Sweden - Apply for a Work Permit

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Procedure

1. Your employer in Sweden will be the one who will initiate the work permit application by completing an offer of employment. Provide these information: your name, date of birth, citizenship, education and your e-mail address. Make sure that you have access to the e-mail address you will give to your employer until you have received a decision regarding your application. The Swedish Migration Board will use this e-mail address to communicate with you throughout the application period.
2. After your employer has completed an offer of employment you will receive an e-mail with information about how to apply for a work permit.
3. Start your application for a work permit online. Link In the application you provide information about yourself. If your family is coming with you to Sweden you apply for permits for them at the same time. You should also check that the information about your employment terms in the offer of employment corresponds with what you and your employer have agreed on.
4. Attach required documents to your application.
5. In most cases applicants will be asked to pay a fee. You can pay using Visa or Mastercard. When the fee is paid you submit your application. You and your employer will receive an e-mail confirming that your application has been submitted. The Migration Board will contact you if it needs more information.
6. The Migration Board prioritises applications where all required information is complete and all required documents have been submitted. This means that you will receive a decision more quickly if all required information is included when you submit your application and you do not need to supplement it later on. Note that the Migration Board may in some cases need to further examine your application even if you have included all the required information and documents.
7. An e-mail will be sent to you confirming that a decision has been made. You are given the actual decision by the embassy or consulate general that you have specified in your application. Your employer will also receive a notification about the decision by mail.
8. Bring your passport when collecting your decision at the embassy or consulate general. If you have been granted a work permit you will receive the residence permit card within four weeks of being photographed and fingerprinted at the embassy or consulate general. The residence permit card will be produced at the time the decision is made, but no earlier than three months before the residence permit becomes valid.
9. Schedule an appointment at the Migration Board to be fingerprinted and photographed if you can travel without a residence permit card. Book an appointment

Submit your application in person

To those who are unable to apply online, fill out Application for Swedish work permit for applicants currently outside Sweden, No 149011, and submit the completed form to a Swedish embassy or consulate general in the country where you are living. The application form indicates the documents you need to attach.

If there is no possibility to apply in your country, you should apply at the embassy or consulate general nearest to the country where you live. Before you submit your application you should contact the embassy or consulate-general.

Each member of your family who plans to accompany you to Sweden must turn in an application of their own to a Swedish embassy or consulate general.

Residence permit card

If you are granted a permit for more than three months you will receive a residence permit card. The card proves that you have permission to reside in Sweden and contains information such as your fingerprints and photograph.

If you need an entry visa for travel to Sweden you should therefore visit the Swedish Embassy or Consulate General as soon as possible to be photographed and fingerprinted. You need to do this even if you have previously had a residence permit card, as the information is not saved. If your family is also applying for permits, the family members also need to be photographed and fingerprinted at the Embassy or Consulate General. Always contact the Embassy or Consulate General prior to your visit.

If you do not need an entry visa for travel to Sweden you can submit information for the residence permit card at the Migration Board after arriving in Sweden. However, you must request and have your work permit issued before you travel to Sweden.

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Required Documents

Have the following documents scanned or photographed and sent along with your application:

• copies of the pages in your passport which show your personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the passport's period of validity and whether your have permission to live in countries other than your country of origin.

If your family is coming with you and you are submitting their applications at the same time:

• copies of the pages in their passports which show their personal information, photograph, signature, passport number, passport issuing country, the period of the passport's validity and whether they have permission to live in countries other than their country of origin.
• copies of marriage certificates or the equivalent (applies to married couples or registered partners)
• documents showing that you have lived together in your country of origin (applies to common-law spouses)
• birth certificates for children
• consent from the other custodial parent, if they are not also coming to Sweden, stating that the child is allowed to move to Sweden
• documents showing that children above the age of 21 are financially dependent on their parents.

The documents should be translated to Swedish or English by an authorised translator. Copies of original documents should always be included.

Office Locations & Contacts

Please list down the office locations that can be approached for applying. External links can also be used for specifying office locations.

Eligibility

To obtain a work permit you need to have an offer to work in Sweden. Your employer must have advertised the position in Sweden and within EU/EEA and Switzerland for at least 10 working days before you were employed.

If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and want to work in Sweden, you will probably need to obtain a work permit.

You do not need to apply for a work permit if you:

• have a permanent residence permit
• have a residence permit to attend a college or university
• have a special residence permit to work as a visiting researcher
• are an asylum seeker and have an AT-UND (exemption from the obligation to hold a work permit)
• are a citizen of an EU country.

Fees

Work Permit Application Fees:

• Work permit: SEK 2,000
• Extension of work permit within the same occupation or with the same employer: SEK 1,000
• Extension of work permit within another occupation or with another employer: SEK 2,000
• Special fees for certain occupations:
  • Performer: SEK 1,000
  • Au pair: SEK 1,000
  • Athlete or coach: SEK 1,000
  • Youth exchange (citizens of Australia, Canada, New Zeeland and South Korea): SEK 1,000
  • Visiting researcher: SEK 1,000
  • Self-employed: SEK 2,000
  • Trainee (through international exchange programme or agreement): SEK 1,000
  • EU Blue Card: SEK 2,000
• Application for family members of persons applying for or holding a work permit:
  • Adult: SEK 1,000
  • Child under 18 years of age: SEK 500

Fees paid will not be refunded if your application is refused.

Notes:

• Paying online: Use a credit or debit card to pay for the fee when you apply for or extend your permit.
• Paying at an embassy or consulate-general: If you are applying at an embassy or consulate-general, you pay the fee when you hand in your application. For more information about the fee, contact the embassy or consulate-general where you are applying, as they do not have the same fees and terms of payment as the Migration Board.
• Extension: When you apply online to extend your permit, you pay the fee with a credit or debit card in connection with the application. If you are not applying online, you pay the fee to bankgiro number 5223-7005. The IBAN for the account is SE6912000000012810106908 and

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites. 	
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Apply Online

You may start your application for a work permit online. You will be given clear instructions about how to fill in your application and what you should send with the application. Using the online application makes it easier for you to submit your work permit request and increases your chances of a quick decision. Simply click on the link and provide all needed information.

Apply online for permission to work in Sweden

Note: Special rules regarding work permit applications exist for certain occupations and countries. Other rules also apply to those who have been asylum seekers and are now applying for a work permit, or to persons visiting an employer in Sweden.

To know more about:

• Work permit for certain occupations and countries
• Work permit for persons who have been asylum seekers
• Work permit for persons visiting an employer in Sweden

Required Information

• Applicant's name
• Date of birth
• Citizenship
• Education
• E-mail address.

Need for the Document

In general, you should apply for and have been granted a work permit before entering Sweden.

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Place some external links which might help.

Others

More information which might help people.