British nationals who lived in Sweden under EU rules before the end of the transition period on December 31st, 2020, may continue to live in Sweden as before – as long as they apply for a new “residence status” (uppehållsstatus) before September 30th.

The Swedish Migration Agency told The Local at the end of July that fewer than 10,000 British citizens in Sweden had applied for the new status. The agency previously estimated that around 20,000 Britons would need to acquire the residency permit.

Around two thirds of applications processed by that date had been granted a permit while seven percent had been rejected.

“It is imperative that British citizens living in Sweden check their status, contact the Swedish Migration Agency if they have questions, apply for the new permit and legalise their residency,” urged the British embassy in Sweden in a statement.

Although the UK left the EU in March 2020, the Migration Agency did not allow Brits to apply for their post-Brexit status until December that year, and began processing applications from the start of 2021 due to limited funding.

As well as applying for the post-Brexit residence status, since Brexit there has been a surge in the number of Brits in Sweden applying for Swedish citizenship. Swedish citizenship also gives you the right to remain in Sweden, but note that if you have applied for citizenship but have not yet received a response, you additionally need to apply for the post-Brexit residence status before September 30th.

Failure to apply by September 30th may cause you to lose your right to stay in Sweden.

Brits who have not yet applied for their permit can do so via the Migration Agency’s web page. You do not need to be physically present in Sweden at the time of application, as long as you can prove you had right of residence before December 31st, 2020.

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Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a letter of confirmation, and can use this if you need to prove your right to live in Sweden – for example if returning to the country after travel overseas.

During the time that British applicants are waiting on a decision, they have the same rights as EU citizens and can continue to live and work in Sweden, as long as they moved before December 31st.

Once an application has been approved, it is necessary to visit one of the Migration Agency’s Service Centres to have fingerprints and a photo taken before the residence card can be issued.