Swedish nationality law
Encyclopedia
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis
Jus sanguinis
Ius sanguinis is a social policy by which citizenship is not determined by place of birth, but by having a parent who are citizens of the nation...
. In other words, citizenship is conferred primarily by birth to a Swedish parent, irrespective of place of birth.
In general, children born in Sweden to foreign parents do not acquire Swedish citizenship at birth, although if they remain resident in Sweden they may become Swedish later on.
Swedish law was significantly amended with effect from 1 July 2001 and from that date, dual citizenship is permitted without restriction.
Birth
A child acquires Swedish citizenship at birth if- the child's mother is a Swedish citizen (Swedish mothers have only been able to pass on their citizenship since 1 July 1979);
- the child's father is a Swedish citizen and is married to the child's mother;
- the child's father is a Swedish citizen, the child is born out of wedlockWedlockWedlock may refer to:* Marriage* Wedlock , an album by Sunburned Hand of the Man* Wedlock , directed by Lewis Teague* Billy Wedlock, an English footballer* Fred Wedlock, an English folk singer...
, and the child is born in Sweden.
Legitimation
A child who is born abroad and whose father is a Swedish citizen (not married to the child's mother, and the mother is not Swedish) will acquire Swedish citizenship when the parents get married, provided the child is aged under 18.Adoption
A child who is aged under 12 and who has been adopted by a Swedish citizen automatically receives Swedish citizenship upon adoption if- the child has been adopted as the result of a decision taken in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
or in another Nordic CouncilNordic CouncilThe Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
country - the child has been adopted as the result of a decision taken abroad and approved in Sweden by the Swedish Intercountry Adoptions Authority
- the adoption is valid under Swedish law.
The adoption must have been officially decided or approved after 30 June 1992.
A child aged 12 or more at the time of adoption may acquire Swedish citizenship by application.
Naturalisation as a Swedish citizen
Swedish citizenship can be acquired by naturalisation, also known as citizenship by application.A foreigner may be granted Swedish citizenship upon meeting certain requirements, including:
- holding a permanent residence permit, unless a citizen of a Nordic CouncilNordic CouncilThe Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
country. For citizens of European Economic AreaEuropean Economic AreaThe European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
nations, limited residence permits for five years equate to a permanent residence permit.
A number of exemptions apply to the residence period:
- the residence period is reduced to 4 years for recognised refugees and stateless persons.
- citizens of other Nordic CouncilNordic CouncilThe Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
countries are only required to have two years' residence in Sweden. - former Swedish citizens
- those employed on Swedish ships
- persons employed abroad by Swedish corporations
- a person married to a Swedish citizen for at least 10 years, who does not live in his or her native country, and has 'strong ties' to Sweden
- a person with previous long residence in Sweden
Citizenship by notification
Notification is a simpler method of acquiring Swedish citizenship (i.e. simplified naturalisation). Those not eligible for notification may still be eligible for naturalisation by application.Categories of persons eligible for citizenship by notification include:
Stateless persons
A stateless person may acquire Swedish citizenship by notification if that person has a permanent resident permit and falls into one of the following categories:- born in Sweden and aged less than five;
- aged under 18 and in the custody of a Swedish citizen;
- aged 18 or 19 and resident in Sweden since age 15.
Young persons resident in Sweden
Swedish citizenship may be acquired by notification by young persons who hold a permanent resident permit in the following cases:- aged under 18 and resident in Sweden for five years
- aged 18 or 19, where the person has been resident in Sweden since turning 13.
Former Swedish citizens
Former Swedish citizens who hold permanent resident permits may acquire Swedish citizenship by notification if the following conditions are fulfilled:- aged 18 or over
- resident in Sweden for 10 years preceding age 18.
- resident in Sweden for the 2 years preceding the application
Those former Swedish citizens who are citizens of other Nordic countries may acquire Swedish citizenship by notification immediately upon resuming residence in Sweden.
Citizens of Nordic countries
Citizens of other Nordic CouncilNordic Council
The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
countries (Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) may be eligible for Swedish citizenship by notification in the following cases:
- aged 18 or over
- the other Nordic citizenship has been acquired other than by naturalisation
- 2 years' residence in Sweden
- And a person who has lived in Sweden for 5 years, who can speak and write Swedish, can be qualified to obtain citizenship provided there is no criminal history.
Dual citizenship
With effect from 1 June 2001, a Swedish citizen acquiring a foreign citizenship does not lose Swedish citizenship.Former Swedish citizens who lost Swedish citizenship prior to this date (upon naturalisation in another country) were given a two year period to re-acquire Swedish citizenship by declaration. Children of former Swedish citizens were also eligible to acquire Swedish citizenship by declaration. The deadline for submission of applications was 30 June 2003.
The changes to the law also mean that foreigners seeking naturalisation as a Swedish citizen do not need to renounce their former citizenship. They may retain it if the law of the other country permits them to do so.
Prior to 1 July 2001, Swedish citizens were still able to legally hold dual citizenship in certain circumstances, for example, if the other citizenship was acquired automatically at birth.
Loss of Swedish citizenship
Although dual citizenship is permitted, a Swedish citizen who was born outside Sweden and is a citizen of another country will lose Swedish citizenship at age 22 unless he or she is granted approval to retain Swedish citizenship.Approval will normally be granted if:
- the person has a Swedish-born parent; or
- the person has lived in Sweden at any time; or
- the person visits Sweden regularly.