A good living – maintenance requirement for work permits

Until 31 May 2026, the maintenance requirement of a good living applied to those applying for a work permit in Sweden. This meant that the employment had to provide a monthly salary that amounts to at least 80 per cent of the median salary in Sweden.

During a transitional period, from 1 June to 1 December 2026, this requirement will continue to apply to those applying to extend their work permit, provided that they were granted their current permit before 1 June 2026.

Those who were granted their current permit after 1 June 2026 and want to extend it, will instead be subject to the new salary requirement.

The median salary is published by Statistics Sweden (SCB), and the monthly salary must amount to at least 80 per cent of the median salary that was current when you applied for a work permit. The monthly salary must also be in line with collective agreements or common practice in the relevant profession or industry.

Current maintenance requirement for applications to extend permits

Based on the current median salary, the current maintenance requirement for a work permit – for those who were granted their current work permit before 1 June 2026 and who apply to extend their permit during the period 2 June–1 December 2026 – is

SEK 29,680 per month.

This corresponds to 80 per cent of the median salary in Sweden, according to the statistics of Statistics Sweden (SCB).

Read more on SCB’s website (only in Swedish) External link.

Who is not subject to the requirement to make a good living?

These groups do not need to meet the requirement to make a good living:

• EU/EEA citizens and their family members
• EU Blue Card applicants
• ICT permit applicants
• seasonal workers
• athletes and coaches
• au pairs
• trainees/interns through an international exchange programme
• trainees/interns in higher education
• researchers.