You want to apply for a residence permit for a child who wants to move to Sweden to live with a relative who is not their parent.
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.
It is very difficult for a child to get a residence permit to move to Sweden to live with any other relative than a parent. Among other things, the child and their relative in Sweden must be socially and emotionally dependent on each other. They must also have lived together before.
These requirements must be met in order for a child to be granted a residence permit:
The application must be made by an adult
The application must be made by an adult who has the legal right to represent the child in the child’s country of origin.
The child must be under 18 years of age and unmarried
The relative in Sweden
The child’s relative in Sweden must have one of the following:
The child and their relative in Sweden must have lived together before
The child and their relative must have lived together in their country of origin immediately before the relative moved to Sweden.
The child and the relative must be dependent on each other
The child and the relative must be socially and emotionally dependent on each other in a way that makes it very difficult for them to live apart. This interdependence must have already existed in their country of origin and go beyond the usual dependence that typically exists in a family. The child cannot be granted a residence permit if they are solely dependent on the person in Sweden for their financial support.
The child and their relative must intend to live together in Sweden
The application must be submitted as soon as possible after the relative has been granted a residence permit
The application must be submitted as soon as possible after the child’s relative has been granted their residence permit in Sweden. As a rule, the child cannot be granted a residence permit if the application is made too late, or if the child and their relative developed a social and emotional dependence on each other after the relative moved to Sweden.
Maintenance requirement for the relative
The child’s relative in Sweden must be able to support both themselves and the child and have a home of sufficient size and standard for both of them to live there. Some people may be exempt from the maintenance requirement.
Select an embassy for your interview
In your application, you must indicate which Swedish embassy or consulate-general you want to visit for the child’s interview.
Not all Swedish embassies and consulates-general handle migration cases, so it is important to check which one you should contact:
Make sure that the information on your submitted documents is clearly visible.
Correctly made copies of the child’s passport
Read more about what the passport copies must show
Document(s) showing that you have the legal right to represent the child in their country of origin
Certificate(s) showing that the child and the relative in Sweden are dependent on each other and find it difficult to live apart
Document(s) showing how the child and the person in Sweden are related to each other
Document(s) showing that the child lived with their relative immediately before the relative moved to Sweden
After you have submitted your application, the person in Sweden will be asked to complete a questionnaire with questions about their life situation. When they do so, they must also attach documents showing that they meet the maintenance requirement.
Documents showing that the person in Sweden has a home
If the person in Sweden rents their home, they must send in a copy of their rental contract, and must also attach a rent notice for the last month’s rent.
The contract must include:
If the person in Sweden sublets their home, it is important to also submit documents showing that the landlord, tenant-owner association, or rent tribunal has approved the rental. When a person in Sweden sublets a rental apartment, it is the property owner who is the landlord, not the holder of the first-hand contract. A contract or agreement must be signed.
If the person in Sweden owns their home, they must submit a copy of the purchase contract or another transfer document stating that they own the home. If the number of rooms is not stated in the document, you can attach a floor plan, housing specification, or similar document.
The person in Sweden must also submit documents showing what housing costs they have. Regardless of whether their home is a condominium, house, or detached house, they must submit documents showing their interest expenses.
If the person in Sweden lives in a tenant-owned apartment, they must submit copies of documents showing their monthly fees and other possible operating costs that are not included in the monthly fee, such as heating, electricity, and water bills.
If the person in Sweden lives in a house or detached house, they must submit documents showing its operating costs. For example, these may include fees for heating, water, garbage collection, sewerage, community fees, property fees, or other costs tied to the home.
Documents showing that the person in Sweden has an income
If the person in Sweden works, they need to submit a copy of their employment contract or another document that proves their employment. This document must include:
They also need to submit a copy of their latest payslip. It must include:
If the person in Sweden’s employment lasts longer than a year, they need to send in a copy of their employment contract and latest payslip. If their employment is hourly or on-demand, they must send in a copy of their employment contract and three most recent payslips.
If the person in Sweden’s current employment will be terminated within the year and they have previously had fixed-term jobs, they also need to submit their previous employment contracts for the past year.
The person in Sweden can also submit documents showing that they are a member of an unemployment insurance fund (a-kassa) and that they will receive compensation from the fund if they become unemployed.
The person in Sweden needs to submit a copy of the decision from the unemployment insurance fund and a statement detailing their payments from the fund. The documents should specify how much compensation they receive and the period for which they are entitled to compensation.
The person in Sweden needs to send in a copy of the decision from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency stating the type and amount of compensation they can receive. The documents should state the period during which they are entitled to compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
The person in Sweden needs to submit a copy of the decision showing the type of pension they have and how much pension they receive (annually or monthly). For example, they can do this by providing a copy of a decision from the Swedish Pensions Agency.
If the person in Sweden has a sole proprietorship or is a partner in a trading or limited partnership, their income consists of their share of the surplus from their own company, after deductions for personal contributions. This usually means the surplus from business activity that they declare in their income tax return. They can show their income by submitting a:
If the person in Sweden is a partner in a limited company, they can show that they receive salary or other remuneration from their limited company by submitting the following documents:
The 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:
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.
Other rules apply if the child or the child’s parent is a citizen of the EU/EEA or the Nordic countries.
If the child has a parent who is an EU/EEA citizen and who meets the requirements for right of residence in Sweden, the child automatically has right of residence and does not need to apply for a residence permit.
You want to apply – Family of EU/EEA citizens
If the child is an EU/EEA citizen but does not have a parent who has right of residence, the child does not normally have right of residence, either. In that case, you can apply for an extension of the child’s residence permit. The requirements for being granted a residence permit are listed further up on this page, and information on how to apply can be found under the Apply tab.
If the child is an EU/EEA citizen, you can apply for a residence permit while the child is in Sweden.
If you want to move to Sweden, fill in the application and attach the necessary documents. In your application, you indicate which Swedish embassy or consulate-general you wish to visit for your interview.
If the application concerns a child, it must be made by a parent or other adult who has the legal right to represent the child in the child’s country of origin.
When the application is submitted, the person who lives in Sweden will receive an email or a letter, depending on how the application was received. The email/letter contains a link to a questionnaire. The form includes questions about income, housing, and your relationship, and must be answered within 14 days.
If the person in Sweden is a child under the age of 18, they will be asked to answer questions together with the person representing the child. The questions usually arrive by letter and must be answered within 14 days.
Now follows a period of waiting until the Swedish Migration Agency takes a closer look at your application.
The Swedish Migration Agency will review your application and the information in the questionnaire. If we can immediately see that you do not meet the requirements for a residence permit, we may already make a decision to reject your application.
We will contact you if we need more information.
By logging in to My Page, you can access information about your application and use our services.
Before we can make a decision about your application for a residence permit, you must be interviewed and present your passport. You will receive an email or letter from the Swedish Migration Agency asking you to book an appointment for an interview at the embassy or consulate-general specified in your application.
When you visit the embassy, you must bring your passport and the originals of the documents you sent in with your application. If several family members are applying with you, they must also accompany you to the embassy.
During the interview, you will answer questions about your relationship with the person in Sweden.
If you need an entry visa to travel to Sweden, you may also be fingerprinted and photographed during the same interview appointment. This information will later be used to produce a residence permit card for you. If you are granted a residence permit, you will need the card to enter Sweden.
After you have been interviewed and presented your passport, the Swedish Migration Agency will review all the information related to your application and determine whether you can be granted a residence permit.
We will contact you if we need more information. In some cases, we also contact the person in Sweden for an interview.
If you applied in the e-service, you will receive an email as soon as we have made a decision. The email will tell you whether you have been granted a residence permit or if your application has been rejected. The decision will then be sent by post to your chosen embassy or representative. You may need to book an appointment at the embassy to pick it up.
If you have applied using a paper form, you will not receive an email from us. Instead, the embassy will contact you to inform you of the decision. If you have a representative, the decision will only be sent to your representative.
A copy of the first page of the decision, which states whether you have been granted a residence permit or your application has been rejected, will also be sent to the person in Sweden.
When you receive the decision, you can find out the reasons on which we based our decision. If you are granted a residence permit, you have the right to live and work in Sweden as long as the permit is valid. If your application is rejected and you are currently in Sweden, you must prepare to leave the country.
Before you start your application, you must have assembled the documents you will need to attach.
See which documents you must attach under the Important to know tab
You apply by filling in the form:
Application for residence permit to settle in Sweden (161011)
Pdf, 869.6 kB.
You must submit your application at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you live. Remember to bring the documents you need to attach.
Not all Swedish embassies and consulates-general handle migration cases, so it is important to check which one you should contact:
More information to prepare for your visit, such as information about booking an appointment, can be found on the embassies’ website:
Swedish embassies and consulates-general
External link.
You pay the application fee when you submit your application.
Once you have submitted your application, it will be sent to the Swedish Migration Agency.
If you are applying from within Sweden, you must send your application to:
Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå
If you are applying from Sweden, you pay the fee to bankgiro number 5223-7005. The IBAN for the account is SE6912000000012810106908 and the BIC/SWIFT code is DABASESX (Danske Bank).
In the box for messages to the recipient, you write the name and surname of the person the application fee is for, as well as their personal identity number and/or case number. If you are paying the fees of several people at the same time, write the personal identity number and/or case number for each of them. Also write on the application form when and how you paid the fee.
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:
2025-03-06
Changes for those residing in Cyprus who wish to apply for residence and work permit
From 17 March 2025 the Swedish embassy in Nicosia will no longer handle migration matters. If you are a citizen of Cyprus, you should instead contact the Swedish embassy in Athens, Greece. The same applies for non-Cypriot legal residents of Cyprus.
2025-03-05
The Swedish Migration Agency's new website has now been launched
On 5 March, the Swedish Migration Agency launched a completely new version of migrationsverket.se, with a new structure and a more user-friendly navigation. The purpose of the new website is primarily to make it easier for visitors to find the information they need.
2025-02-07
Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are now part of the Schengen area. Legal residents of these countries shall, from 24 February 2025 turn to one of the five Schengen hubs for migration related matters.
2025-02-07
As from 10 March, 2025, the embassy in Sarajevo will no longer handle migration related matters. Instead, you should turn to the Swedish embassy in Skopje, North Macedonia.
2024-12-20
As of 3 February 2025, residents of Serbia and Montenegro should contact the Embassy of Sweden in Skopje, North Macedonia for applications for residence and work permits.
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.
2024-11-26
Until now citizens of, or persons otherwise legally residing in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, have had their applications for residence- and work permit handled by the Swedish Embassy in Moscow. From December 2 2024 you will instead have your applications handled by the Swedish Consulate General in Istanbul.