Hi, I am from Mexico but I live in Italy only for the lungo permesso, since I couldn’t afford education in Sweden. Now I’m only waiting 2 years more and a half here in Italy (it feels eternal and I’m getting a bit depressed since my life feels paused by this legal thing… my Mexican passport and this situation feel like a prison sentence to be honest) trying to get work experience so on . I noticed that with the lungo permesso you can go to any other European country and start working immediately and only get a residence permit there instead of the traditional work permit.

I wonder how the process is like in Sweden. Of course I’d keep an Italian bank account (or go there from time to time) while I’m in Sweden only to keep the Italian permit until I get the long term residence permit in Sweden eventually so I can drop the Italian permit.

I speak fluent Swedish.

If you’ve been through this process please I’d love to hear your experience. Thank you!

Hey everyone, we are applying for my husbands (US) residency permit.

Right now we are kindof stuck - the online form asks for his siblings, but we only know the full name and datebirth of his full sibling. He has two other half-siblings but since the relationship is a bit shaky, we’re not sure we can call and ask them or his close relatives about their details. How can we proceed?

Is it fine to exclude the half siblings?

My partner and I (couple in our early 30s, no kids) are flying into Stockholm for around 10 days over Christmas and New Year's. We are trying to decide whether it's worth splitting our time to head up north for 3–5 days or if we should stick to the south (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Uppsala, etc.) and maybe even check out Copenhagen, Oslo, or Helsinki.

A bit about us:

• City & Culture: We love wandering cities, checking out architecture, visiting museums, drinking good coffee, and trying local restaurants/markets.
• Winter Activities: We live in Minnesota in the US, so typical Arctic activities (dog sledding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling) aren't high on our list since we do those at home.
• Alpine Skiing: We’d love to get a couple of days of downhill skiing in, but we aren't sure how realistic/worthwhile conditions are that early in the season, or where makes the most sense without going out of our way.
• Northern Lights: Catching the lights would be a huge plus, but we aren't sure if that alone justifies making the trip up north.

A few questions for the locals/experienced travelers:

1. Is 3-5 days up North (Kiruna/Abisko/Åre) worth it for us? Aside from the lights, is there unique architecture or cultural stuff up north that makes it worthwhile given our preferences?
2. Skiing? How reliable are ski conditions around Christmas/New Year? Are major resorts (like Åre or Sälen) fully up and running, or is it better to skip skiing entirely on a holiday trip?

Appreciate any advice or recommendations on how to structure this.

Hello everyone! I'm going on a city break to Stockholm with my cousin, and I'm torn between Fotografiska and the Nobel Prize Museum. Which one do you think is a must-see for tourists? Thank you!

I currently have a mortgage with SBAB and have received a ränteerbjudande (interest rate offer) from them. I’m wondering if anyone has negotiated with other banks and managed to get a better interest rate than SBAB.

If so, which bank offered you a better deal, and how much lower was the interest rate?

Would appreciate hearing about your experiences and recommendations. Thanks!

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are new to Sweden and have won the bidding on a 5–6-year-old bostadsrätt. The apartment looks well maintained, the BRF owns the land, and our mortgage financing is arranged.

Before signing the contract, we’d appreciate some advice:

1. Inspection: Is a professional inspection worth it for a relatively new apartment? What should we check, especially in the bathroom, plumbing and ventilation?
2. BRF finances: Which figures in the annual report should we look at to assess the association’s financial health and the risk of fee increases?
3. Documents: Besides the annual report, should we review the maintenance plan, statutes or anything else?
4. Hidden costs: What additional expenses should we budget for beyond the mortgage, monthly fee, electricity and insurance?
5. Next steps: What should we do between winning the bidding, signing the contract and getting the keys?

For those who have bought an apartment in Sweden, what do you wish you had known beforehand? Any tips or common mistakes to avoid would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

In the US, we have gifts cards like Visa gift cards that can be used anywhere that Visa is used. Is there an equivalent to such in Sweden? A friend is going through a rough patch and I want to send her a gift card she can use anywhere.

Thanks for any ideas!!

Edit to add: trying to avoid just sending money, so that this way she is the only one who can use it

Moving to Sweden later this year and I'll be starting a B licence from zero. I've read Transportstyrelsen's pages but a few things I can only get from people who've done it:

1. Körkortstillstånd on a samordningsnummer. NTF's FAQ says a samordningsnummer is enough for the permit, so you don't have to wait for the personnummer. Has anyone actually done that? Did Transportstyrelsen request the number for you, or did you get it from Skatteverket first?
2. Timings. Skatteverket says about 6 weeks before a move-to-Sweden application even gets a case officer. How long did it really take you from arrival to personnummer, then ID card, BankID and permit? Any tricks that sped it up?
3. English. Has anyone done lessons and the risk courses in English outside Stockholm? And was the driving test manageable with limited Swedish, or did you need more than the basic instructions?
4. Private practice. My partner will be my supervisor once their EU licence is sorted. How long did the handledare approval take, and did you mostly go private or driving school?

Thanks for any experience, good or bad!

NB: fully intending to learn the language, but I'll be quite rural so need to sort the license ASAP

Hi everyone!
I’ll be visiting Stockholm with my girlfriend and a few friends, and her birthday happens to fall during our trip. I’d love to organise a nice birthday dinner followed by drinks somewhere with a good atmosphere.
Ideally, we’re looking for is somewhere that allows you to bring your own birthday cake, or offers the option to order one in advance or a good cocktail bar where we can continue the evening after dinner.
We’re not necessarily looking for fine dining or anything overly fancy, just somewhere with great food, a lovely atmosphere and good drinks that would make the occasion feel special.
**Do restaurants in Stockholm generally allow you to bring your own birthday cake, as is quite common in Turkey?** If so, are there any places you’d recommend? We’d also be happy to hear about any great spots for after-dinner cocktails or wine.
Thanks in advance for your recommendations!

Hi! Canadian here.

I had met a Swedish boy online and I had stayed with him for two weeks this month in Sweden. We had discussed that we want to take each other seriously and look into ways I would be able to move to Sweden so we can have a future together.

I am still young, I'm under 20 and I haven't gotten a degree yet since I don't have that kind of money as I'm an orphan and financially independent. I have looked into the holiday visa, but I am scared that nobody would take a second look at my resume. I have worked at a pharmacy behind the desk as an assistant and I am working as the primary health and beauty worker right now at a grocery store. Without a college or university degree, I feel a bit hopeless.

We have spoken about a relationship visa, however, I do not want to put all financial responsibility onto him. I do not want him to pay the bills by himself, groceries etc. I truly do want to help and make us a team effort.

I have been learning Swedish for the past 8 months, I have numerous textbooks but I am not up to fluency but I study everyday to get better.

Does anyone have any advice or where to lead us in the correct direction?

Hej allihopa! Jag är en Greek-utbildad läkare som vill flytta till Sverige för ST-tjänst (och permanent om allt går bra). Jag ska ta Swedexprovet - C1 nivå om en vecka. Jag trot att jag kan inte tillräckligt svenska for att prata med patienterna dagligen, eftersom jag har studerat svenska bara i två år. Jag skulle vilja fråga er:
1. Är det möjligt för mig att flytta till Sverige och stanna dit i en månad, för att ta svenska lektioner? Till exempel från folkuniversitetet osv
2. Skulle jag kontakta vårdcentraler där jag ville arbeta på och fråga dem om de erbjuder lektioner?
3. Skulle jag stanna i Grekland, fortsätta lektionerna med min grekiska lärare och ta extra lektioner online på medicinska svenska?
Förlåt mig för eventuella misstag.
Tack så jättemycket!!!

Min dotter föddes i ett annat land och vi ska flytta hem. Hon har ett svenskt pass med samordningsnummer, hon är 5 månader, jag är svensk. På Skatteverket står det bara att det tar upp till 5 veckor innan ansökan hamnar hos handläggare, men hur lång tid tar det sen? Någon som har erfarenhet?

Hej! I uploaded my documents as soon as the portal opened, and I would like to hear about your application experience (Masters). If UA sent you a message regarding your documents, how many weeks did it take for them to do so? I've read that if you don't get a message, then you can assume you're clear. But they stated that times will vary so I'd love to hear about your timeline.

Tack!

I am coming to stockholm on exchange next year, and am looking to commute with an ebike which from google maps with regular cycling will take about 15minutes I am only staying for six months so would like to ask for some recommendations and advice.

1) Where can I buy E-bikes in stockholm?

2) Which bikes should I get?

3) Is there any safe place to park in stockholm university?

4) Can I resell the bike before I leave if so where?

Thank you

Edit: Thanks for all the replies and suggestions will take note especially of the parking :)

Where I stay it would be easier and faster to bike than to take public transportation hence the consideration. Social Travel will mainly be to and fro the airport so will research more on the SL pass thank you all for the recommendations.

I am concerned about a big uphill incline on the way but will study the route more when I'm in stockholm before deciding.

Hi all,

I recently got laid off, July to be specific and now applied for A-kassa(union) and got denied this Friday.
They said they can’t give it to me if I am studying 💯.

So for the past year, I have been taking a self paced degree, which I hope to complete next summer or autumn and normally took breaks in between when work got so demanding. This semester I decided to go full blown as I wasn’t sure when my next job will come around. I had paused this particular module so j decided this semester, I will finish the remaining 22.5 credits left, since I get rejections every morning. While I was working full time, I still managed to do 15 credit a semester.
I did send in this information but they claimed I didn’t study for 16week

I have had this job I got laid off for year and was earning quite decently, 65k after taxes.
I genuinely think it’s unfair to deny me support that I have been paying for for 8yrs because I am studying.

Living in Stockholm is already so expensive and if I got CSN I wouldn’t afford the same lifestyle on that money. 13k an adult. My rent is already relatively high. I have adjusted to a cheaper student apartment that’s 8k and still the balance left off what I would presumably get from CSN wouldn’t even last a month.

I don’t understand as this insurance we presumably pay for can’t be leaned back on when we lose our job.

Has anyone had to appeal or negotiate this kind of situations?
I can’t lie I am getting depressed from having to deal with these things.

Just got the results today for swedish citizenship test and I passed it. So happy 😄

I am having an interview this Monday for a 6-month junior-level contract with a Swedish bank. While they do have two posts open, one in London and one in Stockholm (for context, I am based in the UK and am being put forward for the London role), I thought I would pitch the idea of moving to their Stockholm office for a bit, should that be a viable option.

I've been to Stockholm before and fell in love with the city, which is why I'm now considering moving there for 6 months. However, before I get to the idealisms, I want to understand how easy or difficult it is to secure a temporary work visa in Sweden, and whether that's even possible for Swedish financial companies.

I would like to get a good idea before I make a realistic-ish pitch to them, and all my conversations with the role so far has been with my headhunter/recruiter!

Hi everyone,

Someone with a Swedish work permit may be laid off and has a 2-month notice period. The employer is offering *arbetsbefriad* (no work duties during the notice period), while continuing to pay the full salary and benefits until the employment officially ends.

They have a few questions:

1. Would being *arbetsbefriad* while still employed and receiving full salary and benefits violate their work permit conditions?
   
2. Does the 3-month period to find a new job start only after the 2-month notice period ends?
   
3. Has anyone experienced a similar situation or received clarification from Migrationsverket?

They want to make sure everything is handled correctly and that their work permit is not put at risk in case they find a new employment.

Thanks in advance for any advice or personal experiences!

Hej allihopa!

I've been looking into studying for a Masters in Stockholm and potentially relocating to Sweden long-term but I'm quite perplexed whether this is the right choice on a practical level.

For context - I'm an EU student in Computer Science. Getting here would be no problem and tuition would be completely free for me. I also speak Norwegian which is generally mutually intelligible with Swedish (I'm considering Oslo as an option too but I digress).

My main concerns are the practicalities of living in Stockholm. I've heard time and time again that finding accommodation is a nightmare and that it's incredibly cliquey socially. Furthermore, the high unemployment rate isn't particularly reassuring.

I have savings to support myself initially but will need a part-time job alongside my studies at some point and, ideally, a proper full-time one after graduating if I choose to stay.

I don't expect moving to be easy but it seems like there are a lot of factors piling up where I'm seriously reconsidering this option.

I wanted to ask what your experiences are and any advice on the matter? I'd love to hear from people who've made a similar move.

Tack så mycket!

Hi

Has anyone received a 6-month work permit extension despite having a permanent employment contract?

My situation is that I've held a Swedish work permit since June 2023, but my current permit expires in March 2027 because my passport expires on the same date. I'm renewing my passport now.

By March 2027, I'll have completed around 45 months on a work permit, just 3 months short of the 48 months required to be considered for permanent residence.

I'm wondering whether it's possible to request a 6-month extension instead, even with permanent employment, so I can apply for PR at the next renewal after completing 48 months.

Has anyone been in a similar situation or successfully received a shorter extension?

What UHR says:

• You see how many questions you got right out of the total, and the pass mark. The pass mark is shown in your own result.
• You can't see which questions you got wrong. The test is covered by test confidentiality (provsekretess).
• The result is sent to Migrationsverket automatically. You don't need to send anything.
• If you failed: "kan få möjlighet att visa kunskaper på nytt" (you may get the chance to show your knowledge again). UHR says to contact Migrationsverket about what applies to you.
• If your account says "Ej resultat" and you have questions, contact UHR's support.
• The next civics test is planned for April–May 2027. No date yet. You'll need to register again, and you can only register if you've received a letter from Migrationsverket.

Edit:
UHR has published the results. The pass mark for the 15 August test was 28 out of 40 points, and about 80% of the 875 people who sat it passed. The results go to Migrationsverket, which handles the citizenship case from there. Source**:** https://www.uhr.se/om-uhr/nyheter/2026-nyheter/resultaten-fran-medborgarskapsprovet-i-samhallskunskap-klara/

UHR's results page: https://www.uhr.se/medborgarskapsprovet/resultat/ FAQ: https://www.uhr.se/medborgarskapsprovet/fragor-och-svar/ Log in: https://medborgarskapsprovet.uhr.se/

Hi everyone, I’m looking for firsthand experiences with a Swedish work permit application involving a recruitment advertisement problem.

My situation:

• I’m a non-EU graduate of a Swedish university. I applied for a post-study job-seeking residence permit before my student permit expired.

• After finding a job, I asked Migrationsverket to change my application to a work permit application. I have already started working.

• The position was advertised on the company’s website and LinkedIn before I was hired. However, the employer cannot verify that the original Platsbanken advertisement was successfully published.

• Migrationsverket has sent a notice of possible refusal because of the advertising requirement. I have submitted additional recruitment evidence; there is no final refusal yet.

My employer wants to keep me. The position has since been advertised again on Platsbanken. Our backup plan is to sign a new contract after the advertising period ends, then submit a fresh application from outside Sweden after I leave.

Has anyone personally been through this?

1. Did you receive approval after reapplying from abroad with the same employer and the same role, following an advertising-related refusal?

2. How did you handle the existing employment relationship and the new contract: termination and rehire, a pause, or another arrangement?

3. Did Migrationsverket require anything beyond the new advertisement, contract and normal application documents?

If you have a similar experience, please mention roughly when it happened and the final outcome. Cases involving an advertising issue alone would be especially helpful, as salary or insurance problems may involve different considerations.

Thanks!

I'm considering a postdoctoral research position and would like some clarification regarding Sweden's permanent residency (PR) rules for researchers route.

The position is funded through a tax-free scholarship (stipendium) of approximately 30,800 SEK/month, initially for one year with a possible extension to two years. But it has mentioned scholarship holders are not considered university employees.

My understanding is that researchers can apply for permanent residency after three years of qualifying residence permits. However, the Swedish Migration Agency also requires applicants to support themselves through income from employment or their own business.

My questions are:

1)If I spend three years on research in Sweden on a tax-free scholarship, will those three years count towards the residence requirement for PR?

2)If I complete three years on scholarships but have no taxable employment income, will my PR application be rejected despite having sufficient scholarship income?

3)Would switching to a salaried research position shortly before applying for PR satisfy the financial requirement, or is a minimum period of salaried employment required?

I'd especially appreciate answers from international postdocs or researchers who have gone through this process recently.

Thanks in advance!

I am an EU citizen who intends to move to Sweden soon, and hopefully with my girlfriend (who is NOT an EU citizen). However, I read that we are required be married for her to get her residence permit without a work visa. Is that the case? Or is it possible even without us being married/legally together? We've been in a serious relationship for years, and have always considered moving to Sweden, so it'd be nice to know.

Thank you in advance!

Hi! I am a 19-year-old (born Feb 2007) Turkish citizen who has been living in Sweden since I was about 13 (moved here December 2020 with family). I currently have a permanent residence permit, and am studying at university here in Stockholm.

Due to various timing and application issues, I unfortunately wasn’t able to get my citizenship in the past before the law change. I actually ended up getting rejected twice. Once in 2025 because my application process took too long, and I ended up turning 18 before getting a response, resulting in my requirement to move up to 5 years. I waited a couple of months till I fulfilled that window, and I applied again in Dec 2025. Unfortunately, I got rejected again about 2 months ago due to the law change as the requirement now changed to 7 years.

I don’t have any other problems with the other requirements of proficiency, culture, etc. I have been living here since middle school, completed all of my high school education here, and am also attending university here until 2028. That’s where my issue arises. I will be reapplying in Dec 2027, before I am 21. However, after 21, the requirement becomes 8 years. Will I be rejected again because I turn 21, even though that’s after I have applied? Also, ideally I want to do my master’s abroad right after university, so I want to move after graduation. However, if this process takes longer, I would need to get a job here to show proof of income, reason to stay, etc. For this, I would also have to line it up before graduation to ensure it’s consistent in my application.

I am currently living in Sweden alone since my family has moved back to Turkey, so I am going through this process alone. I want to move back to Sweden after my master’s and work here, so it would be really very helpful to get my citizenship before that. I have also always wanted to do my master’s in the UK, but I don’t know if that’s going to be possible with how unlucky I have been in this process. Does anyone know if my turning 21 or graduating in 2028 would cause a problem in my application? Will I have to apply again in 2028, in which case my application could take up to 5 years to process? It feels really discouraging that I might have to give up on my master’s plans because of this. Are there any services that I can talk to for advice?

Sorry if any of this was unclear, I would be happy to clarify if something is confusing. I just really don’t know what I can do to help my situation. I would appreciate any and all advice!!