New Swedish citizenship rules from 6 June 2026

The rules for Swedish citizenship changed on 6 June 2026. As a general rule you now need 8 years of hemvist (the time you have lived in Sweden), not 5. There are also new rules on income and on knowledge of Swedish.

These changes have no transitional rules. Migrationsverket (the Swedish Migration Agency) judges applications that were not yet decided on 6 June 2026 by the new rules too.

How long you must have lived here

The main rule is 8 years of hemvist. Some groups need fewer years. The number that fits you depends on your situation.

• Nordic citizens and former Swedish citizens: 2 years.
• Stateless persons: 5 years.
• Refugees with a flyktingstatusförklaring (a decision that says you have refugee status): 7 years.
• People under 21 years old: 7 years.
• Married to or living with (sambo) a Swedish citizen: 7 years, if you have been together for 5 years and your partner has been a Swedish citizen for 5 years.
• People who cannot prove their identity: 10 years.

These are the general rules. Which one fits you is for Migrationsverket to decide.

The new income rule

You must now show that you can support yourself. This is the försörjningskrav (the requirement to support yourself). It has three parts.

• Your income must be at least three inkomstbasbelopp per year (a base amount the state sets each year). Migrationsverket says this is about 20 000 kronor a month before tax.
• You must not have had försörjningsstöd (income support from the municipality) for more than six months in total in the last three years.
• The income must be lasting, from work or your own business, not only temporary.

The income rule does not apply to everyone. It does not apply to children. You are also exempt if you have an old-age pension (ålderspension), a lasting disability, or study full time for a degree at a Swedish university or college.

Knowledge of Swedish and of society

If you are between 16 and 66 years old, you must show knowledge of Swedish and of Swedish society.

The tests for this arrive in steps. The society test starts in August 2026. The Swedish language test comes later, with a deadline of no later than 1 October 2027.

Until then you can show this knowledge in other ways. Migrationsverket gives examples: school grades, svenska för invandrare (SFI) course D, komvux (municipal adult education), or folkhögskola (folk high school).

What to do now

Check which residence rule and which exemptions fit your case before you apply. The rules carry conditions, so the number of years or an exemption may not be what you first assume.

For a plain summary of what it now takes to become a citizen, see our guide to the requirements.

This article describes the rules. For your own application, and for anything the rules leave open, only Migrationsverket or a qualified lawyer can tell you what applies to you.