Important to know

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.

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

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

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

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, you will not be allowed to work during the processing time.

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.

Fee: SEK 1,500

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.

Complete applications

75% of applications receive a decision within:4 months

Incomplete applications

75% of applications receive a decision within:4 months

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.