A visa is a permit which is required to enter and remain in Sweden and the other Schengen states for a short period of time, e.g. to visit relatives or friends, as a tourist, on business, to attend a conference or simply to pass through (transit). A person who wishes to reside in Sweden, to be reunited with relatives for example, must apply for and be granted a residence permit before entering the country.

The visa should be complete and be entered in the passport before entry into the Schengen area.

The right to enter the Schengen area is examined every time you pass the outer border of the area. At the border control everyone who enters the area must be able to show that they have money for their keep during their visit and for their return journey home and that they have medical travel insurance and documents showing the purpose of their visit.

Nationals in the majority of countries outside the EU require a visa to visit Sweden and the other Schengen countries. This is a decision reached by Sweden together with the other EU countries.

The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland

Particular requirements
If you wish to visit Sweden and the other Schengen states you have to fulfill some requirements which are the same for all countries. In addition, there are requirements which vary from country to country. Each Swedish mission abroad (embassy or consulate) is an independent authority and together with the other Schengen states represented at the same place it can require additional documents and make other demands.

These requirements may change depending on the existing circumstances. It is therefore important that you check which requirements you have to fulfil in order to be granted a visa. If you can, enter www.swedenabroad.com and browse to the mission you are going to visit. If you cannot do this, please contact the embassy or consulate in another way.

Common requirements
Everyone who wishes to visit Sweden and the other Schengen states will need a passport valid for at least three months after the final date stated in the visa.

You must also have money for your keep and for the journey home. The Swedish authorities have estimated that a person needs €40 (approximately SEK 370) for each day spent in Sweden. This amount could in certain instances be lower, such as in the case of a young child, if the cost of food and accommodation is paid in advance or if the applicant intends to stay with relatives or friends. You can prove that you have sufficient money for your keep by, for example, producing an account statement from your bank or a document showing that the person inviting you to Sweden promises to cover all expenses during your visit.

It is also necessary to have individual medical travel insurance which covers any costs that could arise in conjunction with

* emergency medical assistance
* emergency hospital care
* transport to your home country for medical reasons.

The insurance should cover costs of at least €30,000 and be valid in all the Schengen countries.

Special agreement
Specific rules apply for citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine due to the Agreement on the facilitation of issuance of short-stay visas between these countries and the EU. You can find more information about this at the EU embassies and consulates in these eight countries. If you have access to; the Internet you can for example visit www.swedenabroad.com and browse to the Swedish mission abroad you are interested in.

You will be granted a visa if the authority that makes the decision – a Swedish mission abroad or the Swedish Migration Board – considers that you will leave the Schengen area after your visit and that the purpose of your visit is the one you have stated in your application. If it is considered that you have other intentions with your visit or that your true intention is to reside in the Schengen area your application will be rejected. The same applies if you are registered in the computer system SIS (Schengen Information System), where the member countries register persons who are not permitted to enter the Schengen area. These rules apply in all countries that have ratified the Schengen Agreement.

You should hand in your visa application to a Swedish mission abroad. In certain countries Sweden is represented by another Schengen country. There are, however, countries where Sweden does not have a mission abroad and is not represented by another country. If that is the case and you wish to submit a visa application you must travel to the nearest country where there is a Swedish mission or where another country represents Sweden.

If you intend to hand in your application at another Schengen state’s mission abroad, you are advised to call the mission before you go there. In that case it is this country’s documentary requirements that apply. Documents should also be translated into the language of that country.

To apply for a visa you should fill in the form Application for Schengen Visa.

http://www.migrationsverket.se/info/start_en.html

You can also order by e-mail: distributionen@migrationsverket.se or by writing to the Migration Board, Distributionen, SE-601 70 Norrköping.

Forms are also available at Swedish missions abroad.
 

To enable the authorities to process your application you must state clearly

* why you are visiting Sweden
* how long you intend to stay in Sweden
* how you will support yourself during your time in Sweden
* the type of passport you hold and for how long it is valid
* where you intend to travel following your visit to Sweden
* that you have a permit to travel to the country you intend to travel to after your time in Sweden

You must also enclose two passport photographs, taken with you looking straight ahead and which are not older than six months.

Apart from the application, all applicants must submit an Appendix D form (family appendix).

If you intend to travel to Sweden on business or to attend a conference you should submit an invitation – a letter – from the company or the person arranging the conference together with your application.

The invitation should contain information about you, such as:

* your personal details
* your reason for visiting Sweden
* how long you will be in Sweden
* who is responsible for your keep during the time you are in Sweden.

For most applicants it costs € 60 (approximately SEK 550) to submit a visa application at a Swedish mission abroad. The fee is not refunded if you are not granted a visa. Certain groups are exempted entirely or partly from this stipulation.

No fee
The following are exempted from paying a fee:

* Children under the age of six years
* Schoolchildren, students in higher education, research students and their accompanying teachers – on condition that the purpose of the trip is studies or education
* Researchers – on condition that the purpose of the trip is scientific research.

Relatives of EEA nationals (citizens of the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) or Swiss nationals do not need to pay a fee for their visa applications if they are going to travel together with that relative or meet in connection with the journey. The applicant must present a certificate which confirms marriage or relationship.

The following persons are classified as relatives

* husband, wife, co-habitee *
* registered partner
* a child under the age of 21 years or an older child who is dependent on his/her parents for his/her keep
* parents who are financially dependent on children in Sweden

* Does not apply to persons co-habiting with Swiss citizens.

Relatives of Swedish nationals must, however, pay a fee to apply for a visa.

Normally, a decision is made within two weeks although processing times at the missions abroad vary. If you need accurate information about this, please contact the mission abroad which will process your application. In cases where the Migration Board is to make a decision it could take longer as the mission abroad must then send the application by mail to the Migration Board. To be certain that you will receive your visa in time you should submit your application at least two months before you are due to travel to Sweden. During the holiday period June-August it could take longer.

A visa is time-limited and is valid for a maximum of three months in any six-month period. This means that if you have spent three months in the Schengen area you must leave the area for three months in order to be granted a new Schengen visa. If you have particular reasons you can be granted a visa for a longer period – up to a maximum of one year – although in that case the visa will only be valid for entry into Sweden and for a stay in Sweden. Particular reasons could, for example, be that you need to travel to Sweden several times during the year on business or to visit your children.

It is stated in the permit how many days you can use your visa during the permit period. This is often slightly longer than the period of validity of the visa. The reason for this is that the authorities expect that you could need a little time to arrange the trip – to book tickets and take out medical insurance for example.

It should be noted that you are not permitted to stay in Sweden or another Schengen country longer than the number of days stated on the permit sticker. The time is calculated from the date of entry on the first trip.

A Schengen visa can also be granted if you need to travel through Sweden and the Schengen area. It is stated on the permit sticker how many times you may travel through the Schengen area during the period of validity.