Read more about the travel restrictions in EU and limited possibility to obtain a Schengen visa. Please also note that Sweden is currently no longer representing Finland in visa matters.
The World Health Organization decided on 11 March, 2020 to acknowledge COVID-19 as a pandemic. In response to the European Council’s and the European Commission’s call for travel restrictions, the EU member states decided to temporarily stop non-essential travel to Sweden from countries outside the European Union, EEA and Switzerland to mitigate the effects of the outbreak of the Coronavirus and reduce the spread of the disease. The decision took effect on 19March, 2020 and will initially apply for 30 days.
The Swedish Migration Agency has on 20 March, 2020 decided (in regard to the Swedish government's decision to impose a temporary travel restriction) that there is currently a public threat as defined in Article 2 (21) of the Schengen Border’s Code for the purpose of refusing entry on the same ground.
A foreigner traveling to Sweden from a State other than an EU, EEA state or Switzerland shall therefore be denied entry into the country and rejected. We would therefore like to inform you that it is therefore difficult to obtain a Swedish Schengen visa, even if the planned travel is after the 30 days of temporarily non-essential travel restriction. There are a few exceptions. The exceptions are for a foreigner whose purpose of entry is to return to his or her home, if he or she is:
1. Citizens of EU, EEA and Switzerland or family member of such citizen,
2. holds a permanent residence in Sweden or another EU state,
3. holds a residence permit in Sweden or another EEA state or Switzerland, or
4. has a national visa in Sweden. This shall also not apply to practitioners who have a stated need or who are to carry out important functions in Sweden, for example:
a. healthcare personnel,
b. frontier workers,
c. personnel transporting gods and other personnel in the transport sector,
d. Diplomatic and paid consular officials employed in Sweden by foreign states as well as their families and their employees and; couriers of foreign states.
5. persons working in international organizations, military personnel and relief workers,
6. passengers in transit,
7. persons with urgent family reasons, and
8. persons who are in need for international protection or who have other humanitarian reasons.
Please note that Sweden is also currently no longer representing Finland in Schengen visa matters. For questions regarding Schengen visa applications we refer to Finnish authorities.
