SwedenLong-term residence
Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.
Five years with right of residence leads to permanent right of residence.
After five years with right of residence, you gain permanent right of residence.
At least five years living in Sweden with right of residence. A family member also has permanent right of residence if their relative has had right of residence for at least five years and they have lived together in Sweden during that time. The official source does not state when the period begins.
You are an EU/EEA citizen and have lived for at least five years in Sweden with right of residence and want to apply for a certificate showing that you have permanent right of residence.
If you are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen, you also have permanent right of residence, if your relative has had right of residence for at least five years and you have lived together in Sweden during that time.
Periods count when the person had right of residence by working, studying, running their own business or having sufficient funds to support themselves. Different grounds can be combined over the five years, for example studying for one period and working for another.
As an EU/EEA citizen, you have right of residence in Sweden if you work, study, run your own business or have sufficient funds to support yourself.
Yes, you can meet the requirements for right of residence in various ways over the course of five years — for example, by studying for a period and working for another period of time.
A period of unemployment does not prevent permanent right of residence after five years in certain circumstances: the unemployment must have been involuntary and the person registered as a jobseeker with the Swedish Public Employment Service while looking for a new job. The same applies to parental leave during employment. The official source does not state how long absences from Sweden may last.
If you have been unemployed for a period during your time in Sweden, you can still be granted permanent right of residence after five years. This applies in certain circumstances and if you became unemployed involuntarily and were registered as a jobseeker with the Swedish Public Employment Service while you were looking for a new job. This also applies if you have been on parental leave during your employment.
A certificate showing permanent right of residence can be applied for if wanted (for example when contacting other national authorities). Applying costs nothing; the application can be submitted at a Swedish Migration Agency service centre or sent by post. A family member who is a non-EU/EEA citizen applies for a permanent residence card instead. The official source does not state the certificate's validity or the rules under which permanent right of residence is retained or lost.
If you want to have a certificate showing that you have permanent right of residence (for example, when contacting other national authorities), you can apply for one.
It costs nothing to apply for a certificate of permanent right of residence.
You can either submit the application and the attached documents at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s service centres or send them to:
A family member who is a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country and wants proof of their permanent right of residence should instead apply for a permanent residence card.
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.