Moving to Sweden from Outside the EU: 2026 Guide

On this page · 8 sections

Phase 1: Before you move
Phase 2: Getting the residence permit card and travelling
Phase 3: The first weeks in Sweden
Phase 4: The first year
Phase 5: Staying long term
Frequently Asked Questions
Moving for work? How Settio helps
Sources

Moving to Sweden from outside the EU/EEA follows the same order for almost everyone: offer → permit → card → travel → registration → personnummer → ID → bank. Each step depends on the one before it. This guide goes through them in order, with the 2026 rules and what tends to cause delays.

Phase 1: Before you move

The job offer must meet the permit conditions

A Swedish work permit needs a job offer from an employer in Sweden that meets these conditions:

A monthly salary of at least SEK 34,470 (90% of the median salary, for applications from 16 June 2026). Some occupations and groups only need 75%. The salary must also match the collective agreement or what is normal in the occupation.
Terms at least as good as the collective agreement or the norm in the occupation.
Insurance cover: health, life, occupational injury and occupational pension insurance must be in place by the start date.
For employment of a year or less, comprehensive health insurance that covers the whole stay.

Highly qualified roles may qualify for an EU Blue Card instead (SEK 53,625 a month from 15 July 2026, highly qualified employment of at least six months). What changed in June 2026 explains the new rules in full.

The application

The employer starts the application in Migrationsverket's e-service and enters the offer of employment.
The employee gets an email, completes the application, uploads their passport and pays the fee.
Family members apply at the same time so their cases are handled together.

Fee (2026)	Amount
Work permit	SEK 2,200
EU Blue Card	SEK 2,000
Each adult family member	SEK 1,500
Each child	SEK 750

Fees are not refunded if the application is refused. Japanese citizens don't pay a fee.

Applying from inside Sweden

The main rule is that you apply before entering Sweden. There are exceptions, for example changing employer or occupation while already on a work permit, after at least two semesters of higher education in Sweden, or with a permit to look for work. A tourist visit is not a way around the rule.

How long it takes

When we checked, Migrationsverket had decided 75% of recent complete applications within one month for highly qualified jobs and four months for other jobs. Incomplete applications took two and ten months. Missing documents are the most common cause of delay that you can avoid. Check the live processing times rather than relying on these numbers.

Phase 2: Getting the residence permit card and travelling

When the permit is granted, the next step depends on whether you need a visa to visit Sweden.

If you need a visa (for example citizens of India): give fingerprints and a photo at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general, then wait for the residence permit card (it can take up to four weeks) before you travel.
If you don't need a visa (for example citizens of the UK or US): you can travel first and give biometrics in Sweden. The card is sent to your address in Sweden.

Since 10 April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records the face and fingerprints of non-EU short-stay travellers at the border. The ETIAS travel authorisation was not yet running when we checked. The EU has said it will start in the last quarter of 2026 and will announce the exact date.

The permit can never last longer than your passport. If your passport expires within two years, renew it before you apply.

Country guides: India, United Kingdom, United States.

Phase 3: The first weeks in Sweden

The arrival steps form a chain:

Register in the population register (folkbokföring) if you'll stay a year or more. Report the move online and then visit a state service centre in person for an identity check. This leads to your personnummer. See registering after arrival.
Get a Swedish ID card once you have the personnummer (SEK 400). See ID card and BankID. The government has proposed winding down Skatteverket's ID cards from 2027.
Open a bank account and get BankID, a widely used digital ID in Sweden.
Choose a health centre (vårdcentral). Subsidised healthcare starts once you're registered.

Stays under a year don't lead to registration. You get a coordination number (samordningsnummer) instead, and people who aren't registered pay the full cost of healthcare, so keep your health insurance for the whole stay.

Phase 4: The first year

Tax: if you qualify as a foreign expert, you or your employer must apply for expert tax relief within three months of your start date. See expert tax 2026.
Housing: many newcomers start with a second-hand contract. See housing for newcomers.
Driving: most non-EEA licences stop being valid once you have been registered in Sweden for more than a year. Only licences from the UK, Switzerland, Japan and the Faroe Islands can be exchanged, and only in certain circumstances. Everyone else takes the Swedish tests.
Language: Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) is open to people who live in Sweden, from the second half of the year they turn 16. Since 1 January 2026 the right to study lasts three years from when you are first admitted.
Your permit: the permit applies to the employer and occupation in your decision. Changing jobs means a new application (a proposal for February 2027 would change this). Note your permit's expiry date: you can apply to extend no more than two months before it expires, and the application must be registered before it does.

Phase 5: Staying long term

After four years with a work permit within the last seven years you can apply for permanent residence, provided you can support yourself and live a well-behaved life. Migrationsverket's assessment of good conduct was strengthened in July 2026. Since 6 June 2026 Swedish citizenship normally needs eight years of residence (up from five), plus new self-support and knowledge requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to move to Sweden for work from outside the EU?

When we checked, Migrationsverket decided 75% of recent complete applications within one month for highly qualified jobs and four months for other jobs. Then comes the residence permit card (up to four weeks), or a biometrics appointment in Sweden, and the move itself. Check the live processing times before you plan dates.

Can I move to Sweden first and apply for a work permit there?

Generally no. A first work permit must be applied for from outside Sweden. Exceptions include people already on a Swedish work permit who change employer or occupation, people who completed at least two semesters of higher education in Sweden, and holders of a permit to look for work.

What is the first thing to do after arriving in Sweden?

If you'll stay a year or more, report your move to Skatteverket online and visit a state service centre in person for the identity check. Your personnummer comes from this, and you need it for the Skatteverket ID card.

Can my family come with me?

Yes. Spouses, partners and children can apply at the same time as you, and family members of an employee are granted a permit to work. New family rules took effect on 1 October 2026, so check Migrationsverket's current maintenance requirement before they apply.

Moving for work? How Settio helps

Settio helps employers and immigration and relocation agencies run the whole move in one place, so the person moving can focus on settling in:

Before the move: one plan for the permit and the move, with every step and deadline. A partner and children get their own steps in the same household.
After arrival: the employee portal shows the newcomer their next steps on their phone, in their language, from registering after arrival to help for settling in.
When the permit runs out: permit monitoring flags the extension in good time.

HR teams and agencies can start for free. Moving yourself? Try our free tools for life in Sweden.

Sources

18 official sources

More in our guide toSwedish immigration news Relocating to Sweden

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Moving to Sweden from Outside the EU: The Complete 2026 Relocation Guide