Residence permit for studies
If you are a fee-paying student you need to apply for a residence permit for studies. Find out what the requirements are and how you apply.
If you are a fee-paying student (non-EU/EEA or Swiss citizen), you will in most cases need a residence permit to study in Sweden. The permit must be issued before you enter Sweden.
The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) is the public authority responsible for residence permits. Karolinska Institutet is not involved in the processing or evaluation of your application.
Not sure if you need to apply for a residence permit? Check the Swedish Migration Agency’s website for more information.
When should I apply?
Start your residence permit application as soon as you have:
- Received your admissions results
- Received confirmation of having paid your first tuition fee installment
Read all instructions on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website carefully. A complete application increases the chances of your application being processed well in advance of the start date for your studies. The waiting time can sometimes be several months.
For how long can I be granted a residence permit?
You can be granted a residence permit of one or two years. If you apply one year at a time, you will have to extend your residence permit before the old one expires.
How to apply
You apply online through the Swedish Migration Agency’s e-services.
1. Read in on the requirements
Read in on the requirements as soon as you receive your admissions results.
2. Prepare your application
Prepare any necessary documents and check which embassy you can visit if required.
Prepare this before you apply (on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website)
Good to know:
- Your passport needs to be valid throughout your entire stay in Sweden.
- You need to be able to show that you can support yourself financially for the entire period for which you are applying for a residence permit.
- The bank statements showing that you can support yourself cannot be older than four months at the time of submitting your application.
- You fulfil the requirement of having a comprehensive health insurance with the FAS+ insurance provided to fee-paying students at KI.
Common mistakes when submitting your bank statement
- If your parents support you, be sure that you do not transfer the money to your account as a lump sum the week you submit your application.
- If you have several bank accounts, you must enclose statements from all your accounts.
- The statement must contain details of the balance, the name of the account holder and the currency.
- Bank assets must be on an account that belongs to you and from which only you and your husband or wife, if you have one, can withdraw money. If you share the account with, for example, your parents or a relative, the bank assets will not be regarded as your own.
- At some banks you need to show up in person to get your bank statements.
3. Pay your tuition fee
Pay your tuition fee instalment as soon as you can after receiving your invoice from KI.
4. Submit your residence permit application
You apply online at the Swedish Migration Agency's website. If you have any family member accompanying you (spouse/children), you can apply for them at the same time.
Apply for a residence permit for higher education (on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website)
What happens next?
Karolinska Institutet is not involved in the processing or evaluation of your application. There are many things that affect the waiting time, for example whether your application is complete to begin with or whether the Swedish Migration Agency needs to request more information, or needs to check with other authorities when investigating your case.
You can find statistics on the average waiting time and contact details on the Swedish Migration Agency’s website.
Karolinska Institutet has signed an agreement with The Swedish Migration Agency which makes it possible to obtain a residence permit for up to two years for studies. The permit can be revoked if the conditions for the permit are no longer met, such as if you are no longer studying. Karolinska Institutet will according to the signed agreement inform The Swedish Migration Agency if a student is presumed no longer to be an active student.
The conditions that apply regarding your studies are detailed in the syllabus for the course or the programme syllabus. Should you not follow the study plan set out in the syllabus, fail to pay the tuition fee or terminate your studies, Karolinska Institutet will inform the Swedish Migration Agency in accordance with the agreement signed to ensure the possibility to obtain a two-year residence permit to Sweden.