Can I get permanent residence in Sweden?
Yes — but permanent residence (PUT) is no longer automatic. After the 2021 Aliens Act reform you must meet a maintenance requirement: a regular income covering housing plus a set margin per person in the household for food, clothing, hygiene, phone and insurance. You must also meet a conduct requirement. The change that surprises most people: those with protection status, that is refugees, can no longer get PUT and receive time-limited permits instead — time in Sweden no longer leads there automatically. Children and certain groups may have eased requirements, and quota refugees are assessed under their own rules. A permit granted on false grounds can be revoked.
📋 The rules
- PUT is no longer automatic (2021 reform)
- A maintenance requirement covering housing + a margin
- A conduct requirement
- Refugees now only get time-limited permits
- False grounds can bring a revoked permit
🔓 Exceptions
- Children may have eased requirements
- Quota refugees and certain categories are assessed under their own rules
- Some groups are exempt from parts of the maintenance requirement
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The consequence is refusal, and refusal costs time rather than money: the application is rejected if the maintenance or conduct requirement is unmet, and you carry on with a time-limited permit that must be renewed. The heavy consequence comes if the information was wrong: a permit granted on incorrect information can be revoked, and you may then have to leave the country — even long after it was granted. The requirement is also a lasting one: it is the regular income that is assessed, not a single good month.
📎 Official sources
- Migration Agency · Permanent residence →
- Migration Agency · Changed rules →
- Aliens Act (2005:716) · Riksdagen →
❓ Frequently asked
Is permanent residence automatic?
No, not since the 2021 reform. You must meet both a maintenance requirement and a conduct requirement, so time in Sweden alone is no longer enough to get PUT.
What does the maintenance requirement mean?
A regular income covering your housing plus a set margin per person in the household. The margin must stretch to food, clothing, hygiene, phone and insurance.
Can refugees get permanent residence?
No. Since the 2021 reform, people with protection status only get time-limited permits, which must be renewed. Quota refugees are assessed under their own separate rules.
Do the same requirements apply to children?
Children and certain groups may have eased requirements, and some are exempt from parts of the maintenance requirement. Which group you belong to therefore decides what is actually tested.
Can the permit be revoked?
Yes. A permit granted on incorrect information can be revoked, and you may then have to leave the country. The revocation can come long after the permit was first granted.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I get permanent residence sweden”
- “put maintenance requirement 2021”
- “permanent residence refugee sweden”
- “put conduct requirement”
- “residence permit income requirement”
- “migration agency put”