Permit timeline
When to apply to extend
Do you have a time-limited residence permit (uppehållstillstånd) and want to stay in Sweden? Then apply to Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) to extend it before it stops being valid. If you apply too late, you may not work while you wait, and you may be refused. Choose why you have your permit and work out when you can apply. Migrationsverket always decides whether you get an extension.
- A new residence permit card doesn't extend your permit. You must apply for an extended residence permit.
- Several rules changed in 2026: the salary requirement for work permits, the maintenance requirement for families, the rules for students and permanent residence for people with protection. The steps show what applies.
Do you have a different kind of permit?
The steps cover work permits for employees, permits to live with family, university studies, and permits after an asylum application. For others, such as self-employment, an EU Blue Card, the Temporary Protection Directive or long-term residence, Migrationsverket has separate pages: You want to extend.
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For you if you have a work permit as an employee. You can apply to extend it no more than two months before it stops being valid. You must apply before it stops being valid.
The card's last day of validity is on the front of your residence permit card (uppehållstillståndskort). The card is valid as long as your permit, but for at most three years.
If you apply too late, you may not work while you wait for a decision, and you risk losing certain social benefits. You may also be refused, because you will have been in Sweden without a valid permit.
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A new salary requirement has applied since 1 June 2026. Your salary must be at least 90 per cent of the median salary in Sweden. Since 16 June 2026 that means at least SEK 34,470 a month.
Did you get your current permit before 1 June 2026, and do you apply by 1 December 2026? Then the previous rules apply: at least 80 per cent of the median salary, which is SEK 30,640 a month.
If your application is registered on 2 December 2026 or later, you must meet the new salary requirement, even if you got your permit under the previous rules.
Your salary, insurance and other terms must also be at least at the level of the collective agreement or what is normal in your occupation. They must have been met during the whole time you have had your permit.
Exemptions and other new rules
- Some occupations and groups are exempt from the salary requirement. Their salary must be at least 75 per cent of the median salary. Check that your occupation is still on the list when you extend.
- Since 1 June 2026 you can't get a work permit as a forest berry picker or as a personal assistant.
- Since 13 July 2026 the good-conduct rules (vandel) are stricter. Migrationsverket checks, for example, whether you have paid your debts and given correct information for benefits.
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You need an employment contract signed by you and your employer. Attach copies of:
- your passport
- the employment contract
- details of your employer's insurance: the insurance company, your insurance number and the period
- a summary of your income details from Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency), for all the years you have worked in Sweden
- payslips for this year
- certificates of employment from every employer you have had in Sweden, and proof of any absence, such as payment notices from Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency)
If your passport expires soon, renew it. You can't get a permit for longer than your passport is valid. Migrationsverket prioritises complete applications.
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Your employer starts the application in Migrationsverket's e-service. The trade union gets to give its view on your terms. Then you get an e-mail with a link. Log in, fill in your part, check the terms and attach your documents.
Your application isn't in until you have sent your part. It isn't enough that your employer has filled in theirs.
The fee is SEK 2,200. For adult family members it is SEK 1,500 and for children SEK 750. You pay by Visa or Mastercard, and you don't get the fee back if you are refused. To use the e-service you must be over 18 and have an e-mail address.
If you can't use the e-service
Your employer fills in the form Information about the employment (232511), and you fill in Application for a Swedish work permit (149011). Hand them in at one of Migrationsverket's service centres, or post them to Migrationsverket, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå. Citizens of Japan pay no fee.
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If your family has a permit to live with you, you can apply to extend together.
New since 1 October 2026: the maintenance requirement is also checked when you extend. Your income must cover housing and living costs for the whole family. Family members' incomes can count, but not, for example, unemployment insurance (a-kassa) or subsidised employment.
Each family member needs a valid passport. Nobody gets a permit for longer than their passport is valid.
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If you sent your application before your permit expired, you have the right to stay in Sweden until the decision.
If you have had a work permit for six months or more and applied in time, you may keep working while you wait. If you have had it for less than six months, you may not work while you wait.
If you change jobs while you wait, you can start the new job. Send your new employment contract to Migrationsverket.
If you travel abroad, it can be hard to come back if you need a visa, because you must have a valid permit to enter Sweden. You may have to wait abroad for the decision.
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If you get an extension, you get a new residence permit card. The card has a chip with your photo and fingerprints, so you give them again every time. Migrationsverket contacts you about how and when.
You may also need to show your passport, if Migrationsverket hasn't checked it already or if you have a new passport. Some people can do it in an app, a digital passport check.
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You get the decision by e-mail or letter. If you get a yes, you have the right to work in Sweden for as long as the permit is valid. You can get a work permit for at most two years, but not longer than your employment or your passport.
If you gave your photo and fingerprints at Statens servicecenter (the National Government Service Centre), the card is sent to your registered address in Sweden (folkbokföringsadress) within two weeks. Return your old card.
If you are refused, the decision tells you how to appeal. If you are in Sweden, you must prepare to leave.
Permanent residence after four years
If you have had a work permit and worked in Sweden for four years within the last seven years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit when you extend. You state this in your application. Among other things, you must be able to support yourself and live a law-abiding life. If you don't get permanent residence, you can still get an extension if you meet the requirements for it.
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For you if you have a residence permit to live with a partner, parent or other relative in Sweden. You can apply to extend it no more than two months before it stops being valid. You must apply before it stops being valid.
The card's last day of validity is on the front of your residence permit card (uppehållstillståndskort). The card is valid as long as your permit, but for at most three years.
If you apply too late, you may not work while you wait for a decision, and you risk losing certain social benefits. You may also be refused, because you will have been in Sweden without a valid permit.
If you have children under 18, apply for them at the same time.
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You must still live together, and you must have a valid passport. The person you live with, or the two of you together, must be able to support you and have a home that is big enough for you.
New since 1 October 2026: the maintenance requirement is also checked when you extend, and the amounts are higher. When you extend, Migrationsverket can also count your income if you live together. Unemployment insurance (a-kassa) and subsidised employment normally don't count.
Did you get your permit before 1 October 2026, and do you apply by 1 October 2027? Then the lower amounts apply, and some income such as unemployment insurance can count.
Since 13 July 2026 the good-conduct rules (vandel) are stricter. Migrationsverket checks, for example, whether you have paid your debts and given correct information for benefits.
How much must be left each month?
After tax and housing costs, this much must be left, at 2026 amounts: SEK 13,408 for a couple living together, SEK 8,116 for a single adult and SEK 4,337–6,941 for each child, depending on age. Under the transitional rule the amounts are SEK 10,314 for a couple, SEK 6,243 for a single adult and SEK 3,336–5,339 per child. Child allowance and the large-family supplement reduce the amount for children.
The requirement doesn't always apply. For example, it doesn't if the person you live with is a Swedish, EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you are married or cohabiting, and your relationship is well established, for example because you have lived together for a long time.
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Since 1 October 2026, if you got a residence permit as a child to live with a parent or relative, you can extend it after you turn 18.
- Aged 18–20: you must have a valid passport, and your parent or relative, or the two of you together, must be able to support you.
- Aged 21 or older: you must still live together and have a special dependency, beyond what is normal between parents and adult children.
Once you are 18, your parents can't include you in their application in the e-service. You make your own application on the form Application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden (161011) and post it to Migrationsverket, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå. The fee is SEK 2,000.
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Attach copies of:
- your passport (EU/EEA citizens can use a national ID card)
- the passport or ID of the person you live with
- that person's home: the rental contract and last month's rent notice, or the purchase contract
- that person's income: the employment contract and latest payslip
- the passports of children under 18 who apply with you
The person you live with confirms that your relationship continues. They do it in the e-service with an e-ID, such as BankID, or on the form Assurance of cohabitation (243011).
If your passport expires soon, renew it. You can't get a permit for longer than your passport is valid.
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To use the e-service, you and the person you live with must be over 18. You and the children applying with you must be registered in the Swedish population register (folkbokförda). You need an e-mail address and a Visa or Mastercard.
The fee is SEK 2,000 for adults and SEK 1,000 for children under 18. You don't get it back if you are refused.
Who pays no fee?
- family members of EU/EEA citizens (Swedes don't count here)
- Swiss citizens and their family, and citizens of Japan
- spouses, cohabiting partners, registered partners and children under 18 of someone with a permit as a person in need of protection or on exceptionally distressing circumstances
Can't use the e-service? Fill in Application for a residence permit to settle in Sweden (161011, for children 163011) and the Assurance of cohabitation (243011), and post them to Migrationsverket, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå.
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Once you have applied, you have the right to stay in Sweden until the decision. If you have had a residence permit for six months or more and applied before it expired, you may keep working or studying.
Most people get an e-mail asking them to show their passport in an app, a digital passport check. Otherwise you book an appointment, and then you also give your photo and fingerprints for your new card.
If you travel abroad, it can be hard to come back if you need a visa. Tell Migrationsverket if anything changes, for example if you get a new passport, marry or have a child.
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If you applied in the e-service, you get an e-mail when the decision is ready, and then the decision by post. If you get a yes, you have the right to live and work in Sweden for as long as the permit is valid.
You can get a permit for at most two years. If the person you live with has a time-limited permit as a refugee, you can get the same period as them. You never get a permit for longer than your passport is valid. Return your old card when you get the new one.
Permanent residence after three years
If you have had a residence permit for at least three years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit when you extend. Among other things, you must be able to support yourself and live a law-abiding life. It isn't possible if the person you live with has a time-limited permit on the grounds of protection, or a permit as a long-term resident, on exceptionally distressing circumstances or because of an impediment to enforcement.
If your relationship has ended
Then Migrationsverket can revoke your permit. In special cases you can still get an extension, for example if the relationship ended because you or your child were subjected to violence. If you need help urgently, call 112.
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For you if you study at bachelor's or master's level at a university or university college, or in a higher vocational education programme (yrkeshögskola). You can apply to extend no more than four months before your permit stops being valid. You must apply before it stops being valid.
The card's last day of validity is on the front of your residence permit card (uppehållstillståndskort). The card is valid as long as your permit, but for at most three years.
If you apply too late, you may not work while you wait for a decision, and you risk losing certain social benefits. You may also be refused, because you will have been in Sweden without a valid permit.
Starting a different kind of studies, such as a PhD? Then you make a new application instead of an extension. If you are already a doctoral student, you can also apply no more than four months before. Read what applies to you on Migrationsverket's page for doctoral students.
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- You must be admitted to full-time studies in Sweden. Distance studies don't give a permit.
- You must have made acceptable progress in your studies.
- You must be able to support yourself, with at least SEK 10,656 a month if you apply in 2026, for the whole period you apply for and the rest of your current permit.
- If your total time in Sweden will be less than one year, you need comprehensive health insurance.
- You must have a valid passport.
Acceptable progress, full time: if your permit was granted on or after 11 June 2026, you must have completed 37.5 credits in your first year of study and 45 credits a year after that. If it was granted before 11 June 2026, the previous rules apply: 15 credits in the first year, 22.5 in the second and 30 a year after that.
Didn't get enough credits because of illness? Attach a doctor's certificate describing how your studies were affected.
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If your permit was granted on or after 11 June 2026, you may work at most 15 hours a week during term time. In June, July and August you may work without a limit. Work that is part of your programme, and some tasks at your university, have no hour limit.
If you have worked more than the rules allow, your permit can be revoked, or your extension can be refused.
If you got your permit before 11 June 2026, the hour limit only applies once you have been granted your extension.
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Attach copies of:
- your passport
- your admission letter, showing that you continue to study full time. If you change programme, send the new letter and pay any tuition fee for the new programme.
- a transcript showing which courses and course parts you have passed
- an income summary (sammanställd inkomstuppgift) from Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) for the years your permit covers, even if you haven't worked. You find it under Mina inkomstuppgifter on Skatteverket's website.
- proof of employment and payslips, if you have worked
- proof of money, such as a bank statement, a scholarship or a sponsor letter
The documents about your finances may not be more than six months old, except for example a scholarship paid out regularly.
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To use the e-service you must be over 18, have an e-mail address, be able to pay by Visa or Mastercard, and be able to scan or photograph your documents.
The fee is SEK 1,500 for adults and SEK 750 for children under 18. You don't get it back if you are refused. If you have a scholarship for living costs from Sida, the EU, the Swedish Institute or the International Science Programme at Uppsala University, you pay no fee.
Your family can extend at the same time. Since 1 October 2026, a family member staying for at most one year needs comprehensive health insurance.
If you can't use the e-service
Fill in Application for a residence permit for students, Application to extend (115011), and the form for family members of students (135011) for each family member. Hand them in at one of Migrationsverket's service centres, or post them to Migrationsverket, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå.
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If you sent your application before your permit expired, you have the right to stay in Sweden until the decision, and to keep studying.
Migrationsverket may ask you to show your passport, sometimes in an app. You also give your photo and fingerprints for your new card. This is also possible at some embassies and consulates abroad.
Planning to travel? Migrationsverket recommends that you wait until you have the decision. You will need the new card to enter Sweden again.
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If you applied in the e-service, you get an e-mail when the decision is ready. If you get a yes, you have the right to live and study in Sweden for as long as the permit is valid. You can get a permit for one or two years depending on your university, but not longer than your studies or your passport.
Once you have the decision, you can choose where the card is sent. Return your old card.
If you aren't registered in the Swedish population register (folkbokförd), you must report your address to Migrationsverket within 30 days, both when you get the permit and when you move. If you got your permit before 11 June 2026, this applies from your extension.
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For you if you have a permit as a refugee or a person eligible for subsidiary protection, on exceptionally distressing circumstances or because of an impediment to enforcement, and for your family. You can apply no more than two months before your permit stops being valid. Only then can you log in to the e-service. You must apply before it stops being valid.
The card's last day of validity is on the front of your residence permit card (uppehållstillståndskort). The card is valid as long as your permit, but for at most three years.
If you apply too late, you may not work while you wait, and you risk losing benefits such as establishment support (etableringsstöd), study allowance or parental allowance. You may also be refused. If you have an earlier expulsion decision that is still valid and you apply too late, you may have to leave the country when your permit ends.
If several people in your family have permits that end, apply at the same time.
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- You need continued protection. Don't attach any documents. Migrationsverket will contact you if they need to know more.
- You are a family member of someone with a permit in Sweden, and you still live together. If you came as a spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner, attach the form Assurance of cohabitation (223011). If you came as a child or parent, you need no documents. If you have a new family relationship, attach the questionnaire on newly established relationships (T78, in Swedish only).
- There are exceptionally distressing circumstances. It is very difficult to get a permit on this ground. Migrationsverket looks at your health, your adaptation to Sweden and the situation in your home country, among other things.
As a family member you need a valid passport, preferably from your home country. If you have refugee or subsidiary protection status, no passport is needed. You don't need to send your passport or a copy.
Since 1 October 2026, if you got a permit as a child because of family ties, you can extend it on the same ground after you turn 18.
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The easiest way is the e-service, with an e-ID and an e-mail address. Each person in the family makes their own application and says why they want to stay. You apply for your children under 18. If a child has two guardians in Sweden, the other one signs the form Confirmation of application for residence permit for child (207011), which you attach.
It costs nothing if you have a permit as a refugee or a person eligible for subsidiary protection. It is also free for the spouse, cohabiting partner and children under 18 of someone with such a permit, or with a permit on exceptionally distressing circumstances.
Are you applying for continued residence on exceptionally distressing circumstances, or are you the parent of a child who came alone and has protection? Then it costs SEK 1,500 for adults and SEK 750 for children.
Didn't upload all your documents? Post them within two weeks to Migrationsverket, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå.
If you can't use the e-service
Fill in Application for an extension of a residence permit (201011), one for each person, and sign it. Post it to Migrationsverket, Box 3100, 903 03 Umeå. A representative can't use the e-service, but sends the application by post with a power of attorney.
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If you applied before your permit expired, you may keep working or studying while you wait. If you applied too late, you may not work.
Migrationsverket may want to meet you, call you or ask for more information by letter. Letters go to your registered address in Sweden (folkbokföringsadress), so tell Skatteverket if you move.
You shouldn't leave Sweden while you wait. If your permit stops being valid while you are abroad, it can be hard to come back.
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To get a new residence permit card, you give your photo and fingerprints. Migrationsverket contacts you about how and when.
If Migrationsverket needs to see your passport, they ask you to book an appointment at Statens servicecenter (the National Government Service Centre). Then you give your photo and fingerprints at the same visit.
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The decision usually comes by post to your registered address. Sometimes you are called to a meeting where a case officer tells you the decision. Decisions about children go to the child's registered address.
If you get an extension, it is usually valid for two or three years, and you have the right to live and work in Sweden for as long as it is valid. If you are refused, you must prepare to leave the country.
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Since 12 July 2026 you can't get a permanent residence permit if you have a permit on the grounds of protection, or if you are the family member of someone who has one. If you already have permanent residence, you are not affected.
Instead, some people can apply for Swedish citizenship with a time-limited permit, if they have good prospects of getting an extension in future. You must have a valid permit when you apply. You can't apply for citizenship while you are waiting for a decision on an extension.
Read more on the blog
Sources
- Migrationsverket: You want to extend
- Migrationsverket: Extend a work permit as an employee
- Migrationsverket: You have applied for an extension, work
- Migrationsverket: Extend to live with a partner
- Migrationsverket: You have applied for an extension, live with someone
- Migrationsverket: Maintenance requirement for reference persons
- Migrationsverket: Young adults aged 18–20
- Migrationsverket: Your relationship has ended
- Migrationsverket: Extend for studies in higher education
- Migrationsverket: Extend for doctoral studies
- Migrationsverket: You have applied for an extension, studies
- Migrationsverket: Extend a permit after asylum
- Migrationsverket: You have applied for an extension, international protection
- Migrationsverket: Residence permit cards
- Migrationsverket: Digital passport check
- Migrationsverket: Waiting times
- Migrationsverket: New rules for work permits (1 June 2026)
- Migrationsverket: New median salary (16 June 2026)
- Migrationsverket: New good-conduct requirements (13 July 2026)
- Migrationsverket: New rules on family ties and young adults (1 October 2026)
- Migrationsverket: New rules for family members of employees (1 October 2026)
- Migrationsverket: New rules for family members of students (1 October 2026)
- Migrationsverket: New rules for studies in higher education (11 June 2026)
- Migrationsverket: No permanent residence permits for former asylum seekers (12 July 2026)
- Migrationsverket: Citizenship without a permanent residence permit (12 July 2026)
- Migrationsverket: Call us