Apply for an extension of a residence permit for a traineeship/internship conducted via an international exchange programme

You have a residence permit in Sweden because you have a traineeship/internship in Sweden via an international exchange programme. You now want to extend your permit.

You can extend your residence permit for a traineeship/internship conducted via an international exchange programme. You can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of 18 months.

The rules for traineeships/internships conducted via an international exchange programme apply to applicants who have been granted a traineeship/internship through

an international exchange programme within organisations such as AIESEC, IAESTE, JUF or SACCUSA
a traineeship/internship exchange agreement between countries. Sweden has agreements with, e.g. the United States and Canada. There is also an exchange agreement for young managers between the EU and China.

Requirements to get an extended work permit

You must have a valid passport

You must have a written offer of a traineeship/internship

You must receive a salary/wages from your employer

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
If your passport is about to expire, you should extend it, because you cannot get a permit for longer than your passport is valid.
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Written offer of a traineeship/internship
The offer must state the terms and conditions of your traineeship/internship or assignment.

Statement from the organisation that mediates the traineeship/internship

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

A representative can apply for you, if you grant them power of attorney. To do this, you must attach a copy of the power of attorney to your application.

Power of attorney (107011) Pdf, 1.1 MB.

More about power of attorney

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.

For how long can I be granted a permit?

You can be granted a residence permit for the time you are being offered a traineeship/internship, but never for longer than the validity of your passport. You can be granted a residence permit as a trainee for one or more periods for a maximum of 18 months.

What does it cost to apply?

Fee: SEK 1,500

How long must I wait for a decision?

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:2 months

Illustration of an offer for an internship.

You are offered a traineeship/internship and sign an agreement

If you want to continue your traineeship/internship in Sweden after your residence permit expires, you need to extend it. You must apply before your current permit expires.

Before you apply for an extended residence permit, you need to have a traineeship/internship agreement signed by you and your employer.

Illustration of a woman sitting at a computer.

The employer starts the extension application

It is the employer who starts the extension application in the e-service.

Illustration of a young woman making an application on the computer.

You fill in your part of the application

Once the employer has completed their part, you will receive an email with a link to the e-service, where you must fill in your part of the application. You fill in the application and attach the necessary documents.

It is important that you submit your extension application before your current permit expires. That way, you will have the right to stay in Sweden until we make a decision, even if your current permit expires.

Illustration of a man who works as a caseworker at the Swedish Migration Agency.

The Swedish Migration Agency processes the application

The Swedish Migration Agency will review all the information about your application and determine whether you can be granted an extended permit. We will contact you if we need more information. In some cases, we will contact your employer for further information.

Waiting time while we process your application

Now you must wait.

Log in to My Page

By logging in to My Page, you can access information about your application and use our services.

My Page

Illustration showing how a person provides their fingerprints.

You need to be photographed and fingerprinted

To get a new residence permit card, you need to be photographed and fingerprinted. If you did not do this when you submitted your application, you must book an appointment to do so at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s service centres.

Book an appointment for a visit

You may need to present your passport

You may need to present your passport before we can make a decision. You only need to do this if we have not already checked it on a previous visit, or if you have received a new passport since you last presented it.

Certain applicants will be offered the option of presenting their passport in a digital passport check conducted via an app.

If you need to present your passport, we will contact you with information about how and when you can do so.

You are waiting for a decision – You have applied for an extension

Illustration of a young woman holding a decision.

You receive our decision

As soon as we have made a decision, you will receive an email or letter stating whether you have been granted a work permit or if your application has been rejected. When you receive the decision, you can find out the reasons on which we based it. If your application is rejected and you are currently in Sweden, you must prepare to leave the country.

You have received a decision – Work

Have you assembled all documents?

Before you start your part of the application, you must have assembled the documents you will need to attach.

See which documents you must attach under the Important to know tab

The traineeship/internship organisation starts your application

The traineeship/internship organisation in Sweden will start your application by submitting information about your traineeship/internship to the Swedish Migration Agency. To do this, your traineeship/internship organisation needs information about your name, date of birth, citizenship and email address. Once your traineeship/internship organisation has completed their part of the application, you will receive a link via email, which you should use to continue with your part of the application.

You complete your application

Once you have received the email with the link, log in to the e-service and fill in the information about yourself. You must also check that the information about your terms and conditions of employment corresponds to what you and your traineeship/internship organisation have agreed. Once you have completed your part of the application and have submitted it, it will be registered with the Swedish Migration Agency.

Keep in mind that your application must be registered with the Swedish Migration Agency before your current permit has expired. It is not enough for the traineeship/internship organisation to have filled in its part.

Requirements for applying in the e-service

To apply in the e-service, you must

be 18 years or older
have a valid email address
be able to pay the application fee with a payment card issued by Visa or Mastercard
be able to scan or photograph the documents you need to attach.

What does it cost to apply?

Fee: SEK 1,500

If you cannot apply in the e-service

If you cannot apply in the e-service, the traineeship/internship organisation must send you a written offer stating the terms and conditions of your traineeship/internship or traineeship/internship assignment . You must then submit a copy of this offer together with your application.

You fill in the form:

Application for a Swedish work permit (149011) Pdf, 900.7 kB.

Submit or send in the application

You can either submit the application and the attached documents at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s service centres or send them to:

Migrationsverket
Box 3100
903 03 Umeå

Pay the application fee

Once we have received your application, we will contact you via email or letter with information on how to make the payment and how much you must pay.

News

2025-06-02

The Swedish Migration Agency is on site in Skellefteå to answer your questions about residence and work permits.

Due to the bankruptcy of Northvolt, the Swedish Migration Agency will be on site in Skellefteå to answer your questions about residence and work permits in Sweden.

2025-05-20

Are you going to visit the National Government Service Centre?

From May onwards, there will be changes to which of the Government Service Centers offer the services of the Swedish Migration Agency.

2025-05-20

What counts as a salary?

One of the requirements for being granted a work permit is that the salary must enable you to make a good living. A new ruling from the Migration Court of Appeal clarifies what counts as a salary.

2025-04-03

If you are planning to work, study or move to Sweden to live with someone, you can now visit the embassy in Islamabad

On 9 April, the Swedish Migration Agency will resume its residence and work permit activities in Pakistan. Applicants needing to submit biometric data, have their passport checked or be interviewed after submitting an application can once again do so at the embassy in Islamabad. This does not apply to those who are applying for a Schengen visa to visit Sweden for a short stay.

2025-04-01

From 1 April, the possibility of changing tracks will end

On 1 April, the Swedish Parliament’s decision to remove the possibility of changing tracks will come into force. This affects those who have been granted, or applied for, a work permit after an asylum application has been rejected. Your co-applicant family members will also be affected.

2025-03-31

On site in Skellefteå to answer your questions about work permits

Due to Northvolt’s bankruptcy, the Swedish Migration Agency will be on site in Skellefteå to answer your questions about residence and work permits.

2025-03-06

Changes for those residing in Cyprus who wish to apply for residence and work permit

From 17 March 2025 the Swedish embassy in Nicosia will no longer handle migration matters. If you are a citizen of Cyprus, you should instead contact the Swedish embassy in Athens, Greece. The same applies for non-Cypriot legal residents of Cyprus.

2025-02-07

Changes for residents of Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania or Moldova that wish to apply for residence and work permits or visas

Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are now part of the Schengen area. Legal residents of these countries shall, from 24 February 2025 turn to one of the five Schengen hubs for migration related matters.

2025-02-07

Changes for those residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina who previously applied for residence and work permit in Sarajevo

As from 10 March, 2025, the embassy in Sarajevo will no longer handle migration related matters. Instead, you should turn to the Swedish embassy in Skopje, North Macedonia.

You want to extend Traineeships/internships conducted via an international exchange programmeYou want to extend Traineeships/internships conducted via an international exchange programme

News

You want to extend Traineeships/internships conducted via an international exchange programme