You want to apply Swiss citizens

You are a Swiss citizen and want to apply for a residence permit to live in Sweden for more than three months. Your family can apply at the same time.

  • Important to know
  • Apply

If you are a citizen of Switzerland, you can move to Sweden to work, study, start your own business, or live on your own funds. If you plan to stay longer than three months, you will need a residence permit.

As a citizen of Switzerland, you have the right to start working or studying as soon as you arrive in Sweden. You do not need to wait for a decision regarding your residence permit application. 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.

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

You must have a valid passport or national ID card

You must be able to support yourself financially
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 or national ID card
Before you can receive a decision, you may need to present your passport or national ID 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.

In some cases, you will not be required to present your passport. For example, if we have already checked your passport at a previous visit, we do not need to do so again. If your family is applying with you, each family member must also present their 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 or national ID card

You cannot get a permit for longer than your passport is valid.
Read more about what the passport copies must show

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

If you are going to work in Sweden, you must attach a certificate of employment from your employer.

If you are going to run your own business in Sweden, you must attach

  • your F-tax certificate and certificate of registration from the Swedish Companies Registration Office
  • the most recent VAT report
  • 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 report.

If you are going to study 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 have 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 have sufficient funds to support yourself in Sweden, you must attach

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

If someone else is responsible for your financial maintenance (a guarantor), you must provide a certificate certifying that they will be responsible for supporting you financially, details of the guarantor’s income and/or assets, and a copy of the guarantor’s valid identification document.

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

Documents to attach if your family is applying with you

Correctly made copies of each family member’s passport

Read more about what the passport copies must show

Documents showing your relationship

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.

Correctly made copies of the child’s passport
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Documents showing your maintenance obligation
If you have a maintenance obligation to any family member: a document from the competent national authority of the country in which you have lived together, certifying that you or your partner have a maintenance obligation to your family member.

Documents certifying that the family member is part of the household
If other family members are part of the household: Documents from the competent national authority of the country in which you have lived together, certifying that the family member is part of the same household as you.

If any of your family members also want to apply for a residence permit, they can do so at the same time as you. Your occupation plays a role in determining who is considered your family:

The following are considered family members:

  • your partner (spouse, cohabiting partner, or registered partner)
  • Your or your partner’s unmarried children under the age of 21
  • your or your partner’s children over the age of 21 to whom you or your partner have a maintenance obligation
  • your or your partner’s ascendants (older relatives, such as parents) to whom you or your partner have a maintenance obligation.

The following are considered family members:

  • your partner (spouse, cohabiting partner, or registered partner)
  • your or your partner's children to whom you or your partner have a maintenance obligation.

Other family members not mentioned above may also be granted a residence permit for the same period as you, if any of the following apply to you:

  • you have a maintenance obligation to them
  • you are part of the same household.

Your family members can start working or studying as soon as they arrive in Sweden. They do not need to wait for a decision regarding their residence permit application.

Your family may need an entry visa before travelling to Sweden

Citizens from Switzerland do not need an entry visa to travel to Sweden, but if any of your family members need one, they must apply before entering the country.

Countries whose citizens need an entry visa for travel to Sweden External link.

Read more about entry visas on the page You want to apply – Visiting Sweden for up to 90 days (entry visa)

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.

For Swiss citizens and their family members, it costs nothing to apply for a residence permit.

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:4 months

News

2025-12-03

The Migration Agency’s drop-in service closes on 1 January

On 1 January, the Swedish Migration Agency’s service centre will close for drop-in visits. If you have any questions about your case, please contact the Swedish Migration Agency by telephone or via My page. For guidance and assistance with your application, or with using the Swedish Migration Agency’s digital services, please visit the National Government Service Centre.

2025-07-23

Extended passports become invalid on 1 October

As of 1 October 2025, Swedish authorities will no longer accept passports that have had their period of validity extended by inserting a stamp or sticker into the passport. If you have such a national passport, you should apply for a new one.

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.