EU Blue Card Sweden: Salary Requirements, Eligibility & How to Apply (2026)

What is the EU Blue Card?

The EU Blue Card (EU-blåkort) is a permit for highly qualified employment in Sweden for people who are not citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland. New rules have applied since 1 January 2025: the salary threshold went down from 1.5 to 1.25 times the average gross salary, the minimum contract length went down from one year to six months, and holders can switch to another highly qualified job without applying for a new card.

Eligibility criteria

According to Migrationsverket, the applicant must have:

1. A valid passport. A permit never runs longer than the passport.
2. Higher education or experience: a qualification of at least 180 higher education credits, or at least five years of relevant professional experience.
3. A contract for highly qualified employment of at least six months, signed by the employee and the employer.
4. A salary at or above the threshold: at least 1.25 times the average gross salary in Sweden, as published by the National Mediation Office (Medlingsinstitutet). Since 15 July 2026 the threshold is SEK 53,625 a month. It is set each year.
5. Comprehensive health insurance valid for the whole stay (or an application for it), covering urgent and other medical care, hospitalisation, emergency dental care and medical repatriation.

What the employer does

• Starts the application in Migrationsverket's e-service. The application is only registered once the employee has completed their part.
• Gives the relevant trade union the chance to comment on the terms of employment.
• Advertises the vacancy in Sweden and within the EU/EEA and Switzerland for at least ten days, when it is a new recruitment.
• Takes out medical, life, occupational injury and occupational pension insurance for the employee by the time the employment begins.

Validity, fees and processing

• The first EU Blue Card is valid for at least nine months and at most four years.
• The fee is SEK 2,000 for the employee, SEK 1,500 for each adult family member and SEK 750 for each child.
• Migrationsverket's page for highly qualified workers says 75% of recently decided cases were decided within 1 month when the application was complete, and within 2 months when it was not. These figures change, so check before planning a start date.
• Applications from inside Sweden are generally not allowed unless an exemption applies, such as an extension.

EU Blue Card or work permit?

Feature	EU Blue Card	Work permit
Salary floor	SEK 53,625 a month (since 15 July 2026)	SEK 34,470 a month (90% of the median, applications from 16 June 2026)
Education or experience	180 credits or five years of relevant experience	Not required
Longest first permit	Four years	Two years
Changing jobs	Can switch to another highly qualified job without a new card, but must notify Migrationsverket	New permit needed when changing employer during the first two years
Permanent residence	After 36 months with an EU Blue Card in Sweden	After four years of work on a work permit within the past seven years

For a fuller comparison, read EU Blue Card vs work permit.

Family members

A spouse, registered partner, cohabiting partner and children under 18 can apply in the same application. The card holder must meet a maintenance requirement. Family members get permits for the same period, never longer than their own passports, and adults (and children who turn 16 during the year) may work.

Changing jobs on a Blue Card

Since 1 January 2025 a holder can switch to another highly qualified job without applying for a new EU Blue Card. The Blue Card requirements must be met in the new job too, and a new job, an employment that ends or any other change that affects the conditions (for example a salary below the threshold) must be reported to Migrationsverket by letter, with the holder's name and case number. Not reporting can lead to the permit being withdrawn or a later extension being rejected.

Coming from another EU country

Someone who has lived for at least 12 months in another EU country with that country's EU Blue Card can apply for a Swedish one. They must apply within one month of entering Sweden, and may not work in Sweden until they have applied.

Extension and permanent residence

An extension can be applied for no more than two months before the card expires. If it is applied for in time, the holder may keep working for the employer while waiting. After 36 months with an EU Blue Card in Sweden, the holder may be granted a permanent residence permit. Time spent in another EU country does not count, even with a Blue Card there.

HR checklist: hiring on an EU Blue Card

• Check the salary against the threshold in force on the application date
• Make sure the contract is for highly qualified work and runs at least six months
• Collect proof of the degree or of five years of relevant experience
• Arrange the employer insurances before the start date
• Record the expiry date and plan the extension within the two-month window
• Report job changes and salary changes to Migrationsverket

How Settio helps employers and agencies

Settio helps employers and immigration agencies run every work permit and relocation case in one place, from the first step to the renewal:

• Before the move: a plan for every hire, with each step, owner and deadline counted back from the start date, and documents that check themselves as they come in.
• After arrival: the employee portal shows the new hire their next steps on their phone, in their language, with no account or password.
• For the renewal: permit and salary monitoring tracks every expiry date and flags the extension in good time.

Your first hire is free, and agencies can try a real case for free. See plans and start.

Sources

7 official sources

• Migrationsverket: MIGRFS 2026:11, salary threshold for the EU Blue Card (SEK 53,625 from 15 July 2026, in Swedish)
• Migrationsverket: Apply for an EU Blue Card for highly qualified employment
• Migrationsverket: Employing highly skilled personnel who want an EU Blue Card
• Migrationsverket: Apply to extend an EU Blue Card
• Migrationsverket: New EU Blue Card rules now apply (7 January 2025)
• Migrationsverket: If you change employer or profession or stop working
• Migrationsverket: Salary requirements for a work permit