Stricter requirements for Swedish citizenship

The Government presented new proposals on March 13th, that tighten the requirements for acquiring Swedish citizenship. A bill from the Ministry of Justice strengthens the residence requirements, while at the same time introducing a maintenance requirement and requirements for sufficient knowledge of Swedish and Swedish society. Other proposals include a higher requirement on the way of life of those who wish to acquire Swedish citizenship.

Today, the requirement for residence in Sweden to be able to apply for citizenship is, in most cases, five years. The proposal suggests that the standard requirement for applying for citizenship be raised to eight years of living in Sweden. As before, there are certain exceptions, where, for example, a person who is married or cohabiting with a Swedish citizen is able to acquire citizenship after seven years (these applications currently have a requirement of three years of residence), provided that the partner in Sweden has been a Swedish citizen for at least five years. 

The Government proposes that a financial self-sufficiency requirement should be introduced when applying for citizenship. To meet this requirement, the person applying for citizenship must have an annual salary or income from business activity that amounts to at least three income base amounts before deduction of preliminary tax. The ability to support oneself must not be temporary. The proposal also means that the individual may not have received income support for a period that exceeds six months in total during the last three years. This maintenance requirement is not the same as the requirement that currently exists for a permanent residence permit. 

Exemptions from the maintenance requirement will be introduced, among other things, for those with income pension and students with approved study results.

The Government proposes that a special citizenship test should be designed, where knowledge of Swedish language and Swedish society can be tested. The test will include both knowledge of Swedish reading and listening comprehension, as well as written and oral skills. The test about Swedish society will be designed in Swedish and will test basic knowledge. 

The proposal also clarifies that individuals should be able to demonstrate this knowledge in other ways than an approved citizenship test. For example, through passing grades in the highest course in municipal adult education in Swedish for immigrants (SFI). 

The government has also proposed a higher demand on the way of life of those who wish to acquire Swedish citizenship. This will apply to individuals who are reasonably suspected or convicted of crimes, where the most severe punishment prescribed is imprisonment for two years or more. This also applies to individuals who are reasonably suspected or convicted of repeated crimes. 

It is also proposed that the possibility for children to independently acquire Swedish citizenship be introduced.

The above-mentioned legislative amendments are proposed to enter into force on June 6th, 2026. The legislative amendments to the citizenship test are proposed to enter into force in October 2027.

On 19th of March, the Government also received the final report from the inquiry on the revocation of Swedish citizenship. At present, there is no possibility of revoking a Swedish citizenship. The inquiry therefore proposes, amongst other things, that it should be possible to revoke Swedish citizenship for those with dual citizenship, in the event of particularly serious crimes or if a person has deliberately provided incorrect information to obtain the Swedish citizenship. The inquiry proposes that these changes should enter into force on January 1st, 2028.

Read more in KPMG's earlier TaxNews - Proposal for stricter income requirements for Swedish citizenship

Swedish version