2025-03-21
Important changes for people applying for Swedish citizenship
New measures are being introduced to improve security in Swedish citizenship cases. The new measures also affect people who have already applied and are waiting for a decision.
You want to apply Automatic citizenship for children
In some cases, children can automatically become Swedish citizens by birth, adoption, the marriage of their parents, or if a parent becomes a Swedish citizen.
For a child to automatically become a Swedish citizen, one or both of their parents must be, or become, a Swedish citizen. A child’s ability to automatically acquire Swedish citizenship also depends on several circumstances. Select the option that best describes your family’s situation.
Swedish citizenship for children born after 1 April 2015
A child born after 1 April 2015 always acquires Swedish citizenship if any of the following applies to you:
- Either of their parents is a Swedish citizen at the time of the child’s birth.
- A deceased parent of the child was a Swedish citizen at the time of their death.
This applies regardless of the country in which the child is born.
If your child is born outside Sweden
If your child is born outside of Sweden, you should contact the Swedish Tax Agency to get them listed in the Swedish Population Register and submit a name registration on their behalf.
Read more about how to file a name registration on the Swedish Tax Agency’s website
External link.
You can contact the Swedish Police to apply for a passport for your child during a visit to Sweden.
If you want to apply for a Swedish passport for the child from abroad, contact your nearest Swedish embassy or consulate-general.
Swedish citizenship for children born before 1 April 2015
Before 1 April 2015, but after 1 July 2001, there were different rules than those that apply today.
Children with a Swedish mother
A child with a Swedish mother always became a Swedish citizen. It did not matter if the child was born in Sweden or abroad.
Children with a Swedish father and a non-Swedish mother
A child of a Swedish father and a non-Swedish mother always became a Swedish citizen if the child was born in Sweden. If their father was married to their mother, the child acquired Swedish citizenship at birth, regardless of where in the world the child was born.
Children of a non-Swedish mother who was the spouse, registered partner, or cohabitating partner of a Swedish woman
A child of a non-Swedish mother who was the spouse, registered partner, or cohabitating partner of a Swedish woman also became a Swedish citizen if the child was born in Sweden and an insemination had taken place with the Swedish woman’s consent according to the provisions of the Children and Parents Code.
Swedish citizenship through the parents’ marriage
When a non-Swedish woman had children with a Swedish man and the child was born abroad, the parents had to be married to each other in order for the child to receive the father’s Swedish citizenship.
If the parents were unwed at the time of the child’s birth but later married, the child then became a Swedish citizen (provided that the child was under the age of 18 and themselves unwed at the time of their parents’ marriage). The process by which such a child became a Swedish citizen is known as “legitimation”. It is the Swedish Tax Agency that registers the child as a Swedish citizen. The child was then considered to have acquired Swedish citizenship on the date their parents married.
Children with a Swedish father who were born abroad
Prior to 1 April 2015, children with a Swedish father who were born abroad did not automatically receive Swedish citizenship. In order for the child to be granted Swedish citizenship, the father needs to file a notification.
Children who were born abroad before 1 April 2015 with a Swedish father