🇸🇪 Family reunification

From 1 October 2026, the family member must fall within the narrower definition of a qualifying family member. This includes the person's spouse, cohabiting partner or registered partner. It also includes children under 18 of the person in Sweden or their partner. The family must also have lived together in the first EU country. The relevant family relationship cannot simply be established after the long-term resident has moved to Sweden and then used as the basis for this particular route. The Swedish Migration Agency requires the family to have lived together in the first EU country where the main applicant held the relevant residence status. The sponsor in Sweden must additionally satisfy the maintenance requirement. Their income after tax must be sufficient, after housing costs have been deducted, to leave the required amount for the household's living expenses. The sponsor can also rely on sufficient assets rather than income in order to meet the requirement. For 2026, the Swedish Migration Agency specifies the following amounts that must remain after tax and rent: -SEK 8,116 for a single adult -SEK 13,408 for cohabiting spouses or partners -SEK 4,337 for children aged 0–6 -SEK 5,205 for children aged 7–10 -SEK 6,074 for children aged 11–14 -SEK 6,941 for children aged 15 or older The child amounts are reduced by applicable child allowance and large-family supplement. The Swedish Migration Agency identifies salary or wages, self-employment income and sickness benefit as examples of income that can count towards the requirement. Subsidised employment income, unemployment insurance benefits, activity grants and other unemployment-related benefits are excluded. There is an exception where there are special grounds, for example where illness or disability has permanently reduced the family member's ability to work.

New rules introduce stricter requirements for reference persons in Sweden, including an increased maintenance requirement that also applies to extension applications. Young adults aged 18-21, or those over 21 with a special relationship of dependence, can now apply for an extension of their residence permit on family ties to their parents. Temporary rules allow certain young adults (over 18, held a residence permit as a child after 1 October 2023, and received an expulsion decision legally binding on or after 1 January 2025) to apply for another type of permit (work or studies) or an extension of their family ties permit without leaving Sweden, until 31 December 2027. Reference persons holding a temporary residence permit must have resided in Sweden for two years with a residence permit for their family members to be granted residence permits.

From 1 October 2026, the maintenance requirement for accompanying family members of work permit holders will also be examined when applying for an extension of the permit. The family member's income may be considered, with restrictions (e.g., income from subsidised employment and unemployment benefits will not count). Family members of ICT permit and EU Blue Card holders staying for a maximum of one year will require comprehensive health insurance covering medical treatment and hospital care in Sweden. A maintenance requirement is also being introduced for family members of researchers, applying to initial permits and extensions, for those holding a residence permit for research, a permit for research as part of mobility for a longer stay, and a permit for former researchers seeking employment or exploring business opportunities. For individuals applying for a permanent residence permit in Sweden, their family members must apply for their own residence permit to live with them.