Family members of EU/ EEA citizens

Information for EU/EEA family members applying for a visa to enter the Schengen area.

As a family member of an EU/EEA citizen exercising their right of free movement in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC you have the right to travel to the EU/EEA area together with your family member or join to them in the area to settle down. You should then show that your inviting family member is exercising his or her right of free movement at the time (and forward) for submission of your application for a Schengen visa.

A Swedish citizen living in Sweden is not exercising his or her right of free movement and do not hold a right of residence based on Directive 2004/38/EC in their home country unless the Swedish citizen recently moved back to Sweden from another EU/EEA country. 

Family members are:

• Spouse/partner/common law
• The direct descendants (children) who are under the age of 21 or over the age of 21 if they are dependents, and those of the spouse or partner.
• The dependents direct relatives in the ascending line (e.g., parents) and those of the spouse or partner.

Basic facts

You can apply for a short-stay Schengen visa (type C) which will permit you to enter and stay in Sweden and the Schengen area for up to 90 days.

If you wish to remain in the state for more than 90 days as a family member of an EU/EEA citizen exercising their free movement rights, you must apply (when in the Member State) for a Residence Card of a family member of an EU/EEA citizen. Information about how to apply is available on the Swedish Migration Agency webpage.

If there are any reasonable doubts about exercising the right of free movement, family relation, marriage, travel, and the Embassy therefore finds that you have not showed that Directive 2004/38 is applicable, the Embassy will process your application according to the Schengen code EG/810/2009.

How to apply

Family members of an EU/EEA citizen applying for a visa to move to the family member in Sweden or travelling on a short journey to prepare for a move together with the family member in Sweden should submit the following obligatory supporting documents:

1. Schengen Visa Application
2. Your passport or travel document. Make sure that your passport has at least two blank pages.
3. Proof of relationship (e.g., marriage or birth certificate).
4. Copy of the EU/EEA national's passport or national identity card.
5. If you are a dependent family member you must submit documents showing your dependence.
6. Document(s) to show the right of residence of the EU/EEA national (e.g., work contract).

Fees

Family members of an EU/EEA citizen do not pay a visa application fee. However service charges are to be paid if an application is lodged at a VFS center.

Additional documents

In addition to the documents listed above there might be, depending on the EU/EEA citizen’s circumstances, requirement of some additional documents showing your family member’s situation.

• If your family member is settled in Sweden, you must provide their “Personbevis” from the tax office.
• If your family member is a citizen of Denmark, Norway, Finland, or Iceland you must also provide documents showing your family member fulfilling the criteria for having a right to residence in Sweden in accordance with the regulations in Directive 2004/38/EC. These documents could, depending on the situation, be a work contract and pay slips, a study certificate or documents showing your family member has sufficient income or bank assets to support themselves.

It is generally not necessary to submit any other documents, although the Embassy strongly recommends that you always travel with a valid travel insurance.

Decision

This visa category will be prioritized. However, if a consultation is required then the process will usually take around 14 days.

More information

Directive 2004/68/EC

Swedish Migration Agency on EES family members