Apply to extend your residence permit
Last updated: 4/9-2024
If you have applied for asylum and been granted a temporary residence permit, you can apply for an extension. You may be granted an extension if you still require protection or have other legitimate reasons for remaining in Sweden. It is important that you apply for an extension before your residence permit expires.
If you have been granted refugee status
If you are granted refugee status, you will be issued with a temporary residence permit valid for three years, after which you may be granted an extension if you still need protection.
If you arrive in Sweden as a quota refugee, you will automatically be issued with a permanent residence permit.
If you have been granted alternative subsidiary protection
If you are granted alternative subsidiary protection, you will be issued with a temporary residence permit valid for 13 months, after which you may be granted an extension if you still need protection.
Apply for an extension before your residence permit expires
You must apply for an extension before your temporary residence permit expires. If you apply after it has expired, you will be prohibited from working while awaiting a decision. You also risk losing your benefits, such as introduction benefit, study allowance or parental benefits.
The earliest you can apply for an extension is two months before your residence permit expires. Apply using the e-service on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website. You will need to log in using BankID. The e-service is available in Swedish and English.
Watch a video about having refugee or alternative subsidiary protection status
UR, the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company, has produced a video explaining the difference between having refugee or alternative subsidiary protection status. The video is in Swedish with Swedish, Arabic, Kurdish, Persian, Somali and Tigrinya subtitles.
If you wish to apply for a permanent residence permit
If you have held a temporary residence permit for at least three years, you can apply for a permanent residence permit. To apply for a permanent residence permit, you must:
- meet the requirements for an extended residence permit;
- be able to support yourself financially; and
- live an orderly life.
You can only apply for a permanent residence permit when you apply to extend your temporary residence permit.
Questions and answers
An extension of a temporary residence permit will usually be for two or three years. In certain cases, the extension may be shorter if you have committed a crime.
Words and terminology explained
Refugee
A refugee is someone who has fled their homeland in search of protection because they risk persecution on the grounds of:
- race
- nationality
- religion
- political views
- sex
- sexual orientation
- belonging to a particular community.
Quota refugee
A quota refugee is someone who has fled their homeland and been selected by the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, to be resettled in another country.
Alternative subsidiary protection
A person may be granted alternative subsidiary protection if they risk torture, the death penalty or other inhuman or degrading treatment, or being wounded or killed in an armed conflict, in their homeland.
