Visa Application - Travelling to Sweden

A visa is a permit required by persons wishing to enter Sweden for a temporary visit, e.g. as a tourist, on business, to take part in a conference or to visit relatives and friends, or simply when passing through in transit.
In Sweden, entry visas are governed by the rules in the Schengen Agreement. Under the Agreement, all the EU countries (except Ireland and the UK) as well as the EEA countries of Norway and Iceland have opened their borders to one another. A visa issued for a visit to one of these countries is normally valid in all of the other countries as well. Only in exceptional cases can a person be granted a visa that is valid in one country only.
Together with the other EU countries, Sweden has decided that the citizens of certain countries do not require entry visas. This means they can enter Sweden and stay here for three months without a visa. The citizens of all other countries require visas in order to enter Sweden.

You may be granted a visa if the Migration Board, the embassy or the consulate-general judges that you intend leaving the Schengen zone after your visit. If, however, it is felt that in actual fact you intend to settle in the Schengen zone, your application will be turned down.
Your entry visa must be entered in your passport before your arrival in Sweden.
All visitors to Sweden must have a valid passport and money for their upkeep in Sweden as well as for their fare home.

What are the requirements?
Make sure you fill in all the particulars on the application form, so that your case can be decided as quickly as possible. Also, check carefully that you have enclosed the necessary documentation with your application. The documents in question (appendices) are listed on the Visa application form.

If you are going to Sweden on a business or conference visit, you are required to enclose an invitation - a letter - with your visa application from the company concerned or from whoever is organising the conference. The invitation must contain details about you, the applicant, such as:
· personal particulars.
· arrival and departure dates.
· the purpose of your visit.
· who will support you during your stay in Sweden.

Important! The Swedish Embassy or Consulate may require you to enclose further documentation with your application. It is a good idea, therefore, to call them before going there, so that you know which documents to bring along.

Where do I apply?
You must submit your application to a Swedish Embassy or Swedish Consulate General (diplomatic mission). The addresses are listed at Embassy World. In some countries where there is no Swedish diplomatic mission, Sweden is represented by another Schengen state.

What does it cost to apply?
It costs the equivalent of SEK 275 to apply for an entry visa. The money is not returned if your application should be rejected.

Who decides my case?
In most cases, the embassy/consulate-general decides whether to grant a visa after checking certain particulars with the other Schengen countries or with the Swedish Migration Board.
If the embassy/consulate-general believes that in actual fact you are intending to settle in the Schengen zone, will be turned down. The same applies if your name is in the Schengen Information System (SIS), where member states register those persons they do not wish to admit to the Schengen zone. These rules apply in all countries that are a party to the Schengen Agreement.
If the embassy/consulate-general is not sure what position to take on an application, it passes the case on to the Migration Board in Sweden for a decision.

How long does it take?
The time it takes to process applications at embassies and consulate-generals varies but decisions are generally reached within a month.
If the decision rests with the Migration Board, you may have to wait longer, as the diplomatic mission must then send the application to the Migration Board by post.
To be certain of obtaining a visa in time, you should submit your application at least two months prior to your departure for Sweden. During the summer season (June-August) it may take even longer.

How long is the visa valid?
Visas are granted for a maximum three months at a time. Only in exceptional cases are applicants granted a visa for a visit of more than three months' duration, but never for longer than a year.

Where is a visa valid?
An entry visa is normally valid in all the Schengen countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden). In exceptional cases a visa may be granted solely for entry into the country that issued it.
A visa granted for longer than three months is only valid for entering and staying in Sweden.

Can I appeal if my application is turned down?
You cannot appeal against a decision to turn down an application for a visa. You can however re-apply or request that the original application should be reconsidered. In that case you write in and request a review of the decision. You send the letter to the body that took the original decision (the embassy, the consulate or the Migration Board).

Further information
For further information on visas for entry into Sweden, please contact the nearest Swedish Embassy / Consulate General. or the Migration Board, Visumenheten, SW 60170, Norrköping, Sweden.