Extend a residence permit for doctoral studies

If you have family who live with you in Sweden, who also need to extend their permits, you apply together in the same online application.

If you have already submitted an application for a residence permit extension, your family member can submit his or her own online application afterwards.

The Swedish Migration Agency always makes an individual assessment. This means that it is not certain that your family member will receive a residence permit even if you do.

Read more about permits for your family

If your family applies for resi­dence permit exten­sions at the same time, you must send in

• copies of the pages in your family members’ passports that show personal data, photo, signature, passport number, issuing country, period of validity, entry stamps and if they have permission to live in countries other than their home country. Read about what the copies must look like on this page
  
• documents, such as bank account statements, that confirm that the family’s support for living expenses has been arranged. The living expense requirement for the entire period of stay is SEK 4 297,50 per month for a spouse or cohabitating partner SEK 2 578,50 per month for each child
  
• a copy of the marriage certificate or the equivalent (for married couples and registered partners)
• documents that show that you have lived together, such as civil registration certificates, joint rental contracts or joint purchase evidence for a home (applies to cohabitating partners)
• documents that show that you have lived together, such as civil registration certificates, joint rental contracts or joint purchase evidence for a home (applies to cohabitating partners)
• consent from the other guardian of children under 18 if the other guardian does not accompanying you to Sweden, or evidence of sole custody. For example, this can be a court decision, or death certificate if the other parent is deceased. The consent must be signed and it should state if the child has permission to stay in Sweden for the time you intend to be here. For joint custody, a copy of the other guardian’s passport or other identification document must also be attached
• adoption documents if the child is adopted.
  

You must be admitted to a full-time doctoral programme in Sweden. You cannot receive a residence permit for studies that have distance learning as the way of studying.

You must include the university’s formal decision on admission as a doctoral student, with information on the date for admission. You also need to include a supplementary certificate regarding the doctoral studies, issued by the university. For these certificates, you can refer the university to the Swedish Migration Agency’s checklist.

Checklists and examples of certificates of enrolment for third-cycle studies (doctoral studies) Pdf, 263.5 kB, opens in new window.

Doctoral students who will stay in both Sweden and another country

You can get a residence permit in Sweden even if you will be staying in another country for part of the permit period, if the stay abroad is part of the study programme that you are admitted to in Sweden. If you are going to another country as a part of the study programme, you should contact the authorities of that country to find out what is required for a stay in that country.

If you have to leave Sweden during semester time for longer than a month for activities that are not part of your study programme, you must contact the unit at the Swedish Migration Agency that granted your residence permit to notify them of this. Longer periods of absence for such other activities during your ongoing permit period can mean that you are no longer entitled to a residence permit in Sweden. This means that 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.

Contact details of the Swedish Migration Agency’s student units (in Swedish)

Are these not the studies you will conduct?

Have you ended up on the wrong webpage? Information about different types of studies and how you apply is available on the focus page for higher studies.

As a doctoral student, you must send in a certificate from your supervisor with information on what programme you are attending and if you have made acceptable progress in your studies. Refer your supervisor to the Swedish Migration Agency’s checklists for certificates regarding applications for extension of residence permits for studies.

Checklists and examples of certificates of enrolment for third-cycle studies (doctoral studies) Pdf, 263.5 kB, opens in new window.

For applications received by the Swedish Migration Agency on or after 1 January 2024, the living expense requirement is at least SEK 10 314 per month.The living expense requirement for you as an applicant in 2023 is at least SEK 9 450 per month.

You must show that you have secured your financial support for the time for which you are applying for a residence permit. This means that you must show that you have money available through salary, a stipend or bank assets.

• If you have received a doctoral grant, you must include documents with information on the monthly amount and the time during which you will receive the money.
• If you support yourself by employment, you must submit wage specifications for the past three months and an employment contract.
• If you have received a stipend, scholarship or the like, you must include a recently issued document in your name with information on the monthly amount and the time during which you will receive the money. It shall be clear from the document that you will still receive funds disbursed during the permit period applied for and how much of the money will be available for your living expenses.
• If you support yourself through your own bank assets, the documents that you send in with your application to show that your support for living expenses is secured may not be older than six months. You must then include an account statement or other document that shows that you have money for your support for the entire time for which you are applying for a residence permit. Information on balance, account holder’s name and currency shall be stated by the account statement.
  

If you refer to your own bank assets in Iranian rials (IRR), the Swedish Migration Agency uses the same exchange rate as the Ministry for Foreign Affairs uses in visa matters.

If you can show that you receive free housing and/or food through the higher education organiser or an organisation that works for international exchange, the amount per month can be reduced. For applications received by the Swedish Migration Agency on or after 1 January 2024, the monthly amount is reduced by SEK 2 865 per month for free food and SEK 4 584 per month for free housing. For applications that have been received in 2023, the monthly amount is reduced by SEK 2 625 per month for free food and SEK 4 200 per month for free housing.

The Swedish Migration Agency may need to check your passport before a decision can be made. You will then need to visit one of the Swedish Migration Agency's service centres to present your passport.

In some cases, you will not be required to present your passport, for example, if we have already checked your passport during a previous visit.

If you need to show your passport, we will contact you with information on how and when to do so.

If your family also applies for a residence permit, the Swedish Migration Agency may need to check their passports as well.

If the total continuous period of time for your residence permits in Sweden is more than one year, you can be registered in the national registration. If you are nationally registered in Sweden, you are considered to have a comprehensive health insurance.

If the total continuous period of time for your residence permits in Sweden is less than one year, you cannot be registered in the national registration in Sweden. Then you must have, or have 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 External link, opens in new window.

Conditions in order to be civilly registered External link, opens in new window.

If you are not able to apply online, you must fill out the form Application for a residence permit for students – Application to extend, 115011. Send your application to the Swedish Migration Agency, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå.

Application for a residence permit for students – Application to extend, form 115011 Pdf, 842.1 kB, opens in new window.

Application for a residence permit for family members of students and doctoral students, form 135011 Pdf, 1.8 MB, opens in new window.

In most cases you must pay a fee.

Application fees for residence permits

Once you have submitted an extension application, you have the right to stay in Sweden until the Swedish Migration Agency has made its decision.

Time to a deci­sion

In order to obtain an impression how long you need to wait for your decision, you can visit the page Time to a decision. Note that the average time that is shown on the page is calculated based on previously decided cases in the same category. The time can vary from application to application.

Time to a decision

Travel abroad during the proces­sing period

If you travel abroad before you have had your new permit granted, it may be difficult for you to get back into Sweden. You may then need to wait for your new decision outside Sweden. It is also important to be aware that the Swedish Migration Agency no longer grants priority.

Working during the proces­sing period

You continue to have the right to work during the time you are waiting on a decision if you had a residence permit for higher education and submitted your application for extension before your earlier residence permit expired. If you are granted an extended residence permit, you may continue to work alongside your studies.

Read more about applying for a work permit

Read more about residence permits to seek employment or investigate the possibilities of starting your own company

Permit cards

If you are granted a residence permit, you get 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. In order for the permit card to be manufactured, you must first book an appointment to be photographed and submit your fingerprints. You book an appointment on the Swedish Migration Agency website.

If you plan on travelling out of Sweden, the Swedish Migration Agency recommends that you wait to book an appointment until after the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision on an extended residence permit because it will then be possible to choose where the card will be sent. You can also be photographed and submit your fingerprints at a Swedish embassy or a Swedish consulate-general abroad that handles migration matters. Not all embassies or consulates-general have the possibility of taking appointments to photograph you and get your fingerprints. Therefore, always contact the embassy or consulate-general before your visit for more information.

If you previously had a permit card

You need to be photographed and submit your fingerprints even if you previously had a residence permit card because your photo and your fingerprints cannot be saved.

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.

What is a power of attorney?

A power of attorney can be a signed letter in which the person applying for a permit allows another person to represent him or her. A power of attorney can, for example, give someone the right to apply, be informed of the reasons for a decision, or lodge an appeal for someone else. The power of attorney must be signed by the person who gives their power of attorney to another person, and must be presented in the original if required by the Swedish Migration Agency.

• In order to give another person power of attorney, you will need to send a letter to the Swedish Migration Agency stating
• that it is a power of attorney
• the name, date of birth and address of the person giving someone else the power of attorney
• what the person who has the power of attorney has to do
  the name, personal identity number and address of the person who is given the power of attorney
• the signature of the person giving someone else the power of attorney
• the date and place where the power of attorney is signed.

Power of Attorney, form number 107011 Pdf, 641.6 kB, opens in new window.