You have a residence permit in Sweden as a person in need of protection, and want to travel abroad for any length of time.
If you have a residence permit in Sweden, you can travel out of Sweden and back for as long as your permit is valid. You must have a valid passport and your residence permit card. If you will be travelling to a non-Schengen country, you may need an entry visa.
If you do not have a valid passport, and it is not possible for you to obtain one, in certain cases you can obtain an alien’s passport from the Swedish Migration Agency. An alien’s passport meets the EU’s passport requirements and can be used for travel to all EU countries.
You want to apply – Alien’s passports
The country or countries to which you cannot travel will be specified in your alien’s passport. For example, if you have a residence permit for protection reasons, you cannot travel to the country from which you have fled.
If you have been unable to prove your identity, your alien’s passport will state that your identity has not been proven. This may make it more difficult to travel to certain countries.
If you have been granted a residence permit for protection reasons, you should not travel to your country of origin or the country from which you fled. If you have been granted protection in Sweden as a refugee and travel to your country of origin, you risk having your status declaration revoked, as the Swedish Migration Agency may then consider that you no longer need protection.
If you have subsidiary protection status, you also risk having your status declaration revoked if you travel to your country of origin, depending on why you received your status declaration.
When the Swedish Migration Agency investigates whether your status declaration should be revoked, we look at whether our previous assessment that you are in need of protection is affected by the fact that you have travelled to your country of origin. The reason why you have travelled to your country of origin and how long you stayed there may affect our assessment of whether your protection status should be revoked.
2026-01-01
Now you can apply for the increased repatriation grant
People who have received a residence permit in Sweden on grounds of protection needs and want to repatriate can apply for the increased repatriation grant from today, 1 January 2026. Family members can also receive the grant if they meet certain requirements.
2025-12-04
More Afghans may be able to receive passports from their home country
The Swedish Migration Agency estimates that Afghan authorities are now able to issue national passports to their citizens within a reasonable time. This means that Afghan citizens with a residence permit in Sweden no longer automatically have the right to an alien’s passport. Instead, the Swedish Migration Agency will review each application for an alien’s passport individually.
2025-10-31
The repatriation grant will be increased
The Swedish Government has taken a decision to increase the repatriation grant on 1 January 2026. The amount you can receive depends on whether you are applying as a single adult, as a couple, or as a family with children.
2025-09-11
How you will be affected when extended passports become invalid
We have previously reported that Swedish authorities will not accept extended passports from 1 October 2025. Here we answer frequently asked questions about what this means and who will be affected.
2025-09-09
New payment card for financial aid
In October, the Swedish Migration Agency will replace all bank cards for people receiving financial aid.
2025-09-01
Changed rules on asylum seekers' accommodation
From 1 September, the main rule is that asylum seekers must live in the accommodation allocated by the Migration Agency in order to be entitled to daily allowance and special grant.
2025-04-01
Changed rules for statute of limitations, re-entry ban and track change
On 1 April, several legislative changes will be introduced that affect those who have applied for asylum. The rules for when a decision to leave Sweden reaches its statute of limitation changes, re-entry bans may become longer, and the possibility of changing track disappears. The changed rules affect you if your application for asylum has been, or will be, rejected.