Sweden & Moldova

Working in Sweden

You must have a work permit in order to work in Sweden. Once you have been granted a permit, it must be entered into your passport before your arrival. Special rules apply for EU/EEA citizens, their relatives and long-term residents in the EU. Moldovan citizens applying for a work and/or residence permit should contact the Embassy of Sweden in Bucharest. The Embassy in Chisinau does not handle visa applications.

What is required to get a work permit?

If you want to work in Sweden, you must have an offer of employment from an employer in Sweden.

To get a permit, you must also:

Have a valid passport. Earn enough from employment to support yourself.

In addition, your employer must:

Have advertised the job vacancy in Sweden and the EU. Offer terms of employment equivalent to a Swedish collective agreement or customary terms for the occupation or industry. Give the relevant union an opportunity to state an opinion on the terms of the offer of employment.

You and the employer are responsible for showing the Migration Agency that the requirements above have been met. You do this by completing the application form for employees and the employer completes the Offer of Employment form.

Where do you apply for a residence and work permit?

The main rule is that people who want to work in Sweden must apply for a residence and work permit in the country of origin or another country outside Sweden in which you reside.

Where do I apply?

If you are outside Sweden, you apply electronically on the Migration Agency website.

You can also apply at the Embassy of Sweden in Bucharest.

You must always append the following documents to your application:

• Copy of your passport
• Offer of Employment
• Receipt showing that you have paid the application fee.

Please note: If you are a student or a doctoral student at a university/ college you do not need a work permit to be able to work during your studies.

How long is the permit valid?

If the employment is temporary, you will be issued a residence and work permit valid only for the same period, but for a maximum of two years at a time.

After 48 months, you will become eligible for a permanent residence permit.

Further information

For further information please contact the Embassy or Consulate. You may also contact:
The Migration Agency
601 70 Norrköping
Sweden
Phone: +46-771-23 52 35 > www.migrationsverket.se

In order to read the forms you need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not have the programme you may download it, free of charge, from Adobe's website.

More information can be found on the page of the Swedish Embassy in Bucharest.