You want to apply Residence status as a British citizen

You are a British citizen and live in Sweden. You want to apply for residence status.

  • Important to know
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If you live in Sweden and lived here before the United Kingdom left the EU, you should have applied for residence status as a British citizen by the deadline for doing so, 31 December 2021. If you did not live in Sweden before 31 December 2020, you cannot be granted residence status as a British citizen.

Normally, it is therefore too late to apply for residence status as a British citizen, but in exceptional cases you can still apply for residence status, despite the fact that the application deadline has passed. In that case, you must submit a written explanation of why you have been prevented from applying on time together with your application. It is then the Swedish Migration Agency that assesses whether your explanation provides reasonable reasons for why you have applied too late. Not knowing the deadline for filing an application is not a reasonable (valid) reason.

If you already have residence status and want to renew your residence status card, you will find information on the page You have a permit in Sweden.

These requirements must be met in order for you to be granted residence status:

You must have stayed in Sweden in accordance with Union law before the end of the transition period
The transition period ended on 31 December 2020.

You must provide reasonable reasons for a delayed application

You must be a British citizen

You have been living in Sweden since the end of the transition period and have continued to meet the conditions for right of residence
You must meet the conditions for right of residence, i.e. as an employee, self-employed person, student, person with sufficient funds to support themselves, or as a family member of a person who meets these conditions. You must have consistently met the conditions ever since December 2020.

Plan to present your passport of national ID card
You may need to present your passport or national ID card before you receive a decision about your application. In some cases, the processing of your application may be faster if you submit a copy of your passport. In that case, you may be asked to present your passport through a digital passport check via an app. We will contact you with information about how and when you must present your passport or national ID card.

You must attach copies of these documents to your application

Make sure that the information on your submitted documents is clearly visible.

Correctly made copies of your passport or national ID card

Read more about what the passport copies must show

Document showing that you met the requirements for residence status in Sweden on 31 December 2020

You must submit documents showing that you met the requirements for residence status in Sweden on 31 December 2020 and that you have continued to do so until today. The documents you must submit depend on what occupation or other means of financial maintenance you have had. If you had a different occupation in December 2020 than today, you need to submit various documents showing each occupation.

If you are an employee, you must submit

  • proof of employment, with information about your employer’s name, contact details, and company registration number, your wages/salary, the duration and scope of your employment (the latter calculated in hours per week), and when the employment commenced. If the proof of employment is more than 3 months old, you need to attach your most recent payslip
  • payslips for the past three months, showing the number of hours worked and whether you are a part-time or on demand employee.

If you are self-employed, you must submit

  • documents that show that you are self-employed, such as the F-tax certificate and accounting certificate, the latest VAT report to the Swedish Tax Agency or excerpts from the tax account, or evidence that you run the business, such as invoices to customers, receipts or a rental contract.

If you are about to start up your business in Sweden but are not yet operational, you can submit

  • documents showing what planning is in place for the company and what preparations have been made
  • contract, customer contact details or rental contract
  • copies of transfer agreement and the latest annual report.

If you are a student, you must submit

  • your certificate of admission to a course or programme at least at upper secondary level
  • European Health Insurance Card. If you do not have such a card, you will need to submit a copy of your insurance certificate showing that you have had comprehensive health insurance throughout your stay in Sweden. It should be clear what the insurance covers.

If you are retired or have sufficient funds to support yourself, you must submit

  • a certificate showing that you are covered by the social security system in another EU country (unless you are listed in the Swedish Population Register). The certificate must be issued by the national authorities there. If you are unable to obtain such a certificate, you will need to provide a copy of your insurance certificate showing that you have had comprehensive health insurance throughout your stay in Sweden. It must be stated what the insurance covers
  • information about your accommodation and what housing costs you have in Sweden, for example a rental contract stating the rental cost or proof of purchase of a tenant-owner’s flat or property. If you own your home, you need to report the monthly costs associated with the property.

If you are supporting yourself financially based on wages/salary or other compensation from abroad, you must submit

  • your retirement notice, if you are retired
  • a copy of your current employment contract and payslips from your employer for the past three months, if you are employed
  • receipts for the costs you have incurred for commuting abroad. Attach a copy of your monthly/commuter card or similar proof of purchase
  • certificates regarding any allowances, grants, or other income from abroad.

If you plan to support yourself on your own assets, you need to submit

  • a bank statement showing how much money you have
  • information about any other disposable income.

If someone else has been responsible for your financial maintenance in Sweden, you need to submit

  • a copy of the ID card of the person who has been supporting you financially
  • a letter in which the person who is supporting you certifies that they have been responsible for your financial maintenance, and which also states your relationship
  • documents proving that they have supported you financially, such as bank statements.

A representative can apply for you if you give them power of attorney. In that case, the person who applies for you must attach a copy of the power of attorney to your application.

Power of attorney (107011) pdf, 535.3 kB.

Read more about power of attorney

For British citizens and their family members, it costs nothing to apply for residence status.

News

2026-09-24

New look – same agency

The Swedish Migration Agency has a new logo. On 24 September, the new logo will replace the old logo on the Agency’s website. The new logo will be rolled out gradually across all digital services and communications.

2026-04-13

Easier to renew your permanent residence permit card

It will now be easier to renew your permanent residence permit card. You will automatically receive information and a request to book an appointment via My page well in advance of your current card expiring.

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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.