Apply for a residence permit for family members of people with long-term resident status in another EU country

You are a family member of someone with long-term resident status in another EU country, and want to live with them in Sweden. If you are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country, you must apply for a residence permit.

The information on this page is aimed at family members of people who have received, or applied for, a residence permit in Sweden as a long-term resident in another EU country. It also applies if you yourself have long-term resident status or a residence permit in another EU country and are applying as a family member of someone in Sweden.

Who is considered a family member?

You are considered family if you are one of the following:

a partner (spouse, cohabiting partner, or registered partner) of the person in Sweden
a child of the person in Sweden or their partner, unmarried, and under the age of 21
a child of the person in Sweden, over 21 years of age, and dependent on your parents for your financial maintenance
a parent of the person in Sweden or their partner and financially dependent on them.

Requirements to be granted a residence permit

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

You must have a valid passport

Your family member in Sweden must have long-term resident status in another EU country
Your family member in Sweden must have long-term resident status in another EU country and have applied for or received a residence permit in Sweden.

Your family member in Sweden must meet the conditions for a residence permit

Prepare this before you apply

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.

Plan to present your passport and be interviewed
Before you can receive a decision, you may need to present your passport and be interviewed. You must do this at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general. The Swedish Migration Agency will contact you with information about how and when to do this.

What country or territory do you live in?

If you yourself have long-term resident status, or a residence permit, in another EU country

In most cases, you do not need to be interviewed. However, you must present your passport in original form. We will contact you with information on how and when to present your passport.

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
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Correctly made copies of your family member’s passport and EC/EU residence permit card

Documents showing your relationship with the family member in Sweden

If you are married: marriage certificate, marriage record, or similar document.

If you are cohabiting partners: documents showing that you have lived together, such as population registration certificates, a joint rental contract, or proof of the joint purchase of a home.

Documents showing that you are related
Birth certificates or other documents showing that you are related. Applies to all children (over and under the age of 21), as well as to parents of adult children.

Documents showing that people over 21 years old are dependent on their parent or child in Sweden for their financial support (maintenance)

Document showing that the family member in Sweden meets the conditions for their residence permit
If it is more than six months since your family member in Sweden received their residence permit, you must attach documents showing that your family member meets the conditions. The documents you must submit depend on their occupation.

If your family member has an ongoing application for a residence permit, you do not need to attach documents showing how your family member meets the conditions as, for example an employee or self-employed person. In such case, these conditions will be examined as part of our processing of their own application.

If the family member works in Sweden

If they work in Sweden, you must attach

certificate of employment from their employer
the three most recent payslips
comprehensive income information from the Swedish Tax Agency.

If the family member runs their own business in Sweden

If they run their own company in Sweden, you must attach

a certificate from the population register showing that they are registered for F-tax, see www.skatteverket.se External link.
certificate of registration from the Swedish Companies Registration Office External link.
the most recent VAT report (if their company is required to report VAT)
the company’s tax account statements for the past three months
proof that they run a business, such as invoices issued to customers, receipts for purchased materials, and a rental contract for the business’s premises.

If the family member has purchased a business in Sweden

If they have purchased a business in Sweden, you must attach

the transfer agreement
the most recent annual accounts or annual report.

If the family member is studying in Sweden

If they are studying in Sweden, you must attach

their certificate of admission to a course or programme at least at upper secondary level. Please note that you cannot be granted a residence permit for enrolment in Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) courses. If the family member has started their studies, you must submit a certificate of registration or equivalent proof that they have started their studies
a certificate showing that they are covered by the social security system of their country of origin. The certificate must be issued by the national authorities in their country of origin and must state that they are covered by the social security system of another EU country. If the family member cannot obtain such a certificate, they must take out comprehensive private health insurance that is valid during the period they are in Sweden
an assurance that they have sufficient funds to support themselves during their period of study.

If the family member is retired or has sufficient funds to support themselves in Sweden

If they are retired or have sufficient funds to support themselves in Sweden, you must attach

documents showing how they support themselves, such as pension statements or bank statements
documents showing their housing costs.

If the family member provides or is a recipient of a service

If they provide or are the recipient of a service, you must attach

a certificate, contract or similar documentation stating the type of service and how long they will offer or receive it. The document must be written and signed by the person receiving or providing the service.

Power of attorney – if someone else will be applying for you

A representative can apply for you, if you grant 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.

For how long can I be granted a residence permit?

You can be granted a permit in Sweden for the same period that your family member in Sweden has a residence permit.

Your residence permit can be extended.

Once you have had a residence permit for five years, you can apply for long-term resident status in Sweden.

Can I work or study with this residence permit?

As a family member of a long-term resident, you can start working or studying as soon as you arrive in Sweden. You do not need to wait until your family member receives a decision regarding their residence permit application.

However, there is an exception to this rule: If you are the parent of the person in Sweden and are financially dependent on them, you cannot start working until you have received a residence permit yourself.

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. The statistics are based on cases decided in the last 12 months.

75% of recently decided cases have been decided within:21 months

What does it cost to apply?

Adults: SEK 1,500
Children: SEK 750

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

Illustration of a young woman making an application on the computer.

You apply

You who 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 to present your passport and, in some cases, be interviewed.

Illustration of a man looking at an application.

The Swedish Migration Agency reviews your application

The Swedish Migration Agency reviews your application. 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 about your application.

Illustration of a young woman visiting the Swedish embassy.

You will be interviewed and present your passport

Before we can make a decision about your application for a residence permit, you will be interviewed and need to present your passport. Your family member in Sweden will receive a letter from the Swedish Migration Agency in which we ask you to book an appointment for an interview at the embassy or consulate-general you specified in your application.

When you visit the embassy, you must bring your passport and the documents the Swedish Migration Agency specifies in the letter. 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 with whom you will be living 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.

If you yourself are a long-term resident, or have a residence permit, in another EU country

In most cases, you do not need to be interviewed. However, you must present your passport in the original. Depending on your location, you may need to visit an embassy or the Swedish Migration Agency in Sweden to do this.

Illustration of a young man making an application on a computer.

The family member in Sweden completes a questionnaire

When you are asked to book an interview at the embassy, the person in Sweden must complete a questionnaire. The form includes questions about your background and your relationship, and must be completed and returned within 14 days.

If you yourself are a long-term resident, or have a residence permit, in another EU country

Your family member does not need to complete a questionnaire.

Illustration of a man who works as a caseworker at the Swedish Migration Agency.

The Swedish Migration Agency processes the application

After you have been interviewed, the Swedish Migration Agency will review all the information related to your application and determine whether you can be granted a residence permit. If we need more information from you or the person with whom you will be living, we will contact you. In some cases, we also contact the person in Sweden for an interview.

Waiting time while we process your application

Now you must wait.

You receive our decision

Once the Swedish Migration Agency has made a decision, it will be sent to the embassy. In certain cases, you need to book an appointment at the embassy to pick it up. If a representative applied for you, the decision will be sent to them. If you are in Sweden, the decision will be sent to your address.

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. If you have granted the person power of attorney, the entire decision will be sent to them.

When you receive the decision, you can find out the reasons on which we based it. 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.

You have received a decision – Long-term residents in another EU country

Have you assembled all documents?

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

Fill in the application

Fill in the form:

Application for a residence permit for you who have a long-term resident status in another EU state and for you who are a family member (137011) pdf, 745.4 kB.

Each family member must complete their own application form. This also applies to children.

Submit the application

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 to your application.

Not all Swedish embassies and consulates-general handle migration cases. In some locations, you can submit your application at the embassy or consulate-general, but the interview is not conducted by staff there; instead, it takes place via video link. In such cases, a different embassy is responsible for your application and can answer your questions. Here, you can find out where to turn:

What country or territory do you live in?

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 send in the application from Sweden

If you are applying from within Sweden, you must send your application to:

Migrationsverket
Box 1430
171 27 Solna

Pay the application fee

Once we have received your application, we will contact you via email or letter with information on how to make the payment and how much you must pay.

What does it cost to apply?

Adults: SEK 1,500
Children: SEK 750

The following people pay no fee to apply:

family members of Nordic citizens
EU/EEA citizens and their family members
Swiss citizens and their family members
Japanese citizens

Family members of Swedish citizens must pay an application fee.

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.

2026-09-15

New rules for family members of long-term residents in another EU country

From 1 October 2026, new rules will apply to family members of people who have long-term resident status in another EU country.

2026-07-12

No permanent residence permits for former asylum seekers from 12 July

From the 12 July, people who have a permit in Sweden on the grounds of protection cannot be granted a permanent residence permit (PUT).

2026-07-12

Exemptions from the requirement for a permanent residence permit to obtain Swedish citizenship

From 12 July, as a general rule, permanent residence permits will no longer be granted. Consequently, some people with temporary residence permits may apply for Swedish citizenship without having a permanent residence permit.

2026-06-25

Long-term residents are granted a five-year residence permit

Following legislative changes on 12 July, those who are granted long-term resident status in Sweden will no longer be issued with a permanent residence permit. Instead, you will be issued with a five-year residence permit.

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.

You want to apply Family of long-term residents in another EU countryYou want to apply Family of long-term residents in another EU country

Who is considered a family member?

You must attach copies of these documents to your application

News

You want to apply Family of long-term residents in another EU country