Applying for Swedish citizenship in 2027: step by step
From checking the requirements to the citizenship ceremony – the whole path in nine steps.
Anyone applying for Swedish citizenship in 2027 faces a process with more steps than before. Since 6 June 2026 the law requires knowledge of Swedish society and of the Swedish language (bet. 2025/26:SfU28), and since 15 August 2026 the civics citizenship test has been run by UHR. Here is the path in nine steps.
Step 1 – check the basic requirements. You must be able to prove your identity, be 18 or older (children can be included in a parent’s application), hold permanent residence or an equivalent right of residence, have lived in Sweden long enough (habitual residence, typically five years, shorter for some groups) and have conducted yourself honourably. Note that since 12 July 2026 asylum-related permits no longer lead to permanent residence but to five-year temporary permits; some holders of temporary permits can still apply under new rules – check the details with Migrationsverket.
Step 2 – gather documents. Passport or other identity document, details of every stay abroad and, if you want to be exempt from the tests, grades from courses that under the regulation can replace them. Step 3 – apply online on Migrationsverket’s website and pay the application fee; the current fee is stated there.
Step 4 – wait. Processing times are long; Migrationsverket publishes current times. In 2025 about 38 800 citizenships were granted, compared with 65 600 the year before. Use the waiting time to study – the knowledge requirements do not go away while you wait.
Step 5 – test notice. Migrationsverket decides whether you must sit the tests. The requirement applies to applicants aged 16 to 67; those with approved grades in certain courses or a lasting disability may be exempt. Step 6 – book with UHR. The civics test has about 60 multiple-choice questions with four options, lasts 90 minutes and is given only in Swedish. From 2027 each sitting costs 2 000 kr and retakes are allowed.
Step 7 – the language test. The reading and listening part (functional level, roughly B1) must be available by 1 October 2027, or earlier if the government so decides. The speaking and writing part (basic level, roughly A2) has no date yet; UHR is developing the test, which is digital and taken at test centres. The pass mark has not been published.
Step 8 – decision. Once Migrationsverket has your test results and has examined the other requirements, it decides. Step 9 – ceremony. Municipalities hold citizenship ceremonies for new citizens; the ceremony is a welcome, not a condition for citizenship.
Our recommendation: start studying civics and Swedish now, wherever you are in the process. Anyone who waits for the notice before opening a book loses months that are already built into the processing time.