Offering a traineeship/internship to a trainee/intern as part of an international exchange

You want to offer a traineeship/internship within the context of international exchange, where the trainee/intern is a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country and therefore needs a residence permit for a traineeship/internship.

If you want to see the information that is aimed at the trainee/intern, you can visit the page You want to apply – Traineeships/internships conducted via an international exchange programme

The employer starts the application

As an employer, you start the residence permit application for the person to whom you are offering a traineeship/internship. You do this by providing information about the employment to the Swedish Migration Agency via our e-service. When you are finished, the trainee/intern 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.

Other types of trainees/interns

In some cases, the trainee/intern must apply for a different type of permit, a residence permit for a traineeship/internship within with the context of higher education, even though the traineeship/internship is arranged via a traineeship/internship organisation. This applies in cases where the traineeship/internship is tied to the person’s education.
Employ a trainee/intern within the context of higher education
If the trainee/intern is not to receive any pay for the traineeship/internship, their employer does not need to start an application with the Swedish Migration Agency. Instead, the trainee/intern must apply for a visitor’s permit.
Employees of an international group who will be participating in traineeships/internships, internal training or other skills development in a company within the group, for a total of three months over a period of twelve months, can work in Sweden without a residence or work permit.

Certain people are exempt from the work permit requirement

Requirements for you as an employer

In addition to the requirements imposed on the trainee/intern, as an employer you must meet the following requirements in order for the person you want to employ to be able to get a residence permit:

You must agree with the trainee/intern on terms of employment and salary/wages

You must make a written offer of traineeship/internship to the trainee/intern
The offer must contain the terms of the trainee’s/intern’s employment or assignment.

Application preparations for employers

Draft a written offer of traineeship/internship to the trainee

Collect important information

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

You will need this information:

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

Information about the company or organisation
Company registration number, contact details and location of the workplace.

If you are acting as a representative for an employer

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.

For how long can the trainee/intern be granted a permit?

The trainee/intern may be granted a permit for the period for which you are offering them a traineeship/internship. The permit may be granted for one or more periods, but the combined length of these periods can total no more than 18 months. They can never be granted a permit for longer than their passport is valid.

How long does it take to get a decision?

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.

Complete applications

75% of recently decided cases have been decided within:4 months

Incomplete applications

75% of recently decided cases have been decided within:4 months

Illustration of an offer for an internship.

You give the trainee/intern a written offer of traineeship/internship

The offer must contain the terms of the trainee’s/intern’s employment or assignment. You must do this before applying for a permit. You should also review which insurance policies you or the trainee/intern may need to take out.

Illustration of a woman sitting at a computer.

You start the permit application

As the employer, you fill in your part of the application by providing information about the employment in the e-service for employers.

Be sure to provide complete information. The Swedish Migration Agency prioritises complete cases.

You send a link to the trainee/intern

You send a link to the trainee/intern through the e-service.

Illustration of a young woman making an application on the computer.

The trainee/intern fills in their part of the application

Via the link, the trainee/intern fills in their part of the application. They attach the required documents and complete the application.

Illustration of a man sitting at a computer and working at the Swedish Migration Agency.

The application is registered with the Swedish Migration Agency

The application will not be registered until the trainee/intern has completed their part.

Waiting time before we start examining the application

Now follows a period of waiting until the Swedish Migration Agency takes a closer look at the application.

Illustration of a man looking at an application.

The Swedish Migration Agency reviews the application

The Swedish Migration Agency reviews the application. If we can immediately see that the trainee/intern does not meet the requirements to be granted a permit, we may already make a decision to refuse the application. We will contact you or the trainee/intern if we need more information.

The trainee/intern will be asked to present their passport, either at a Swedish embassy, at one of the National Government Service Centres, or via a digital passport control.

Illustration of a man who works as a caseworker at the Swedish Migration Agency.

The Swedish Migration Agency processes the application

Once the trainee/intern has presented their passport, the Swedish Migration Agency will review all the information related to their application and investigate whether they can be granted a permit. We will contact you or the trainee/intern if we need more information.

Waiting time while we process your application

Now you must wait.

You will be notified when the decision is ready

Once the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision, the employer will be notified by post. The trainee/intern will be notified by email or post.

After the decision

As an employer, you start the application by providing information about the employment. Once you have completed your part, the trainee/intern must continue with their part of the application. The application will not be registered with the Swedish Migration Agency until the trainee/intern has completed their part.

Have you assembled all documents?

Be sure to provide complete information and attach all required documents. The Swedish Migration Agency prioritises complete cases. We will not start processing the application until it is complete.

See which documents you must attach under the Important to know tab

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Employers – You want to employ Trainee/intern through international exchangeEmployers – You want to employ Trainee/intern through international exchange