Family reunification
Last updated: 19/1-2023
You can read here about how your family can apply to be reunited with you in Sweden.
What is family reunification?
Family reunification means that a family which has been split up can apply for permission to move to Sweden in order to live together with the family member who has been granted a residence permit.
Who is entitled to family reunification?
Your immediate family (spouse, cohabitant, partner and children under the age of 18) are entitled to move here to live with you.
Your family can apply for residence permits in order to move to you in Sweden if you:
- have been granted a permanent residence permit,
- have been granted a temporary residence permit as a refugee or a person with subsidiary protection status and are deemed to have good prospects of being granted a residence permit for an extended period,
- have been granted a temporary residence permit due to impediments to enforcement, which means that there are reasons that prevent the enforcement of a decision on refusal of entry or on expulsion, and are deemed to have good prospects of being granted a residence permit for an extended period,
- have been granted a temporary residence permit on special grounds or due to particularly distressing circumstances and are deemed to have good prospects of being granted a residence permit for an extended period.
You and your spouse, cohabitant or partner must both be over 18 years of age. If you have a temporary residence permit, you will in most cases have to have been married or have cohabited earlier. If you have a permanent residence permit, you can begin cohabiting or get married in Sweden.
What are the rules?
In order to be allowed to have your family join you here you may need to show that you can manage to support all of you (maintenance requirement). You also need to have a home that is appropriate for the entire family.
If your family applies for residence permits within three months of your being granted a residence permit, the maintenance requirement will not apply for you.
The maintenance requirement does not apply if you arrived in Sweden as a quota refugee, provided that your family applies for residence permits within three months of your arrival in Sweden.
How do you apply for family reunification?
Your family submits an application from the country where they are living. They can apply at the Swedish Embassy or on the Migration Agency's website.
When your family applies for family reunification they, have to be able to prove who they are.
