You have received a decision If your application for international protection (asylum) has been approved

Your application for international protection (asylum) in Sweden has been approved, and you have therefore also been granted a residence permit. The information on this page applies both to people who have been granted a permit for the first time and those who have been granted an extended permit.

When your application for international protection (asylum) is approved, you receive a protection status as a refugee or a person in need of subsidiary protection. The reasons why you need protection determine whether you have been assessed as a refugee or in need of subsidiary protection. Because you have received a protection status, you are also granted a residence permit and you have the right to live and work in Sweden as long as the permit is valid. As proof of your residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card.

Appeals

Even if your application for international protection is approved, there may be parts of the decision with which you do not agree. You may feel that you should have been assessed as a refugee instead of a person in need of subsidiary protection. Information about the deadline for appealing is provided in the decision.

Appeal a decision

If you have been granted an extension of your permit, you need to be photographed and fingerprinted for your new residence permit card. You must do this even if you have had a residence permit card before, because this information is not saved.

Book an appointment for your visit

If you have been granted a temporary residence permit for the first time, you must register with the Swedish Tax Agency to obtain a Swedish personal identity number as soon as possible. You must be listed in the Swedish Population Register in order to enroll in Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) classes and access the resources of the Swedish social insurance system. If you need to seek care in Sweden, you will have to pay for it if you don’t have a Swedish personal identity number. Once you have been listed in the Swedish Population Register, you can also obtain a Swedish identity document, which is needed, for example, to open a bank account and obtain an e-ID.

Read more about population registration on the website of the Swedish Tax Agency External link.

Most people who are granted a residence permit in Sweden arrange their own housing. If you are unable to arrange housing yourself and are living in a Swedish Migration Agency accommodation when you are granted a residence permit, you can get help with finding housing in a municipality. The Swedish Migration Agency assigns a municipality that is responsible for receiving you. You may then stay in the Swedish Migration Agency’s accommodation until the municipality has received you. If you decline the offer to settle in the municipality to which you are assigned, you are no longer entitled to housing assistance and you must find housing on your own.

If you have been granted a residence permit on the grounds of protection needs and are at least 16 years of age, you are allowed to work in Sweden.

When you apply for a job, you must bring copies of documents showing that you have the right to be in Sweden and work here. For example, you can bring the first page of the decision. Also bring your residence permit card. The employer will want to know how long you have a right to work in Sweden and if there are any limitations to your permit.

If you have recently been granted a residence permit in Sweden, you may be entitled to support to enter the workforce, via the Swedish Public Employment Service’s establishment programme. The establishment programme consists of activities and training that will help you to learn Swedish quickly, find a job, and manage to support yourself financially. You can find more information on the website of the Swedish Public Employment Service. The information is available in several languages.

Read more about the establishment programme on the website of the Swedish Public Employment Service (in Swedish) External link.

In some cases, your family has the opportunity to move to Sweden to live with you. The rules differ depending on if you are a refugee or a person in need of subsidiary protection, and when your family members apply for their residence permits. If your family wants to move to Sweden to live with you, in most cases you need to be able to support them financially.

You have received a decision – Family reunification

The period of validity of your residence permit is specified on the first page of the decision.

If you have protection status as a refugee, you are granted a residence permit for three years.

If you have protection status as a person in need of subsidiary protection, you are granted a residence permit for 13 months.

Your residence permit can be extended.

We have compiled information and links that may be useful for people who have recently moved to Sweden.

About Sweden – for new arrivals

Information for children who have been granted permission to live in Sweden

During the period in which your permit is valid, you can travel in and out of the country. However, if you leave Sweden, you must have both a valid passport and your residence permit card to be able to re-enter the country. If you are a refugee and travel to your country of origin, the Swedish Migration Agency may revoke your protection status as a refugee.

You have a permit in Sweden – You plan to travel abroad

The Swedish Migration Agency can revoke your protection status if you are no longer in need of protection. This requires that the circumstances that caused you to receive a certain protection status no longer apply or have changed in a material and lasting manner.
Your protection status can also be revoked if you provided a false identity when you applied for your residence permit, or if you deliberately lied or failed to tell us about something that was relevant to our assessment of your need for international protection.

We can also revoke your protection status if it emerges that you have committed crimes that prevent you from being considered a refugee or person in need of subsidiary protection, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, or other serious crimes.

If we revoke your protection status, we will also revoke the residence permit that you were granted because of your need for protection. You will then receive an expulsion decision. If you have other reasons for a residence permit, you can apply for it and have it considered separately.

If your situation changes while you have a residence permit

Read about what you may need to do if something changes in your situation while you are in Sweden with a residence permit:

You have a permit in Sweden

News

2026-06-12

The migration pact is introduced on the 12 June

On 12 June 2026, the EU's Pact on migration and asylum is introduced. Among other things, this means that the EU will have common rules about how migrants will be controlled at the border, and what the procedure is when somebody applies for international protection (asylum).

2026-06-01

New levels of reintegration assistance from 1 June 2026

The EU Reintegration Programme (EURP) provides support for people returning to their country of origin after their application for asylum has been rejected or when they no longer have the right to remain in the EU. The levels of assistance available under the programme are now being revised.

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.