Swedes abroad and their families
How does it work for Swedes abroad who want to move back to Sweden with their families who are not Swedish citizens? Read this part of the Swedish Migration Agency answers where we explain the rules – and how the processing will be made more efficient.
Published 18 September 2025
The description of a Swede living abroad is that someone who, as a Swedish citizen, has been registered as having emigrated from Sweden and settled in another country. The USA is the most popular country to move to – according to a mapping of Swedes around the world from 2022, which shows that almost 180,000 Swedes live there. Yet it is only a small percentage, as the survey shows that nearly 700,000 Swedish citizens are estimated to live abroad. Maybe you move for love, to work, study or move back to the country you lived in before becoming a Swedish citizen.
Swedes in the world mapping 2022
External link. (in Swedish)
Family who are citizens outside the EU
A Swedish citizen who has left Sweden may move back at any time, but family members who are citizens outside the EU who want to follow them need to first apply for a residence permit based on family ties.
In many cases, such a residence permit is based on the fact that the person with the family ties, in this case the Swedish citizen, already lives in Sweden and can support the family that is moving here. However, as a Swedish citizen, you are exempt from the maintenance requirement if you have a well-established relationship with the person who wants to obtain a residence permit in Sweden. A well-established relationship can, for example, be when you have lived together for a long time.
There is therefore no requirement for support – but instead the Swedish citizen needs to be able to show that they intend to move to Sweden.
How do you prove that you intend to move back to Sweden?
The vast majority of people who want to move back to Sweden with their family have a home, job and school in the country where they live. The Swedish citizen, however, needs to be able to demonstrate at the time of application that there is an intention to move to Sweden.
This so-called intention to settle can be demonstrated in various ways and it is up to the Swedish citizen and family member how to do it, according to the principle of free presentation of evidence. Here it is important to tell as much as you can so that the Swedish Migration Agency has as comprehensive documentation as possible when it is time to make a decision.
Some examples are to show that
- the stay abroad is for a fixed period of time,
- you are pursuing time-limited studies or
- you have temporary work in the country.
If the Swedish citizen has already arranged housing or a job in Sweden when the application is submitted, this should be stated immediately, as this shows a clear intention to settle. As your relocation plans become more concrete, you can provide additional information to your application later.
It will be easier to apply
The process for Swedes living abroad has long been debated. The debate has mainly been due to the difficulties in showing that you have plans to move to Sweden – when you have your life abroad and do not know if or when your family member will be granted a residence permit.
In December 2024, the Swedish Migration Agency was commissioned by the government to introduce a new working method to streamline processing for family members of Swedes living abroad. The aim is, among other things, to streamline processing, shorten processing times and improve accessibility and service for applicants.
The new working method
The Swedish Migration Agency's new working method means that family members of Swedes abroad must be identified in connection with the application and that the processing must begin immediately. A prerequisite for the Swedish Migration Agency to be able to shorten processing times is that the received applications are complete.
Currently, the identification of the relevant cases is done manually, but within the framework of the government assignment, work is underway to develop a new digital solution where cases involving relatives of Swedes abroad will be automatically captured.
Relatively small group
Relatives of Swedes abroad who apply for a residence permit in Sweden are a relatively small group of applicants – 365 applications during the period January–August 2025 – compared to the number of applications that the Swedish Migration Agency handles overall. The fact that the Migration Agency begins processing these cases immediately has no impact on other cases.
The Swedish Migration Agency must report on the impact of the new assignment and a plan for the continued work by November 1, 2025.
Is Swedish citizenship affected by moving abroad?
What happens when a Swedish citizen moves from Sweden and plans to be away for at least a year is that they are registered as having left Sweden with the Swedish Tax Agency. Then you are no longer registered in Sweden – but you retain your Swedish citizenship and personal identification number.
If you want to apply for a Swedish passport, you can contact the nearest Swedish embassy, or a police station in Sweden if you are visiting home.
Examples of different families and their processes
Swedish citizens and third-country nationals living outside the EU
Johanna was born and raised in Sweden but has been living in Australia for several years with her wife Ashley and their two children. Now the family wants to settle in Sweden and Ashley must apply for a residence permit.
The couple's children do not need to apply for a residence permit, as they automatically inherited Johanna's Swedish citizenship when they were born.
Read The Swedish Migration Agency answers: How do you get Swedish citizenship?
Johanna must be able to show that the family intends to move to Sweden, for example by showing that she has arranged a job or accommodation here. If she cannot show concrete relocation plans when the application is submitted, she can provide these documents later.
Swedish citizen and third-country national living in the EU
Swedish citizen Björn and his Chinese wife Mei live together in Germany where they both work as doctors. They now want to try life in Sweden.
There is a special regulatory framework concerning the rights of EU citizens to move within the EU, and since Björn has recently lived in an EU/EEA country, he may be covered by those rules in this case. Then he has what is known as right of residence – this means that Mei does not need to apply for a residence permit and wait for a decision in Germany, but she can travel to Sweden directly. However, she needs a visa to enter. Since the couple plans to stay longer than three months, Mei will also need to apply for a residence card after moving.
Read The Swedish Migration Agency answers: Free movement within the EU – how does it work?
If Björn had not been covered by EU rules, Mei would have had to apply for a residence permit from Germany. Then Björn would also have needed to show that they intend to settle in Sweden.
Swedish + EU citizen living in the EU
William is a Swedish citizen and lives with his Hungarian girlfriend Daniella in Hungary. They both dream of moving to Sweden to start a business together.
Because Daniella is an EU citizen, she has right of residence if, for example, she is an employee, runs a business, is a student or has sufficient means to support herself. Daniella therefore does not need to apply for anything at the Swedish Migration Agency and can move in with William directly. When she arrives in Sweden, she needs to contact the Swedish Tax Agency to be registered and receive a personal identification number.
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