Immigration to Sweden
Immigration to Sweden: work permits explained.
To work in Sweden from outside the EU you need a work permit (arbetstillstånd) or an EU Blue Card from Migrationsverket before you start. Since 16 June 2026 the permit needs a monthly salary of at least 34,470 SEK, and since 15 July 2026 the EU Blue Card at least 53,625 SEK. The terms must also match the collective agreement or industry practice, and they keep applying after approval.
In short
What to know
Which permit
Work permit, EU Blue Card, intra-company transfer, researcher, self-employment or job seeker.
Every Swedish permit typeSalary and terms
At least 34,470 SEK a month for a work permit, with insurance and terms at the collective agreement level.
Permit Salary CheckAfter approval
Job changes, extensions, salary drift and permanent residence.
Compliance after approval
Permit types
The permits Sweden issues
- Work permit
- EU Blue Card
- ICT permit
- Seasonal work permit
- Self-employment permit
- Family member permit
- Residence permit card (UT-kort)
- Visa
- Social-security certificate (A1 or similar)
Salary levels
What the permit has to pay
Each figure with its legal basis and the official page it comes from.
Work-permit minimum salary
SEK 34,470 a month · from 16 June 2026
90 % of the median salary of 38,300 SEK, for applications from 16 June 2026 (Migrationsverket)
Official sourceEU Blue Card salary threshold
SEK 53,625 a month · from 15 July 2026
1.25 × the average gross salary, from 15 July 2026 (Migrationsverket)
Official sourceExpert tax relief salary level
SEK 88,800 a month · from 1 January 2026
Gross monthly salary above 1.5 × prisbasbelopp of the year the work starts, Forskarskattenämnden
Official sourcePermit application fee (main applicant)
SEK 2,200 · from 1 January 2018
Migrationsverket application fee (utlänningsförordningen 8 kap. 5 §)
Official sourcePermit application fee (adult family member)
SEK 1,500 · from 1 January 2018
Migrationsverket application fee (utlänningsförordningen 8 kap. 5 §)
Official sourcePermit application fee (child)
SEK 750 · from 1 January 2018
Migrationsverket application fee (utlänningsförordningen 8 kap. 5 §)
Official sourceChild benefit per child
Unemployment insurance income ceiling
SEK 34,000 a month · from 1 October 2025
Highest monthly income that counts for unemployment benefit, IAF
Official sourceStaying longer
Faster routes and settling
Permanent residence: after 4 years
Authorities
Who does what in Sweden
Migrationsverket (Swedish Migration Agency)
Swedish Migration Agency: decides residence and work permits
Official websiteSkatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency)
Swedish Tax Agency: population register, personnummer, tax
Official websiteFörsäkringskassan (Swedish Social Insurance Agency)
Swedish Social Insurance Agency: benefits and social security
Official websiteArbetsmiljöverket (Swedish Work Environment Authority)
Swedish Work Environment Authority: the posting register
Official websiteForskarskattenämnden (Taxation of Research Workers Board)
Taxation of Research Workers Board: expert tax relief
Official websiteOther countries
Official sources
- Migrationsverket: waiting times (Väntetider), work
- Migrationsverket: apply for a work permit (fees)
- Folkbokföringslag (1991:481), 25 §: a move is reported within one week
- Skatteverket: SINK, special income tax for non-residents
- Forskarskattenämnden: tax relief for foreign experts
- Försäkringskassan: current amounts (aktuella belopp)
- IAF: the new unemployment insurance from 1 October 2025
- Skatteverket: Moving to Sweden
- Digg: e-IDs for people without a Swedish personal or coordination number (in Swedish)
- PTS: prepaid cards (in Swedish)
- Försäkringskassan: sick when you're employed
- Verksamt: holiday and holiday days
- Försäkringskassan: dental care support
- University Admissions: who pays fees
- Migrationsverket: new rules for citizenship from 6 June 2026
Guides
Every guide on this topic
- Arbetstillstånd förlängning: Complete Guide for HR Teams (2026)Step-by-step guide to extending a Swedish work permit in 2026. Deadlines, documents, Migrationsverket processing times, and what happens if you miss the window.
- EU Blue Card Sweden: Salary Requirements, Eligibility & How to Apply (2026)Everything HR teams need to know about the EU Blue Card in Sweden, salary thresholds, eligibility criteria, processing times, and how it compares to a standard work permit.
- Migrationsverket Processing Times 2026: What HR Needs to Plan AroundCurrent Migrationsverket handläggningstider (processing times) for work permits, extensions, and Blue Cards in 2026. How to plan around delays and what triggers longer waits.
- Byta Jobb på Arbetstillstånd: What HR Teams Must Do When a Permit Holder Changes JobsThe complete HR guide to job changes on a Swedish work permit (byta jobb arbetstillstånd), when a new permit is needed, how to notify Migrationsverket, and how to avoid voiding a permit.
- Sweden Work Permit Salary Threshold 2026: What HR Needs to KnowThe salary requirement for Swedish work permits changes every year. This guide explains the 2026 threshold, how it is calculated, what happens when an employee falls below it, and how to stay compliant.
- Family Reunification in Sweden: What HR Should Tell EmployeesWhen an international hire wants to bring their family to Sweden, HR is often their first point of contact. This guide explains the family reunification permit process, timelines, and what the employer's role is.
- EU Blue Card vs Work Permit Sweden: Which is Right for Your Hire?The EU Blue Card and the standard work permit are both valid routes for hiring highly-skilled non-EU professionals in Sweden. This guide compares eligibility, salary requirements, processing times, and long-term residency implications.
- Working While Your Swedish Work Permit Extension Is Processed (and What AT-UND Really Means)If you have held a Swedish work permit for at least six months and apply to extend it before it expires, you can keep working while Migrationsverket decides. This guide explains the conditions, what breaks the right, what proof to keep, and why AT-UND is something else entirely.
Show all 33 guides
- Permanent Residence in Sweden: The Path for Work Permit HoldersAfter several years in Sweden on a work permit, employees may be eligible for permanent residence. This guide explains the requirements, the application process, and how HR can support long-term international hires.
- How to Speed Up Your Swedish Work Permit Application in 2026Migrationsverket processing times vary widely. This guide explains the factors that determine how fast a case moves, what employers and employees can do to avoid delays, and what not to do.
- Researcher Visa Sweden: The Permit Route for Academics and ScientistsSweden has a dedicated permit route for researchers from outside the EU/EEA. This guide explains eligibility, the hosting agreement requirement, the maintenance rules, and how it differs from a standard work permit.
- Seasonal Work Permits in Sweden: What Employers Need to KnowSweden has a specific permit type for seasonal workers in agriculture, horticulture, and tourism. This guide explains the rules, duration limits, housing and insurance requirements, and what happens when a seasonal worker changes employer.
- Sweden's New Work Permit Rules (June 2026): What Non-EU Hires and Employers Must KnowFrom 1 June 2026 Sweden requires 90% of the median salary for a work permit, bans permits for some jobs and tightens employer checks. What changed, who is exempt, the transition to 1 December 2026, and what is proposed for 2027.
- Sweden's Family Rules From 1 October 2026: What Changes for EmployersSweden's stricter family immigration rules took effect on 1 October 2026: maintenance at extension, health insurance for short stays, researchers' families, students, the two-year wait and young adults. What HR teams and agencies need to do.
- Every Type of Swedish Visa and Residence Permit, Explained (2026)Work permit, EU Blue Card, ICT, self-employment, job-seeker, researcher, student, working holiday, family, seasonal, visitor and the D visa: what each Swedish permit is for, who qualifies, and which one fits your move.
- Self-Employment Residence Permit in Sweden (2026): Requirements, Funds and ExtensionHow to get a Swedish residence permit to run your own business: 51% ownership, experience, SEK 200,000 in own funds plus family amounts, the business plan, waiting times, extending after two years, and permanent residence.
- Sweden's Permit to Look for Work or Start a Business: Who Qualifies (2026)Sweden's job-seeker permit lets people with a master's degree or higher spend up to nine months in Sweden looking for a job or planning a business. Requirements, funds, insurance, fees, and switching to a work permit.
- Working Holiday Visa for Sweden: Countries, Age Limit and Requirements (2026)Sweden's working holiday permit gives young citizens of Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea up to a year to travel and work. Age limits, funds, insurance, fees and what happens after.
- From Studies to Work in Sweden: The Student Permit, Work Limits and Staying After GraduationFor non-EU students: what the Swedish study permit needs in 2026, the new 15-hour weekly work limit, staying up to 12 months to look for work after graduating, and switching to a work permit at the lower 75% salary level.
- What is a Personnummer? Sweden's Personal Identity Number ExplainedWhat is a personnummer? Sweden's 10-digit personal identity number, how it is built, who gets one, how long it takes after folkbokföring, and what to do while it is on its way.
- What is a Samordningsnummer? Sweden's Coordination Number ExplainedWhat is a samordningsnummer? Sweden's coordination number for people not in the population register: who needs one, how to apply, the in-person ID check, the five-year inactive rule and its limits.
- What is Folkbokföring? Sweden's Population Registration ExplainedWhat is folkbokföring? Sweden's population registration at Skatteverket: who must register, the one-year rule, the in-person identity check, waiting times and what it unlocks, starting with the personnummer.
- What is an SSYK Code? Sweden's Occupation Code and Work PermitsWhat is an SSYK code? The Swedish occupational classification from SCB, why it decides whether a job gets the 75% salary level for a work permit, and how to find the right four-digit code.
- What is Särskild Avgift? Sweden's Employer Sanction Fee ExplainedWhat is särskild avgift? The fee a Swedish employer pays for employing someone without the right to stay or work: SEK 118,400 or 236,800 per person since June 2026, who decides it, and how to avoid it.
- What is AT-UND? Sweden's Work Permit Exemption for Asylum SeekersWhat is AT-UND? The exemption from the Swedish work permit requirement for asylum seekers, shown on the application card, and how it differs from working while a work permit extension is pending.
- What is F-skatt? Sweden's F-tax Approval ExplainedWhat is F-skatt? Sweden's F-tax approval for people who run a business: who needs it, F-tax vs FA-tax, how to apply through verksamt.se, and what it means for clients and self-employed permit holders.
- Hiring Software Developers in Sweden: Work Permit or EU Blue Card? (2026)Hiring software developers or IT staff from outside the EU into Sweden in 2026: work permit vs EU Blue Card, the 90% salary rule, which IT roles get the 75% exemption, common refusals and a document checklist.
- Nurses and Doctors Moving to Sweden: Work Permits and Socialstyrelsen Licensing (2026)How nurses and doctors from outside the EU get a Swedish work permit and licence in 2026: the Socialstyrelsen licensing steps, the C1 Swedish requirement, the 75% salary exemption, assistant nurses and a checklist.
- Chefs and Restaurant Workers: Sweden Work Permit Rules for 2026Hiring chefs, cooks or restaurant staff from outside the EU in Sweden: the 90% salary rule, the Visita and HRF collective agreement, extra requirements for restaurants, inspections, common refusals and a document checklist.
- Construction Workers in Sweden: Work Permits, Posting Rules and ID06 (2026)Hiring construction workers from outside the EU in Sweden: work permit salary rules, exempt trades like welders, the Byggavtalet agreement, posting notifications, ID06, staff registers and a checklist.
- Truck and Bus Drivers in Sweden: Work Permit, Licence and YKB Rules (2026)Hiring truck or bus drivers from outside the EU in Sweden: the work permit salary rule, why most non-EEA driving licences stop being valid, YKB professional competence, collective agreements and a checklist.
- Hiring Non-EU Talent in Sweden vs Germany vs the Netherlands (2026 Comparison)Hiring in Sweden vs Germany vs the Netherlands: permit types, 2026 salary thresholds, processing times, employer obligations, tax incentives (expertskatt vs 30% ruling), family rights and the path to citizenship.
- EU Blue Card: Sweden vs Germany in 2026, Side by SideEU Blue Card Sweden vs Germany in 2026: salary thresholds (incl. Germany's lower shortage-occupation level), contract length, job changes, family rights and how fast each leads to permanent residence.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What is the minimum salary for a Swedish work permit?
34,470 SEK a month since 16 June 2026, and 53,625 SEK for an EU Blue Card since 15 July 2026. The salary must also match the collective agreement or industry practice.
Who decides on Swedish work permits?
Migrationsverket, the Swedish Migration Agency. The employer starts the application online and the employee completes it.
Can someone change jobs on a Swedish work permit?
A permit is tied to the employer and the occupation for the first two years, so a new job usually needs a new permit before the person starts.
How does Settio help with Swedish work permits?
It plans every step, checks the documents before filing, watches salaries against the permit terms after approval and warns before permits expire.
Free tools and more
- Permit Salary Check
- Decision Wait Times
- Family Income Check
- Family permit checklist
- Immigration software for HR teams
- Starting an immigration agency
- Buyer's guide: agency case management software
- Questions, answered
Informational only. This guide is not legal advice. Always verify requirements with official government sources before acting. Facts checked 10 October 2026. About this information