Residence permit for studies in higher education
If you are to study at a university, university college, higher vocational education or folk high school at the post-secondary level in Sweden for a period of time longer than three months, you can apply for a residence permit for higher education. This also applies to you if you will study in a mobility programme within the EU and will begin your studies in Sweden. The permit must be issued before you travel to Sweden.
If you are a British citizen
British citizens who want to work, study or move to someone in Sweden after January 1 2021 must apply for a residence and/or work permit.
British citizens who lived in Sweden with a right of residence until 31 December 2020, and who want to stay, must apply for a residence status.
Requirements for residence permits
For a permit, you must
- have a valid passport
- have been admitted to full-time studies in a programme or courses that require your presence in higher education (read more about studies in Sweden at studyinsweden.se
) - be able to support yourself during the time for which you are applying for a residence permit
- have paid a possible tuition fee before you send in the application (read more about tuition fees)
- have, or have applied for, a comprehensive health insurance policy.
Requirements to use the e-service
In order to use the e-service, you need
- copies of your passport that show personal data, signature, period of validity and if you have permission to live in countries other than your home country (read more about what the copies must look like)
- admission decision from the higher education organiser in Sweden that shows that you are finally admitted to full-time studies in a programme or courses that require your presence in Sweden
- a copy of documents that show that you have, or have applied for, a comprehensive health insurance policy that is valid in Sweden (if you are admitted to studies for less than one year) If you have an insurance policy through the higher education organiser, you can instead attach your admission decision as evidence of health insurance
- an account statement that verifies that you have sufficient funds for your living expenses. If permission from a central bank or the equivalent is required to take out the money from your country, you must include such a permit, or
documents issued in your name that show that you have been granted a stipend or the like with information on the monthly amount and the period during which you will receive the money. - be able to pay a possible fee for the application with a credit card or charge card (fees for residence permits for studies).
If you are to support yourself with bank assets, you must submit your application no earlier than three months before the date you are applying for a residence permit from. This is because you need to be able to show that you can support yourself close to the beginning of the study time and that your documents will not get too old. This does not apply if you will receive regular income, such as a scholarship.
Undergraduate and graduate studies at a university or university college are counted as higher education.
Studies in higher vocational education or studies at a folk high school at a post-secondary level are also counted as higher education. There is a list on studyinsweden.se of which seats of learning are counted as universities and university colleges. There is information on higher vocational education programmes at the Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education.
See if your seat of learning counts as a university or university college on studyinsweden.se
There is a list of all courses at Sweden’s folk high schools at www.folkhogskola.nu. The course descriptions state the level of the programme in question. It should be mentioned that the folk high schools also offer studies that are not at the post-secondary level, which are therefore not to be considered higher education studies.
List of all courses at Sweden’s folk high schools
Studies in contract education and at the World Maritime University do not count as higher education, but as so-called “other studies”. The same applies to exchange students in upper-secondary school.
Read more about residence permits for other studies
Read more about what applies to you if you intend to study at an upper-secondary school
If you are nationally registered in Sweden, you are considered to have a comprehensive health insurance. If you have been admitted to studies for less than one year, you will not be nationally registered in Sweden. If you then do not have insurance through the higher education provider, you must be insured by having or having applied for your own insurance.
The insurance must be valid for the entire time you will be in Sweden and cover costs for emergency and other medical care, dental care and hospital stays. It must also cover expenses for transportation home for medical reasons.
Read more about national registration on the Swedish Tax Agency website
If you are not able to apply online, you must fill out the form Application for a residence permit for students – First-time applicants, 113011, and submit it to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in your country of residence. The application form specifies which documents to enclose. Contact the embassy or consulate-general before you submit your application.
If there is no possibility to submit an application in your country, you must apply at the embassy or consulate-general closest to your country of residence. Contact the embassy or consulate-general before you submit your application for further information.
If your family is accompanying you to Sweden, each family member must submit their own application.
Application for a residence permit for students – First-time applicants, form 113011
Application for a residence permit for family members of students and doctoral students, form 135011
Swedish embassies and consulates-general
If you are applying at an embassy or consulate-general, you pay the fee when you hand in your application. For more information about the fee, contact the embassy or consulate-general where you are applying, as they do not have the same fees and terms of payment as the Migration Agency.
After you have sent the application
If you applied online, you will receive an e-mail that the decision has been made.
You can then contact the embassy or general consulate to receive the decision and possibly book an appointment to collect it. When you collect your decision, you must bring your passport with you. Some embassies and general consulates send out the decision and the permit card in the post. Contact the embassy or general consulate for more information.
Residence permit card
If you receive a residence permit for more than three months, you will receive a residence permit card. The card is a certification that you have permission to be in Sweden and contains your fingerprints and a photo of you, among other information.
Read more about residence permit cards
If you need an entry visa to travel to Sweden
If you need an entry visa to travel to Sweden and were not photographed and submitted fingerprints when you applied, you must visit the embassy or general consulate so that a permit card can be made for you. Not all embassies or general consulates have the possibility of taking appointments to photograph you and get your fingerprints. Therefore, always contact the embassy or general consulate before your visit for more information. When you visit the embassy, you must bring your passport with you.
Countries whose citizens require an entry visa for travel to Sweden
Swedish embassies and consulates-general
When the card is ready, the embassy or general consulate will hand out or send it to you. Note that it can take up to four weeks after you have received your decision to manufacture the card and deliver it to the embassy or general consulate on condition that you have already taken a photo and submitted fingerprints. When you travel into Sweden, you must present the card together with a valid passport.
It is not possible to shorten the time for manufacture and delivery of the card. Once an order of the card has been made, it is also not possible to change where the card will be sent.
If you can travel without an entry visa
If you can travel to Sweden without an entry visa, you may need to present a copy of the decision when you travel in. You may also need to demonstrate the document regarding Information about residence permit card together with the decision when you leave the country.
As soon as you can after arriving in Sweden, you must book an appointment at the Swedish Migration Agency to submit fingerprints and be photographed. When you visit the Swedish Migration Agency, you must bring your passport with you. When the residence permit card is ready, it will be sent to your address in Sweden. It is therefore important that you can provide the address in Sweden when you visit the Swedish Migration Agency to submit fingerprints and be photographed.
It is not possible to shorten the time for manufacture and delivery of the card. Once an order of the card has been made, it is also not possible to change where the card will be sent.
How long the permit is valid
You can receive a residence permit for the time your studies require, but never longer than the validity of your passport. Even if you have been admitted to several years’ studies, you can usually receive a residence permit for a maximum of one year at a time. If you will continue to stay in Sweden after your permit has expired, you must submit an application for a new residence permit. You should apply for the new residence permit before the current permit expires
As a student in a mobility programme within the EU, you can receive a residence permit for the entire programme. As a mobility student, your residence permit card will be marked with the programme’s name.
Read more about extending a residence permit
If a study programme includes studies abroad
One of the requirements for getting a residence permit in Sweden is that your studies require you to be in Sweden for the whole of your study period. If you are planning to go to another country for an exchange term, you should contact the authorities of that country to find out what is required for a stay in that country. You must also contact the unit at the Swedish Migration Agency that granted your residence permit to notify them of your exchange term.
Contact details of the Swedish Migration Agency’s student units (in Swedish)
If you go on an exchange during your ongoing permit period, you are no longer entitled to a residence permit in Sweden. This means the permit can be withdrawn. A withdrawal of a residence permit does not mean that it will be more difficult for you when you apply for a new permit to continue your studies in Sweden. However, it is important that you apply for a new permit in time before returning to Sweden. You must have the new permit before you return to Sweden.
Doctoral students may be exempt from the requirement to be in Sweden for the whole of their permit period.
Mobility studies also enable you to get a permit for the whole of your study period even if you do studies in another EU country. Read more under the heading “If you intend to begin your study programme in Sweden and do part of your studies in Sweden as a mobility student”, further up on this page.
You are permitted to work
If you have received a residence permit for higher education, you also have the right to work in Sweden during the same time that you have a residence permit. You do not need to have a separate work permit. If you have had a residence permit for higher education and apply for an extension within the period of validity, you still have the right to work until a decision has been made or a possible decision of expulsion has gained legal force. If you seek employment, you should take copies with you of documents that show that you have the right to be and work in Sweden. Also bring your residence permit card. The employer wants to know how long you have a right to work in Sweden and if there are any limitations in your permit. Anyone employing you wants a copy of the documents and will inform the Swedish Tax Agency that you have been employed.
The Swedish Migration Agency can revoke a permit
Your permit can be revoked if you provided incorrect information in your application or did not tell about something of significance to your residence permit. The permit can also be revoked if the conditions for the permit are no longer met, such as if you are no longer studying.
Information for persons arriving in Sweden with a residence permit
Do not forget to save your residence permit decision. It will be useful when contacting various national authorities and organisations.
To register as living in Sweden and obtain a Swedish personal identity number, contact the Swedish Tax Agency, Skatteverket.
To be registered in the social insurance system, contact the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, Försäkringskassan.
Some municipalities have municipal housing agencies where you can look for accommodation. The municipality can also give you advice on private landlords.
The municipality in which you live will offer child care and schooling for children.
If you have come to Sweden as a refugee, you may able to apply for a loan to equip your home. www.csn.se/hemutrustningslan
For questions about health care, contact the region where you live. Find healthcare in the whole of the country on 1177 Healthcare Service Guide.
For questions about learning Swedish for Immigrants (SFI), contact the municipality you live in. See also the website of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.
If you are looking for a job you can register with the Swedish Public Employment Service, Arbetsförmedlingen.
The Swedish Pensions Agency has information in Swedish about income support for the elderly for those who come to Sweden late in life and have a low or no pension.
For information about studying at colleges or universities, see Universityadmissions.se or studera.nu.
For questions about student loans and grants, contact CSN.
For questions concerning driving licenses, visit the Swedish Transport Agency.
For questions about the right to vote, contact the Election Authority, Valmyndigheten.
Information from the Swedish National Agency for Education about the Swedish education system can be found at Skolverket.
Information about society in Sweden can be found in a number of languages at informationsverige.se.
For more information on society in Sweden visit the website of the Swedish Institute.
Hej hej Sverige! has simple and inspiring films about how Sweden works.
On the page Learn Swedish on www.informationsverige.se, you will find links to several programmes for learning Swedish on your own.
The information service at the Swedish Consumer Agency can answer your questions about buying goods and services and about contract terms and conditions.