You apply
If you want to live with your family member in 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 show your passport, if applicable. In some cases, you may also be called for an interview at the embassy.
The Swedish Migration Agency reviews your application
The Swedish Migration Agency will review 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.
Present a passport and provide fingerprints
Before we can make a decision about a residence permit, you need to present your passport. You must also be fingerprinted and photographed. This information will later be used to produce a residence permit card for you, if you are granted a permit for a period of more than three months.
Digital passport check
In some cases, the Swedish Migration Agency will notify you that you must present your passport for a digital passport check via an app instead of visting the embassy. If you are granted a residence permit, you will be fingerprinted and photographed at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s service centres once you have arrived in Sweden.
If you present your passport digitally, but have also been called in for an interview, you need to book an appointment to visit an embassy or consulate-general. During this visit, you may also need to provide fingerprints and have your picture taken.
Read more about digital passport check
Present your passport and get fingerprinted at the embassy
If you are not offered a digital passport check, we will ask you to book an appointment to present your passport at the embassy or consulate-general you selected in your application.
If you need an entry visa to travel to Sweden, you may also be fingerprinted and photographed during the same visit.
You are waiting for a decision – You have applied for the first time
The Swedish Migration Agency processes the application
Once you have presented your passport, the Swedish Migration Agency will review all the information related to your application and determine whether you can be granted a work permit. We will contact you if we need more information.
You receive our decision
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.
When you receive the decision, you can find out the reasons on which we based our decision. If you are granted a residence and work 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.