Skip to content
SVI Fokus
Family reunification

My family member is an EU/EES citizen in Sweden and I'm from outside the EU — do the ordinary family-permit rules apply to me?

No — you fall under EU free-movement rules, not the ordinary Swedish family-permit rules. As a non-EU family member of an EU/EES citizen with right of residence, you have a derived right. For stays over three months you apply for a residence card, which documents that right, not creates it. Confirm eligibility at Migrationsverket.

Updated

No — as the family member of an EU/EES citizen you follow EU free-movement rules rather than the ordinary Swedish national family-permit rules.

  • As a third-country family member of an EU/EES citizen who has right of residence (uppehållsrätt) in Sweden — through work, self-employment, studies, a pension or sufficient means — you have a derived free-movement right.
  • For stays over three months you apply to Migrationsverket for a residence card (uppehållskort). The card documents an existing right — it is proof, not the source of the right, which flows from your EU/EES relative's status.
  • The card lets you live and work in Sweden for as long as that relative keeps their right of residence.
  • After five years of continuous right of residence you may qualify for permanent status.

This route differs from the national rules — the maintenance-requirement framework works differently. Read more about permanent residence, and confirm your eligibility and documents at Migrationsverket.

Sources

Official details can change. Always confirm what applies to your own case directly with the responsible authority.

Back to family reunification

Related questions

Practise anywhere

The SVI Fokus app gives you the full question bank, spaced repetition and a timed mock exam — offline and in your language.

The app is launching soon.