Work Permit on Probation (Provanställning) in Sweden: Six Months, Then Apply Again

The short answer: if the employment contract starts with a probation period (provanställning), the Migration Agency grants the work permit for the probation only. A six-month probation gives a six-month permit. When the probation turns into permanent employment (tillsvidareanställning), the permit does not update itself: the employer applies to extend it before it runs out, with a valid passport and every condition of the first permit met. This guide explains why, what the extension needs, and how to plan the months in between.

Why a probation contract gets a six-month permit

Under the Employment Protection Act, a probation period is at most six months. Unless the employer or the employee gives notice by its end, it becomes permanent employment.

The Migration Agency has explained how it sets the permit's length for such contracts, in its consultation response to the Government of 29 May 2023: a probation can end at short notice and nothing guarantees a permanent job afterwards, so it cannot assess whether the conditions will be met after the probation. In its own words, "Tillståndet beviljas därför för den tid som provanställningen avser": the permit is granted for the period the probation covers. If the probation becomes permanent employment, the permit is extended.

That sits inside the general limits for every work permit:

• At most two years per permit.
• Never longer than the employment.
• Never longer than the passport is valid.

The changes the Migration Agency lists for the rules in force from 1 June 2026 do not mention probation. The employment agreement still has to state the form of employment (permanent, fixed-term or probationary) and the notice period, the length of the probation period or the end date.

From probation to permanent: the timeline

For example, an employee starts on 1 February 2027 with a six-month probation, and the permit decision runs to the end of the probation, 31 July 2027:

When	What happens
Before the start	The employer starts the first application in the e-service; the agreement states the six-month probation. The permit is granted for the probation.
During the probation	The employer decides whether to keep the employee on. Salary, insurance and terms have to meet the permit's conditions every month, because the extension looks back at them.
From 31 May 2027	Two months before the permit ends: the earliest day the employer can start the extension, with the signed permanent contract.
By 31 July 2027	The extension must be registered before the permit expires. It is registered only once the employee has completed their part.
After that	The Migration Agency decides. An extended permit lasts at most two years, never longer than the employment or the passport.

What the extension needs

• A signed permanent contract. Before applying, the employee needs an employment agreement signed by both the employee and the employer.
• A valid passport. No permit is granted for longer than the passport is valid, and the application includes correct copies of it. If the passport expires soon, renew it first, or the new permit ends with it.
• Every condition met for the whole first permit. The terms of employment must have been met throughout the period the employee has had the permit: salary, insurance and other terms at least on par with collective agreements or common practice, with medical, life, occupational injury and occupational pension insurance for the whole period.
• The salary requirement. For permits granted after 1 June 2026, at least 90% of the median salary when the employee applies, currently SEK 34,470 a month. From 2 December 2026 it applies to all extension applications.
• The union's comment. The employer gives the relevant trade union the opportunity to comment on the terms of employment.
• The documents. Among them, the payslips for the current year, an employment certificate from each employer, information from the insurance providers and income records from Skatteverket.

The employer starts the extension in the Migration Agency's e-service by giving information about the employment; the employee then completes their part through a link.

Can the employee keep working while the extension is processed?

Only if they have had a work permit for six months or more and applied before the current permit expired. Someone who has had a work permit for less than six months may not work while waiting for the decision.

A permit that covered only a six-month probation sits right at that line, so there is no room for a late application: plan for the extension to go in as soon as the two-month window opens, and agree with the employee what happens if they have to stop work while the Migration Agency decides. Travel needs care too: the Migration Agency warns that someone who travels abroad after applying for an extension may find it hard to come back to Sweden.

If the probation ends without a permanent job

When the employment ends early, the requirements for the permit are no longer met. The employee may stay in Sweden for three months to look for a new job, but only as long as the permit is valid for that time. A permit that ends with the probation leaves no such time.

Fixed-term contracts and other changes

• Fixed-term contracts follow the same rule: the permit never lasts longer than the employment, so it ends no later than the contract's end date, and a new contract means an extension before the permit expires.
• A new occupation or completely new duties need a new work permit, applied for before the current one expires.
• A new owner of the company means a new permit for the employee.
• Worse pay or terms that no longer meet the requirements can lead the Migration Agency to revoke the permit; in some industries the employer must also report worsened terms in writing within one month.

What HR should keep track of

• The probation's end date next to the permit's end date and the passport's expiry.
• The decision to keep the employee on, early enough to sign the permanent contract before the two-month window opens.
• The day the window opens, two months before the permit ends, and the employee's part of the application completed before it expires.
• Salary and insurance every month since the start, because the extension looks back over the whole probation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did we get only a six-month work permit?

Because the contract starts with a six-month probation. The Migration Agency grants the permit for the period the probation covers, since a probation can end at short notice and a permanent job afterwards is not guaranteed. When the probation becomes permanent, the permit is extended.

What happens to the work permit when the probation becomes permanent?

Nothing by itself: the permit keeps its end date. The employer applies to extend it in the Migration Agency's e-service with the signed permanent contract, at the earliest two months before the permit ends and before it expires.

How long is an extended work permit?

At most two years, never longer than the employment and never longer than the passport is valid.

Does the passport have to be valid for the extension?

Yes. No permit is granted for longer than the passport is valid, and the application includes copies of it. If it expires soon, renew it before applying.

Can the employee keep working while the extension is processed?

Only if they have had a work permit for six months or more and applied before the current permit expired. With less than six months they may not work while waiting, which is why a six-month probation permit should be extended as soon as the window opens.

What if the probation ends without a permanent job?

The permit's requirements are no longer met. The employee may stay three months to look for a new job only while the permit is still valid, and a permit that ends with the probation leaves no such time.

Does a fixed-term contract work the same way?

Yes. A work permit is never granted for longer than the employment, so it ends no later than the contract's end date, and a new contract needs an extension before the permit expires.

How Settio keeps permits in step with contracts

Settio tracks each permit's decision, expiry and renewal, and warns before a permit expires, so the extension can start when the two-month window opens rather than the week the permit ends. In Sweden it checks each month's salary against the permit's terms, with follow-up tasks when a month falls short, and it prepares the filing pack for the Migration Agency's e-service.

See permit and salary monitoring, immigration software for HR teams and how pricing works, or check a salary with the free Permit Salary Check. For the extension itself, read the work permit extension guide.

Sources

11 official sources

• Migrationsverket: Remissvar Genomförande av det nya blåkortsdirektivet, Ds 2023:6 (29 maj 2023, Dnr 1.4-2023-4423), avsnitt 9.2 Tillståndstiden
• Migrationsverket: Beslut om nya regler för arbetskraftsinvandring (19 mars 2026)
• Migration Agency: Work permits for employees
• Migrationsverket: Anställa en person som är medborgare i ett land utanför EU/EES
• Migration Agency: Extending a permit for employees
• Migrationsverket: Ansök om förlängning av arbetstillstånd
• Migrationsverket: Du har ansökt om förlängning
• Migrationsverket: Förändringar i anställningen
• Migration Agency: If you change employer or profession or stop working
• Migration Agency: Salary requirements for a work permit
• Riksdagen: Lag (1982:80) om anställningsskydd, 4 to 6 §§