Who can obtain Swedish citizenship. Methods and reasons for obtaining a Swedish passport. Is it possible to obtain dual or second Swedish citizenship? Conditions for maintaining the first passport. Required documents, deadlines and costs.
Swedish citizenship status is a legal relationship between an individual and the Scandinavian kingdom that confers rights and responsibilities on both parties. Every foreigner who has lived in the state legally for at least 5 years and is in the country on the basis of permanent residence can acquire Swedish citizenship. Also, a Swedish citizen’s passport can be issued by birth, adoption, employment, business or marriage, subject to compliance with the requirements of local legislation.
The procedure for obtaining legal residence status in the state for foreigners is described in Law No. 716 “On Foreigners” dated September 29, 2005. The requirements for applicants for naturalization and obtaining a passport are regulated by Law No. 82 “On Swedish Citizenship” of 03/01/2001. The procedure for acquiring Swedish citizenship does not require renouncing your previous status in another country. A foreigner can keep his or her identity card and obtain another Swedish one, unless this is prohibited in the applicant’s home state. In this case, the second citizenship will be considered as the only one in each of these jurisdictions.
What are the benefits of Swedish citizenship?
The main advantages of obtaining a Swedish passport:
- Trips.
Swedes can visit 173 countries around the world without a visa. To enter the USA and Canada, a traveler will only need to fill out an electronic form on the official website. - Employment.
Working for a Swedish company provides a high level of wages, which exceeds the European average, as well as comfortable working conditions. Employers often give preference to local citizens over foreigners. - Banking system.
With a Swedish passport, you can easily open an account in a European bank and apply for a mortgage or loan at a reduced rate of 2%, as for an EU citizen. - Business.
Business activities, thanks to Sweden’s membership in the European Economic Area (EEA), can extend to the territory of all countries of the agreement. Swedes can sell goods or services within the EEA without going through customs control or additional duties. - Social assistance and medicine.
A Swedish passport guarantees participation in the national social insurance system, as well as access to a developed public health care system. Pensioners without work experience can count on financial assistance and housing allowance. - Education.
Local residents can study at school for free, use the services of municipal libraries, enroll in universities and apply for scholarships from European universities.
Methods and conditions for obtaining Swedish citizenship
Swedish citizenship law does not provide for status through the purchase of real estate or investment in the local economy. It will also not be possible to obtain a passport for a child through childbirth on the territory of the state. Citizenship in Sweden is transmitted only from parents to children or through naturalization. Depending on the reasons for moving to the country, the requirements for the candidate may differ.
Permanent residence gives foreigners the same rights as citizenship, with the exception of participation in the electoral process. To move to Sweden for permanent residence, you can apply for an EU passport under one of the available repatriation programs for citizens of the post-Soviet space in another EU country. This procedure will take less time compared to naturalization .
Birth and adoption
Children of Swedish citizens inherit their citizenship status from one of their parents. If a child under 12 years of age was adopted by Swedes, he also has the right to obtain citizenship status. In these cases, EU citizenship is granted automatically without a case review or additional requirements. Guardians only need to submit a notification through the electronic government services system.
Naturalization of children
Requirements for obtaining an identity card for children of foreigners differ, depending on the place of birth and length of stay in the kingdom. The following categories of persons have the right to obtain civil status:
- a child who was born in Sweden and lives there on the basis of permanent residence;
- children born abroad who have lived in Sweden on the basis of permanent residence for more than 3 years if they have a passport from another country, or 2 years when they are considered stateless;
- immigrants from 18 to 21 years old who have been in the kingdom since the age of 13 and have obtained permanent residence;
- children under 18 years of age for permanent residence, whose parents were naturalized and received Swedish citizenship.
The cost of notification about assigning status to children is 15 EUR. If a child acquires citizenship with his parents through naturalization or is a refugee, he is exempt from paying the fee. The notification is submitted online through the state electronic services website. It is also possible to download the application form from the portal of the Swedish Migration Agency, print it out, fill it out, attach a receipt for payment of the fee and send it by mail to the organization’s address.
Marriage
Cohabitation of a foreign person with a representative of the Swedish nation, registered partnership or marriage gives the right to an accelerated process for obtaining EU citizenship in Sweden. The couple must have lived together for at least 2 years before applying. This method of obtaining a passport is possible if the Swedish spouse has been in his or her civil status for at least two years or since birth. The accelerated procedure requires that the foreigner has permanent residence status and at least 3 years of legal stay in Sweden.
Education
The minimum period of residence in the country to obtain Swedish citizenship is 5 years. During this period, the time spent in the country on the basis of a study residence permit is not counted. However, the period of stay in the country for graduate or doctoral studies, which involves employment in the acquired profession, can be counted when submitting an application for naturalization. At the time of the application, the interested person must be in the state on the basis of permanent residence, and also meet a number of other standard conditions in the form of financial security and good criminal record.
Employment
Foreign-born employees or entrepreneurs can naturalize in Sweden after 5 years of legal residence and if they have permanent residence. At the same time, they must pay taxes and make social contributions on time, and also meet standard requirements for candidates for naturalization.
Initially, when moving, foreigners should obtain a residence permit to work or start a business. For persons with higher education, it is possible to request a residence permit for a period of 3 to 9 months to search for highly qualified vacancies or study the market for the purpose of entrepreneurial activity. Residence is issued strictly for a specified area of activity with a work permit, and it will not be possible to change your specialty or get a job with another employer in a different position until the residence permit expires.
Individual entrepreneurs can obtain permanent residence after 2 years of residence in the country on the basis of a residence permit for business, and after another 3 years they can apply for citizenship. To obtain permanent residence, employees must be employed and live in the state for at least 4 years, and then another year to obtain a Swedish passport.
Procedure for obtaining Swedish citizenship
The process of obtaining a Swedish passport takes several main stages, the timing of which depends on the reasons for moving to the country, as well as the workload of the migration service. For an adult foreign person, the naturalization procedure includes the following steps:
- Collection of documents.
The beginning of the immigration process is accompanied by studying information regarding possible reasons for moving, assessing the pros and cons of the chosen method, collecting certificates, translating them into Swedish or English, as well as legalization. - Registration of residence permit.
To enter Sweden, you must obtain a residence permit in order to obtain citizenship. Citizens who do not need a visa to cross the Swedish border can apply for a residence permit at the migration service. Other foreigners apply for their first resident status at the consular office or diplomatic mission at their place of residence in their home country. A residence permit costs from 132 EUR to 176 EUR per person and depends on the reasons for moving. The period for making a decision ranges from 3 to 18 months. - Obtaining permanent residence.
After the required period of legal residence for each category of foreigners has expired, you can apply for permanent residence. The request for permanent residence is carried out together with the next extension of the residence permit, and the review period takes from 3 to 18 months. - Registration of citizenship.
The application is submitted online through the government electronic services portal if you have a digital identifier. At the time of the application, the person must be legally residing in Sweden and supporting himself. A foreigner needs to fill out a form on the official website and attach the necessary scans of documents required by the program. As an alternative, you can send a printed application form along with documents to the address of the migration service. The status of the case is checked online on the government services website. The process usually takes from 6 to 18 months. - Obtaining a citizen’s passport.
The migration service sends a positive decision on status assignment by mail to the specified address. Based on it, the applicant can issue an internal ID card and passport of a Swedish citizen from the police by appointment. The cost of each document is 35 EUR.
Dual citizenship in the Kingdom of Sweden
Regulations do not provide for the need to renounce the first status when applying for a second Swedish citizenship. Dual citizenship implies the existence of a bilateral agreement between states on the mutual recognition of the rights and obligations of persons with two passports, which Sweden does not have.
For citizens of Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the post-Soviet space, it is possible to obtain a second Swedish passport. In this case, each country will consider the individual only its citizen in legal relations with government agencies. For example, Russian citizenship can be used when crossing the border of the Russian Federation and staying on its territory, and a second Swedish passport can be used for traveling through visa-free countries and living in a Scandinavian state.
How much does it cost to obtain Swedish citizenship and passport?
You cannot legally buy Swedish citizenship, just like you can’t get it for buying local real estate or investing in the economy. The legislation provides for a single path to naturalization, which differs in requirements for different categories of citizens and reasons for moving. The total cost of obtaining Swedish citizenship is formed from several categories:
| Expense item | Price, € |
|---|---|
| Government duty | 132 |
| ID card | 35 |
| Citizen’s passport | 35 |
| Translation of documents | 50 |
| Notary Services | 50 |
Minor children are exempt from paying the state fee if they are included in the application of one of the parents, stateless persons and refugees.
What do you need to become a Swedish citizen?
Basic requirements for naturalization of adult foreign citizens in the Kingdom of Sweden:
- age over 18 years;
- the ability to confirm your identity;
- fulfillment of the conditions for minimum residence in the state (3 years for spouses of Swedish citizens and 5 years for other applicants);
- no criminal record, no debts or fines;
- presence of permanent residence.
What documents are needed to obtain citizenship?
You can become a Swedish citizen by filling out an application on the official website of government services and providing the following set of documents:
- international passport;
- decision on granting permanent residence status;
- receipt of payment of the duty (payable on the website);
- certificate of good conduct.
When filling out an application on the website, the applicant must allow the required information to be checked using internal government databases. The migration officer will find out whether the applicant has a criminal record, unpaid fines, alimony debts, and will review the period of residence in the state and the relevance of permanent residence status.
A certificate of income, confirmation of the availability of housing in the state, as well as other confirmation of the legality of stay in the country are required when applying for a residence permit and permanent residence. At the stage of obtaining citizenship and issuing an internal Swedish passport, proof of stay in the state for the required period (work contract, postgraduate agreement, residence permit, marriage certificate with a Swede) does not need to be provided.
What documents are needed to obtain a passport?
The basis for obtaining internal documents is a positive decision of the migration authority on admission to citizenship, as well as the applicant’s identity card. No additional information is required. The National Identity Card looks like a plastic card with biometric data. A citizen’s passport is produced in the form of a book with blank pages for visas.
Registration of citizenship for a child
Foreigners applying for citizenship for themselves can include in their application minor children who are in Sweden on the basis of permanent residence. If only one of the parents is naturalized, a written notarized consent with a translation from the second is required to allow the child to acquire Swedish citizenship. Children over 12 years of age must certify the application with their own electronic signature on the application of their father or mother. The cost of a request from an adult foreign person when a minor child is included in the process does not change and is 132 EUR.
Children can also obtain citizenship separately from their parents if they meet the legal requirements for the minimum period of residence in the state and education in local institutions. The cost of a naturalization application for a child when submitting a separate application is 15 EUR.
Registration of a citizen’s passport
As soon as the decision to grant citizenship is made, the biometric residence cards are blocked and the interested person must obtain new documents in the status of a Swedish citizen.
The procedure for obtaining an EU ID card and a foreign passport:
- Online registration at the police passport office to submit an application.
- Fill out an application form at the reception, submit fingerprints and photos.
- Payment of the state fee when submitting an application.
- Receipt of documents at the passport office within 6 working days.
The state fee for issuing documents is 70 EUR. The validity period of the certificates is 5 years. When the completed documents are delivered to the specified police station, the applicant will receive an SMS notification.
Refusal to obtain citizenship – reasons, solutions
A foreigner’s application for admission to civil status may be rejected due to the following factors:
- the person is in military service in another state;
- the necessary requirements for naturalization have not been met;
- the applicant has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment, a fine or probation;
- migration conditions are violated.
In order to minimize the likelihood of refusal to obtain a citizen’s passport, the applicant should study in detail local legislation and the conditions for granting status to foreigners. For example, after serving a prison sentence of 2 years, the applicant has the right to naturalize in Sweden, but only after 8 years after release. In this case, knowledge of the law will help simplify some conditions and mandatory requirements.