Important to know (You want to extend > Adults who want to live with another relative in Sweden)

Important to know

You can apply to extend your residence permit. If you have had a residence permit in Sweden for at least three years, you can also choose to apply for a permanent residence permit at the same time.

However, if you have held a residence permit on the grounds of family ties to a person who has a temporary residence permit on the grounds of international protection, you cannot be granted a permanent residence permit. This also applies if your family ties are to a person who holds a residence permit on the grounds of long-term resident status in Sweden, exceptionally distressing circumstances or impediments to enforcement.

Requirements to get an extended residence permit

You must still live with the relative through whom you were granted a residence permit the first time you applied

You must have a valid passport

Your relative, or you and your relative together, must be able to support you both
Maintenance requirement for reference persons

Requirements to get a permanent residence permit

You must have had a residence permit in Sweden for at least three years

You must meet the requirements for an extended residence permit

You must be able to support yourself financially

Read more about the financial maintenance requirement

To get a permanent residence permit, you must be able to support yourself through income from employment or your own company, or a combination of the two. You may add together income from one or more part-time jobs, provided that all the positions meet the below requirements and the total income is sufficient to be able to support yourself financially.

Your ability to support yourself must be sustainable

You must be able to show that you can support yourself financially for a long time to come. If you do not have a permanent position, we always make an individual assessment of whether your income is reliable.

Your employment must be serious. For example, the Swedish Migration Agency can check that your employer is able to pay you the salary/wages you specified in your application.

People who support themselves financially through self-employment must demonstrate that their company has realistic business plans and stable finances, so that you can be expected to be able to support yourself through your profits for a considerable period of time.

Only the income you actually have when we consider your application counts. You cannot get a permanent residence permit based on your chances of getting another job or higher income sometime in the future.

What income counts?

You may only count taxed income from legal employment. This means that you must have permission to work or be exempt from the requirement to have a work permit. You may not count undeclared income, nor income from a profession that you are not licensed to practise.

You may count parental benefits or sickness benefits, provided that you have ongoing employment and your parental leave or sick leave is not assessed to be longer than 12 months.

To count income from your business, you must show that you own at least half of the company and that you have decisive responsibility for its operations. It is also required that you run the company professionally, independently and for profit.

If you wait too long to apply for a permanent residence permit (after your current permit has expired), you will not have the right to work while you wait for a decision and therefore will not meet the maintenance requirement.

Amount of income

Your income after tax must be high enough so that after you pay your monthly housing costs, you still have a certain amount of money left over that can cover the costs of food, clothing, hygiene, telephone, electricity, and insuring yourself, among other things. In 2026, that amount is SEK 6,243 per month for a single adult. If you have a child with whom you do not live and you pay maintenance to the child’s other parent, your salary/wages must also be sufficient to cover their maintenance allowance.

The housing costs that your wages must be sufficient to cover each month depend on the type of home in which you live:

If you live in a rented flat, you must include both the rent and the cost of water and heating in this calculation, if the latter are not included in the rent.
If you live in a tenant-owner flat, you must include any fees paid to the tenant-owner association and the interest on any home loans in your calculation. You must also include necessary operating costs (such as water and heating), if these are not included in the monthly fee.
If you live in a freestanding house, you must include the interest rate for any home loans and necessary operating costs (such as water and heating) in your calculation.

Amortisation of home loans is not included in housing costs.

You only need to be able to support yourself, not your family members. If you live alone or with underage children, you must include your entire actual housing costs in your calculation. However, if you live with one or more other adults, you should divide your actual housing costs by the number of adults in the household and only include your share in the calculation, no matter how much each person actually pays for your housing.

What income does not count?

You may not count income from

a family member
wealth or returns from capital
unemployment insurance or activity compensation
various forms of grants or scholarships
subsidised employment (for example, when the Swedish Social Insurance Agency or the Swedish Public Employment Service pays all or part of the wages)

Pensions do not count as income either, but people who receive a pension may be exempt from the requirement that they must be able support themselves financially.

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement can be made if

you are under the age of 18 when the Swedish Migration Agency makes a decision
you are entitled to a pension
you are unable to support yourself financially on other special grounds.

If you can submit a decision from the Swedish Pensions Agency that shows that you are entitled to an income-based retirement pension, guarantee pension, or financial support for the elderly, then you are exempt from the requirement to be able to support yourself financially. It is the right to a pension that is crucial, not whether you actually take out a pension or the size of your pension.

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement may also be made if other special grounds exist which are not temporary. For example, you may be unable to meet the maintenance requirement on the grounds of permanently impaired working capacity, for example due to illness or disability. This can also apply if you are unemployed and so close to retirement age that it is difficult to get a new job. Exemptions can also be granted if it is not reasonable to request that you be able to support yourself financially. For example, such exemptions are granted for monks and nuns.

If you believe that you have special grounds for exemption from the maintenance requirement, please attach documents showing that you have, for example, a permanently impaired ability to work. Such proof may take the form of an investigation by the Swedish Public Employment Service, a decision on entitlement to sickness benefits, sickness benefits or activity compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, or a medical certificate.

You must live a well-behaved life

Prepare this before you apply

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
You cannot get a permit for longer than your passport is valid. You who are citizens of the EU/EEA can attach copies of your passport or your national ID card.

Copies of the passport or identity document of the person with whom you will be living

Power of attorney – if someone else will be applying for you

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, 535.3 kB.

Documents showing that the reference person meets the maintenance requirement

When you apply, you must also submit documents showing that the reference person meets the maintenance requirement.

Documents showing that the reference person has a home

If the reference person rents their home

If the reference person rents their home, they must send in a copy of their rental contract, and must also attach a rent notice for the last month’s rent.

The contract must include:

monthly rent
number of rooms
tenant’s name
landlord’s name
rental period
signature of the landlord.

If the reference person sublets their home

If the reference person sublets their home, it is important to also submit documents showing that the landlord, tenant-owner association, or rent tribunal has approved the rental. When the reference person sublets a rental apartment, it is the property owner who is the landlord, not the holder of the first-hand contract. A contract or agreement must be signed.

If the reference person owns their home

If the reference person owns their home, they must submit a copy of the purchase contract or another transfer document stating that they own the home. If the number of rooms is not stated in the document, you can attach a floor plan, housing specification, or similar document.

The reference person must also submit documents showing what housing costs they have. Regardless of whether their home is a condominium, house, or detached house, they must submit documents showing their interest expenses.

If the reference person lives in a tenant-owned apartment, they must submit copies of documents showing their monthly fees and other possible operating costs that are not included in the monthly fee, such as heating, electricity, and water bills.

If the reference person lives in a house or detached house, they must submit documents showing its operating costs. For example, these may include fees for heating, water, garbage collection, sewerage, community fees, property fees, or other costs tied to the home.

Documents showing that the reference person has an income

Employees

If the reference person works, they need to submit a copy of their employment contract or another document that proves their employment. This document must include:

name of the employee
type of employment (e.g., permanent, fixed-term, temporary position)
percentage of full-time employment
wages/salary
employer
signature of an authorised representative of the employer.

They also need to submit a copy of their latest payslip. It must include:

name of the person receiving the wages/salary (the employee)
name of the person paying the wages/salary (the employer)
net wages/salary
any supplement or deduction to the employee’s wages/salary (e.g., for leave or illness).

Fixed-term employment

If the reference person’s employment lasts longer than a year, they need to send in a copy of their employment contract and latest payslip. If their employment is hourly or on-demand, they must send in a copy of their employment contract and three most recent payslips.

If the reference person’s current employment will be terminated within the year and they have previously had fixed-term jobs, they also need to submit their previous employment contracts for the past year.

Compensation from an unemployment insurance fund (a-kassa)

The Swedish Migration Agency does not normally include income from subsidised employment, unemployment insurance benefits or activity grants. However, we may include certain income of this kind in applications to extend residence permits that were granted before 1 October 2026, provided that the Swedish Migration Agency receives the extension application no later than 1 October 2027.

The reference person needs to submit a copy of the decision from the unemployment insurance fund and a statement detailing their payments from the fund. The documents should specify how much compensation they receive and the period for which they are entitled to compensation.

Compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency

The reference person needs to send in a copy of the decision from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency stating the type and amount of compensation they can receive. The documents should state the period during which they are entitled to compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.

Pension

The reference person needs to submit a copy of the decision showing the type of pension they have and how much pension they receive (annually or monthly). For example, they can do this by providing a copy of a decision from the Swedish Pensions Agency.

Self-employed people

If the reference person has a sole proprietorship or is a partner in a trading or limited partnership, their income consists of their share of the surplus from their own company, after deductions for personal contributions. This usually means the surplus from business activity that they declare in their income tax return. They can show their income by submitting a:

copy of their final tax notice for the previous income year
copy of their income tax return for the previous income year, together with a copy of the corresponding NE or N3A appendix
copy of their preliminary tax decision for the current year from the Swedish Tax Agency, or an account statement from their tax account covering at least three months and which clearly shows how much preliminary tax they have paid.

Partners in limited companies

If the reference person is a partner in a limited company, they can show that they receive salary or other remuneration from their limited company by submitting the following documents:

salary agreement and payslips for the last month (1 month)
account statement from the limited company’s tax account covering at least three months, to show paid employer’s contributions and preliminary tax paid to the Swedish Tax Agency
if they ran the business the previous year, they can submit a final tax statement or tax return documentation for the past year
a copy of their income tax return for the previous year, and a K10 form from the Swedish Tax Agency if they have received share dividends
extract from the Swedish Tax Agency showing the control data submitted for the person for the last three months.

Documents to attach if you are applying for a permanent residence permit at the same time

If you are applying for a permanent residence permit, you must also submit documents showing how you support yourself financially and documents showing your housing costs.

If you are an employee

Employment contract

One to three of your most recent payslips

If you are self-employed

Your F-tax certificate

The registration certificate for your company

Your final assessment notice for the previous income year

A copy of your income tax return (together with a copy of the NE or N3A appendix) for the previous income year

If you are exempt from the maintenance requirement

Decision from the Swedish Pensions Agency that shows that you are entitled to an income-based retirement pension, guarantee pension, or financial support for the elderly

Documents showing that you are exempt from the maintenance requirement based on other special grounds
For example, a decision on entitlement to sickness benefits or activity compensation from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, an investigation from the Swedish Public Employment Service, or a medical certificate.

If you rent your home

Copy of your rental contract

A rental notice for the previous month’s rent (1 month)

If you own your home

Copy of the purchase contract or another transfer document
Regardless of whether you live in a tenant-owned flat, house, or detached house. It must be clear who owns the home.

Documents showing what interest expenses you have
Regardless of whether you live in a tenant-owned flat, house, or detached house.

Documents showing monthly fees and other possible operating costs
If you live in a tenant-owned flat, you must submit copies of documents showing the monthly fees and other possible operating costs that are not included in the monthly fee, such as heating, electricity, and water bills.

If you live in a house or detached house, you must submit documents showing its operating costs. For example, these may include fees for heating, water, garbage collection, sewerage, community fees, property fees, or other costs tied to the home.

Documents to attach if you have accompanying children

Correctly made copies of the child’s passport

The child cannot get a permit for longer than their passport is valid.

When can I apply for an extension?

You can apply for an extension no more than two months before your current permit will expire. You must apply before your current permit expires.

If you apply too late
If you apply for too late, i.e. after your residence permit has expired, you will not be able to work while you wait for a decision. You also risk losing certain social benefits.

Moreover, if you apply too late, there is a risk your application will be rejected because you will have been in Sweden without a valid residence permit.

If you have children who also need to extend their residence permit

If you have children under the age of 18, you apply for them when you apply for yourself.

For how long can I be granted a residence permit?

If the reference person has a temporary residence permit as a refugee, you can be granted a residence permit for the same period as the reference person, but never for longer than your passport is valid.

In all other cases, you can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of two years, but never for longer than your passport is valid.

If you receive a permanent residence permit, it is valid as long as you are resident in Sweden.

What does it cost to apply?

Adults: SEK 2,000
Children under 18 years of age: SEK 1,000

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

The following people pay no fee to apply:

family members of EU/EEA citizens. In this context, Swedes do not count as EU citizens
EU/EEA citizens who are applying for a residence permit
Swiss citizens and their family members
Japanese citizens
husbands, wives, cohabiting partners, registered partners and children under the age of 18 who are applying for a residence permit to live with a family member who has been granted a residence permit in Sweden due to their need for protection or exceptionally distressing circumstances.