SwedenLong-term residence
Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.
The target status is a permanent residence permit. It has no fixed validity period and remains valid while the holder is resident in Sweden, with the right to live and work there.
A permanent residence permit does not have a limited period of validity. It remains valid as long as you are resident in Sweden and gives you the right to live and work here.
A permit for work held, with its conditions met and work in Sweden, for four of the past seven years; the permanent permit is requested when applying to extend the current permit. A Swedish Migration Agency news item dated 25 May 2026 states that the rule of four years with a work permit during a seven-year period continues to apply, but a later news item dated 12 July 2026 states that from 12 July, as a general rule, permanent residence permits will no longer be granted. The checked official sources do not state how this general rule applies to permits for work.
You must have had, and met the conditions for, a permit for work and have worked in Sweden for four of the past seven years.
You can apply for a permanent residence permit once you have held a permit for work for at least four years. You apply for an extension of your permit and indicate in the e‑service or on the application form that you are applying for a permanent residence permit.
2026-05-25
You can still receive a permanent residence permit according to current rules, which will continue to apply. This means that you can receive a permanent residence permit if you over the past seven years have held, among other things, a work permit, residence permit for research, seasonal work permit, EU Blue Card or ICT permit for a total of four years. In that case, the time does not need to be four consecutive years, but it must total four years during a seven-year period.
2026-07-12
From 12 July, as a general rule, permanent residence permits will no longer be granted. Consequently, some people with temporary residence permits may apply for Swedish citizenship without having a permanent residence permit.
Only time with a permit for work during which its conditions were met and the person actually worked in Sweden counts towards the four of seven years.
You must have had, and met the conditions for, a permit for work and have worked in Sweden for four of the past seven years.
The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm the absence and continuity rules for the qualifying period.
Financial maintenance and good conduct are required. In most cases the application is made when extending the current residence permit; the qualifying period, process and documents depend on the existing permit. The status has no fixed validity period. It may be revoked if the holder no longer resides in Sweden, has been abroad for a long time, or deliberately supplied inaccurate information or withheld information important to the decision.
A permanent residence permit does not have a limited period of validity. It remains valid as long as you are resident in Sweden and gives you the right to live and work here. To be granted a permanent residence permit in Sweden, you must meet special requirements relating to, among other things, financial maintenance and good conduct. To be granted a permanent residence permit, you must have lived in Sweden with a residence permit for a certain period of time. In most cases, you apply for a permanent residence permit when you submit your application for an extension of your current residence permit. For this reason, the length of time you must have lived in Sweden with a residence permit, the application process, and the documents you must attach depend on the type of residence permit you have today.
If you have a permanent residence permit in Sweden but are no longer resident here, or have been abroad for a long time for some other reason, the Swedish Migration Agency can revoke your permit. A permanent residence permit can also be revoked if the Swedish Migration Agency is informed that you have deliberately provided inaccurate information or failed to share any information about yourself that was important to our decision to grant you a permanent residence permit.
These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.
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Not legal advice. No eligibility verdict or ranking. Check the linked sources before applying.