Family reunification

Last updated: 24/1-2024

Read here about what you can do if you were separated from your family before you fled or during your flight to Sweden.

What is family reunification?

Children have the right to be with their family. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Sweden has signed, says so.

Family reunification means that a family which was split up – because of war, for example – can come together again.

Swedish government agencies can help you find your family if you arrived in Sweden without them. If your parents or other family members are safe in another country you may be allowed to joint hem there.

If your family are not safe in another country, your family members can apply for residence permits in Sweden. This is only possible if you have been granted a residence permit here as a refugee or as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection status.

Who is eligible to apply for family reunification?

If you have a residence permit in Sweden your family can apply for permission to join you here.

The Migration Agency can only examine whether your family is eligible to join you in Sweden if you

  • are unmarried
  • are under 18 years of age
  • arrived in Sweden without your parents or other guardian, or if you have been left on your own after arriving in Sweden
  • are a refugee or a beneficiary of subsidiary protection status
  • are not a Swedish citizen.

Your family may be eligible for reunification with you even if you are over 18 years of age, if you were under 18 when you applied for asylum. This only applies if your family makes its application within three months of your having been granted a residence permit as a refugee or a beneficiary of subsidiary protection status.

Family reunification