You want to apply Family of EU/EEA citizens

You are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen and want to live with them in Sweden. If the you are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country, you must apply for a residence card.

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Here you will find information about what applies if you want to move to Sweden to live with a family member who is an EU/EEA citizen.

Who is considered a family member?

The following are considered family members of a person with right of residence in Sweden:

  • spouse, cohabiting partner, or registered partner
  • children under 21 years of age
  • children over the age of 21, if they are financially dependent on the person with right of residence, or that person’s spouse or cohabiting partner
  • parents, if they are financially dependent on the person with right of residence, or that person’s spouse or cohabiting partner
  • another family member who is financially dependent on the person with the right of residence, is part of their household, or if the family member has serious health issues that mean that the person with right of residence must personally care for them.

If you are an EU/EEA citizen yourself, you can use your right of residence, which allows you to live and work in Sweden without a residence permit.

You want to apply – EU/EEA citizens

If you are an EU/EEA citizen yourself, but do not have your own right of residence, you can live in Sweden with your family member who has right of residence. Your right of residence is then dependent on your family member in Sweden having right of residence through work, studies, self-employment or by living on a pension or having sufficient funds to support themselves and you.

To get listed in the Swedish Population Register and obtain a Swedish personal identity number, you need to contact the Swedish Tax Agency.

Read more about population registration on the website of the Swedish Tax Agency External link.

After five years in Sweden with right of residence, or as a family member of an EU/EEA citizen with right of residence, you have permanent right of residence.

You want to apply – Permanent right of residence

If you are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country

If you are a citizen a non-EU/EEA country and want to live with your family member who has right of residence in Sweden for more than three months, you need to apply for a residence card. You can apply for a residence card while you are in Sweden.

A residence card gives you the right to live and work in Sweden, as long as your family member has right of residence through work, studies, as a self-employed person, or by living on a pension or having sufficient funds to support both themselves and you.

These requirements must be met in order for you to be granted a residence card:

You must have a valid passport

You must be able to show that you are a family

Your family member in Sweden must meet the requirements for right of residence
They must work, run their own business, study or have sufficient funds to support the whole family.

Translate documents
All submitted documents should be in Swedish or English. If you have translated your documents, the translation should be certified. You must also submit a copy of each document in its original language.

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 can never be granted a permit for longer than your passport is valid.
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Correctly made copies of your family member’s passport
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Documents showing your relationship
If you are married: marriage certificate, marriage record, or similar document.
If you are cohabiting partners: documents showing that you have lived together, such as extracts from personal registers, a joint housing contract, or other documents that show that you have been registered at the same address.

Documents showing how you depend on your family member in Sweden and how you are related
Applies to children over the age of 21 or other close relatives.

Correctly made copies of the child’s passport
Read more about what the passport copies must show

Birth record or birth certificate stating the names of the child’s parents

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, 1.1 MB.

Read more about power of attorney

Documents showing that the family member in Sweden meets the requirements for right of residence

You must submit copies of documents showing how your family member in Sweden meets the requirements for right of residence. The documents you must submit depend on your family member’s occupation or other means of financial maintenance.

If your family member works in Sweden, you must attach

  • proof of employment from the family member’s employer
  • payslips for the past three months.

If your family member is studying in Sweden, you must attach

  • the family member’s certificate of admission to studies at least at upper secondary school level and a certificate of registration or equivalent showing that they have started their studies
  • a copy of a European Health Insurance Card (EU Card) or comprehensive private health insurance policy. This requirement applies if you are not listed in the Swedish Population Register
  • an assurance that the family member has enough money to support themselves and their family.

If your family member is self-employed in Sweden, you must attach

  • an F-tax certificate and certificate of registration from the Swedish Companies Registration Office
  • the most recent VAT report (if the company is required to report VAT)
  • the company’s tax account statements for the past three months
  • proof that they run a business, such as invoices issued to customers, receipts for purchased materials, and a rental contract for the business’s premises.

If your family member has purchased a business in Sweden, you must attach

  • the transfer agreement
  • the most recent annual report.

If your family member is about to start up their business in Sweden but it is not yet operational, you must attach

  • documents showing what planning is in place for the company and what preparations have been made
  • contract, customer contact details or rental contract for premises.

If your family member is retired or has sufficient funds to support themselves in Sweden, you must attach

  • a rental contract on which the rental cost is stated, if the family member rents their home
  • proof of purchase of a tenant-owner’s flat or property, if they own their home
  • information about their monthly housing costs, such as loan and repayment costs and any monthly fee, if they own their home
  • a retirement notice, if they are retired
  • a certificate showing that the family member and their family are covered by the social security system of their country of origin. The certificate must be issued by the national authorities in their country of origin and must state that they and their family are covered by the social security system of another EU/EEA country. If the family member is unable to obtain such a certificate, they and each member of their family must take out comprehensive private health insurance that applies during your and your family’s stay in Sweden. This requirement applies if you are not listed in the Swedish Population Register.

If your family member works, studies, or is self-employed in another country outside Sweden, you must attach

  • rental contract on which the rental cost is stated, if they rent their home
  • proof of purchase of a tenant-owner’s flat or property, if they own their home
  • information about their monthly housing costs, such as loan and amortisation costs and any monthly fee, if they own their home
  • proof of employment for the family member
  • payslips from the family member’s employer for the past three months, if they work
  • certificate(s) regarding any allowances/grants or other income
  • receipts for the costs of commuting abroad, such as a copy of a monthly/commuting card or similar proof of purchase
  • certificate(s) showing that the family member and their family are covered by the social security system in their country of origin. The certificate must be issued by the national authorities in their country of origin and must state that they and their family are covered by the social security system of another EU/EEA country. If the family member cannot obtain such a certificate, then each family member must take out comprehensive private health insurance that is valid during the period your are in Sweden. This requirement applies if you are not listed in the Swedish Population Register.

If your family member is going to support themselves on their own assets, you must attach

  • bank statements showing how much money the family member has
  • information about share dividends or other disposable income
  • certificate(s) showing that the family member and their family are covered by the social security system in their country of origin. The certificate must be issued by the national authorities in their country of origin and must state that they and their family are covered by the social security system of another EU/EEA country. If the family member cannot obtain such a certificate, then each family member must take out comprehensive private health insurance that is valid during the period you are in Sweden. This requirement applies if you are not listed in the Swedish Population Register.

In the application, you will be asked to specify how long you plan to live in Sweden.

Citizens of certain countries need to apply for an entry visa before travelling to Sweden.

Countries whose citizens require an entry visa for travel to Sweden External link.

Every family member (including children) who is not an EU/EEA citizen must submit their own entry visa application. You submit your application at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you live.

You want to apply – Visiting Sweden for up to 90 days (entry visa)

The period of validity of a residence card may vary, but is no longer than five years. Submit a new residence card application before your current one expires.

When you have lived in Sweden for five years and your family member has had right of residence for the entire period, you have permanent right of residence. If you want proof of your permanent right of residence, you can apply for a permanent residence card.

You want to apply – Permanent residence card

Swedish citizens are normally not considered EU/EEA citizens in this context, but under certain circumstances, Swedes who have recently lived in another EU/EEA country and moved back to Sweden can also be considered EU/EEA citizens in Sweden.

The fact that a Swedish citizen is considered an EU/EEA citizen means that you as a family member can apply for a residence card. This requires that

  • the Swedish citizen has resided in another EU/EEA country or in Switzerland with right of residence for at least three months. They have had right of residence if, for example, they have worked, applied for work, studied or supported themselves on their own sufficient assets while in the other EU/EEA country or Switzerland
  • you lived together in the other EU/EEA country or Switzerland immediately before moving to Sweden.

A Swedish citizen who exercised their right of free movement in the United Kingdom before 31 December 2020 and then returned to Sweden can be counted as an EU/EEA citizen, even though the United Kingdom has now left the EU.

If you are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country and want to move to Sweden to live with a Swedish citizen who is not considered an EU/EEA citizen according to the requirements above, you must instead apply for a residence permit.

You want to apply – Live with someone

If you have a residence card as a family member of an EU/EEA citizen and the family member is granted Swedish citizenship, it may affect your right of residence. If your family member has retained their citizenship from another EU/EEA country, you can retain your right of residence in Sweden. If the family member is now only a Swedish citizen, you need to apply for a residence permit in order to stay in Sweden.

You want to apply – Live with someone

It costs nothing to apply for a residence card.

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:7 months

Yes, if your family member meets the requirements for right of residence, you have the right to start working or studying as soon as you arrive in Sweden.

News

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.