Important to know
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.
Requirements to get a residence permit
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:
- permanent residence permit
- temporary residence permit due to a need for protection or exceptionally distressing circumstances, with a well-founded prospect of being granted a residence permit for a longer period.
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.
Prepare this before you apply
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:
- Select
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia- and Hercegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cap Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo-Brazzaville
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel/Palestine
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxemburg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Sao Tomé and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solmon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Türkiye
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City State
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
You must attach copies of these documents to the application
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
Documents showing that the person in Sweden meets the maintenance requirement
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
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:
- monthly rent
- number of rooms
- tenant’s name
- landlord’s name
- rental period
- signature of the landlord.
If the person in Sweden sublets their home
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
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
Employees
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:
- name of the employee
- type of employment (e.g., permanent, fixed-term, temporary position)
- percentage of full-time employment
- wages/salary
- employer
- signature of an authorised representative of the employer.
They also need to submit a copy of their latest payslip. It must include:
- name of the person receiving the wages/salary (the employee)
- name of the person paying the wages/salary (the employer)
- net wages/salary
- any supplement or deduction to the employee’s wages/salary (e.g., for leave or illness).
Fixed-term employment
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.
Compensation from an unemployment insurance fund (a-kassa)
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.
Compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency
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.
Pension
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.
Self-employed people
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:
- copy of their final tax notice for the previous income year
- copy of their income tax return for the previous income year, together with a copy of the corresponding NE or N3A appendix
- copy of their preliminary tax decision for the current year from the Swedish Tax Agency, or an account statement from their tax account covering at least three months and which clearly shows how much preliminary tax they have paid.
Partners in limited companies
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:
- salary agreement and payslips for the last month (1 month)
- account statement from the limited company’s tax account covering at least three months, to show paid employer’s contributions and preliminary tax paid to the Swedish Tax Agency
- if they ran the business the previous year, they can submit a final tax statement or tax return documentation for the past year
- a copy of their income tax return for the previous year, and a K10 form from the Swedish Tax Agency if they have received share dividends
- extract from the Swedish Tax Agency showing the control data submitted for the person for the last three months.
For how long can the child be granted a residence permit?
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.
What does it cost to apply?
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.
How long must I wait for a decision?
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.
If the child or a parent is a citizen of the EU/EEA
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’s parent is an EU/EEA citizen with right of residence
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 without right of residence
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.