Swedish citizenship

Voting: voting in Riksdag elections requires citizenship: see the right to vote.

How citizenship is acquired

There are two routes. At birth, without doing anything. By naturalisation, with an application to Migrationsverket once you meet the requirements. The rules are in the Swedish Citizenship Act (2001

).

At birth

A child is Swedish at birth if a parent is a Swedish citizen (or was one when they died). Where the child is born does not matter: the child of a Swede born in Rome, Nairobi or Lima is as Swedish as one born in Stockholm.

By naturalisation from 6 June 2026

Adults (from age 18) must meet all of these conditions.

• Proven identity.
• A permanent residence permit. Since 12 July 2026 permanent permits are generally no longer granted (more in the permits guide): check Migrationsverket's 12 July notice for your situation. For EU/EEA citizens, see the box below.
• Residence (hemvist) in Sweden for 8 years, unless a shorter period applies (table below).
• A conduct that is "skötsam och hederlig", meaning an orderly, honest life.
• Self-support.
• Knowledge of Swedish and of Swedish society.

Self-support

You need income from work or a business of at least three inkomstbasbelopp a year, which Migrationsverket puts at about SEK 20,000 a month before tax. The income must not be only temporary. You may also have received no more than 6 months in total of social assistance (försörjningsstöd) in the 3 years before you apply. There are exceptions in some cases (pension, disability, studies): check Migrationsverket.

Knowledge

• Society: shown through the citizenship test (medborgarskapsprov i samhällskunskap).
• Swedish: the language test is not yet active. For now you show your Swedish in other ways, for example school grades or SFI: check Migrationsverket for what is accepted (and see the guide to SFI and work).
• Exemptions: none required from age 67. With sufficient grades in Danish or Norwegian you are exempt from the language part. There are also exceptions for disability or personal reasons.

Shorter periods

The 8 years do not apply to everyone. The Act sets shorter periods for some:

Who	Residence required
Citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway; former Swedish citizens	2 years
Stateless people	5 years
Refugees	7 years
Married to or cohabiting with a Swedish citizen	7 years, only if the relationship has lasted at least 5 years and the partner has been Swedish for at least 5 years
Under 21 when applying	7 years

What changed:

	Before	Now (from 6 June 2026)
Basic residence period	5 years	8 years
Spouses of Swedish citizens	3 years	7 years, with the two 5-year conditions

If you do not meet both 5-year conditions, the ordinary 8 years apply.

Children

For a minor, the application is made by whoever has custody. Since 2026 each child has their own application: the child is no longer added to a parent's. From age 12 the child's consent is required, and from 16 knowledge is required too. Residence periods are shorter for minors: check Migrationsverket for the exact ones.

Losing citizenship at 22

If you were born abroad, have never lived in Sweden and have had no ties to the country, you lose citizenship at age 22, unless that would make you stateless. To keep it you can apply between 18 and 22. This mostly concerns children of Swedes who grow up outside Sweden: note the date.

Dual citizenship

Sweden allows dual citizenship. Whether you can keep your other citizenship after naturalising is decided by the other country: check its rules. Italy, for example, allows it.

Children with an Italian parent

This section is for people with an Italian partner. If the other parent is from another country, the same logic applies: check that country's rules.

A child born in Sweden to a Swedish parent and an Italian parent is Swedish at birth through the Swedish parent. The child may also be entitled to Italian citizenship, but only within the conditions of the 2025 reform (decree-law 36/2025, law 74/2025, in force since 24 May 2025). For people born abroad who hold another citizenship, recognition remains automatic if:

• a parent was born in Italy, or
• a grandparent was born in Italy, or
• a citizen parent lived in Italy for at least 2 consecutive years before the birth.

Italy's Constitutional Court (ruling 63/2026) has upheld the limit. If the Italian parent was born outside Italy and did not live there for 2 years, the rules are stricter: check with the Embassy or a lawyer before gathering documents.

To make the Italian citizenship show up in Italy, there is a set route:

1. the Italian parent must be registered with AIRE (see the AIRE guide);
2. you ask for the transcription of the birth certificate through the Italian Embassy (civil status office), with the Skatteverket certificate;
3. the child is registered with AIRE together with the parent;
4. then you can apply for an Italian passport or electronic ID card.

We have not been able to verify the exact deadlines and documents for the transcription: ask the Embassy. For Italian citizenship in detail, see the sister guide on Italia Pratica. The result is dual citizenship, which both countries allow.

A proposal under discussion

A proposal is under discussion to revoke citizenship from people with dual citizenship who commit very serious crimes. It is only a proposal: it is not law today.

Fees and processing times

We have no verified figures for the application fee and processing times: check Migrationsverket's citizenship page before you apply.

Common mistakes

• Using the rules from before 6 June 2026. The 8 years also apply to applications already submitted.
• Applying for a permanent permit as an EU/EEA citizen. Not needed: your uppehållsrätt counts as one for citizenship.
• Counting on 7 years as a spouse without checking the 5 + 5. If the relationship or the partner's citizenship is under 5 years old, the period is 8 years.
• Waiting for the language test. It is not yet active: for now there are other ways.
• Forgetting age 22. A child of Swedes growing up abroad needs to apply to keep citizenship between 18 and 22.
• Thinking Swedish citizenship cancels the other one. The other country decides, not Sweden.
• Assuming the child automatically gets Italian citizenship. It depends on the 2025 conditions: check first.