SWEDEN

Sweden is a country located in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak. Neighbouring countries include Finland and Norway. It boasts a strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas. The geography of Sweden is mostly flat with mountains in the west. The government system is a constitutional monarchy; the chief of state is the king, and the head of government is the prime minister. Sweden has a mixed economic system in which there is a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation. Sweden is a member of the European Union (EU).

WORK PERMIT

Depending on your country of origin, you will need a work permit or employment visa to work in Sweden. If you are an EU/EEA citizen, you have the right to remain in Sweden. This means there are no work permit requirements for you to take up work there. When you enter Sweden, or look for work, all you will need to do is show your passport.
As an EU/EEA citizen, you are also allowed to come to Sweden to search for jobs. Once you have a job and are settled in Sweden, you will need to register with the Swedish Tax Agency. Read more about this in our Residence Permits section below.
As a non-EU/EEA resident, you need a job offer to be eligible for a work permit, which you require to enter Sweden. It is not possible to enter Sweden, nor begin working in Sweden, before you are granted a work permit

Requirements for a Swedish Work Permit

To obtain a Swedish work permit, you must meet the following requirements:

• Have a valid passport.
• Be offered employment that complies with the terms set by Swedish collective agreements, or are standard for the occupation.
• Be offered a monthly salary of at least 13,000 SEK (1,480 USD) before taxes, or offered a salary that is on par with the position
• Be offered employment that includes health insurance, life insurance, and social security.

When you apply for the work permit, you will also need to show proof of accommodation in Sweden as well as intentions to leave the country once your employment contract is through.
In addition to the requirements you must meet to apply for a Swedish work visa, your Swedish employer must also meet certain requirements to hire you.

• The job must have been advertised in the EU/EEA for at least ten days.
• The job must include employment terms on par with other Swedish jobs within the same industry.

How to Apply for a Swedish Work Visa

You can apply for a Swedish work visa in person at a Swedish embassy or online. The easiest way is to submit the Swedish work permit application form online

Step One: Offer of Employment

Your Swedish employer will need to submit a written job offer and obtain approval from the relevant trade union regarding the job and salary. The job offer should include the length of employment, as this is directly linked to the validity period of the visa.

Step Two: Employer Initiates Application

Once you receive and accept a job offer, your employer will start the online application for you with the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). To do this, they will need your date of birth, information about your citizenship, education, and email address.

Step Three: Email

Once your employer starts the application, you will receive an email to start your side of the process. This is when you will need to list whether you will be moving alone or with your family.

Step Four: Submit Documents

Because you will also need a residence visa in addition to a work permit, the only documents you will need to submit for the work permit are:

• your passport (specifically the identification page as well as any stamps or visas already in the passport);
• employment offer;
• statement from a trade union.

Step Five: Cost

The cost of a work permit should only be 2,000 SEK (230 USD). Permits for certain professions may cost less.

Step Six: Wait

The wait time for your work permit can vary greatly depending on several factors: whether you applied online or in person, whether you are self-employed or employed by a company, and the industry in which you will be working. For most expats who are employed by a Swedish company, the wait time is one to three months.

Specialty Work Permits Types

EU Blue Card

An EU Blue Card is a work and residence permit for highly skilled workers. To qualify, you must work in a profession and have a university degree or five years of professional work experience.
Applying for the EU Blue Card requires documents from both the employee and employer.

The employee is required to have:

• a valid passport;
• a university education equivalent to 180 university credits, or five years’ relevant professional experience;
• taken out or applied for a comprehensive health insurance policy that covers health and medical care in Sweden;
• an employment contract or offer of highly qualified employment lasting at least one year;
• no less than one and a half times the average gross salary in Sweden, before taxes.

Employers are required to provide:

• proof that the position was advertised in Sweden, the EU/EES, and Switzerland for at least ten days;
• a complete offer of employment with terms that are on par with Swedish collective agreements or terms that are standard to the position being filled.

Sweden sets an annual salary threshold that EU Blue Card holders must receive in order to qualify as a highly skilled worker. Although the amount is subject to change annually, as of 2019 the amount was SEK 51,900 (5,900 USD).

STUDENT VISA

You can apply online on the Swedish Migration Agency website or at the local Swedish embassy or consulate in your country. If you chose to apply online, the processing time will start right away and will be shorter, since the documents directly reach the Swedish Migration Authority.
This period is influenced by the amount of information your file contains. You should make sure your file has all the required documents, in order to avoid adding information after you apply.
Visit the Swedish embassy or consulate in your country to be photographed and fingerprinted and to receive your residence permit card.
The decision regarding your visa/residence permit is announced via email and you will be required to make an appointment and collect the documents with the official decision. The decision document is also sent to your university.
You should apply for the student visa/residence permit as early as possible since the regular waiting time is around 2–3 months. When you apply for the visa at the local embassy, you should also present the original versions of the required documents.

Tips about the visa/residence permit application

• You will have to go through an interview when you submit your visa application.
• Make an appointment at the embassy to schedule an interview.
• Remember to bring your passport and original copies of the documents.

Language requirements for studying in Sweden

There is no specific language requirement for your study visa in Sweden. The universities will require proof of language proficiency for either Swedish or English, which is part of the successful admission at a Swedish university. The Swedish Migration Agency will simply demand the university acceptance letter.
Swedish universities offer study programmes taught both in Swedish and English. However, most English study programmes are available for postgraduate level (Master’s and PhD courses). English language tests accepted by universities in Sweden:

• TOEFL iBT
• IELTS Academic
• PTE Academic
• C1 Advanced

Documents required for the student visa in Sweden

• Receipt proving you've paid the residence permit application fee of 145 EUR.
• Copies of the pages from your passport with personal information, validity period and the permission to live in another country.
• The letter of acceptance from the university that states that you have been admitted for a full-time course. If you applied for a PhD degree, the duration of the course must be specified.
• Proof that you have comprehensive medical insurance coverage in Sweden (if your study lasts for less than a year). This applies also if the university or university college covers your insurance.
• A bank statement that proves you can financially support yourself: minimum of 840 EUR/month or 165 EUR/month if you receive free food and accommodation. The document must cover the duration of your study and to be translated into English. You can also attach documents that show that you’ve received a scholarship, student aid or, in the case of PhD students, an educational grant or employment in research.

RESIDENCY BY INVESTMENT

Requirements for obtaining a residence permit as a self-employed In order to obtain a residence permit, you must have a valid passport show that you have significant experience in your field and previous experience of running your own business have documented and relevant knowledge in Swedish and/or English show that you are running the business, that you have the ultimate responsibility for it and that you own at least half of the business show that the business’ services or goods are sold and/or produced in Sweden show that you have sufficient funds to support you and, if applicable, your family during the first two years (equivalent to SEK 200,000 for you, SEK 100,000 for your spouse and SEK 50,000 for each accompanying child) show reliable source documentation for your budget show that you have established customer contacts and/or a network in Sweden show that your company, following a 2-year probationary period, will have its finances in balance and you have the ability to support yourself and, if applicable, your family (income support is calculated according to the Swedish national standard for Income support plus housing costs).
The Swedish Migration Agency will assess your business plans from a financial perspective.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:

Enclose the following documents with your application
copies of the pages in your passport which show your personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport’s validity, entry and exit stamps and whether you have permission to live in countries other than your country of origin bank statements which shows that you have sufficient funds to support you and your family during the first 2 years (equivalent to SEK 200,000 for you, SEK 100,000 for your spouse and SEK 50,000 for each accompanying child) bank statements which show, if applicable, that you have sufficient funds to buy the business and to cover the estimated costs and investments necessary to run the business contract of sale if you have bought or intend to buy the business or enterprise partnership agreement or stock register bank document which shows that you have paid the purchase sum or your part of the purchase sum, if you have bought the business or enterprise contracts with customers/suppliers and for premises annual accounts/reports for the previous 2 years (if the business has been in operation earlier) balance sheet and income statement (report) for the current financial year, up to and including the previous month course certificate or other evidence that you speak Swedish and/or English certificates to substantiate your educational background certificates from previous employers certificate of registration for companies you own or have own outside of Sweden.
Make sure to extend your passport if it is about to expire. You cannot obtain a temporary permit for longer than your passport’s period of validity. You must have a permit that is valid for at least one year and stay in Sweden for at least one year if you want to be registered in the Swedish population register.
The documents should be translated to Swedish or English by an authorised translator. Copies of original documents should always be included.