What should international parents know about Sweden's migration law?
Swedish migration law changed in 2021. Now, everyone applying for a non-EU residence permit must do so with valid photo ID – even children. Read on to see what international parents who have a baby in Sweden should know about this law, and how it will affect you.
Who is affected?
This article addresses residence permits for non-EU/EEA citizens – if you are from the EU or EEA you do not need to apply for a residence permit (uppehållstillstånd) and you will have EU right of residence (uppehållsrätt) instead, meaning these changes do not affect you or your children – as long as your child also has EU or EEA citizenship.
See here for an explainer on the different kinds of residency in Sweden if you're not sure which type you have.
What has changed?
This new law has changed residence permit applications in a number of ways. The main change is that, as a rule, residence permits are now limited to two years' validity, with applications for permanent residence permits possible after the holder has had a temporary residence permit for at least three years.
The new law also means that permanent residence permits can no longer be granted on the basis of a family member holding permanent residency, so children can only get permanent residency after three years of holding a temporary residence permit.
However, the main change which affects parents and parents-to-be with children born in Sweden is that all applicants for residence permits must now have valid photo ID, regardless of age. Previously, children without a passport could still apply.
Unlike some other countries, children born in Sweden are not automatically Swedish citizens – citizenship is based on their parents' country of origin. Therefore, international parents of newborns born in Sweden must apply for a child passport or national ID card from their native country in order for their child to get a Swedish residence permit, if neither parent has EU or Swedish citizenship.
Depending on how long it takes for the child's country of citizenship to process passport applications, this can add months to the already long waiting times for residence permit applications.
How does this affect international families?
If the mother has a personal number, or if the father is the child's legal guardian and has a personal number – the 10 or 12 digit code to unlocking a lot of Swedish services – it should amount to nothing more than a longer wait for a permit.
This is due to the fact that children born in Sweden to parents who have personal numbers are automatically assigned a personal number at birth – they do not need a residency permit first. This means that you will still be able to easily access healthcare and childcare for your child while you wait for their residence permit to be approved. Even if you or your child don't have a personal number, everyone under the age of 18 still has the right to healthcare.
Just be prepared that you will need to apply for a passport or ID card for your child as soon as you can after their birth so they can be granted a residence permit – depending on your country of origin you may need to send your own passport away for up to a few months or travel to your country's embassy, so ensure that you don't have any international travel planned and that you have another form of valid ID in the meantime, if possible.
Have you been affected by this law change? Get in touch with The Local's editorial team at [email protected]
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Who is affected?
This article addresses residence permits for non-EU/EEA citizens – if you are from the EU or EEA you do not need to apply for a residence permit (uppehållstillstånd) and you will have EU right of residence (uppehållsrätt) instead, meaning these changes do not affect you or your children – as long as your child also has EU or EEA citizenship.
See here for an explainer on the different kinds of residency in Sweden if you're not sure which type you have.
What has changed?
This new law has changed residence permit applications in a number of ways. The main change is that, as a rule, residence permits are now limited to two years' validity, with applications for permanent residence permits possible after the holder has had a temporary residence permit for at least three years.
The new law also means that permanent residence permits can no longer be granted on the basis of a family member holding permanent residency, so children can only get permanent residency after three years of holding a temporary residence permit.
However, the main change which affects parents and parents-to-be with children born in Sweden is that all applicants for residence permits must now have valid photo ID, regardless of age. Previously, children without a passport could still apply.
Unlike some other countries, children born in Sweden are not automatically Swedish citizens – citizenship is based on their parents' country of origin. Therefore, international parents of newborns born in Sweden must apply for a child passport or national ID card from their native country in order for their child to get a Swedish residence permit, if neither parent has EU or Swedish citizenship.
Depending on how long it takes for the child's country of citizenship to process passport applications, this can add months to the already long waiting times for residence permit applications.
How does this affect international families?
If the mother has a personal number, or if the father is the child's legal guardian and has a personal number – the 10 or 12 digit code to unlocking a lot of Swedish services – it should amount to nothing more than a longer wait for a permit.
This is due to the fact that children born in Sweden to parents who have personal numbers are automatically assigned a personal number at birth – they do not need a residency permit first. This means that you will still be able to easily access healthcare and childcare for your child while you wait for their residence permit to be approved. Even if you or your child don't have a personal number, everyone under the age of 18 still has the right to healthcare.
Just be prepared that you will need to apply for a passport or ID card for your child as soon as you can after their birth so they can be granted a residence permit – depending on your country of origin you may need to send your own passport away for up to a few months or travel to your country's embassy, so ensure that you don't have any international travel planned and that you have another form of valid ID in the meantime, if possible.
Have you been affected by this law change? Get in touch with The Local's editorial team at [email protected]
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