5 Ways To Get Swedish Citizenship

Parliament of Sweden.Image courtesy Guillaume Speurt

Swedish Citizenship is the latest buzzword. In this article, we discuss 5 ways to immigrate and settle in Sweden.

Moving to Sweden has many perks. The country boasts of extraordinary beauty, a strong economy, universal healthcare, free university, the world’s best public transportation system and 5 weeks of paid vacation every year amongst other things. A Swedish passport also gives the holder unrestricted travel access throughout the EU.

Read: Types Of Sweden Visa – Which One Do You Need?

Image courtesy Sahlen

How to Get Swedish Citizenship

There are many ways to get the citizenship. To get a Swedish passport, you don’t necessarily have to give up your earlier citizenship. However, you do have to meet certain criteria.

1. Citizenship through Legitimization

This is the easiest way to apply for citizenship. Legitimization means that the applicant must prove that one or both of his or her parents are Swedish citizens. Eligibility criteria are as follows:

For children born after April 2015, at least one parent must be a Swedish citizen when the child is born or a deceased parent should have been a Swedish citizen at the time of death.
For children born before April 2015,
- The mother must be a Swedish citizen
- If the mother is not a Swedish citizen she must be married to the father who must be a Swedish citizen
- If the mother is not Swedish and unmarried, the father must be a Swedish citizen and the child must be born in Sweden
Since 30 June 1992, children below the age of 12 years legally adopted by Swedish parents get automatic citizenship.

2. Citizenship to Citizens of Certain Countries

This citizenship route is available to citizens of certain countries. Eligibility criteria are as follows:

The applicant must be a citizen of Norway, Denmark, Finland or Iceland
The applicant must be between 18 to 20 years old
The applicant must have been living in Sweden for at least 5 years

3. Citizenship through Marriage

Getting married to a Swedish citizen can make it easier to get citizenship in Sweden. In such cases, if the couple resides outside Sweden, the applicant can apply for Swedish citizenship on their 10^th wedding anniversary.

4. Citizenship through Naturalization

This is also known as citizenship by application. Eligibility criteria are as follows:

The applicant must be at least 18 years old
The applicant must have good character and a clean criminal record
The applicant must have stayed in Sweden for at least
- 5 consecutive years if he or she is a non- Nordic citizen
- 2 consecutive years if he or she is a Nordic citizen
- 3 years if he or she is married to a Swedish citizen and living in Sweden
The applicant must be a permanent resident of Sweden
The applicant must have original identity documents from his or her home country

5. Citizenship by Notification

This is akin to simplified naturalization. Eligibility criteria are as follows:

For Stateless Persons

The applicant must have a permanent residence permit and meet one of the below conditions.

The applicant must be born in Sweden and less than 5 years old
The applicant must be in the custody of a Swedish citizen and less than 18 years old
The applicant must be 18-19 years old and be a resident of Sweden since the age of 15 years.

Read: Everything You Need to Know About the Sweden Work Permit Visa

For Young Residents

The applicant must have a permanent residence permit, have lived in Sweden for at least 3 years and be less than 18 years old

The applicant must have a permanent residence permit, have lived in Sweden since the age of 15 years and be 18 or 19 years old

For Former Swedish citizens

The applicant must have a permanent resident permit
The applicant must be over the age of 18 years
The applicant must have spent at least 10 years in Sweden before the ag of 18 years
The applicant should have been living in Sweden for at least 2 years before applying for citizenship unless he or she is a citizen of another Nordic country

For Nordic Citizens

This is applicable to citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway.
The applicant must be over the age of 18 years
The applicant must have been a resident of Sweden for at least 2 years
The applicant must have a clean criminal record

How to Apply for Swedish Citizenship

The application for citizenship is available online. The form is available only in Swedish and must be filled out in the same language. A signed copy of the application must be printed out and sent by post to the Migration Agency along with the applicant’s original passport and other documents.

An application fee of SEK 1,500 is payable unless the applicant is an adopted child under the age of 15 years in which case SEK 175 is payable. Unmarried children under the age of 18 years may be included in the application if they are residents of Sweden. Once the application has been processed, a reply will be sent to the applicant’s registered postal address. The applicant may then apply for a Swedish passport.