Student visa & permits in Sweden
Student visa, residence permit, registration, fees, deadlines and document guidance for studying in Sweden.
Read the complete Sweden study abroad guide.
Visa & Immigration
If you are a citizen of an EU or EEA country and meet the conditions for right of residence, you do not need a residence permit to study in Sweden. Swiss citizens follow separate rules and normally need to apply for a residence permit for Swiss citizens if the stay will exceed three months. Most other citizens outside the EU/EEA who will study higher education in Sweden for more than three months need a residence permit for studies. As a main rule, the first permit must be applied for and granted before you enter Sweden.
For the ordinary residence permit for higher education you must, among other things, be finally admitted to full-time on-site studies in Sweden, have paid any tuition fee due, hold a valid passport, and show that your maintenance is secured.
For applications made in 2026, the maintenance requirement is at least SEK 10,656 per month. The monthly amount can be reduced by SEK 2,960 if free food is provided and by SEK 4,736 if free housing is provided by the educational institution or an organisation for international exchange. If family applies with you, add SEK 4,440 per month for a spouse or cohabiting partner and SEK 2,664 per child. Maintenance can consist of your own bank assets, a scholarship, a study grant or student loan from your home country, an acceptable sponsor, or income from employment. A private individual, such as a relative, is not accepted as a sponsor; money from a private person must instead be transferred to an account in your name and be assessed as your own bank assets. Credit, funds and shares are not accepted as own bank assets. Check the Migration Agency's current document requirements before submitting your application.
The application fee for the ordinary study permit is SEK 1,500 for adults and SEK 750 for children under 18. Exemptions include students at the World Maritime University in Malmö, Japanese citizens, and certain scholarship holders. Fee rules and exemptions can change, so check the current list at the Swedish Migration Agency.
Apply as soon as you are finally admitted and any tuition fee has been paid. Processing times vary between cases and over time; use the Migration Agency's current information rather than planning around an older average.
Source: https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-want-to-apply/study/higher-education.html
Residence Permit
Sweden runs on the personnummer, the personal identity number issued by the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) when you are entered in the population register. Without it, opening a bank account, getting a BankID, or dealing with most authorities becomes slow and manual.
The threshold is twelve months. If you are moving to Sweden and will live here for a year or more, you register in the population register and receive a personnummer. If your stay is shorter, you cannot be registered, but you may be able to obtain a coordination number (samordningsnummer) instead, which serves a similar identifying purpose for temporary stays.
You cannot apply before you arrive. Register in person at a service centre, book the appointment early because waiting times are real, and use Skatteverket's "Move to Sweden" e service beforehand to prepare. Bring your passport, your admission decision, and, if you are a non EU citizen, your residence permit decision and card.
If your residence permit was granted on or after 11 June 2026, you must notify the Swedish Migration Agency of your address within 30 days, both when the permit is granted and whenever you move. If you are entered in the population register, this duty does not apply to you.
Source: https://www.skatteverket.se/servicelankar/otherlanguages/englishengelska/individualsandemployees/movingtosweden.4.7be5268414bea064694c40c.html
Common questions
What should international students know about visa in Sweden?
EU/EEA citizens with right of residence need no residence permit. Swiss citizens follow separate rules. Most other students staying over three months need a study residence permit.
What should international students know about residence in Sweden?
Stay of twelve months or more means a personnummer from Skatteverket; shorter stays get a coordination number.