Sweden EU Blue Card
Sweden's EU Blue Card is for people offered highly qualified employment in Sweden. It requires higher education corresponding to at least 180 credits or at least five years of relevant professional experience, an employment contract of at least six months, comprehensive health insurance for the whole stay, and a salary of at least 1.25 times the average Swedish salary. The Migration Agency sets that threshold annually: since 15 July 2026 it is SEK 53,625 per month. The card entitles the holder to work only for the employer and within the profession stated in the application.
Core requirements
Citizens of countries outside the EU/EEA need a permit to work in Sweden in most cases. An EU Blue Card issued in Sweden gives the right to live and work there, but only for the employer and within the profession specified in the application. Accompanying family can apply at the same time.
A valid passport is required, and a permit can never be granted for longer than the passport is valid. Correctly made copies of the passport must be attached to the application.
Higher education or at least five years of experience is required: the higher education must correspond to at least 180 higher education credits, or the applicant must have at least five years of relevant professional experience. A degree certificate from the university or other higher education institution, or employer's certificates from previous employers, must be submitted.
There must be highly qualified employment for a period of at least six months, and the employment contract must be signed by both the applicant and the employer.
The salary must amount to at least 1.25 times the average Swedish salary. The Migration Agency sets the threshold each year, corresponding to 1.25 times the average gross salary in Sweden published by the National Mediation Office. Since 15 July 2026 the threshold is SEK 53,625 per month.
The applicant must have, or have applied for, a comprehensive health insurance policy valid for the entire stay in Sweden, covering urgent and other medical care, hospitalisation and emergency dental care, and medical repatriation if a return to the country of origin is needed for health reasons. For a stay shorter than one year in total, health insurance must be taken out for an additional three months beyond the period of employment. Anyone granted a permit for at least one year should register in Sweden's population register, which gives access to health, medical and dental care.
All submitted documents should be in Swedish or English; translations must be certified and accompanied by a copy of the document in its original language. The employer needs the applicant's name, date of birth, citizenship and email address to start the Blue Card application, and the applicant must keep access to that email address until a decision is received, because the Migration Agency uses it to make contact.
The applicant may need to present the passport or be interviewed at an embassy or consulate-general before a decision can be made, and must state in the application which one they intend to visit. Not all Swedish embassies and consulates-general handle migration cases; in some locations the interview is by video link, in which case the applicant visits the local mission but a different embassy is responsible for the application and answers questions about it.
Where family members apply too, the application must include correctly made passport copies for each of them (a residence permit can never run longer than their passport), documents showing the relationship — a marriage certificate, marriage record or similar for spouses, or evidence of living together such as population registration certificates, a joint rental contract or proof of joint purchase of a home for cohabiting partners — and documents showing the maintenance requirement is met. A representative applying on someone's behalf must attach a power of attorney (form 107011).
For accompanying children the application must include a birth record or birth certificate stating the parents' names; a court decision where the applicant has sole custody, or a death certificate if the other parent has died; where a child has two parents or legal guardians and the other remains in the country of origin, a statement of consent for the child to settle in Sweden (form 217011) together with a copy of that parent's passport or other identity document; adoption documents for an adopted child; and, for a child over 21, documentation showing dependence on a parent for financial maintenance.
Anyone holding a valid EU Blue Card from another EU country must attach a copy of it, and may apply for a Swedish EU Blue Card after having stayed in that country on the card for at least 12 months — the Swedish application must be made within one month of entering Sweden. Work in Sweden is not allowed before the Swedish application has been made, and the same applies to accompanying family.
An EU Blue Card cannot be granted to EEA or Swiss citizens; to someone whose application for a residence permit as a refugee or person in need of subsidiary protection has not been finally decided; to someone granted a residence permit applied for by the police due to special personal safety work, on the grounds of impediments to enforcement, or as a tribunal witness; to someone with a pending application for a residence permit for research in Sweden; to someone with long-term resident status in another EU state exercising the right to reside in Sweden as an employee or self-employed person; to someone entering under an international agreement facilitating entry and temporary stay for certain trade and investment-related categories; to someone with a final expulsion or rejection decision that cannot be enforced; or to someone posted in Sweden under the law on posting.
The main rule is that the residence permit must be applied for and granted before entering Sweden. Exemptions include applying to extend an EU Blue Card; holding a temporary residence permit for studies and having completed studies corresponding to 180 credits; having carried out a research project in Sweden under a hosting agreement; holding an ICT permit or long-term mobility ICT permit issued in Sweden; holding a residence permit for seasonal work issued in Sweden; having right of residence through close family ties to an EEA citizen; holding a residence permit through close family ties to a Swiss citizen; holding a limited-time permit to look for work or investigate starting a business; or holding a permit to work as an employee or self-employed person where the permit conditions have been met.
An existing EU Blue Card holder must report to the Swedish Migration Agency if the employment ceases, if they change jobs, or if anything affecting the conditions for the permit changes.
Official sources
- EU Blue CardsSwedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) · Reviewed 2026-09-06
How immigration works in Sweden — the process in order, the current figures with their dates, and what commonly blocks an application.
General educational information only, not personalized immigration or legal advice. Requirements can change; confirm them with the responsible government authority before acting. Next scheduled review: 2026-12-06.