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You want to apply Adopted children

You want to apply for a residence permit for a child you have adopted or plan to adopt.

Citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA and EU citizens without the right of residence in most cases need a residence permit to live with someone in Sweden.

A child who lives in a country outside the EU and who has been or is going to be adopted may need a residence permit to move to Sweden. In some cases, the child will become a Swedish citizen through the adoption.

Swedish citizenship through adoption

A child can become a Swedish citizen through their adoption. In that case, they do not need a residence permit.

A child under age 12 who has been adopted by a Swedish citizen automatically gains Swedish citizenship upon their adoption, if

  • the child is adopted through a decision made in Sweden or another Nordic country
  • the child is adopted through a foreign adoption decision that is approved in Sweden by the Family Law and Parental Support Authority (MFoF)
  • the adoption is valid in Sweden on the basis of law.

A child who was 12 or older at the time of their adoption can become a Swedish citizen by application.

If a child does not become a Swedish citizen at the time of their adoption, they need a residence permit to move to Sweden.

These requirements must be met in order for your child to be granted a residence permit:

Requirements for adopting parents and their child

  • You must have a residence permit in Sweden or be a citizen of Sweden or another Nordic country

  • The child must have a valid passport
    Your child must have a valid passport to be granted a residence permit, but you can start the application for their residence permit while you are still waiting for them to receive their passport.

Requirements for the adoption

  • The adoption must be valid in Sweden
    The adoption must be valid in Sweden, per the laws that regulate adoption.

Translate documents
All submitted documents should be in Swedish or English. If you have translated your documents, the translation should be certified. You must also include a copy of the document in its original language.

Make sure that the information on the documents you include is clearly visible.

For an adoption mediated by an authorised Swedish adoption organisation, you must include

  • Correctly made copies of the child's passport
    Read more about what the passport copies must show

  • Certificate from an authorised adoption agency

  • The Social Welfare Board’s approval of the adoption

  • The investigation that forms the basis for the Social Welfare Board’s approval

  • Document showing that the adoption case is being handled, or that a decision has been made, in accordance with the Hague Convention
    This document must state that the child may reside or settle in Sweden (if the adoption is mediated in accordance with the Hague Convention).

  • Approval of the adoption process
    Approval from the Family Law and Parental Support Authority (MFoF), (if the application concerns an individual adoption mediated in accordance with the Hague Convention).

  • Possibly a separate paper documenting the child’s views on the adoption

For an adoption that is not mediated by an authorised Swedish adoption organisation, you must include

  • Adoption decision in original form, accompanied by a Swedish or English translation

  • The Social Welfare Board’s approval of the adoption

  • The investigation that forms the basis for the Social Welfare Board’s approval

  • Approval of the adoption process from the Family Law and Parental Support Authority (MFoF)

  • Adoption legislation in force in the country where the adoption was decided
    Accompanied by a Swedish or English translation.

  • Document(s) proving dual citizenship
    If the adoptive parents have dual citizenship.

  • Document(s) showing that the competent authority in the child’s country of origin has made a decision about their custody

  • Power of attorney from the child’s legal guardian(s)
    Power of attorney giving the child’s adoptive parents the right to represent them in their application for a residence permit (if the adoptive parents do not have custody of the child).

  • Consent to the adoption of the child
    Signed by the child’s biological parents or other legal guardians.

  • Consent for the child to settle in Sweden
    Signed by the child’s biological parents or other legal guardians.

  • Possibly a separate paper documenting the child’s views on the adoption

Foreign adoptions can take place in different ways. The method used depends, among other things, on the child’s country of origin.

Regardless of the way in which the adoption is carried out, the adopting parent(s) must first get their Social Welfare Board’s approval of the adoption. Without such an approval, a child living abroad may not be adopted by anyone in Sweden. If you bring a child to Sweden without such an approval, you can be fined.

The rules about how an adoption should take place exist to ensure that the best interests of the child are considered. If you do not follow the correct process when carrying out an adoption, there is a risk that it will not be valid in Sweden and that your adopted child will be unable to come here.

Read more about adoptions and the adoption process on the website of the Family Law and Parental Support Authority (Myndigheten för familjerätt och föräldraskapsstöd, MFoF) External link.

Adoption via an authorised adoption organisation

Once the Social Welfare Board has granted approval, the child will usually be adopted with the help of an authorised adoption organisation. The adoption organisation cooperates with the authorities and organisations in the child’s country of origin, mediates the application process, and provides the assistance necessary for the adoption to be carried out.

Individual adoption

In exceptional cases, you can adopt without the negotiation of an adoption organisation. This process is known as individual adoption, and special grounds are required in order for it to be allowed. It is the Family Law and Parental Support Authority (MFoF) that decides whether you can carry out an adoption without the help of an adoption organisation. In doing so, they examine whether there are special grounds to allow this and whether the adoption can still be carried out safely.

MFoF makes such an assessment only after the Social Welfare Board has approved the adoption.

Custody transfer (e.g., kafalah or korshasho)

In some countries, adoption does not exist. Instead, decisions are made regarding the transfer of custody (e.g., kafalah or korshasho). A custody transfer is not an adoption. Foreign custody decisions do not apply in Sweden unless they are supported by law. Such support is provided in the 2005 Brussels II Regulation and in the Act on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Custody Decisions, etc. and on the Transfer of Children (1989:14).

Your child can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of two years, but never for longer than their passport is valid. Their residence permit can be extended.

Adults: SEK 2,000
Children under 18 years of age: SEK 1,000

You will not receive a refund if your application is rejected.

The following people pay no fee to apply:

  • family members of EU/EEA citizens. In this context, Swedes do not count as EU citizens
  • EU/EEA citizens who are applying for a residence permit
  • Swiss citizens and their family members
  • Japanese citizens
  • husbands, wives, cohabiting partners, registered partners and unmarried children under the age of 18 who are applying for a residence permit to live with a family member who has been granted a residence permit in Sweden due to their need for protection or exceptionally distressing circumstances.

It is not possible to say exactly how long you will need to wait for a decision. There are many things that affect the waiting time, for example whether your 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 your case.

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

75% of recently decided cases have been decided within:10 months

News

2025-07-23

Extended passports become invalid on 1 October

As of 1 October 2025, Swedish authorities will no longer accept passports that have had their period of validity extended by inserting a stamp or sticker into the passport. If you have such a national passport, you should apply for a new one.

2024-12-16

Now you can see your complete decision on My Page

If you are waiting for a decision from the Swedish Migration Agency, you can now see the complete decision on My page. Previously, you have only been able to see if the decision is positive or negative, and the justification has only been sent home to you in paper format.

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.

 

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