Arbetstillstånd förlängning: Complete Guide for HR Teams (2026)

What is arbetstillstånd förlängning?

Arbetstillstånd förlängning is Swedish for a work permit extension: applying to keep working in Sweden once the current permit runs out. Getting the timing right matters more than anything else, because an application registered after the permit has expired loses the protections described below.

This guide follows the rules as published by Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) in October 2026. The rules changed on 1 June 2026, so check the authority's pages before acting.

Who needs to extend?

Citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland who hold a Swedish work permit and want to keep working after it expires. A work permit is granted for at most two years at a time, and never for longer than the employment contract or the passport, so most permit holders extend at least once.

A change of employer, occupation or duties is not an extension. It needs a new permit (see our guide on changing jobs on a work permit).

When to apply

• The application can be made no more than two months before the current permit expires.
• It must be registered before the current permit expires. The employer filling in its part is not enough: the employee must complete and submit theirs too.
• If the application is registered in time, the employee may keep working for the employer while waiting for the decision. Migrationsverket adds a condition: the employee must have had a work permit for six months or more.
• If it is registered late, the employee cannot work while waiting, may lose certain social benefits, and the application may be rejected because the person was in Sweden without a valid permit.

Practical tip: Start gathering documents well before the two-month window opens, so the application can go in as soon as it is allowed.

Documents for an extension

Migrationsverket lists the following for an employee's extension:

1. Copies of the passport (extend the passport first if it is about to expire)
2. The employment contract
3. The employer's insurance information: insurance company, policy number and the period the insurance is valid
4. The PAYE income summary from Skatteverket for every year worked in Sweden
5. Payslips for the current year
6. Certificates of employment from every employer during the permit period
7. Certificates of any absence, such as payment statements from Försäkringskassan
8. A power of attorney, if someone applies on the employee's behalf

The fee is SEK 2,200 for the employee, SEK 1,500 for each adult family member and SEK 750 for each child. Fees are not refunded if the application is rejected.

Salary requirement

• Permits granted from 1 June 2026: the monthly salary must be at least 90% of the median salary published by Statistics Sweden. That is SEK 34,470 a month (median SEK 38,300).
• Permits granted before 1 June 2026: extension applications made up to 1 December 2026 are assessed under the previous rules. From 2 December 2026 the new salary requirement applies to every extension application.
• Some occupations and groups are exempt and need at least 75% of the median instead. When extending, check that the occupation is still on the list.
• The salary and other terms must also be at least on par with Swedish collective agreements or common practice in the occupation, so the real floor for a role may be higher.

An EU Blue Card has its own threshold. See our EU Blue Card guide.

Processing times

Migrationsverket publishes how long recent cases took rather than a promise. For extensions of work permits ("other employments"), its page says 75% of recently decided cases were decided within 4 months when the application was complete, and within 12 months when it was not. The figures change, so check the waiting times page before planning.

Travelling while the extension is pending

Migrationsverket warns that someone who leaves Sweden while waiting may find it difficult to return, and may have to stay abroad until a new decision is made. An employee who must travel for work can apply for a national visa (D visa). Migrationsverket recommends taking the application receipt when leaving.

Permanent residence at the same time

An employee who has worked in Sweden on a work permit for at least four of the past seven years can ask for a permanent residence permit in the extension application. See our guide to permanent residence for work permit holders.

What HR should track

• Permit expiry date, and the date two months before it when the application window opens
• The date the employee started on a work permit (the six-month condition)
• Current permit type, employer and occupation in the decision
• Any changes to salary, role or insurance since the permit was granted
• The case number and submission date once the application is registered

Settio tracks these dates for each case and reminds the team before the window opens.

Summary checklist

• Prepare documents before the two-month window opens
• Make sure the employee completes their part so the application is registered before expiry
• Check the passport is valid for the period applied for
• Check the salary against the requirement that applies to this permit, and against the collective agreement
• Have the insurance details and certificates of employment ready
• Log the case number and submission date

How Settio keeps permits on track

Most permit problems start with a date or a salary nobody was watching. Settio helps employers and immigration agencies watch both, for every person, before they move, after they arrive and at every renewal:

• Permit and salary monitoring tracks every expiry date and the salary each permit was granted on, and turns a dip or a missing month into a follow-up step with an owner.
• Plans for every case, from the first application to the extension, with each deadline counted for you.
• Your whole international workforce at a glance: import the people already on permits and see their risks in minutes.

Try it with your own people: see plans and start for free.

Sources

6 official sources

• Migrationsverket: Apply for an extension of a work permit
• Migrationsverket: You are waiting for a decision, work in Sweden
• Migrationsverket: Salary requirements for a work permit
• Migrationsverket: New rules for work permits come into force (1 June 2026)
• Migrationsverket: Waiting times
• Riksdagen: Utlänningslag (2005:716), 6 kap. 2 a §