You want to apply Children born in Sweden

You want to apply for a residence permit for a child born in Sweden.

  • Important to know
  • How it works
  • Apply

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.

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

Your child must have a valid passport
Your child needs to have a national passport, alien’s passport, or travel document. You can submit an application for a residence permit for your child before their passport is ready.

If your child does not have a passport, you should apply for one as soon as possible. Contact the embassy of your country of origin for more information about passports.

If your child cannot get a national passport from your country of origin, you can apply to the Swedish Migration Agency for an alien's passport.

You want to apply – Alien's passports

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.

You must attach copies of the following documents to your child’s application

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

Correctly made copies of your child’s passport

If your child does not have a passport when you apply, then in order for them to be granted a residence permit, you must complete their application by submitting copies of their passport at a later date.

Read more about what the passport copies must show

Sole custody decision
If you are the parent who has sole custody of the child, you must attach proof of this decision. If the other parent is deceased, you must submit a death certificate.

Consent for the child to settle in Sweden
If the child has two parents/legal guardians but only one of them lives in Sweden, you must attach a statement of consent from the other parent/legal guardian to the application. You must also attach a copy of the other legal guardian’s passport or other identity document.

Consent for a child to settle in Sweden (217011) pdf, 1.1 MB.

It depends on the citizenship or permit(s) of their parents. Select the option that best describes your family’s situation.

A child always receives Swedish citizenship if

  • one of their parents is a Swedish citizen at the time of the child’s birth, regardless of whether the child is born in Sweden or abroad
  • a deceased parent of the child was a Swedish citizen at the time of their death.

If the child’s parents are citizens of a non-EU/EEA country, you can apply for a residence permit for your child.

If one of you has a residence permit in Sweden and the other has applied for asylum, you can apply for a residence permit for your child. If the child is in need of protection, you can apply for asylum for your child.

You want to apply – Applying for asylum

If one of the child’s parents is an EU/EEA citizen and has a right of residence in Sweden, and your child is also an EU/EEA citizen, then they automatically have a right of residence. In that case, you do not need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency. For information about your child’s population registration, contact the Swedish Tax Agency External link..

If the parents are EU/EEA citizens and have a residence permit in Sweden, you must apply for a residence permit for your child.

If at least one parent is a British citizen and has residence status in Sweden, your child can also receive this status.

You want to apply – Family member of a British citizen who has residence status

If you are a parent with a residence permit to study in Sweden, you should apply for a residence permit for your child via the e-service for family members of students.

You want to apply – Family who want to apply afterwards – study

If a parent in Sweden has a residence permit to work here, they should apply for a residence permit for their child via the e-service for family members of employees.

You want to apply – Family of an employee or self-employed person who apply afterwards

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:12 months

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.

2026-09-10

New rules for immigration due to family ties from 1 October

From 1 October 2026, new rules for immigration due to family ties will apply. This will affect you if you are a reference person in Sweden or if you are applying for, or want to extend, a residence permit to live with a family member in Sweden.

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.