sweden visa for indian

If you will be studying in Sweden for more than three months and you are not an EU citizen, you need a residence permit. If you will be studying for less than three months, you may need a visa instead.

The information provided here focuses on the process of applying for a residence permit once you have been accepted to a university or other higher education in Sweden. For general inspiration and information on the university admissions please visit Study in Sweden.

If you will be studying in Sweden for more than three months and you are not an EU/EES citizen, you need a residence permit. If you will be studying for less than three months, you may need a visa instead.

Sweden Student Visa vs Residence Permit

Both the student visa and the residence permit are for those who are non-EU/ EEA citizens and planning to stay and study in Sweden. However, whether you need to obtain a student visa or a residence permit will depend on the duration of your stay.

Visa Type	Duration of Stay
Student Visa	Less than 90 days
Residence permit in Sweden	More than 90 days

Before Applying for Sweden Student Visa

Whether the student needs a visa to study in Sweden depends on the factors like:

• Their country of origin.
• If the student previously has a residence permit of any other Schengen country.
• If they are a permanent resident of the EU.

There are some particular mandatory requirements to apply for a student visa to Sweden. Discussed below are the same:

• The student must own a valid passport
• The student must have taken admission to a full-time course requiring their presence in higher education.
• The student needs to be able to support their expenses until the duration of the residence permit they are applying for.
• The student must have paid a viable tuition fee before applying.
• The student must have applied for health-insurance in Sweden in case they are planning to reside for less than a year.

Sweden Student Visa: Application Process for Residence Permit

Below is the process of applying for the Sweden student visa. The students can follow the given steps to apply for their permit:

Where to Apply for Sweden Student Visa

You can apply for a student visa for Sweden online with Swedish Migration Agency website or through the local Swedish embassy in your home country. Here are the steps of filling up the application form online:

• The student will have to fill-up the Sweden student visa online application form in the Swedish Migration Agency Portal.
• Enter all the information required.
• The student will have to provide the necessary documents required. This includes copies of their passport, proof of admission from the Swedish university, proof of their health insurance in Sweden(for staying less than a year), an account statement that verifies they have enough funds for their living expenses or proof of any scholarship/ stipend.

Note: Processing time for online applications is lower than the time invested while applying through Swedish Embassy or Consulate. The Swedish Migration Agency takes approximately 3-4 months to process the online application. They take approximately 3-5 months to process the offline application.

Permit Processing Fee for Student Visa

• The student has to pay the fee for the application through a Credit Card or Charge Card.
• In case the student is applying from the Swedish embassy, the fee needs to be provided in cash simultaneously.
• The fee will not be returned in case the application is rejected.

The fee structure for the residence permit of the applicant and their family member(spouse or others) is the same. Here is the approximate fee structure for the Residence Permit of Sweden:

Category	Fees in SEK	INR Equivalent
Adult	1,500	12,750
Child	750	6,360

Visit to the Embassy/ General Consulate

• The student will have to submit their application to their respective Swedish embassy or general consulate.
• The student will have to pay the fee for the application in cash.

Interview Student Visa for Sweden

• The student will receive an email invitation for the interview.
• The student will have to appear in the interview within the stipulated time.

Sweden Student Visa Application Results

• The student will receive the result about the decision of the embassy via mail.
• Then the student will have to visit the embassy after booking an appointment with them.
• The student will have to carry all the documents along with them on their visit to the embassy.

Documents Required for Sweden Student Visa

To receive a Residence Permit for studying in Sweden, a student must have the following:

• A passport valid for at least three months after the expiry of the visa, has at least two blank pages and was issued in the last 10 years.
• The student must be able to describe the purpose of their visit.
• The student must have an invitation or proof of acceptance from a Swedish university.
• The student must have money to support themself(SEK 450 per day, equivalent to INR 3,850) and sufficient money to return home any time.
• Have individual medical travel insurance that covers the cost of at least EUR 30,000(INR 25,80,000).
• Will have to show that they have an intention to leave the country within the last day before the visa expires.
• A passport format photograph that is not older than 6 months.
• Any other documents that the embassy asks for.

Language Requirements for Sweden Student Visa

International students from non-native English speaking countries are expected to have decent skill and proficiency in English language. Swedish universities, on the other hand, need a language proficiency score for admitting students.

In Swedish universities, the widely accepted tests of English language proficiency are IELTS and TOEFL. The minimum score requirement to get into universities are as follows:

• IELTS- Overall 6.0 and with each section more than 5.5.
• TOEFL iBT-Overall 72 with 17 in writing.

Sweden Student Visa: Evidence of Finances

A student needs to provide proof of being able to spend at least SEK 450(INR 3,800-3,900) for each day of their stay in Sweden to get the Residence Permit or Visa.

Here are the particular regulations for the pieces of evidence required:

• The student needs to submit the statement of their own bank account when asked.
• Only the statements of a personal bank account will be accepted. Shared bank account details will be marked as invalid on submission.
• If the student keeps money in multiple bank accounts, they will have to provide the information of all the accounts.

It is important that a student can show enough finances to cover his/her tuition fees and living expenses while staying & studying in Sweden.

Work-Study on Sweden Student Visa

Finding a part-time job in Sweden is tough but not impossible. The government has no restriction on part-time jobs and no limit to the working hours for international students.

In the part-time jobs, the average salaries of students visiting Sweden for studies vary between EUR 700-1000 (equivalent to INR 60,000-86,000) per month. However, besides work, the student will go through approximately 40 hours of studying each week.

There’s a high possibility of international students getting internships while studying. This will provide a lump sum amount of stipend to live in the costly environment of the country.

Sweden Student Visa: How Long Visa Extension Takes

If the academic course of the student is lesser than a year, then the residence permit will remain valid for 1 year. In cases when the continued course might extend, the student will have to apply for the extension long before the end of the course.

If a student already has a residence permit and wants to extend the permit, they will have to apply for the extension at least 6 months before the date of expiry of the existing residence permit.

Documents Required to Apply for Residence Permit Extension

The student needs a few documents for the extension of the residence permit in Sweden. We’ve made a list of the documents required here:

• The student must have a valid passport.
• The student needs to be admitted to a higher educational institution in Sweden.
• The student must’ve made acceptable development in their studies.
• The student should be able to support themselves financially for the period they want to stay back in Sweden.
• In case, the student does not have an active health insurance policy in Sweden, at least they need to have applied for the same.

Conclusion

If you are planning to study and work in the country then a Sweden Work Permit is a must for Indians. Have more doubts regarding the process? Drop us a comment below and we will answer all your questions regarding the Swedish visa application process!