Important to know

If you want to see the information aimed at the employee, you can check out the page You want to extend – Artists

If the artist wants to continue working longer than their permit is valid, they can apply to extend the permit. An artist can be granted a work permit for a maximum of two years at a time for a total of four years.

If the artist has worked in Sweden with a work permit for at least four years during the past seven years, they can choose to apply for a permanent residence permit at the same time.

The employer starts the application

For an employer, the process of applying for an extended work permit is the same as a first-time application. You start the application by providing information about the employment in the e-service. When you are done, the employee receives a link to the e-service, where they fill in their information and submit the application, thus completing the process. Only then is the application registered with the Swedish Migration Agency.

In addition to the requirements imposed on the employee, as an employer you must meet a number of requirements in order for the employee to be able to get an extended work permit.

Since 1 June 2026, a new salary requirement applies to work permits. During a transitional period of six months (1 June–1 December 2026), the salary requirement does not apply to people who were granted their permit under the previous rules and who are applying to extend their permit. Select below the option that applies to the person you want to employ:

The terms of employment must have been met throughout the period during which the employee has had a work permit
The employee’s salary/wages, insurance and other terms of employment must have been at least on par with collective agreements or common practice in their occupation or industry. These terms must have been met throughout the period that they have had a work permit in Sweden.

The employee must have a valid employment agreement or contract

The employment’s salary/wages must provide a good living
People who were granted a work permit between 1 November 2023 and 30 May 2026 met the maintenance requirement of a good living if they had a monthly salary/wages totalling at least 80 per cent of the median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) that was current at the time of application.

During a transitional period, this will continue to apply to those who were granted their first permit under the previous rules and who apply to extend their permit between 1 June and 1 December 2026.

A good living – maintenance requirement for work permits

All applications to extend permits registered with the Swedish Migration Agency from 2 December 2026 onwards will be subject to the new salary requirement.

Salary requirements for a work permit

You must give the relevant trade union organisation the opportunity to comment on the terms of employment

To make a good living, the employee must receive a monthly salary/wages of at least SEK 29,680. This corresponds to 80 per cent of the current median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) in June of each year.

Read about the current median salary on SCB’s website (in Swedish) External link.

The salary/wages must also be on par with collective agreements or common practice in the relevant occupation or industry. This means that the employee’s salary/wages may need to be higher than 80 per cent of the median salary.

Read more on the page A good living – maintenance requirements for work permits

What counts as a salary?

Salary is what the employer pays to the employee for work performed. Salary is money that is paid regularly. Compensation for inconvenient working hours and overtime pay are also considered salary, if the compensation is recurring and stated in the employment contract.

Benefits, such as free food and accommodation, are not considered salary.

The terms of employment must have been met throughout the period during which the employee has had a work permit
The employee’s salary/wages, insurance and other terms of employment must have been at least on par with collective agreements or common practice in their occupation or industry. These terms must have been met throughout the period that they have had a work permit in Sweden.

The employee must have a valid employment agreement or contract

The employment must provide a salary that meets the salary requirement

The terms of employment and salay must be at least on par with Swedish collective agreements or common practice in the occupation or industry. The salary must meet the salary requirement. This means that the employee must have a monthly salary/wages amounting to at least 90 per cent of the median salary that was published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) at the time of application.

You must give the relevant trade union organisation the opportunity to comment on the terms of employment

To meet the salary requirement, the employee must receive a monthly salary/wages of at least SEK 33,390. This corresponds to 90 per cent of the current median salary published by Statistics Sweden (SCB) in June of each year.

Read about the current median salary on SCB’s website (in Swedish) External link.

The salary/wages must also be on par with collective agreements or common practice in the relevant occupation or industry. This means that the employee’s salary/wages may need to be higher than 90 per cent of the median salary.

Read more on the page Salary requirements for a work permit

What counts as a salary?

Salary is what the employer pays to the employee for work performed. Salary is money that is paid regularly. Compensation for inconvenient working hours and overtime pay are also considered salary, if the compensation is recurring and stated in the employment contract.

Benefits, such as free food and accommodation, are not considered salary.

Certain professions and groups of applicants are exempt from the salary requirement. If a person is covered by one of the exemptions from the salary requirement, their salary must amount to at least 75 per cent of the median salary in Sweden at the time of the application.

Occupations included in the Government’s list of exempt occupations

The list used by the Swedish Migration Agency when making decisions is the one that determines which occupations are exempt from the salary requirement. The exemptions apply for the duration of the permit.

When applying for an extension of a permit, you must check that the profession is still on the list. If the profession is no longer on the list, the salary requirement applies.

The list is in the Aliens Ordinance.
Read the Aliens Ordinace (only in Swedish, utlänningsförordningen (2006:97, 5 kap 6 §, riksdagen.se) External link.

  • Engineers and technicians in chemistry and chemical engineering (subgroup 3115 in SSYK 2012)
  • Laboratory engineers (subgroup 3215 in SSYK 2012)
  • IT operations technicians (subgroup 3511 in SSYK 2012)
  • IT support technicians (subgroup 3512 in SSYK 2012)
  • Systems administrators (subgroup 3513 in SSYK 2012)
  • Network and systems technicians, etc (subgroup 3514 in SSYK 2012)
  • Assistant nurses in home care, home healthcare and elderly care homes (subgroup 5321 in SSYK 2012)
  • Assistant nurses in habilitation services (subgroup 5322 in SSYK 2012)
  • Assistant nurses in healthcare and specialist wards (subgroup 5323 in SSYK 2012)
  • Assistant nurses in outpatient reception services (subgroup 5324 in SSYK 2012)
  • Childcare assistants (subgroup 5325 in SSYK 2012)
  • Ambulance care assistants (subgroup 5326 in SSYK 2012)
  • Care assistants (subgroup 5330 in SSYK 2012)
  • Breeders and caretakers of farm animals (subgroup 6121 in SSYK 2012)
  • Other animal breeders and animal caretakers (subgroup 6129 in SSYK 2012)
  • Crop growers and animal breeders, mixed farming (subgroup 6130 in SSYK 2012)
  • Forestry workers (subgroup 6210 in SSYK 2012)
  • Welders and gas cutters (subgroup 7212 in SSYK 2012)
  • Structural steel erectors and heavy sheet metal workers (subgroup 7215 in SSYK 2012)
  • Maintenance mechanics and machine repairers (subgroup 7233 in SSYK 2012)
  • Electrical distribution technicians (subgroup 7413 in SSYK 2012)
  • Butchers and meat cutters, etc. (subgroup 7611 in SSYK 2012)
  • Machine operators in meat and fish processing industries (subgroup 8161 in SSYK 2012)
  • Other machine operators in the food industry, etc. (subgroup 8169 in SSYK 2012)
  • Other operations technicians and process monitoring operators (subgroup 8199 in SSYK 2012)
  • Drivers of agricultural and forestry machinery (subgroup 8341 in SSYK 2012)
  • Berry pickers and planters, etc. (subgroup 9210 in SSYK 2012)
    Note: Work permits for the occupation of forest berry picker cannot be granted under Chapter 6, Section 2 of the Aliens Act. The exemption therefore applies only to other occupational roles within that category if invoked.

Other groups that are also exempt from the salary requirement

Former students and researchers, and persons with residence permits under the Temporary Protection Directive
  • Persons who hold a residence permit as a student or researcher in Sweden when applying for a work permit for the first time.
  • Persons who hold a residence permit with or after temporary protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive and who apply for a work permit.

These persons are exempt for two years or, if their permit is valid for a longer period, until the permit expires. The exemption will apply from 11 June 2026.

Certain healthcare professions

Doctors, dentists and nurses with foreign qualifications who are in the process of obtaining Swedish professional certification.

Employees of certain tech or life science companies

Persons employed by certain tech or life science companies. The company must be in a start-up phase, be less than five years old and have fewer than one hundred employees.

From 2 December 2026, the salary requirement will apply to all applications to extend a permit

All applications to extend a permit registered with the Swedish Migration Agency from 2 December 2026 onwards will be subject to the new salary requirement. This means that employees must meet the salary requirement if they apply to extend their permit from 2 December.

Salary requirements for a work permit

Employment agreement or contract

Make sure that the employee has a valid employment agreement or contract signed by both parties. The employee will later be asked to attach a copy of the agreement in their part of the application.

In order for the Swedish Migration Agency to assess whether the employment meets the required conditions for a work permit, in addition to name and contact details, an employment agreement or contract for artists should include the following:

  • any tour plan, pay, time and place of engagement
  • the employee’s name and address
  • the employer’s name and address
  • information about where the workplace is located
  • title and brief description of work responsibilities
  • form of employment (permanent, fixed-term or probationary)
  • the employment’s start date or start time
  • notice period, length of probationary period, or end date of employment
  • salary/wages, other salary/wage benefits, and how often the salary/wages will be paid
  • working hours
  • rules regarding overtime or additional hours work and compensation for such work
  • holiday days or holiday allowance
  • which collective agreement applies, if the employer has signed a collective agreement.

Collect important information

Make sure you have access to the information about the employee, company and employment that you will need to provide in the e-service.

Information about the employee
Name, date of birth, citizenship, education and email address. Please note that it is through this email address that your employee will log into the e-service to continue their work permit application, so double check it carefully.

Information about the company
Company registration number, contact details, date the business was established, and location of the workplace. Employers in industries with higher requirements, start-ups and representatives also need to attach supporting documents.

Information about the employment
Occupation, SSYK code for the occupation in question, work responsibilities, form of employment, start date, scope, salary/wages, date of any collective agreement, and insurance company/companies.

Insurance for the employee

In order for the employee to be granted a permit, the employer must have taken out medical insurance, life insurance, occupational injury insurance and occupational pension insurance for the employee by the time they start their employment.

If the employee later wants to apply for an extension of their permit, they must have been covered by medical insurance, life insurance, occupational injury insurance and occupational pension insurance for the entire period that they have had a permit in Sweden. It is therefore important that the documentation shows the date on which the insurance began to apply, as well as the terms and conditions of the policy.

People who are in Sweden for less than one year do not have the same right to social welfare benefits as those who reside here. From 1 June 2026, it is a requirement that the employee has, or has applied for, a comprehensive health insurance policy. The insurance must be valid for the entire time during which the employee will be in Sweden and must cover the cost of urgent and other medical care, hospitalisation, and emergency dental care. It must also cover the cost of medical repatriation.

Medical insurance provides financial support if the insured person falls ill or is injured. Medical insurance should not be confused with healthcare insurance, which helps the insured person to gain faster access to care.

A life insurance policy provides financial security if the insured person dies. For example, the money that is then paid out can help their surviving family be able to afford to stay in their home.

With an occupational injury insurance policy, the policyholder can receive compensation in the event of long-term unemployment or sick leave. The insurance provides compensation if the policyholder has been injured on the job or on the way to or from their workplace. This form of insurance is often referred to in Swedish as “Trygghetsförsäkring vid arbetsskada” and abbreviated to the acronym “TFA”.

Occupational pension insurance is an insurance solution to secure an occupational pension. It can be taken out by the employer for the benefit of the employee, or taken out by the employee but then paid by the employer.

Select which trade union might want to comment

In the e-service, you can choose which trade union organisation should be given the opportunity to comment on the employment. You choose the trade union that is relevant to the work that the employee is to perform. If the union is connected to the Swedish Migration Agency's digital processing, you will be able to select it directly in the e-service and later receive its statement of opinion directly in the e-service. Otherwise, they may give their statement via a form.

If the trade union refrains from commenting on the terms of employment, the Swedish Migration Agency will decide whether the offered terms of employment correspond to collective agreements or what is customary in the occupation or industry.

If your company is subject to higher requirements or is a start-up, you need to prepare supporting documents

Prepare these documents and make sure the information is clearly visible.

If the business is a start-up, you must attach these documents:

  • Documents showing cash or cash equivalents or overdraft facility
  • Balance and performance reports for the current year
  • Agreement(s) on ongoing or upcoming assignments.

If you have previously employed people from outside the EU and those people have been granted a work permit to work for you, you must also attach:

  • the company’s tax account statement for the last three months. The tax account statement must show paid employer contributions
  • documents showing that the former employees were covered by medical insurance, life insurance, occupational injury insurance and occupational pension insurance for the entire period that they had a work permit in Sweden.

A copy of their power of attorney to act as a representative.

Power of attorney (107011) pdf, 535.1 kB.

Read more about power of attorney

If your business has existed for less than a year or has been dormant, you need to prove that you are able to pay salary/wages to the people you are hiring for at least three months. If you have previously employed non-EU/EEA citizens, you need to be able to prove that you have paid employer contributions and that these employees have been covered by the right insurance.

If you will be acting as a representative for an employer, you need to arrange a power of attorney.

Please note that if you are a representative with power of attorney, you are the only person who will have access to the case during the entire application period, because you create the e-application using your e-ID. You will thus be the only one who can complete the employer’s part of the application and respond to any requests for supplementation.

Read more about power of attorney

If the employee wishes to apply for a permanent residence permit in connection with their application for an extended permit, they must

  • have had a permit for work and worked in Sweden for at least four years during the past seven years
  • be able to support themselves financially
  • live a well-behaved life.

If the person does not meet the requirements for a permanent residence permit, they may still be granted an extended work permit, if the requirements for it are met.

It is the employee who chooses to apply for a permanent residence permit. As an employer, you do not need to do anything in your part of the application.

The employee can apply for an extension of their work permit no more than two months before the current permit will expire. You must apply before the current permit expires. If you apply too late, the employee will not be able to work during the processing time.

The Swedish Migration Agency recommends that you submit the application no more than 30 days before the current work permit will expire. This is because we cannot make a decision about a permanent residence permit application until the current permit has expired.

The employee has the right to continue working during the waiting time, as long as they have had a work permit for at least six months and they submit their application before the previous permit expires. This applies even if the previous permit expires before they receive a decision about their application for an extension.

An artist can be granted a work permit for a maximum of two years at a time for up to four years, but not for longer than the duration of the employment. They can never be granted a permit for longer than their passport is valid. If any of the employee’s family members are accompanying them to Sweden, they can be granted residence permits for the same period, but never longer than the period of validity of their passports.

If the employee is granted a permanent residence permit, it is valid for as long as they reside in Sweden.

It is not possible to say exactly how long it takes to receive a decision. There are many things that affect the waiting time, for example whether the application is complete to begin with or whether we need to request more information, or whether we need to check with other authorities when investigating the case.

Here we show statistics on how long it has taken for people who have applied for this permit. The statistics are based on cases decided in the last 12 months.

75% of recently decided cases have been decided within:1 months

The Swedish Migration Agency is responsible for considering applications from people who want to live in Sweden, seek protection or become Swedish citizens. Our work is based on Swedish laws and international conventions, with a focus on legal certainty and effective reception and return.