• on business or to take part in a conference
• to visit relatives and friends
• as a tourist

Citizens from the following countries/territories require a visa when entering Sweden, check the list.
General information on how to apply for a visa is found below. For further information on each type of visa, please refer to the pages in the menu.

How long is a visa valid?

Visas are granted for a maximum of 90 days at a time. Only in exceptional cases are applicants granted a visa for a visit of more than 90 days’ duration, but never for longer than a year.

Where is a visa valid?

An entry visa is normally valid in all the Schengen countries. In exceptional cases a visa may be granted solely for entry into the country that issued it. For more information on the Schengen Agreement please refer to the link to the right.
A visa granted for longer than 90 days is only valid for entering and staying in Sweden.

Where do I apply?

You application should be submitted to the  Embassy of Sweden or to the Consulate-General of Sweden. In countries where there is no Swedish diplomatic mission, Sweden is represented by another Schengen state

Who decides my case?

In most cases, the Embassy or Consulate-General decides whether to grant a visa. If the Embassy or Consulate-General is not sure what position to take on an application, it passes the case on to the Migration Agency in Sweden for a decision.

How long does it take?

The time it takes to process an application at the Embassy/Consulate-Generals varies but decisions are generally reached within a month.

Remember! Make sure you are properly insured so that you are covered for any costs associated with an illness, accident, etc.

What if my application is turned down?

Since April 5, 2011, it's possible to appeal a decision on an entry visa. At the same time, the decision to reject an application for an entry visa will require justification. This means that you will get information in the decision as to why your application was rejected.

If you received a decision you are not satisfied with, you can submit a written appeal no later than 3 weeks from the day you received the decision.

How to appeal

In your appeal, write down which decision you are not satisfied with, and why and how you want it to be changed. If you have any documents that you didn’t submit earlier, you can supplement your case with them. Your appeal should be submitted to the Swedish mission abroad (embassy or consulate) that made the decision. The Swedish mission abroad will verify that the appeal came in on time and will go over the case again. If more than 3 weeks have passed, the appeal will be rejected; in that case you will have to submit a new application.

If the Swedish mission abroad changes the decision

The decision can be changed if new information comes in. In that case you will be notified, and the entry visa placed in your passport.

If the Swedish mission abroad does not change the decision, it will be forwarded

If the appeal came in on time and the authority that made the decision sees no reason to change the decision, the case will be forwarded as soon as possible. Your application, the decision, and all other documents submitted in the case will be sent by courier to the Administrative Court in Göteborg. The Administrative Court will then make a decision and notify the Swedish mission abroad, who in turn will notify you.