Frequently asked questions about the Temporary Protection Directive for you from Ukraine
On this page you will find frequently asked questions about the Temporary Protection Directive for you who come from Ukraine.
This information is available in Ukrainian and Russian. Click on the “Other languages” button above to change the language.
Ця інформація доступна українською та російською мовами. Натисніть кнопку Other languages вгорі, щоб змінити мову.
Данная информация представлена на украинском и русском языках. Нажмите на кнопку Other languages вверху, чтобы сменить язык.
This page lists frequently asked questions about the Temporary Protection Directive for persons from Ukraine. For more general information on the situation in Ukraine, visit the page The situation in Ukraine.
Application for extended protection under the Temporary Protection Directive
The application for an extended residence permit with protection under the Temporary Protection Directive is now closed.
The Swedish Migration Agency expects that the vast majority of those who have applied for extended protection under the Temporary Protection Directive will receive a decision by the end of May at the latest.
If you did not apply for an extended residence permit by the 4 March deadline, you need to reapply for protection, accommodation and financial support.
You can apply for protection via the same e-service used by people who have recently arrived in Sweden and who wish to apply for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive for the first time, but you can also visit the Swedish Migration Agency in person. It is important that you apply as soon as possible.
When you submitted your application in the e-service, you received an email with a confirmation showing that you applied before the deadline. The email contains the names of all the people for whom you have applied. The email also includes a control number that you can use to check whether you have received a decision.
A few days after you have submitted the application, each person for whom you have applied will also receive their own letter confirming that the Swedish Migration Agency has received the application. The letter contains the person’s name and case number, as well as information about the fact that they retain their right to accommodation and financial support pending a new decision. This letter can be good to have if you need to prove to an authority or employer that you applied for an extended residence permit in time.
Yes, if you submitted your application and booked an appointment in the e-service to extend a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive, you have applied in time. The Swedish Migration Agency can make a decision about your residence permit before you have been fingerprinted and photographed.
Yes, if you need financial support you can speak to your Unit for Reception about applying for travel compensation.
No, the time spent in Sweden with a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive cannot lead to a permanent residence permit. When the EU's Temporary Protection Directive is no longer in force, a person who wants to remain in Sweden can apply for a residence permit according to Swedish law. The same requirements then apply as for anyone else who applies for, for example, a work permit or a residence permit to live with a partner in Sweden. Anyone who is granted such a residence permit can begin to count the time towards a permanent residence permit.
No, as long as the Temporary Protection Directive remains in force, you will receive such a permit in the first place, regardless of what you apply for. The Swedish Migration Agency has suspended decisions in asylum cases and cannot currently decide take decisions regarding applications for asylum or status declarations.
No, as long as the Temporary Protection Directive is in force, everyone covered by the directive will receive such a permit. It is not possible to choose to apply for another type of permit.
No, if you already have a work permit and meet the requirements for an extended work permit, you can get one. However, if you have had a work permit but do not meet the requirements for an extended work permit, you can apply for protection instead of returning to Ukraine.
The temporary protection directive – rules and how to apply
Stay in Sweden for 90 days
Ukrainian citizens with biometric national passports or Schengen visas can stay in Sweden for 90 days and do not need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency following entry as long as the 90 days have not passed.
Temporary Protection Directive
EU Member States have activated the Temporary Protection Directive. This means that persons who come to Sweden from Ukraine can get immediate protection and a temporary residence permit.
The permit gives you the opportunity to get help with finding accommodation, the right to work, the right to seek basic care, the right to schooling for children, and certain financial support in Sweden.
Asylum
A person from Ukraine will in the first instance be granted a residence permit in accordance with the Temporary Protection Directive. A person in need of protection, who does not meet the requirements for a permit in accordance with the Temporary Protection Directive, can apply for asylum. An application for asylum is always examined individually.
Read more about how to apply for asylum
Other grounds for residence permit in Sweden
Other grounds for residence permit in Sweden include a permit to work, study, or live with your family that already lives in Sweden. The requirements for obtaining a residence permit differ depending on the permit you are applying for. In most cases, you need to apply from outside Sweden in order to be granted the residence permit. More information about different residence permits can be found under the menu entry Private individuals on our website.
If you are a Ukrainian citizen, are in Sweden and have a valid passport or other Ukrainian identification documents, you can use the e‑service to apply. If you cannot use the e‑service or if you are in urgent need of somewhere to stay, you can visit us in person.
No, you must be in Sweden when you submit the application.
When you apply for a permit under the Temporary Protection Directive you need to show who you are. If you do not have a passport or a national ID card, you can present other documents that state your identity. For example, you can show us a driving licence, birth certificate, citizenship certificate or military service book. Such documents can help to prove that you are a person with the right to protection under the Temporary Protection Directive.
If your family member can get to Sweden and has a biometric passport or a Schengen visa, they have the right to stay here for up to 90 days without a residence permit.
Your family member can apply for temporary protection.
Family members who have a residence permit or citizenship in Sweden can sign up on the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ “Swedish list”
External link, opens in new window..
If you live in Sweden and your family member does not have a residence permit or citizenship in Sweden, in some cases they may have the right to apply for a residence permit on the grounds of close family ties to you. There are no special rules for people from Ukraine; the same rules apply to anyone applying on the grounds of close family ties.
If you have a pet with you when you enter Sweden, you must report it to the customs staff or veterinarian at the Swedish border. An assessment is then made on a case-by-case basis. You can read more about what rules apply for pets on the website of Jordbruksverket. They have information in Swedish, English and Ukrainian.
Pets from Ukraine (Jordbruksverket) External link, opens in new window.
If an animal from Ukraine is in Sweden without having been checked by customs personnel at the border, the animal must be taken to a veterinarian as soon as possible, for an assessment of the animal's rabies status. Keep in mind that the animal is not allowed to meet other animals or people.
No, the Swedish Migration Agency does not keep your passport. You need the passport to identify yourself during your stay in Sweden.
If you do not have any money of your own, you can get financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency when you apply for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive. You must hand in your application for financial support in person or by sending a signed form to the Swedish Migration Agency.
Read more about financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency
The Swedish government has decided that people who came to Sweden before 24 February should also be able to receive protection under the Temporary Protection Directive. It is required that you entered Sweden on or after 30 October 2021 and have stayed in Sweden.
If you have already applied for asylum, you do not need to do anything. The Swedish Migration Agency will examine your application and its first move will be to grant you temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, provided that you meet the requirements.
Accommodation
If you have a residence permit with protection under the Temporary Protection Directive and need a place to stay, you must visit the Swedish Migration Agency's office for help. The Swedish Migration Agency will find out which municipality has space for you and instructs that municipality to arrange accommodation for you. The municipality then has one month to arrange accommodation for you. Once this is done, you will receive information from the Swedish Migration Agency about where you are going to live. While we wait for the municipality to arrange accommodation for you, you can stay in one of the Swedish Migration Agency's temporary accommodations.
It is not certain that you will be able to stay in the municipality where you are currently living.
This is because in some municipalities there are many people in need of protection while there are fewer in others and therefore some people must move to make the distribution more even.
When deciding which municipality is to organise accommodation for you, we use the information you gave us when you asked for help with accommodation. If your situation has changed since then, for example if you have started working, you should inform your Unit for Reception.
When you ask for help with accommodation, you should tell the Swedish Migration Agency’s personnel about what your family composition and who you want to live with. It does not have to be your immediate family; it can also be other relatives, or other people who are very important to you.
Family and relatives are an important factor when deciding who will live in which municipality. We do not split up relatives who want to live together. If your family is large and there are not enough vacancies in the municipality you live in, the whole family will be allowed to move together to another municipality.
You can also tell us if you want to live close to relatives who have already moved to an accommodation arranged by the municipality. If possible, we will take this into account when we decide where you will live, but there are no guarantees.
If you need help with accommodation, you should visit the Swedish Migration Agency. When you ask for help with accommodation, you can tell the Swedish Migration Agency if you wish to live in a particular municipality and what your reasons are. When deciding which municipality will be responsible for your accommodation, we take into account the reasons you have shared with us. However, there are no guarantees that you will get a place in your preferred municipality.
If you are living in accommodation provided by the Swedish Migration Agency and need to move, you will receive an offer of new accommodation by letter or be informed by a member of the Swedish Migration Agency’s staff. You will be told the address of the new accommodation and a date when you can move in. The Swedish Migration Agency can help you with travel arrangements.
If you do not want to move to the accommodation you are offered, you can arrange your own accommodation. As soon as you have done so, inform the Swedish Migration Agency so that we can offer the accommodation we had planned for you to someone else.
If you are unable to arrange accommodation on your own, you may move to one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s temporary accommodations. In that case, you cannot choose where in the country you will live; you must move to wherever there is a place available.
Inform your Unit for Reception as soon as possible about why you need to keep living where you are. If new information emerges that the Swedish Migration Agency did not know about when we decided which municipality will be responsible for your accommodation, in some special cases we can change the decision. To be able to remain where you are, it is required that you belong to one of the groups that we prioritise. You must also meet several conditions, and there must be room left in the municipality where you live.
The Swedish Migration Agency tries to arrange for those with the greatest need to stay in the municipality where they already live, but this will not be possible for everyone. If there are no vacancies in the municipality where you want to live, you may need to move to another municipality where there are vacancies, even if you have special grounds.
If you decline the offered place and later need the Swedish Migration Agency’s help with accommodation once again, you will be offered a place in one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s temporary accommodations. You will not be offered a new place by another municipality.
If you live in one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s temporary accommodations, you must live where there is room and cannot choose where in the country you will live.
When you move into accommodation that the municipality has offered you through the Swedish Migration Agency, your right to financial support is not affected even if the accommodation is located in an area with social and economic challenges. It is only when you arrange your accommodation on your own that your right to financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency is affected by the area in which the accommodation is located.
If you have special needs that can only be met in certain municipalities, we try to take this into account when we decide which municipality to offer you new accommodations in. Such needs may be, for example, that you need to live close to a certain hospital in order to receive regular specialist care. Tell your Unit for Reception as soon as possible if you have such needs.
When you move out of the Swedish Migration Agency’s accommodation there are several things you must do:
- Clean the flat you are moving out of.
- Take your personal things with you. There is no certainty that you will get things back that you have left behind after vacating. Items that are left behind or forgotten may be disposed of, given away or left with the police as lost property.
- Hand back the key to the Migration Agency’s staff.
When you move out of the accommodation, the journey is usually by train or bus. The amount of luggage you can take with you is limited. Contact the Migration Agency’s staff for more information about how luggage is handled during a move.
After the decision has been made
If you are granted a residence permit under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, your permit will be valid until 4 March 2024. If the security situation in Ukraine has not improved by then, the Swedish Migration Agency can decide to extend the permit.
However, if the security situation in Ukraine does improve to the extent that the EU decides to end the Temporary Protection Directive before 4 March 2024, the Swedish Migration Agency will revoke your residence permit. If this happens, you will receive information before your residence permit ends.
Yes, you can start looking for work after your residence permit has been granted.
Yes, from 1 June 2023, municipalities can offer Sfi – Swedish for immigrants.
More information on Skolverket's website: Rätt till Sfi (in Swedish) External link, opens in new window.
Yes, persons with a permit for temporary protection are covered by the Reception of Asylum Seekers Act (LMA), like asylum seekers. This means you have the right to school for your children, the right to work, the right to health care that cannot wait and certain financial support if needed.
If you have been granted a residence permit for temporary protection you will get a residence permit card as proof that you are permitted to live in Sweden. The card will show what kind of permit you have, that you have the right to LMA and that you have the right to work in Sweden.
Your residence permit card is produced for you after the Swedish Migration Agency has decided to grant you a residence permit. Before we can order the card for you, you need to be photographed and provide your fingerprints. If you were photographed and provided fingerprints when you applied for protection or accommodation, you do not need to do anything. If you applied for protection in the e‑service and have not yet been fingerprinted and photographed, you will need to make an appointment to do so.
Book an appointment before you visit us
Once your residence permit card is ready, we will send the card to you by post or contact you and tell you where you can pick up your card. Remember to notify the Swedish Migration Agency if you change your address. You can do this by sending a completed Adressanmälan/Adressändring (Mot93) form to your nearest Unit for Reception.
No you will not be registered as resident in Sweden and will not get a Swedish personal identity number.
Read more on the Swedish Tax Agency's website External link, opens in new window.
When the Swedish Migration Agency has decided that you will receive financial support, you will receive a bank card and information about how it works. We will send you the bank card by post or contact you and tell you where you can pick up the bank card.
Read more about financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency
Yes, you are allowed to leave Sweden and come back as long as your residence permit is valid. If you have a residence permit in Sweden, you have the right to travel freely within the EU for up to 90 days during a six-month period.
You may lose your right to aid under the Act on Reception of Asylum Seekers (i.e., accommodation and financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency) if you leave Sweden, but if you return to Sweden while your permit is still valid, you may be entitled to receive aid under the Act on Reception of Asylum Seekers again. If you need help with accommodation when you return, there is no guarantee that you will be able to stay in the same place where you previously lived.
No, the Swedish Migration Agency will not revoke your residence permit if you travel back to Ukraine. However, your right to financial support and accommodation will stop once you leave Sweden. If you need to return to Sweden you can apply for accommodation and financial support again.
No, the Swedish Migration Agency will not revoke your residence permit if you move from Sweden, but you are only entitled to support under the Temporary Protection Directive in one country at a time. If you move to another EU country and apply for a residence permit there, the Swedish Migration Agency will be informed of this and will then stop your right to accommodation and financial support in Sweden.
Yes, you can travel up to 90 days in a six-month period within the EU without losing your residence permit. However, if you leave Sweden you may lose your right to aid under the Act on Reception of Asylum Seekers (i.e., accommodation and financial support from the Swedish Migration Agency).
The residence permit that you receive from the Swedish Migration Agency only gives you the right to live in Sweden. If you want to move to another EU country, you must register in that country in accordance with the Temporary Protection Directive. If you are granted a residence permit in another EU country, your Swedish permit no longer applies. You can only have a permit in one country at a time.
All EU countries share information about people receiving protection under the Temporary Protection Directive in a common database. If you are granted a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive in another EU country, the Swedish Migration Agency will receive information about this, and we will then stop providing you with accommodation and financial support.
If you wish to live in Sweden, you must apply to the Swedish Migration Agency for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive.
If you are granted a residence permit in Sweden under the Temporary Protection Directive, the Swedish Migration Agency will upload your personal data to an EU-wide database. The authorities in the country where you were first granted protection will receive information about the fact that you have been granted a residence permit in Sweden, and will then stop providing you with financial support.
No, a person with a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive can not receive a travel grant or other help from the Swedish Migration Agency to move back home.
For you who came to Sweden before Russia's invasion
As long as your residence permit is still valid you don't have to do anything. If your residence permit is about to expire and your grounds for the residence permit remains, you can apply for an extension.
If you don't meet the requirements to extend your residence permit, for example if your studies or your relationship has ended, and you can't return to Ukraine because of the war, you can apply for protection. If you came to Sweden on 30 October 2021 or later, you can apply for a residence permit under the Temporary Protection Directive.
If you don't meet the requirements for protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, you can instead apply for asylum. Visit your nearest Unit for Reception if you want to apply for asylum.