Important to know

It is the child’s parent/legal guardian who must file the notification of citizenship for the child. If the child has more than one parent/legal guardian, all their parents/legal guardians must approve the notification.

Children who have reached the age of 12 must consent to become a Swedish citizen by signing the notification.

In some situations, a child automatically receives Swedish citizenship when they are born:

Automatic citizenship for children

Other rules for certain children

For stateless children born in Sweden and for children with a Swedish father who were born abroad before 1 April 2015, special requirements apply.

Citizenship for stateless children born in Sweden

Children who were born abroad before 1 April 2015 with a Swedish father

In order for the child to become a Swedish citizen, they must meet certain requirements. Before filing a notification for the child, the following requirements must be met:

The child must be less than 18 years old

The child must have one of the following:

  • a permanent residence permit
  • residence status
  • right of residence or a residence card
  • citizenship in another Nordic country.

The child must have lived in Sweden for three years
Stateless children need only have lived here for two years.

If the child has reached the age of 15, additional requirements apply

If the child has reached the age of 15, the following requirements also must be met in order for the child to become a Swedish citizen:

As a parent/legal guardian, you must have proven it probable that the child’s identity is correct

The child must not be reasonably suspected or convicted of certain crimes
The child must not be reasonably suspected or convicted of a crime for which the punishment under Swedish law is four or more years in prison. The child also must not be convicted of repeated crimes. The exception to this requirement is if the repeated crimes were of a less serious nature according to Swedish law, or if they were committed a long time ago. This applies regardless of whether the suspected or committed crimes took place in Sweden or another country.

The child must not pose a threat to Sweden’s national security or public safety

The child must not be affiliated with certain groups or organisations
The child must not be associated with groups or organisations that have extensively abused other people.

If your child has lived in Sweden and had right of residence for three years, then as their parent, you must attach documents that show that you meet and have met the conditions for right of residence or a residence card for the past three years. You must therefore submit documents showing that you have worked, been self-employed, had your own funds to support yourself, or studied in Sweden.

If you work or have worked, you must attach

  • a certificate of employment or employer’s certificate with information about the period of employment and terms of employment for the past five years
  • a certificate from the Swedish Public Employment Service verifying that you were registered as a jobseeker, if you have been unemployed for six months or more
  • a certificate from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency verifying that you lacked the ability to work for six months or more due to illness or accident, if applicable.

If you are or have been self-employed, you must attach

  • the registration certificate and F-tax card for the company
  • tax returns or other documentation showing that the company has been active for the past five years.

If you have or have had your own funds, you must attach

  • documents showing that you have had sufficient funds to support yourself and your family for the past five years, such as pension payments, wages/salary from abroad, or money in a bank (if you have your own funds for support, these must also be reported)
  • housing costs for the past five years
  • a certificate attesting that no one in the family has received income support under the Social Services Act in the past five years.

If you are studying or have studied, you must attach

  • transcripts for the periods during which you studied
  • a certificate verifying that you were able to support yourself financially during your time as a student.

Family member of an EU/EEA citizen

If you are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen, you need to be able to show that you have and have had right of residence by virtue of the fact that your close relative has it. You must therefore send in the documents described above, to show that your close relative has worked, studied, been self-employed, or lived off their own funds in Sweden for the past five years.

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.

Applications not requiring investigation

75% of applications receive a decision within:2 months

Applications requiring investigation

75% of applications receive a decision within:8 months

Notification fee for children: SEK 475

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

The following people pay no fee to apply:

  • stateless people who have received a refugee status declaration
  • stateless people who have received travel documents from the Swedish Migration Agency.

If the child to whom the notification relates has their own children who live in Sweden, then under certain conditions, they can automatically become a Swedish citizen. For information on what conditions must be met, see the page Automatic citizenship for children.

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.