Permit to study, research or work

Non EU/EEA citizens

The length of your stay in Sweden determine if you need a permit or not. 

Short term stay (0-3 months)
If you are planning to visit Umeå University for a short time you do not need a residence or work permit. Depending on your citizenship you might need a short-term visa to enter Sweden.

Long term stay (more than 3 months)
If you are planning to stay longer than three months, you must have a residence or work permit of some sort.

My work involve research

Residence permit for researchers

If your work involves research, you are exempt from the requirement of a work permit, but you need to apply for a residence permit if you are staying longer than 3 months.

To be eligible for a residence permit, you must

• have a valid passport (if your passport will expire soon, you should renew it since you cannot get a permit for longer than the validity of your passport)
• have a hosting agreement - you will get this document from you host department
• have enough money for your stay in Sweden and to be able to pay your travel home
• have, or have applied for, comprehensive health insurance (if you will be in Sweden for a maximum of one year - you will get this document from your host department)
• pay a fee in most cases (application fees for work permits.

Your permit must be issued before travelling to Sweden.

If you have a valid permit in another EU-country you are welcome to visit Sweden as a guest. To reside and work in Sweden you must have applied for and received a residence permit before entry to Sweden.
Residence permit for researchers - information on the Migration Agency webpage

After the decision has been made

The Swedish Migration Agency sends the decision to the embassy or consulate-general where you turned in your application or that you wrote in your online application. When you go to collect your decision, you must bring your passport with you. You can receive a permit for the same period that the hosting agreement covers, but never longer than the validity of your passport. If you are to continue conducting research in Sweden, you must apply for an extension of your permit.

Resi­dence permit card
If you are granted a permit for more than three months, you will receive a residence permit card. The card is a certification that you have permission to be in Sweden and contains your fingerprints and a photo of you, among other information.

If you need a visa to travel to Sweden, you must visit the Swedish embassy or consulate-general to be photographed and provide your fingerprints as soon as possible. Contact the embassy or the consulate-general before your visit.

When the residence permit card is ready, the embassy or consulate-general will hand out or send the finished card to you. Keep in mind that it can take up to four weeks to manufacture and deliver the card to the embassy or consulate-general after you have received your decision. When you travel into Sweden, you must present the residence permit card together with a valid passport.

If you can travel to Sweden without a visa, you should be able to present a copy of the decision when you travel in. As soon as you can after arriving in Sweden, you must book an appointment to submit fingerprints and be photographed. After that, we make your residence permit card. When the residence permit card is ready, we send it to your address in Sweden.

Book an appointment at the Swedish Migration Agency for the residence permit card (only if you can travel to Sweden without a visa)

My work does not involve research

If your work does not involve research at all or if the main part of your work is teaching you need to apply for a work permit if you are staying longer than three months.

You must have been offered a job before you can obtain a work permit. (You cannot obtain a work permit to go to Sweden and look for a job). You cannot enter Sweden until the permit has been granted.

To obtain a work permit you must:

• have a valid passport (if your passport will expire soon, you should renew it since you cannot get a permit for longer than the validity of your passport)
• have been offered terms of employment that are at least on par with those set by Swedish collective agreements or which are customary within the occupation or industry
• have been offered a salary that is at least on par with that set by Swedish collective agreements or which is customary within the occupation or industry
• you must be offered a position that will enable you to support yourself. In order to satisfy this support requirement, you need to work to an extent that will result in a salary of at least SEK 13,000 per month before taxes
• have an employer who intends to provide insurance covering health, life, employment and pension when you begin to work.

Your host department initiates the work permit application by completing a job offer online. After that you complete the application with your personal documents.
Work permit - non researchers - information on the Migration Agency webpage

Doctoral Student - admitted to studies in Sweden

Resi­dence permit for doctoral studies

Doctoral studies involve four years of full-time study, with a possibility to extension up to five years, which include a number of courses and a doctoral thesis.

The Migration Agency grants residence permits for the time required for postgraduate education, but never for longer than the passport's validity.
Although the time for doctoral studies are for several years the residence permit is granted for a maximum of two years at a time. After two years you need to extend your permit and after four years you might qualify to apply for a permanent residence permit in Sweden.

To be eligible for a permit you must:

• have a valid passport (if your passport will expire soon, you should renew it since you cannot get a permit for longer than the validity of your passport)
• have been admitted to full-time doctoral studies that require your presence in higher education in Sweden (you need a study certificate and a confirmation that you are admitted to doctoral studies - your will get this from your host department)
• be able to support yourself during the time for which you are applying for a residence permit (information about your income will be included in your study certificate)
• have, or have applied for, a comprehensive health insurance policy. If you are staying for a longer time than one year you will be part of the national insurance system in Sweden.
  Doctoral student permit - information from the Migration Agency webpage

Exchange Doctoral Student - not admitted to studies in Sweden

Residence permit for visitors

If you have been invited to study or do research in Sweden as part of a study programme in another country, you must apply for a visitor's permit. This applies if you will be in Sweden for more than 90 days in a 180-day period. A visitor's permit is usually valid for no more than six months, or up to one year.

In order to receive a visitors permit you must:

• have a passport that is valid for at least three months after the visa has expired, was issued in the last ten years and has at least two empty pages
• be able to describe the purpose of your visit
• have an invitation or proof of acceptance from a university in Sweden
• have a certificate from your university abroad if you are already registered at a university
• have money to support yourself and for the return trip home (Sweden also requires you to have 450 SEK for each day you stay in Sweden)
• have an individual medical travel insurance that covers all costs that may arise in connection with emergency medical treatment, urgent medical care or transportation to your home country for medical reasons (the insurance must cover costs of at least 30,000 EUR and be valid for all Schengen countries)
• show that you intend to leave Sweden and the Schengen area on the last day before the visa expires
• a photograph that is in passport format and taken with you facing the camera and which is not older than six months
• other documents that the embassy may require.
  Exchange doctoral student permit information on the Migration Office homepage

Resi­dence permit card

If you have been granted a residence permit you will also receive a residence permit card as proof that you are permitted to live in Sweden. The card has a computer chip that contains your fingerprints and a photo of you. You always need to have your residence permit card with you when you go to government agencies or the health care services.

Depending on your citizenship you might be able to travel to Sweden and complete the process of making the card here. If you cannot enter Sweden without the residence permit card you need to wait until you receive it.
Information about resicence permit card

Helpful tips to non EU/EEA citizens

Permit

Your permit can not last longer than the expire date on your passport

Apply online - paper applications take longer to process

To enable the Migration Agency to make a decision on your case, all details must be complete and all the necessary documents must be enclosed. This means that the processing time is shorter if everything required is included from the start, rather than having to provide additional information afterwards. You also need certain documentation from Umeå University.

Time to a decision

To get an idea of how long you will need to wait for a decision, you can visit the site Time to a decision. Please note that the average time shown on the site is calculated on the basis of previous cases in the same category. The time may vary from one application to another.

Check your application

You can see if the Migration Agency has registered your application for residence permit, work permit, etc. You can also see if a decision is made in your case. Check your application

Accompanying family members

Each member of your family will be processed individually - make sure that all documentations for all individuals are in order. Family members applications is sent in at the same time as your own if you are all moving at the same time, but it can also be done later.

Visa for visits 0-3 months (only for some citizens)

If you are staying in Sweden shorter time than 90 days you do not need a residence or work permit. Although, citizens from some countries might need a visa to visit Sweden. The embassy or consulate-general normally makes the decisions regarding visas, but in some circumstances it can hand the matter to the Swedish Migration Agency for decision-making.
Facts about visa

Nordic citizens

If you are a citizen of Denmark, Finland, Norway or Iceland you may be considered both a Nordic citizen and an EU citizen, and use two different sets of rules.

Nordic agreement
The Nordic countries have an agreement which states that Nordic citizens have a right to live in whichever Nordic country they choose. You do not need to apply for a residence permit.
Migration Agency information

EU/EEA citizens

As an EU citizen you have the right to work, study or live in Sweden without a residence permit. This is called right of residence. You have right of residence if you have an employment.

If you have right of residence in Sweden you do not need to contact the Swedish Migration Agency. When entering Sweden, you need a valid passport or ID card.
Migration Agency information

Swiss citizens

If you are a Swiss citizen, you may move to Sweden to study, research or work. If you wish to stay for longer than three months, you will need a residence permit.
Migration Agency information