Important to know

If you have long-term resident status in another EU country, you can move to Sweden to work, start your own business, study or live on your own funds, such as a pension from your country of origin. If you plan to stay longer than three months, you will need a residence permit.

You have the right to start working or studying as soon as you have arrived in Sweden and do not need to wait to receive a decision about your residence permit. If you are going to study, you can work alongside your studies.

If you are going to work as an employee

If you are to work as an employee, you must apply for a coordination number with the Swedish Tax Agency, so that your employer can pay tax and employer contributions for you.

Read more about coordination numbers on the website of the Swedish Tax Agency External link.

If you are going to start your own business

If you are going to start your own business, you must submit an application for an F-tax certificate to the Swedish Tax Agency. You may also need to register your company with the Swedish Companies Registration Office before you start running your business.

Learn more about starting a business:
The Swedish Companies Registration Office External link.
Verksamt.se External link.

If your family wants to move to Sweden to live with you

If your family also wants to live with you in Sweden, they can apply for a residence permit to do so.

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

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

You must have a valid passport

You must have long-term resident status in the EU country in which you previously lived
You must have the special residence permit known as an EC/EU residence permit for long-term residents. Read about the EC/EU residence permit card

You must be able to account for your occupation in Sweden
You must work, run your own business, study, or have sufficient funds to support yourself.

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 EC/EU residence permit card
Before you can recieve a decision, you may need to present your passport and EC/EU residence permit card. You must do this at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general if you are outside Sweden, or at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s Service Centres if you are already in the country. The Swedish Migration Agency will contact you with information about how and when to do this.

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

A colour copy of a valid residence permit card
A colour copy of your valid residence permit card showing that you have an EC/EU residence permit for long-term residents in another EU country.

Documents showing that you can support yourself financially
You need to send documents showing how you can support yourself financially. The documents you must send depend on your occupation.

If you work in Sweden, you must attach

If you run your own business in Sweden, you must attach

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

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

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

If you are studying in Sweden, you must attach

  • your 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 you have started your studies, you must submit a registration certificate or equivalent document proving that you have started them
  • a certificate showing that you are covered by the social security system of your country of origin. The certificate must be issued by the authorities in your country of origin and must state that you are covered by the social security system of another EU country. If you cannot obtain such a certificate, you must take out comprehensive private health insurance that is valid during the time you are in Sweden
  • an assurance that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your period of study.

If you are retired or have sufficient funds to support yourself financially in Sweden, you must attach

  • documents showing how you support yourself, such as pension statements or bank statements
  • documents showing your accommodation cost.

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

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

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, 1.1 MB.

Read more about power of attorney

It is your responsibility to prove that you have long-term resident status. Therefore, if your EC/EU residence permit card has expired, you need to renew it.

The Swedish Migration Agency does not issue any certification that a person has the right to work while they wait for a decision regarding a residence permit application.

When you have long-term resident status in another EU country, you can start working as soon as you arrive Sweden and do not have to wait for a decision about your residence permit.

Your employer is responsible for finding out what laws and rules apply before employing a foreign citizen who wants to work in Sweden.

You can refer your employer to the page You want to employ – Long-term residents in another EU country

If you are employed, self-employed, or are living here with other sufficient means of supporting yourself, you can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of five years.

If you are a student, you will be granted a permit for the duration of your studies, but for a maximum of one year at a time.

Your residence permit can be extended.

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.

75% of applications receive a decision within:17 months

Adults: SEK 1,500
Children: SEK 750

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

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.