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Right of residence or residence permit – who needs what to live and work in Sweden in 2026

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

An EU passport gives you a right that nobody stamps. Most other newcomers need a permit, and the rules for those permits changed several times in 2026. Here is what applies to you – from the new salary floor for work permits to the EU Blue Card and bringing your family.

Woman with her passport and ticket at the airport
Photo: Drazen/Adobe Stock

Sweden rewrote its permit rules several times in 2026. EU citizens are largely unaffected; for everyone else, these dates matter.

DateWhat changed
1 June 2026Work permits: 90 per cent of the median wage; health insurance for short permits; Blue Cards up to four years
12 July 2026Permanent residence permits no longer granted as a main rule
13 July 2026Stricter conduct requirements to get or keep a permit
15 July 2026EU Blue Card threshold: 53,625 kronor a month
1 October 2026Tighter rules and higher amounts for family immigration

Source: Migrationsverket, read 22 September 2026.

EU, EEA and Nordic citizens: a right, not a permit

As an EU or EEA citizen you can stay in Sweden for up to three months with a valid passport or national ID card. Beyond that you need uppehållsrätt (right of residence), which you have if you work, run a business, study or can support yourself – with no need to contact Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) at all. Staying at least a year? Register with Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) – see part 3.

Sweden scrapped the duty for EU/EEA citizens to register with Migrationsverket in 2014, partly after European Commission criticism of double registration. A government inquiry appointed in January 2025 has proposed bringing one back for EEA citizens staying over three months; its report, SOU 2026:9, went out for consultation in March 2026. It is not law.

After five years of continuous right of residence, it becomes permanent; it is lost if, among other things, you stay abroad for more than two years in a row. A certificate of it costs nothing, and Migrationsverket decided 75 per cent of recent cases within three months.

Citizen ofWhat you needContact Migrationsverket?
An EU or EEA countryRight of residence through work, business, studies or own meansNo
Denmark, Finland, Iceland or NorwayNo permit; register with Skatteverket if staying at least a yearNo
SwitzerlandA residence permit for stays over three months; you may start work or studies before the decisionYes
The United KingdomSince brexit and the 31 December 2021 deadline, normally an ordinary residence permitYes
Any other countryA residence permit – for a job, usually a work permitYes

Source: Migrationsverket and Skatteverket, read 22 September 2026.

Work permits after 1 June 2026: the new salary floor

The 90 per cent rule replaced god försörjning (adequate support), an 80 per cent requirement in force since 1 November 2023. The level follows the median wage when you apply. With the 38,300 kronor published by SCB, the national statistics agency, on 16 June 2026, a new work permit needs a salary of at least 34,470 kronor a month.

A lower floor of 75 per cent, 28,725 kronor, applies to some occupations: several care jobs such as undersköterska (assistant nurse), some technicians and engineers, agriculture and forestry, and staff at tech or life science companies under five years old with fewer than a hundred employees.

Extending a permit granted under the old rules, and applying between 1 June and 1 December 2026? The old 80 per cent level, 30,640 kronor, still applies. Also since 1 June, a permit for a stay of at most a year requires comprehensive health insurance, held or applied for; and exploiting foreign labour and trading in work permits are new crimes under utlänningslagen (the Aliens Act).

SituationShare of median wageMinimum per month, autumn 2026
New work permit90 per cent34,470 kronor
New permit, exempted occupation75 per cent28,725 kronor
Extension under the old rules, applied for 1 June–1 December 202680 per cent30,640 kronor

Source: Migrationsverket, read 22 September 2026.

EU Blue Card, researchers and the self-employed

The EU Blue Card covers highly qualified jobs. Since 1 January 2025 its threshold has been 1.25 times the average gross annual salary in Sweden, down from 1.5, and the job need only last six months instead of twelve. From 15 July 2026 the threshold is 53,625 kronor a month. Since 1 June 2026 a card can be valid for up to four years instead of two, and the first one always for at least nine months.

From 11 June 2026, doctoral students with a hosting agreement at an approved research organisation can get the same research permit as other researchers, and the permit to seek work afterwards runs twelve to eighteen months instead of twelve. A three-year route to permanent residence for researchers and Blue Card holders was announced too, but since 12 July 2026 permanent permits are no longer the main rule – ask Migrationsverket, and see part 15.

To come as self-employed, you must own at least 51 per cent of the company and have at least 200,000 kronor in a bank account in your own name, plus 100,000 for a spouse and 50,000 per child. The permit is granted for at most two years at a time, never beyond your passport's validity.

PermitFee (not refunded if refused)Adult family memberChild75 per cent decided within
Work permit, employee2,200 kronor1,500 kronor750 kronorOne month for highly qualified jobs, four for others; ten if incomplete
EU Blue Card2,000 kronor1,500 kronor750 kronorAsk Migrationsverket
Self-employed2,000 kronor1,500 kronor750 kronorEleven months

Source: Migrationsverket, read 22 September 2026.

Bringing your family – and what changes on 1 October 2026

The family member in Sweden, the anknytningsperson (sponsor), must meet a maintenance requirement: a set amount left each month after tax and rent. The home must be big enough too – two rooms and a kitchen for two adults and two children sharing a bedroom – and living as a lodger or with your parents does not count.

HouseholdLeft after tax and rent, per month (2026)
Single sponsor6,243 kronor
Spouses or cohabiting partners10,314 kronor
Each child, depending on age3,336 to 5,339 kronor on top

Source: Migrationsverket, read 22 September 2026.

From 1 October 2026, a sponsor with a temporary permit must have lived in Sweden for at least two years before the family can get permits, with exceptions such as refugees whose relationship began before they arrived. The amounts rise and, for the first time, apply to extensions too – though the old amounts still apply when extending permits granted before 1 October 2026, if you apply by 1 October 2027.

Conduct, cards and keeping your permit

Since 13 July 2026, stricter demands on skötsamhet och hederlighet (good conduct and honesty) apply. Migrationsverket checks, among other things, unpaid debts, false information to the social insurance system and contacts with criminal networks or terrorist or extremist organisations. Isolated, less serious incidents are normally not enough to refuse or revoke a permit, but repeated behaviour can affect the assessment.

Your permit comes as an uppehållstillståndskort (residence permit card) with your photo and fingerprints on a chip. It is normally valid for at most three years and is not an identity or travel document. Enrolled at a Statens servicecenter (government service) office in Sweden, it reaches your registered address in about two weeks; via an embassy or consulate, up to four. Migrationsverket's contact centre is on 0771-235 235, or +46 771 235 235 from abroad, Monday to Friday 09.00–15.00.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Find your row in the table aboveBefore anything else
2Outside the EU/EEA: compare the salary offered with 34,470 kronor (28,725 in exempted jobs)Before you apply
3Send a complete application and pay the feeAs soon as you have the offer
4Sponsors: check income after tax and rent, and the size of your homeBefore the family applies – rules change on 1 October 2026
5Register with Skatteverket if staying at least a year (part 3)After you arrive

Source: Migrationsverket and Skatteverket, read 22 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 22 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.