| If you are a citizen of any of the countries listed below, you will need a visa to enter Sweden. If not, you just need a passport, unless you are a citizen of one of the Schengen countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) in which case all you need is an ID. Citizens of these countries need visas:Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua, and, Barbuda, Armenia Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Central African Republic, Ecuador, Chad, China (excl. Hongkong and Macau), Lebanon, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Dem. Rep., Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, | Guinea, Guinea-Bissau Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Sao Tome and, Principe, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Marshall, Island, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Mariana Islands, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Russia, Korea People's Rep. of, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadins, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, South Africa, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
What is a visa?A visa is a preliminary permit that you will need if you want to enter and stay in Sweden for a short period of time. For instance, you might want to visit friends or relatives, be a tourist, conduct business, take part in a conference or simply pass through. Your entry visa must be entered in your passport before your arrival in Sweden. You cannot apply for a visa at the border. You must bring two passport size photos when you turn in your application. If you turned it in before 1 May, you must bring photos when you pick up your visa or permit. How the photos must be taken The Schengen Agreement's visa rules apply in Sweden. One feature of the agreement is that some EU Member States and EEA countries, such as Norway, have open borders among themselves. If you obtain a visa in one of these countries, you can visit any of the others as well. Only in exceptional cases can you obtain a visa that is valid for one country only. Together with the other EU countries, Sweden has decided that the citizens of certain countries do not require entry visas. This means they can enter Sweden and stay here for three months without a visa. The citizens of all other countries require visas in order to enter Sweden. What are the requirements?All visitors to Sweden must have a valid passport and money for their upkeep in Sweden as well as for their fare home. If you need a visa, you must also have an individual travel medical insurance that provides coverage for costs that may arise during the journey. You may be granted a visa if the Migration Board, the embassy or the consulate-general judges that you intend leaving the Schengen area after your visit. If, however, it is felt that in actual fact you intend to settle in the Schengen area, your application will be turned down. Make sure you fill in all the particulars on the application form, so that your case can be decided as quickly as possible. The application form – Application for Schengen Visa – is the same in all Schengen countries. To be granted a visa for Sweden you must also enclose the appendices needed. Visits to friends and relativesIf you are coming to Sweden on a visit to friends or relatives, the person you intend visiting (the referee) has to complete a special form containing details about you - a Referee's Appendix (the invitation), appendix E. No Migration Board stamp is required on the Referee's Appendix. The referee can obtain the appropriate form - appendix E, No. MIGR 220011 - by downloading it as a PDF file, from the Swedish Migration Board's local offices in Sweden, or order it from Swedish Migration Board. In addition, it can be obtained from a Swedish mission abroad (embassy or consulate-general). Some Swedish missions abroad require the authenticity of the invitation to be attested by a Notary Public. You can find more information about this later on, under "Things to remember". Download forms and Referee's Appendix (PDF files). The referee in Sweden must also enclose proof of his/her own identity (personbevis) with the form. This can be requisitioned from the nearest tax office or from the National Tax Board's web site. There are different types of proof of identity, choose the one entitled "Inbjudan".The referee must send the completed form and his/her proof of identity to you so that you can enclose them with your application. Business or conference visitsFor a business or conference visit, you are required to enclose an invitation - a letter - with your visa application from the company concerned or from whoever is organizing the conference. The invitation must contain details about you, the applicant, such as:
Things to rememberThe Swedish missions abroad (embassies or consulates-general) can require you to attach additional documents to your application. Some Swedish missions might also require the signature of a Notary Public certifying that certain documents are authentic. So it's a good idea to call the mission and ask what documents to bring with you. If you are going to apply at the embassy or consulate of another Schengen state that represents Sweden (see below), call them first as well. You will have to use their application forms and follow their document requirements. Your documents should also be translated into the language of that country. Many Swedish missions abroad have web sites of their own with information on how to apply for entry visas. Swedish embassies and consulates-general with web sites Where can you apply?Apply for a visa at a Swedish mission abroad (embassy or consulate-general). In some countries, where there is no Swedish mission, Sweden is represented by another Schengen state. But there are also countries where Sweden has neither mission nor another Schengen state to represent it. In that case, go to the closest country in which Sweden has an embassy or consulate-general. Swedish embassies and consulates How much does it cost to apply?There is a fee of to apply for a visa to visit Sweden. The cost is the same whether you are an adult or a child. You won't receive a refund if your application is turned down. Who decides whether you will get a visa?The Swedish embassy or consulate-general can usually make a decision after checking with the other Schengen states. If the embassy/consulate-general believes that in actual fact you are intending to settle in the Schengen area, it will turn down your application. The same applies if your name is in the Schengen Information System (SIS), where member states register those persons they do not wish to admit to the Schengen area. These rules apply in all countries that are a party to the Schengen Agreement. If the embassy/consulate-general is not sure what position to take on an application, it passes the case on to the Migration Board in Sweden for a decision. How long time does it take?The time it takes to process applications at embassies and consulate-generals varies, but decisions are generally reached within two weeks. If the Migration Board makes the decision, you may have to wait longer, as the embassy or consulate-general must then send the application to the Migration Board by post. To be certain of obtaining a visa in time, you should submit your application at least two months prior to your departure for Sweden. During the summer season (June-August) it may take even longer.
How long is a visa valid?A visa is temporary and is valid until the date printed on the permit sticker in your passport. You can obtain a visa for up to three out of every six months. The time starts from the date on which you first enter Sweden. This means that you cannot be granted a new visa for the Schengen area until three months have passed since you left it. You can also obtain a visa to pass through Sweden for a certain amount of time. The number of times that you can travel within the Schengen area while the visa is in effect will also be printed on your permit sticker. Where is a visa valid?An entry visa is normally valid in all the Schengen countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden). In exceptional cases a visa may be granted solely for entry into the country that issued it. AppealsYou cannot appeal against a decision to turn down your application for a visa. However, you can request the decision-making body to reconsider your original application. This means that they will consider if there is any reason to change their decision. You can request a reconsideration by writing a letter to the body which has refused your application (the embassy, the consulate-general or the Migration Board). Tell them the new reasons you want to be taken into consideration. Furthermore you can always re-apply. What is checked when you enter?A visa doesnt automatically entitle you to travel within the Schengen area. A new decision will be made every time you re-enter the area. When you go through border control, you must have enough money to support yourself while you are in the area and to return home, a travel medical insurance policy and documents indicating the purpose of your visit. Further informationFor further information on visas for entry into Sweden, please contact the nearest Swedish embassy/consulate-general or the Migration Board's Public Contact Unit, SE 601 70 Norrköping, Sweden. |
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