How to Hire a Non-EU Employee in Sweden: Step-by-Step Guide for 2026

Overview: what employers are responsible for

In Sweden, the employer plays a central role in the work permit process. Unlike some countries where immigration is purely the employee's concern, Swedish law places obligations on the hiring company from job advertisement through to post-arrival compliance monitoring. Understanding these obligations upfront prevents the most common and costly mistakes.

Step 1: Advertise the vacancy (at least ten days)

For a new recruitment, the employer must advertise the vacancy in Sweden and within the EU/EEA and Switzerland for at least ten days. This does not mean you must hire a candidate from the EU, only that the job was open to them.

The Swedish Public Employment Service's job portal meets the requirement, and its ads also appear on EURES. Other channels must reach as widely; Migrationsverket says advertising only on social networks is usually not enough. Keep the ad ID or the EURES reference number, because the application asks for it.

Step 2: Sign a contract with compliant terms

The employment contract is signed by both parties after the advertising period has ended and before the permit application. Migrationsverket says it should include, among other things:

• The names and addresses of both parties and the place of work
• The job title and duties, the form of employment and the start date
• Salary, benefits and how often salary is paid, working hours, overtime and holiday
• Any collective agreement that applies

From 1 June 2026 the salary must be at least 90% of the median salary (SEK 34,470 a month), or 75% for exempt occupations and groups, and the terms must be at least on par with collective agreements or common practice in the occupation. Leaving the start date open ("when the permit is granted") can avoid delays.

Step 3: Arrange insurance

By the start date, the employer must have taken out medical, life, occupational injury and occupational pension insurance for the employee. Where the employment lasts at most one year, the employee must also have, or have applied for, comprehensive health insurance.

Step 4: Start the application; the employee completes it

• The employer starts the application in Migrationsverket's e-service, then the employee gets a link, completes their part and submits it. The application is not registered until the employee has done so.
• The employer gives the relevant trade union the chance to comment on the terms of employment.
• Employers in some industries (for example cleaning, hotels and restaurants, construction, trade, agriculture and forestry, automotive workshops, services and staffing) must show they can pay the salary for at least three months.
• A first application must be made from outside Sweden. The employee pays a fee of SEK 2,200.

Migrationsverket's page says 75% of recently decided first applications ("other employments") were decided within 4 months when complete and 10 months when incomplete. Highly qualified workers: 1 and 2 months. From 1 June 2026, Migrationsverket can also reject an application because of circumstances relating to the employer.

Step 5: Who can work while waiting

A first-time applicant has no right to work in Sweden while the application is processed. Someone who already holds a Swedish work permit is in a different position:

• An employee who has had a work permit for six months or more and applies to extend it before it expires may keep working while waiting.
• An employee who applies for a new permit with a new employer before the old permit expires may start at the new job once the application is made, if the position has been advertised.

Step 6: The permit is granted

• The permit is granted for at most two years, and never longer than the employment or the passport.
• Check the employee's right to work personally, keep copies for the whole employment and 12 months after, and notify Skatteverket of the employment (form SKV 1160).
• If the employee has not started work within four months of the permit being granted, notify Migrationsverket. The permit may be revoked.
• If the employee will live in Sweden for a year or more, they notify Skatteverket of the move and get a personal identity number when registered.

Step 7: Keep the conditions throughout the permit

• Employer changes: during the first two years the permit is tied to the employer, so a new employer needs a new permit.
• Role changes: a new occupation or completely new duties need a new permit, applied for before the current one expires.
• Company changes: a new company registration number or new owners also need a new permit.
• Worse terms: employers in some sectors are told, when the permit is granted, that they must report worsened terms within one month. Not reporting can lead to a fine or imprisonment.

Inspections and sanctions

• Migrationsverket can inspect employers during the permit to check that the salary and insurance are still in place. If the terms are not met, it investigates whether to revoke the permit. An employer that does not provide the information may be fined.
• Employing someone without the required work permit can lead to up to two years in prison (a fine if minor) and a special fee of two price base amounts per person, or four if it lasted more than three months.

Summary checklist for employers

• Advertise the vacancy for at least ten days and keep the ad ID
• Check the salary against the requirement and the collective agreement
• Sign the contract after the advertising period
• Arrange the four insurances by the start date
• Start the application and give the union a chance to comment
• On arrival: check and copy the right-to-work documents, send SKV 1160
• Plan the extension: it can be applied for no more than two months before expiry

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

9 official sources

• Migrationsverket: Employing a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country
• Migrationsverket: Apply for a work permit in Sweden
• Migrationsverket: You are waiting for a decision, work in Sweden
• Migrationsverket: If you change employer or profession or stop working
• Migrationsverket: The employee's application has been approved
• Migrationsverket: Changes in the employment
• Migrationsverket: Inspections during the employment period
• Skatteverket: Moving to Sweden, population registration
• Riksdagen: Utlänningslag (2005:716), 20 kap. 5 och 12 §§