Swedish Work Permit Document Checklist: What HR Needs to Collect

Why document preparation matters

Migrationsverket does not process an incomplete application until it is complete, and its own figures show the gap: for other employment than highly qualified work, 75% of complete applications were decided within 4 months, against 10 months for incomplete ones. This checklist covers the documents for the three most common case types in Sweden.

First-time work permit (standard)

Employer provides (in the e-service for employers):

• Company details: registration number, contact details, when the business was established and the workplace location
• The job: occupation, SSYK code, duties, form of employment, start date, scope, salary, the date of the collective agreement and the insurance companies
• The advertisement ID (or EURES reference) for the vacancy, which must have been advertised for at least ten days in Sweden, the EU/EEA and Switzerland
• For companies in industries with higher requirements, and new companies: evidence that the salary can be paid for at least three months (for example cash, balance and income reports, and recent tax account statements)

Employee provides (when completing the application):

• Copies of the passport. The permit can never be longer than the passport is valid.
• The employment agreement, signed by both parties after the advertising period has ended
• Proof of comprehensive health insurance, if the employment lasts at most one year
• A power of attorney, if someone applies on their behalf
• The fee: SEK 2,200 for the employee, SEK 1,500 for each adult family member and SEK 750 for each child
• Afterwards, the passport is shown at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general, a government service centre, or through a digital passport check

Work permit extension

Employer provides:

• The employment information in the e-service, as for a first application
• Insurance details showing that medical, life, occupational injury and occupational pension insurance covered the employee for the whole permit period

Employee provides:

• Copies of the passport and the employment agreement
• The insurance company, policy number and validity period
• A summary of the PAYE tax return from Skatteverket for every year worked in Sweden
• Payslips for the current year
• Certificates of employment from every employer during the permit period
• Certificates of any absence from work, such as payment statements from Försäkringskassan
• The fee: SEK 2,200

The extension can be made no more than two months before the current permit expires, and must be registered before it expires.

EU Blue Card

Employer provides:

• An offer of highly qualified employment lasting at least six months
• A monthly salary of at least SEK 53,625 (the threshold since 15 July 2026)
• The advertisement ID: the ten-day advertising rule also applies to Blue Card recruitment

Employee provides:

• Copies of the passport
• A degree certificate showing at least 180 higher education credits, or employer certificates showing at least five years of relevant experience
• Certified translations of documents not in Swedish or English, with a copy of the original
• The fee: SEK 2,000

Common document mistakes

• Contract signed too early or by one side only: the agreement is signed by both parties, after the advertising period has ended and before the application.
• Advertising only on social media: Migrationsverket says an ad only on LinkedIn or similar channels is usually not enough.
• Wrong email address: the employee logs in with the address the employer enters.
• Untranslated documents: anything not in Swedish or English needs a certified translation.
• Gaps in insurance: at the extension, cover must have applied for the entire permit period.

Document retention

Keep a copy of the employee's residence permit for 12 months after the employment ends (a rule Skatteverket explains for employers of third-country nationals), and keep payslips and other accounting records until the end of the seventh year after the financial year under the Bookkeeping Act (bokföringslagen). Keeping the rest of the permit file (contracts, advertisement details, insurance documents and correspondence with Migrationsverket) makes extensions and permanent residence applications easier, and it is the evidence you would use in a follow-up check.

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

8 official sources

• Migrationsverket: Employing someone from outside the EU/EEA
• Migrationsverket: Apply for a work permit as an employee
• Migrationsverket: Apply to extend a work permit
• Migrationsverket: Extending a permit for an employee
• Migrationsverket: Employing someone with an EU Blue Card
• Migrationsverket: Apply for an EU Blue Card
• Skatteverket: Anställning av tredjelandsmedborgare
• Bokföringslagen (1999:1078), 7 kap. 2 §