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How many people became Swedish citizens last year?

Thousands of people became Swedish citizens in 2018: here's a breakdown of how the number has changed in recent years and where the new Swedes come from.

Published: 8 January 2019 11:01 CET
Updated: 25 March 2019 09:32 CET
How many people became Swedish citizens last year?
New Swedes take part in a citizenship ceremony at Stockholm's city hall. Photo: Lars Pedersen/TT

In total, Sweden welcomed 63,818 new citizens last year. Gaining citizenship in Sweden requires applicants to be legally resident in the country for between three and five years, depending on where they come from and whether or not they are living with a Swedish spouse or partner.

The number of approved citizenship applications in 2018 was slightly down on 2017 but still higher than the previous six years, during which the number of new citizens rose from 28,100 in 2010 to 56,026 in 2016.

The gender split among 2018's new citizens was close to 50:50, with 31,348 women becoming Swedish and 32,470 men. This was the first time since the turn of the century that more men than women became citizens. The month when most people received Swedish citizenship was February, with the fewest new citizens in December.

As for where they came from, the new Swedes had over 170 different nationalities, but included more Syrians than nationals of any other country.

Throughout 2018, 10,626 Syrians became Swedish, along with 6,746 Somalians, 5,629 stateless people, 2,579 Iraqis and 1,912 Afghan nationals. These five categories accounted for almost a third of the total number of new citizens.

READ ALSO: How to get Swedish citizenship or stay permanently in Sweden

The next most common nationalities were Eritrean (1,836), Polish (1,783), Iranian (1,736), Thai (1,620), and British (1,340). As The Local has previously reported, there has been a surge in citizenship applications from Brits resident in Sweden following the UK's 2016 vote to leave the EU.

A record 1,859 Britons submitted their applications for Swedish citizenship in 2017, up from 1,616 in 2016 and a huge leap from the years preceding the Brexit vote: in 2015, only 511 Brits applied for Swedish citizenship while 491 did so in 2014.

Looking at all nationalities, a total of 90,000 applications for Swedish citizenship were made during the year and the agency confirmed in December it would increase resources for this area in 2019 in order to speed up the process.

Sweden's Migration Agency reached its goal in terms of the number of citizenship cases concluded, however the number of applications that came in during 2018 was higher than the previous year.

On Tuesday, the agency's website showed that applications for citizenship could expect a 28-month waiting time, adding that this did not necessarily mean all applicants would get a decision within that time.

That was one month longer than the figure last November, when Migration Agency figures showed that the average processing time for applications in 2018 was 205 days or around seven months but the website advised would-be citizens to allow 26 months for a decision.

Most common countries of origin among Sweden's new citizens

1. Syria (11,362)

2. Somalia (7,070)

3. Stateless (6,425)

4. Iraq (2,588)

5. Afghanistan (2,133)

6. Eritrea (1,871)

7. Poland (1,799)

8. Iran (1,695)

9. Thailand (1,623)

10. UK (1,369)

11. Unknown (1,295)

12. Pakistan (1,162)

13. Germany (901)

14. Serbia (861)

15. India (817)

16. Turkey (802)

17. Romania (767)

18. Russia (710)

19. Kosovo (685)

20. USA (621)

READ ALSO: How many people in Sweden got a work permit last year?

Article updated in March 2019

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READER QUESTIONS

Do foreigners in Sweden have to carry their residence cards?

Foreign residents in Sweden who are granted residence permits are issued with a residence card or 'uppehållstillstånd'. Who does this apply to and are they obliged to carry the card all the time?

Published: 2 February 2024 12:52 CET
Updated: 16 April 2024 14:22 CEST
Do foreigners in Sweden have to carry their residence cards?

What is an uppehållstillstånd? 

Firstly, an uppehållstillstånd or residence permit is required for legal residence in Sweden for non-EU citizens, as well as EU citizens without EU right of residence.

Note that this is not the same as an uppehållskort, which is for non-EU citizens living with a non-Swedish EU citizen, nor is it the same as an intyg om permanent uppehållsrätt for EU citizens or uppehållsstatus for Brits here under the rules of the withdrawal agreement.

Residence permits are granted to those wanting to work, study or live in Sweden, including those who came to the country as family members of other residents or as refugees.

The criteria you must fulfil to be granted a residence permit depend on the reason you are in Sweden and your personal situation.

If you are granted a residence permit for Sweden, you will be issued with a residence card or uppehållstillståndskort, as documentation of your residence rights.

The card itself is a plastic card the size of a credit card and displays your photo. It also includes a chip containing your biometric data. You will be required to attend an appointment to submit biometric details to the Migration Agency, either at one of its offices or at your closest Swedish embassy or consulate, if you’re applying from outside the country, after which the agency will be able to produce your residence card.

So, do I need to carry the card with me at all times? 

Technically, no, but it’s best to always know where it is, as you will need to be able to show it when asked. 

A press officer at Sweden’s Migration Agency told The Local that it’s a good idea to carry it with you at all times, although there’s no specific requirement for residence permit holders to do so.

“We can’t comment exactly on the situations in which other authorities, such as the police or healthcare services would need to see your residence permit card, but our general advice is that it’s a good idea to carry your residence card with you at all times, like any other form of ID, such as a driving licence, for example,” she said.

According to the Migration Agency’s website, you should always have it with you when in contact with Swedish authorities or healthcare, as it proves that you have the right to live in Sweden.

“According to the Aliens Act, foreigners in Sweden must show a passport or other document showing they have the right to live in Sweden, when asked by a police officer,” police press officer Irene Sokolow told The Local.

“[The foreigner] is responsible for proving their right to be in Sweden, as well as their identity and the day and time they arrived in Sweden, if relevant. They are, however, not required to carry their identity card or passport with them.”

One situation where you should have your card with you is when travelling over the Swedish border, where you should always present it to border police along with your passport. This ensures you’ll be registered correctly as a resident when exiting or re-entering the country, rather than as a tourist.

One reason why this is important is that non-EU residents can only visit Schengen for 90 days in every 180-day period without needing a residence permit or other visa, so if you’re falsely registered as entering Sweden as a visitor, this 90-day countdown will start. 

If you’re then discovered living in Sweden past the 90-day deadline, your false registration as a tourist could lead to you being branded an overstayer, which could affect your chances of getting a residence permit in the future, as well as your chances of being allowed to enter other Schengen countries.

Where else might I be asked to show my card?

Sweden’s police are also able to carry out so-called inre utlänningskontroller, special controls to identify people living in Sweden illegally, if they have reason to believe the person in question does not have a permit or visa to live in Sweden.

These can take place anywhere within Sweden, including at workplaces suspected of hiring people without valid residence permits, so at least in theory, you could be stopped by police anywhere in the country and asked to show your residence permit if they have reason to believe you’re living here illegally.

“When an inre utlänningskontroll is carried out and the person in question does not have any such documents with them, the police can check their status with the Migration Agency,” Sokolow told The Local.

Legally, the police have the power to confiscate your passport or other ID document if you can’t prove you have the right to be in Sweden when asked, although this will be returned to you when you provide them with a valid residence permit card or when they receive other proof that you have the right to be in the country.

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