Sweden:Visa Requirements

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Sweden Visa Requirements Map

Sweden: Visa Requirements

Visa requirements may change. Always verify the latest information through official government sources.

Visa-Free Entry Requirements

  • Passengers benefiting from the right of free movement must carry a valid passport or a valid national identity card indicating citizenship according to travel conditions. Ordinary identity cards issued in lieu of national identity cards are not accepted as valid travel documents. A passport is generally required when crossing an external border from a country outside the European Union and the European Economic Area.
  • The passport used for visa-free short stays must not be older than ten years from the date of issue and must be valid for at least three months beyond the planned date of exit from the Schengen Area. The mandatory blank passport page, damaged passport conditions or universal technical requirement for machine-readable or biometric passports for visa-free travellers are not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • A short stay is a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period for the entire Schengen Area. Being present for the purpose of employment or study is generally not covered by a visa-free short visit and may require separate permission.
  • The traveller must have a valid round-trip ticket and the return journey must take place within the 90-day period. The Swedish Police may also accept the demonstration of sufficient financial resources to purchase a ticket in the absence of a return ticket.
  • Accommodation conditions must be proven by a hotel reservation or a written invitation prepared by the person with whom the traveller will stay in Sweden. The traveller must be able to explain the purpose of the visit and the intended duration of stay.
  • The traveller must have sufficient financial resources for expenses in Sweden and the return journey. The general financial sufficiency criterion is 450 Swedish kronor per person per day. A lower amount may be accepted for children, those who have prepaid accommodation and meal expenses, or those staying with relatives or friends.
  • Financial sufficiency can be proven by bank statements or documents showing that the inviting person will cover all visit expenses. The specific number of months that the bank statement must cover is not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • Travel health insurance is stated as recommended, not mandatory, for visa-exempt travellers. The recommended insurance must cover urgent healthcare, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation for medical reasons; have a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros and be valid in all Schengen countries.
  • Short-stay third-country travellers under the Entry/Exit System must present their passports and, if applicable, other permit documents at the Schengen external border; provide facial image and fingerprints. The time and place of entry and exit are recorded in the electronic system. Different rules may apply to travellers holding a residence card or another status that provides exemption from the system.
  • Children must have a valid travel document when crossing the external border. If the child does not travel with all legal representatives, it is recommended to carry a letter of permission from the other parent or guardian containing names and contact information. No mandatory and standard parental consent form has been published by the Swedish authorities. Border officers may ask additional questions and request documents showing family ties to assess the risk of child abduction or human trafficking.
  • During border control, passport, accommodation, invitation, return ticket, financial sufficiency, duration of stay and purpose of travel may be re-examined. Entry to the country may be refused if the conditions cannot be proven, the required document is not available or there is an entry ban in security records.
  • A general requirement for a vaccination certificate or medical report for tourist or ordinary short visits is not specified definitively in the central official source.

Consular Visa Application Requirements

  • A Schengen C-type visa for short stays must be obtained before travel. The application must be made outside Sweden, from the country where the applicant legally resides. For journeys covering more than one Schengen country, Sweden must be the main destination. If the durations of stay are equal, the application is submitted to the competent authority of the country of first entry.
  • The application may be made at the Swedish embassy, Swedish consulate general, a representation of another Schengen country acting on behalf of Sweden, or an officially authorised external service provider, depending on the country of residence. The application centre to be used and the exact document list are determined after selecting the country of residence and purpose of travel.
  • The Schengen visa application form must be completed in full and signed. Sweden's central form number is 119031. Who signs the form for minor applicants may vary according to the local checklist of the representation where the application is made.
  • The passport must be valid for at least three months after the expiry date of the requested visa, must have been issued within the last ten years, and must contain at least two blank pages. Copies of the passport's photo information page and other pages indicated in the local checklist may be requested.
  • The conditions for accepting a damaged passport and a separate technical standard regarding the passport being machine-readable or biometric applicable to all applicants are not specified definitively in the central official source. The types of special travel documents accepted may vary depending on the representation and whether the document is recognised by other Schengen countries.
  • The applicant must submit documents indicating the purpose of the visit. For tourist travel, a travel itinerary, transport reservations and proof of accommodation may be requested; for business or conference travel, an invitation from the company or organiser; for volunteer work or internship, an invitation from the relevant institution; for religious visits, an invitation from the organisation or community.
  • For a family or friend visit, the inviting person in Sweden must fill in invitation form number 241011. The inviting person must submit a copy of their valid identity document, passport or equivalent identity document. A residence permit card alone is not accepted as an identity document.
  • If the inviting person will cover the applicant's expenses, they must submit documents showing their income and assets. Additionally, a special Swedish population registration extract issued for the purpose of invitation is requested. This population registration extract does not need to be signed or stamped by the Swedish Tax Agency.
  • The applicant must have sufficient financial means for their subsistence in Sweden and the return journey. The general financial sufficiency criterion is 450 Swedish kronor per person per day. Expenses may also be covered by the inviting person, company, institution or organisation.
  • Financial sufficiency can be shown by bank statements, income documents or the sponsor's income and asset documents. The number of months the bank statement must cover and the total minimum balance required in the account, aside from the criterion of 450 Swedish kronor per day, are not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • Employment certificate, payslip, student certificate, company records and documents showing ties to return to the country of residence may be requested in the local checklist of the country where the application is made. These documents have not been published as a single universal central list for all applicants.
  • The applicant must be able to show that they will leave Sweden and the Schengen Area before the visa expires. Flight reservations, return ticket, employment or study status, family ties, property and legal residence documents may be used in this assessment.
  • Valid individual travel health insurance must be submitted. The insurance must cover urgent medical assistance, emergency hospital treatment and costs of repatriation for medical reasons; have a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros; be valid in all Schengen countries and for the entire planned duration of stay. Exemption may apply for holders of diplomatic passports, applicants for an airport transit visa and certain family members with the right of free movement.
  • For applications made for the purpose of medical treatment, a medical report from the healthcare provider in Sweden showing the date and scope of the treatment and a second medical report from the country of residence showing that the same treatment cannot be provided there are required. A document showing that the necessary amount has been deposited in Sweden for the planned treatment and follow-up care and health treatment questionnaire number 219011 must also be submitted.
  • For a doctoral exchange programme, an invitation or acceptance letter from the higher education institution in Sweden is required. If the applicant is enrolled at a higher education institution in another country, they must also submit a registration certificate from their own institution.
  • As a rule, the applicant's photograph and fingerprints are taken during the application. An application by a person who has provided fingerprints during a Schengen visa application within the last five years may be submitted by a representative with a valid power of attorney. The competent authority may request the biometric data to be taken again.
  • For an application submitted through a representative, a passport-sized photograph taken in advance and not older than six months is required. The exact dimensions, background colour and other technical specifications of the photograph are not specified definitively in the central official source. The representation or application centre where the application is made may set different photograph dimensions.
  • For minor applicants, a birth certificate, copies of the parents' identity documents or passports, and if the child is travelling alone or with one parent, the consent of the non-travelling parent may be requested. The signature, notarisation and form of the consent vary according to the local checklist of the representation where the application is made.
  • Documents may need to be submitted in Swedish, English or another language accepted by the representation. No single central rule applicable to all applications has been published regarding translation, notarisation, legalisation and apostille requirements.
  • The application may be made up to six months before the journey. As a general rule, it must be submitted at least 15 calendar days before the planned journey. Since the waiting time for an appointment may not be included in the application processing time, it may be necessary to apply earlier.
  • The normal decision period is approximately 15 calendar days. In individual files requiring additional examination, consultation with other authorities or a request for additional documents, the period may extend up to 45 days. Operational conditions in the country of application may affect the period.
  • The standard visa fee is 90 euros for applicants aged 12 and over, 45 euros for children aged 6–11. No fee is charged for children under five years of age. Fee exemption or reduction may apply due to the purpose of travel, the applicant's situation or facilitation agreements in force.
  • Small differences may occur when the fee is converted into local currency. The authorised external service provider may also charge a service fee. Which payment methods — cash, card, bank transfer or other — are accepted is not specified definitively in the central official source and varies by application centre. The visa fee is not refunded for rejected applications.
  • A Schengen visa may be issued for a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The visa sticker shows the number of permitted days, the validity period and the number of entries. The number of days that can be used is only the period stated on the sticker.
  • The visa may be single-entry or multiple-entry. A multiple-entry visa may be issued with a validity of up to five years; however, the 90/180-day rule must be observed for each stay. Some visas may be valid only for Sweden or for a limited number of Schengen countries indicated on the sticker.
  • The approved visa is affixed to the passport as a visa sticker. Sweden does not issue a short-stay Schengen visa solely as an electronic approval document.
  • A visa does not grant automatic right of entry. The traveller must carry copies of the invitation, accommodation, travel reservation, financial sufficiency and purpose of travel documents submitted during the application. The border authority may re-examine these documents and may not authorise entry if the entry conditions are not met.
  • The competent authority may request additional documents, explanations, new biometric data or a personal interview from the applicant. Submission of incomplete documents or the applicant's inability to provide sufficient explanation regarding the purpose of travel, financial situation or intention to return may extend the processing time or result in a refusal.

Transit Visa Requirements

  • An airport transit visa is used for changing flights in the international transit area of an airport within the Schengen Area. This visa does not permit the traveller to leave the international transit area or enter Sweden.
  • An airport transit visa may not be sufficient if the traveller is required to collect their baggage, transfer to another airport, spend the night outside the transit area or undergo passport control. In such a case, a short-stay Schengen visa may be required.
  • The application must be made before travel and from the country where the applicant legally resides. The Swedish representation, other Schengen authority representing Sweden or authorised application centre to which the application is submitted is determined according to the place of residence.
  • The Schengen visa application form must be completed in full and signed. The valid passport, a copy of the passport's photo information page and other documents requested in the local checklist of the representation where the application is made must be submitted.
  • Under the general Schengen passport requirements, the passport must have been issued within the last ten years, have the required validity after the planned journey and contain sufficient blank pages for the visa sticker. A separate passport validity period and blank page standard applicable at all application locations for a transit visa are not specified definitively on the central transit page; the local checklist must be taken as a basis.
  • A confirmed flight reservation or ticket showing onward travel to another country must be submitted. If the final destination country requires a visa, residence permit or another entry permission, a valid copy of that document is required.
  • The travel itinerary, dates of flights, airports of transit and final destination must be clearly shown. If more than one transit is to be made, all connecting flights must be documented.
  • Applicants for an airport transit visa are exempt from the general travel health insurance requirement. However, since some representations may have different document requests in their country-specific checklists, the current list of the application location is applied.
  • In transit applications, the number of photographs, exact photograph dimensions, background colour and technical specifications may vary according to the representation where the application is made. They are not specified definitively in the central official source.
  • There is no universal central transit checklist regarding the period of bank statement, minimum account balance, employment or student documents, proof of accommodation, translation, notarisation, legalisation and apostille requirements. These documents may be requested based on the applicant's country of residence and the harmonised checklist of the local representation.
  • For minor applicants, a birth certificate, parents' identity documents and, if necessary, parental consent may be requested. Whether the document needs to be notarised varies according to the representation where the application is made.
  • The application must be made up to six months before travel and generally no later than 15 days before. The normal processing time is 15 calendar days; the period may extend for individual files requiring additional examination.
  • The fee for the transit visa, payment method, number of permitted transits and exact validity period of the visa sticker are not specified definitively on the central transit page. This information should be checked on the current fees and procedures page of the representation where the application is made.
  • Photograph and fingerprints may be taken during the application. For persons with usable Schengen fingerprints provided within the last five years, the possibility of application through a representative may exist; however, the competent authority may request a personal appearance or the biometric data to be taken again.
  • A transit visa also does not constitute a guarantee of entry. Airport and border authorities may check the passport, onward flight, right of entry to the final destination country and transit conditions.
Population
10,701,047(2026 est.)
Official language
Swedish; official minority languages: Finnish, Meänkieli, Romani, Sami, Yiddish
Government type
Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Continent
Europe
Capital
Stockholm
Currency
Swedish kronor
Area
447,425 km²
Phone code
+46

Sweden: Key Destinations

Stockholm, the capital, is Sweden's primary gateway and cultural heart. Gothenburg and Malmö serve as major hubs in the west and south.

Sweden's archipelago of over 30,000 islands offers unique coastal experiences. The northern region of Lapland draws visitors for winter activities and the Northern Lights.

Most travelers start in Stockholm before exploring the scenic train route to Gothenburg or the coastal ferry to Denmark. Domestic flights connect Stockholm to Kiruna in the far north.