More stringent requirements for Swedish citizenship
Published:
The Riksdag voted in favour of the Government’s proposal to introduce more stringent requirements for acquiring Swedish citizenship.
The proposal involves the following:
- the requirement that the individual has lived in Sweden for a certain period, that is been resident here, will be raised from five to eight years as a starting point;
- higher demands will be placed on the lifestyle of individuals applying for Swedish citizenship;
- applicants for citizenship will be required to be able to support themselves;
- sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language and of Swedish society will be required for Swedish citizenship;
- the notification procedure, that is the opportunity to become a Swedish citizen through notification, will be limited in as far as it is possible;
- children will be able to acquire Swedish citizenship independently after the child’s custodian has filed an application.
The purpose of the proposal is to enhance the status of citizenship and to increase the individual’s opportunities to actively participate in society.
The amendments will come into force on 6 June 2026. The amendments concerning a citizenship test in reading and listening comprehension in Swedish at a functional level will come into force on 1 October 2027 or an earlier date decided by the Government. The amendments concerning a citizenship test in other aspects of the Swedish language will come into force on the date decided by the Government.