Refugee protection status

Sweden is a party to the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Among other things, this means that Sweden must examine each person’s application for international protection individually.

You want to apply for international protection (asylum) in Sweden, because you are being persecuted or risk persecution or inhumane treatment in your country of origin.

Sweden must grant a residence permit to anyone who is a refugee or a person in need of subsidiary protection according to the EU’s common rules.

According to the Refugee Convention, EU rules and Swedish law, you are a refugee if you have a well-founded fear of persecution due to one of the following: your race your nationality your religious or political views your gender your sexual orientation the fact that you belong to a particular social group.

The persecution can be from individuals or from the authorities in your country of origin. You must show that it is likely that the national authorities are unable or unwilling to protect you from persecution by individuals or groups.

You cannot apply for international protection (asylum) before you arrive in Sweden. You must be in Sweden or on a border with Sweden.

If you encounter border police when you enter Sweden, tell them that you want to apply for international protection. Border police are located, for example, at passport controls at international airports, at ferry terminals, and wherever trains and buses enter Sweden. The border police will ask you some questions and then refer you to the Swedish Migration Agency, which will register your application for international protection.

If you are already in Sweden, please visit the Swedish Migration Agency to submit an application. You can apply for international protection at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s Reception and Return Centres in Malmö, Gothenburg, Stockholm or Boden.

The police or the Swedish Migration Agency do a first check of your identity

Your fingerprints are used to see who you are and if you have applied for international protection in any other EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland, or if you have a permit or are subject to a travel ban in any of these countries.

The health examination is carried out by medical staff and the purpose is to give you emergency help if you need it, and to check whether you have any infectious diseases.

You and your family apply together, and you will then be summoned to a joint interview.

Once you have applied for international protection, you will be assigned a place at one of the Swedish Migration Agency’s accommodations.

If you do not have your own money, you may also be entitled to financial aid from the Swedish Migration Agency.

You can tell the border police at the Swedish border that you want international protection. In Sweden, you can also tell the police, the Swedish Migration Agency or the Swedish Prison and Probation Service.

We tell you about the right to free legal advise, and that you need to request to get it in order for us to assess whether you have the right to it.

Organisations that can support those who have applied for international protection Amnesty International External link. Caritas Sweden External link.

It is illegal to provide inaccurate information about your identity. If you are granted international protection and it turns out that you have provided false identity documents or incorrect information about your identity, the Swedish Migration Agency may revoke your protection and decide that you should be expelled from Sweden. We report suspected fraud to the police, and this can lead to an investigation and legal consequences.