If you want to visit Sweden and you are not a citizen of the EU/EEA, you may need a visa. A visa gives you permission to enter and stay in Sweden for a short period of time. It is valid throughout the Schengen area, but you apply to the country that is the main destination for the journey.
Citizens from the following countries/territories require a visa when entering Sweden, check the list.
You must apply for the whole period initially. When signing your visa application, you undertake to leave the Schengen territory before the expiry of the visa. Therefore, stating that you plan to stay for maximum 90 days then apply to prolong the stay without special reasons, might lead to rejection of future visa applications.
Some nationals are required to go through a mandatory prior consultation procedure during the assessment of the visa application. This is to check whether any Member States has any objection for issuing a uniform visa. The procedure takes approximately 7-9 days to finalize. A comprehensive list of citizens subject to consultation is found in annex 16 to of the Visa Code. Click here for Annex 16.
The Schengen Cooperation
Sweden is member of the Schengen Cooperation. The Schengen Cooperation allows those who have a visa to travel to Sweden also to travel to the other member countries. The countries that form part of the Schengen Cooperation are often referred to as Schengen countries. An entry visa is normally valid in all the Schengen countries. In exceptional cases a visa may be granted solely for entry into the country that issued it.
Sweden is a member of the Schengen Cooperation. The countries that form part of the Schengen Cooperation are often referred to as Schengen countries. An entry visa is normally valid in all the Schengen countries. In exceptional cases a visa may be granted solely for entry into the country that issued it.
In order to receive a Schengen visa issued by the Swedish authorities, Sweden should be the main destination of your trip (in terms of length or purpose of stay). If your main destination is any other Member State than Sweden, you should apply for a visa at the consulate of the relevant Member State.
How long is a visa valid?
A visa is valid in the Schengen countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. You can use the EU Schengen calculator to work out how many days you can stay.
The number of days that you are allowed to stay in the Schengen countries is specified on the visa sticker that is affixed in your passport. The days can be utilized during the period that is specified on the sticker. The period is often longer than the number of days that you may visit the Schengen countries. This is so that you have the possibility to change your travel date if something unforeseen happens.
If you are planning to stay in 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). For more information follow the link.
Visit Sweden for more than 90 days.
You can apply for a Schengen visa that is valid for multiple entries if you are regular visitor to Sweden. A visa with multiple entries can be valid for visits lasting up to 90 days in a 180-day period for a maximum of five years.
Your visa sticker specifies how many times you may travel in and out of the Schengen countries while it is valid.
An entry visa is normally valid in all the Schengen countries. In exceptional cases a visa may be granted solely for entry into the country that issued it.
In most cases, the Embassy decides whether to grant a visa. In some cases it is passed on to the Migration Agency in Sweden for a decision. It is the regulations in the EU Visa Code, that have been revised through regulation (EU) 2019/1155 of 20 June 2019, that determine whether or not you are granted a visa.
Your application may be rejected for example if the Embassy judges that you are unlikely to leave the Schengen area after your visit or the purpose of your visit is not as specified in your application.
The time it takes to process an application at the Embassy varies but decisions are generally reached within 15 days from the appointment at the Embassy. This period may be extended up to 45 calendar days in individual cases, notably when further examination of the application is needed. Make sure to submit all required and supporting documents at your visit at the Embassy in order to avoid unnecessary delays.
As soon as you receive your short-stay visa, make sure that all the information it contains is correct. Check the following:
Do this yourself in order to avoid any problems or extra costs arising when using your visa. If you think that the information on the visa is incorrect, tell the Embassy immediately, so that any errors can be corrected.
''DURATION OF STAY.......DAYS'': indicates the number of days, you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included. The period of time between "FROM ...UNTIL" is usually longer than the number of days printed in the "DURATION OF STAY" field. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the "DURATION OF STAY ...DAYS" field. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the "UNTIL" field."
Your short-stay visa allows you to travel to Sweden and usually to other Schengen States. But it does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. You may have to provide certain information at the border. You may, for instance, have to provide information on your means of support, how long you intend to stay in Sweden and why you are visiting Sweden. In some cases, such checks may result in a refusal for the visa holder to enter Sweden or the Schengen area.
It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay). This will help to make the border control procedure easier and avoid delays at the border.
What if my application is turned down?
It's possible to appeal a decision on an entry visa. The decision to reject an application for an entry visa always has justification. This means that you get information in the decision as to why your application was rejected. Read more about appeals here. Link