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.

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

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 person the child moved to must be able to support themselves and the child
Children born in Sweden are exempt.
Maintenance requirement for reference persons

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

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, 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, 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

In all other cases, 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

The number of decided cases is too small for us to show the waiting time.

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

The number of decided cases is too small for us to show the waiting time.

Children born in Sweden

The number of decided cases is too small for us to show 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 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

2026-10-01

New rules on immigration due to family ties and young adults from 1 October

New rules on immigration due to family ties come into force today. These include stricter requirements for people in Sweden whom family members wish to join and an increase in the amount required to meet the maintenance requirement. At the same time, young adults will have greater opportunities to stay with their parents in Sweden and a temporary opportunity to apply for another type of permit without leaving Sweden.

2026-09-24

New look – same agency

The Swedish Migration Agency has a new logo. On 24 September, the new logo will replace the old logo on the Agency’s website. The new logo will be rolled out gradually across all digital services and communications.

2026-04-13

Easier to renew your permanent residence permit card

It will now be easier to renew your permanent residence permit card. You will automatically receive information and a request to book an appointment via My page well in advance of your current card expiring.

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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.