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If you are planning to visit Sweden for longer than 90 days you need to apply for a visitors' residence permit, or – if there are special reasons – a visa for a longer period (a D-visa, national visa).
When applying, if you know that you will need to stay in Sweden for a period longer than 90 days, you should not apply for a Schengen visa but for a visitor’s residence permit. In special cases, it might be possible to apply for a national visa, known as a ‘D-visa’. Such permits are decided in accordance with national Swedish rules. This means, for instance, that visa facilitation agreements do not apply and visa decisions are not subject to appeal.
An application for a visitor’s residence permit is always sent to the Migration Agency in Sweden, where the decision is taken. If the application is granted, residence permits are usually issued for between three and twelve months.
If you have special grounds that are approved, you can obtain a national visa (D-visa) for longer than 90 days, but for a year at the most. Special grounds may for instance be that you need to travel often for business purposes and spend more than 90 days in a 180 day period in Sweden. This could also apply to parents who will travel back and forth to visit their children in Sweden. Please note that only if you can show special grounds can a national (D) visa be approved. In most cases you should apply for a visitor‘s residence permit. A national visa gives you freedom of movement throughout the Schengen area, in the same way as a residence permit. You yourself decide how many times you want to enter the Schengen area during the visa’s period of validity. National visas are decided at the Embassy.
If you are to be granted a residence permit for a visit or a national visa, the purpose of the trip must be to visit Sweden, not to settle there. You must have the means to support yourself throughout your stay, and you must possess either a return ticket or enough money for your return journey. Medical travel insurance is not compulsory, but it is advisable, since medical costs can be high.
In order to apply for a visitor’s permit or D-visa, you should book an appointment prior to your compulsory visit and interview at the Embassy. To do that you can contact the Embassy by email at: ambassaden.teheran-visum@gov.se, make sure to include all your personal information and to describe your circumstances in the email in order for the Embassy to guide you in the best possible way.
After booking your appointment, you should visit the Embassy and fulfill the following requirements. It is also possible to post an application, and all complementary documents, to the Embassy's PO. Box.
A basic requirement is that all documents should be submitted in original and written in Swedish or English. Documents written in other languages in general have to be translated into Swedish or English.
To get a permit you must
The person you are visiting in Sweden must fill out the form Invitation, number 241011, and send it to you. He or she must also enclose a copy of their passport, ID or similar document proving their identity.
Fill out the forms Application for a visitor's permit and Family details. In your application, you enter information about yourself and the person you intend to visit.
Along with these application forms, you must hand in the following:
Forms:
You must hand in your application and all supporting documents during your scheduled appointment at the Embassy.
If you have to pay a fee you should bring the receipt to the Embassy.
You will have to go through an interview in connection to submitting your application. During the interview, you will be asked to answer questions about your visit to Sweden. Children who are applying must also come to the interview.
If you are granted a residence permit you will be issued with a residence permit card. The card contains, among other things, your fingerprints and a photograph of you. The fingerprints and photograph will only be stored in the chip on the card.
If you need an entry visa to travel to Sweden, you will also need to have the residence permit card to enter Sweden. There for you will be photographed and fingerprinted in connection with the interview.
If you do not require an entry visa, you can travel to Sweden without a residence permit card and give the Swedish Migration Agency the necessary information for the residence permit card once you have arrived in Sweden.
After your interview, your application will be sent to the Migration Agency in Sweden, where the case is processed and a decision is made. You should expect it to take around four weeks for your application to reach the Migration Agency.
When you come to collect your decision, you must bring your passport.
The permit's period of validity
A visitor's permit is usually valid for no more than six months, or up to one year. This permit is only valid for a visit, and you may not work or take up residence in Sweden.
Don't forget insurance
You will not become a registered resident of Sweden, and will therefore not be entitled to any social benefits. For this reason, it is important that you have insurance to cover any costs that may arise in the event of illness or an accident.
If the Swedish Migration Agency refuses your application
If the Migration Agency does not grant you a residence permit, you may appeal the decision within three weeks of the day you received it. Information on how to do this can be found in the decision.
Since your visit is longer than three months, you will be given a residence permit card to show that you have the right to be in Sweden. This card must have a photograph of you as well as your fingerprints. You must therefore be photographed and fingerprinted at the Embassy.
If you were not photographed nor fingerprinted when you applied, you should do this when your decision is ready by visiting the Embassy. When the residence card is ready, you can collect it from Embassy. Note that it may take up to four weeks after you receive your decision to make the card and deliver it to the Embassy. When you arrive in Sweden, you must present your residence card together with a valid passport.
More information about the residence permit card
If you have special grounds that are approved, you can obtain a national visa (D-visa) for longer than 90 days, but for a year at the most. Special grounds may for instance be that you need to travel often for business purposes and spend more than 90 days in a 180 day period in Sweden. This could also apply to parents who will travel back and forth to visit their children in Sweden.
Please note that only if you can show special grounds can a national (D) visa be approved. In most cases you should apply for a visitor‘s residence permit. A national visa gives you freedom of movement throughout the Schengen area, in the same way as a residence permit. You yourself decide how many times you want to enter the Schengen area during the visa’s period of validity. National visas are decided at the Embassy.
Only if you have special grounds could you be entitled to national visa (D visa).
The requirements are the same as for a Schengen visa (Required documents) with the following exceptions: