You want to extend Children living with someone in Sweden

You want to apply for an extension of a residence permit for a child who was born in Sweden, or who has moved to Sweden to live with a parent or another relative.

  • Important to know
  • How it works
  • Apply

On this page, you can find information about how to extend the residence permit of a child who

  • was born in Sweden
  • moved to Sweden alone, to live with a parent here
  • moved to Sweden alone, to live with another relative.

You can apply for an extension of the child’s residence permit. If the child has had a residence permit in Sweden for at least three years, you can also choose to apply for a permanent residence permit for the child at the same time.

The conditions under which the child’s residence permit was originally granted must still be met
Among other things, this means that the child still lives with the person for whom they moved to Sweden.

The child must have a valid passport
Keep in mind that your child can never be granted a residence permit for longer than their passport is valid.

Requirements for the child to get a permanent residence permit

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

The child must meet the requirements for an extended residence permit

The child must live a well-behaved life (applies to children over age 15).

If the child is over 15 years of age, it is important that they cannot be expected to commit a crime in the future, should they be granted a permanent residence permit in Sweden. It is therefore required that children over 15 years of age who apply for a permanent residence permit must live a well-behaved life. To be able to assess this, the Swedish Migration Agency needs to look at how the child has behaved in their life so far, for example whether they have been convicted or suspected of any crime in Sweden or abroad.

There are no detailed rules on the types of crimes or the length of the penalty that may prevent a child from being granted a permanent residence permit. It is not only serious crimes that are taken into account. Even less serious ones can be an obstacle, if the child misbehaved in other ways at the same time.

If there is reason to suspect that a child will not live a well-behaved life in the future, the Swedish Migration Agency will weigh these concerns against the reasons for granting them a permanent residence permit. Here, we take the nature of a child’s misbehaviour into account and consider how long ago the events took place.

You must attach copies of these documents to the child’s application. Make sure that the information on your submitted documents is clearly visible.

Correctly made copies of the child’s passport

If the child’s passport is about to expire, you should extend it, because the child cannot get a permit for longer than their passport is valid.

Read more about what the passport copies must show

You can apply for an extension of the child’s residence permit no more than two months before the current permit will expire. You must apply before the current permit expires.

The child can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of two years, but never for longer than their passport is valid.

If the child receives a permanent residence permit, it is valid as long as the child is resident in Sweden.

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.

Children who will live with a parent

There are too few decided cases for us to be able to calculate the waiting time.

Children who will be living with a relative who is not their parent

There are too few decided cases for us to be able to calculate the waiting time.

Children born in Sweden

There are too few decided cases for us to be able to calculate the waiting time.

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 unmarried 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.

News

2025-12-04

More Afghans may be able to receive passports from their home country

The Swedish Migration Agency estimates that Afghan authorities are now able to issue national passports to their citizens within a reasonable time. This means that Afghan citizens with a residence permit in Sweden no longer automatically have the right to an alien’s passport. Instead, the Swedish Migration Agency will review each application for an alien’s passport individually.

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.

2025-10-31

The repatriation grant will be increased

The Swedish Government has taken a decision to increase the repatriation grant on 1 January 2026. The amount you can receive depends on whether you are applying as a single adult, as a couple, or as a family with children.

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.