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SWEDISH CITIZENSHIP

Can dual citizens be called up for Swedish military service?

Each year, thousands of Swedish citizens turning 18 become eligible for compulsory military service. What does that mean for dual nationals?

Published: 7 March 2017 12:38 CET
Updated: 3 February 2024 08:12 CET
Can dual citizens be called up for Swedish military service?
Swedish soldiers during the Aurora training exercise earlier this year. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: being a dual national doesn’t mean you automatically have special exemption from military service. If you’re a Swedish national in the applicable age bracket living in Sweden, dual nationality or otherwise, then you’re eligible.

In the case that you have already done some form of military service in another country however, you could get out of it.

“It’s OK to serve in the Armed Forces with dual citizenship. However, the person can only do military service in one of their countries,” the Swedish Armed Forces communication department explained to The Local back in 2017.

Another detail is that dual citizens cannot be used in combat should conflict break out between Sweden and the other country they are also a citizen of. Again, per the Swedish Armed Forces communication department: 

“A soldier with dual citizenship cannot be used in combat in the event of a conflict between the two countries.”

But what impact could serving for Sweden have on your dual nationality? One question asked in a number of expat or immigrant Facebook groups is whether dual citizens who hold Swedish and American citizenship, for example, could lose their American citizenship if they do Swedish compulsory military service.

The Local contacted the US Embassy in Stockholm to clarify that question, and it referred us to this guidance from the State Department website. It states that revocation of US citizenship could be provoked in certain instances of serving in a foreign military, but that is only the case if the other country is at war with the US:

“Military service in foreign countries usually does not cause loss of nationality since an intention to relinquish nationality normally is lacking. The Department has established an administrative presumption that a person serving in the armed forces of a foreign state not engaged in hostilities against the United States does not have the intention to relinquish nationality.”

So unless Sweden goes to war with the US, your dual US-Swedish citizenship won’t be impacted by doing military service for Sweden.

For Australia, it’s a similar deal. If you’re not fighting for a foreign country at war with Australia or a declared terrorist organisation, you’re not going to lose your citizenship. The UK follows similar rules. As does Canada. And Italy.

In France, only those who have acquired French citizenship and have been convicted of treason or terrorism can be stripped of it. In Brazil, doing national service for another country is not a cause for losing Brazilian citizenship. 

In New Zealand, a citizen can only lose their citizenship if they have it removed by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs, with the main reason for such an order to be issued being acting against the interests of New Zealand.

To state the obvious, we haven’t covered every nation in the world, so it’s worth checking with the relevant embassy to be sure – and many countries don’t allow dual citizenship in the first place – but the rule of thumb for the ones we have checked is that as long as Sweden isn’t at war with the other nation you’re a citizen of, being drafted by Sweden won’t impact your dual citizenship.

Originally written by Lee Roden in 2017. Updated by The Local’s editorial team in 2023.

For members

SWEDISH CITIZENSHIP

EXPLAINED: How to get Swedish citizenship via notification

Sweden’s government has moved to tighten up the rules for citizenship via notification. But what is citizenship via notification, and who is eligible?

Published: 26 January 2024 10:33 CET
Updated: 2 February 2024 05:50 CET
EXPLAINED: How to get Swedish citizenship via notification

Essentially, there are three different routes for getting Swedish citizenship. The first happens automatically by birth or adoption, for children who have at least one Swedish parent at the time of their birth or adoption.

For immigrants, there are two routes. 

Citizenship via application

The first option is medborgarskap genom ansökan (citizenship via application) which is by far the most common option for immigrants applying for citizenship in Sweden. 

This is the most restrictive route for applying for citizenship, with rules requiring you to have lived in Sweden for at least five years, as a general rule (three years for partners or spouses of Swedish citizens and two years for Nordic citizens).

You also have to have “lived an orderly life in Sweden”, by, for example, not having a history of debts with the Swedish Enforcement Authority, as well as an extra qualifying period if you’ve committed a crime. You’ll also need a permanent residence permit or right of residence under EU rules.

It also comes with a hefty fee of 1,500 kronor.

See here for more information on the rules for applying for this kind of citizenship.

Citizenship via notification

The less well-known option is medborgarskap genom anmälan (citizenship through notification). This is available to children who have lived in Sweden for at least three years (two if stateless), young adults between 18 and 21 who have lived in Sweden since they turned 13 (15 if stateless) and Nordic citizens – meaning citizens of Denmark, Norway, Iceland or Finland – who have lived in Sweden for five years or more.

The requirements for citizenship through notification are not as restrictive as citizenship through application. There is, for example, no requirement to have “lived an orderly life”, although those who have been sentenced to prison or other incarceration within the last five years do not qualify.

Be aware, though, that this could change in the future. Under proposed new rules, people suspected or convicted of committing certain crimes, deemed a threat to Swedish security or connected to “certain groups and organisations” would be barred from citizenship via notification.

The fee is also lower (475 kronor for adults) and, for adult Nordic citizens at least, you apply to your local Länsstyrelse or County Administrative Board rather than to the Migration Agency. Children and young adults applying by themselves pay just 175 kronor and apply to the Migration Agency.

Waiting times for citizenship via notification are shorter, too – 75 percent of applicants going via the Migration Agency received a response within 11 months, according to agency figures, compared with a wait of 32 months for citizenship via application. For those who can apply via the County Administrative Board, the wait can be as short as 4-6 weeks.

I think I qualify for citizenship via notification. How do I apply?

First, double check that you definitely qualify – you can do this on the Migration Agency’s website (in Swedish) here.

For Nordic citizens, you’ll need to apply directly to your local County Administrative Board, which you can do via filling in this form (Anmälan om svenskt medborgarskap för medborgare i Danmark, Finland, Island eller Norge), and sending in your application to the relevant administrative board, which is determined by the county or län you live in.

Make sure you pay the fee to the relevant board, including your name and Swedish personal number, as they won’t be able to process your application until this is received. Payment details are available on each board’s website.

If your application is successful, you’ll be sent a citizenship document, with another one sent to the Tax Agency. If your application is denied, you’ll be sent a decision document detailing this. You’ll have three weeks to appeal, with information on how to do so provided in the decision document.

In terms of citizenship via notification for children who have lived in Sweden for at least three years, their legal guardian (vårdnadshavare) will need to apply to the Migration Agency. This can be done digitally via the agency’s website or by filling out this form (anmälan om svenskt medborgarskap för barn som bor i Sverige), paying a 175 kronor fee and sending it to the Migration Agency – the address is on the form. 

The process (and the fee) is essentially the same for young adults aged between 18 and 21, although you apply by yourself. Again, you can apply online or by filling out a form – in this case the catchily-named anmälan om svenskt medborgarskap för dig som har haft hemvist i Sverige sedan den dagen du fyllde 13 år eller 15 år om statslös och som har fyllt 18 men inte 21 år, paying a 175 kronor fee and sending it to the Migration Agency address on the form.

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