Migration Agency can make a new residence permit card for you. You must make an appointment for each family member who needs a new residence permit card.
Read more about residence permit cards
Make an appointment before you visit us
The decision states whether or not you have been given a residence permit and for how long the permit is valid.
The decision also states why you have been given a residence permit. If you have been given a residence permit because you need protection (asylum) in Sweden, it will also say whether you have been given a new declaration of protection status. Those who already have protection status will retain it in most cases if they stated in their application that they still need protection.
Not all decisions can be appealed. Your decision states whether you can appeal and how to appeal if you are not satisfied with the decision.
Permits of different lengths
When you are granted an extended residence permit, you will usually receive a residence permit that is valid for two years. The length of the permit may sometimes be shorter if you have committed a crime.
If you already have a residence permit for studies at upper secondary level, but need more time than planned in order to complete your studies, you will normally be granted a residence permit for the time left on your study programme plus an additional six months, but no longer than 13 months at a time. The extra six months are to give you time to look for work after you have completed your studies.
If you are granted an extended residence permit to look for work after completion of your studies at upper secondary level, you will receive a residence permit that is valid for up to six months after your graduation date.
If you are granted a permanent residence permit, you do not need to apply for an extended residence permit again.
If you have applied for a permanent residence permit, but are only granted an extended temporary residence permit, in some cases you can appeal the decision.
Read the requirements for being granted a permanent residence permit