Self-Employment Residence Permit in Sweden (2026): Requirements, Funds and Extension

For founders, Migrationsverket offers a residence permit for self-employed people. It's for non-EU citizens who start, buy or run a business here. It's demanding: Migrationsverket looks closely at your experience, your money and whether the business can realistically support you. Expect a long wait.

The requirements

• Ownership and control: you must own at least 51% of the business and be responsible for running it.
• Experience: good experience in the industry and in running your own business. Show it with earlier companies, references and contracts.
• Language: relevant Swedish or English. If the business mainly serves Swedish customers or suppliers, very good Swedish is expected.
• A credible business: a budget with a realistic basis, and established contacts with customers and suppliers, ideally signed letters of intent or contracts.
• Money to live on for about two years (below), plus money for the business on top.

How much money you need

Person	Own funds to support yourself
You	SEK 200,000
Spouse or partner	SEK 100,000
Each child	SEK 50,000

• The money must be in a bank account in your name. It can be abroad if it can be moved to Sweden. Provide statements for the last three months.
• The cost of starting or buying the business must be covered in addition, with your own money. Loans are normally not accepted.

Documents to prepare

• Business plan and budget, with the assumptions explained
• Certificate of incorporation, partnership agreement or share register showing your ownership
• Contracts or letters of intent from customers and suppliers
• Bank statements for the living money and the business money
• CV and evidence of earlier business experience

To invoice as a business you'll need F-tax approval (F-skatt) from Skatteverket, which you can apply for with a Swedish e-ID through Skatteverket's e-service at verksamt.se. Businesses with turnover of at most SEK 120,000 a year can usually stay outside VAT registration.

Fees, waiting time and permit length

• Fee: SEK 2,000, plus SEK 1,500 per adult family member and SEK 750 per child (citizens of Japan pay no fee). Not refunded if refused.
• Waiting time: long. Migrationsverket reported that 75% of incomplete applications were decided within 11 months, and had too few complete ones to publish a figure. A complete, well-documented application matters more here than for any other permit.
• Length: up to two years, and never longer than your passport.

Extending after two years

To extend, the business must be profitable and lasting, able to survive in the future, and you must still run it and have a decisive influence over it. Migrationsverket asks for:

• annual accounts for every year of the permit, and a current balance sheet and profit and loss statement
• tax returns (for a sole trader, the NE appendix), payslips if you're paid by your AB, and tax account statements
• six months of personal and business bank statements, and your housing costs

After housing costs you need enough left to live on: Migrationsverket's extension page gives SEK 6,243 a month for a single adult in 2026. Waiting times for extensions are long too: when we checked, 75% of incomplete extension applications were decided within 19 months. Apply no earlier than two months before the permit expires, and before it runs out.

Permanent residence

After at least two years on a self-employed permit you can apply for permanent residence, if the business supports you and you can be expected to live a well-behaved life. Stricter conduct rules apply from 13 July 2026.

Other routes worth comparing

• Permit to look for work or start a business: with a master's degree or higher you can spend up to nine months in Sweden preparing a business first. See job-seeker permit.
• Working for a young tech company: since June 2026, employees of certain tech and life-science companies that are still being built up, under five years old and with fewer than 100 employees only need 75% of the median salary on a work permit.
• EU long-term residents (with that status in another EU country) can move to Sweden to run a business on their own residence permit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money do I need for a self-employment permit in Sweden?

SEK 200,000 to support yourself for about two years, plus SEK 100,000 for a partner and SEK 50,000 per child, in an account in your name. The cost of starting or buying the business must be covered on top, with your own money.

Which permit do founders use in Sweden?

Entrepreneurs use the residence permit for self-employed people. People with a master's degree or higher can first get a permit of up to nine months to look for work or plan a business.

How long does a Swedish self-employment permit take?

It is the slowest work-related permit. Migrationsverket reported that 75% of incomplete applications were decided within 11 months. Submitting a complete application with contracts, budget and bank statements is the best way to avoid delays.

Can I get permanent residence as a self-employed person in Sweden?

Yes, after at least two years on a self-employed permit, if your business supports you and you can be expected to live a well-behaved life.

How Settio helps

Planning your own move? Our free tools answer the common questions in under a minute: is this salary enough for a permit and how long the decision takes.

Once you are hired, Settio helps your employer or immigration agency run the case in one place: a plan with every step before the move, an employee portal on your phone after arrival, and reminders before your permit runs out.

Sources

7 official sources

• Migrationsverket: Residence permit for self-employed people
• Migrationsverket: Extending as a self-employed person
• Skatteverket: F-tax and FA-tax
• Skatteverket: When you don't need to register for VAT (in Swedish)
• Migrationsverket: Occupations and groups with the 75% level (May 2026)
• Migrationsverket: Look for work or start a business
• Migrationsverket: Long-term residents in another EU country