Extending a Swedish work permit: when to apply and what to check
Your employer starts the process, but you must finish your application before your permit expires. Salary rules and the right to keep working need separate checks.
Who this guide is for
This guide covers an ordinary employee work permit (arbetstillstånd) that you want to extend. It does not cover specialist permits, self-employment or permanent residence.
You can apply from two months before your permit expires. The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) must receive your application before it expires. Your employer starting the process is not enough.
Who sends in the application?
Your employer starts in the online service and provides information about your job. The relevant union gets an opportunity to comment on the employment terms.
You then receive a link to complete your part. Check that the job details match your agreement, add the required documents and send it in.
Migrationsverket’s employer guidance explains that the application is registered only after you complete and send your part. Do not treat an unfinished employer application as meeting your deadline.
You need an employment agreement signed by both you and your employer. The agency also checks your earlier employment conditions.
What employment conditions are checked?
Your pay, insurance and other terms must have met the required standards throughout your previous permit period. The standards include collective agreements or normal practice in your occupation or industry.
Your continuing job must also meet the conditions. A signed contract alone does not show that every permit rule is met.
For the difference between an agreement and written employment information, see our guide to employment terms.
Which salary rule applies?
The ordinary salary rule is at least 90% of Sweden’s median salary at the time of application. Pay must also meet the collective-agreement or industry standard, which can be higher.
There is a transition for permits granted under the older rules before 1 June 2026. For qualifying extensions registered by 1 December 2026, the earlier 80% rule still applies.
All extensions registered from 2 December 2026 enter the new salary system. This is an existing transition rule, not a proposal.
Some occupations and groups have exceptions. Listed occupational exceptions use a 75% threshold. The occupation list at the time of the decision controls, so an earlier exception may not continue.
Check Migrationsverket’s current salary rules and exceptions and its older-rule transition guidance. The salary test is not the only condition for a permit.
Can I keep working while I wait?
Migrationsverket’s guidance for applicants waiting for an extension gives two conditions. You must have held a work permit for at least six months and applied before it expired.
The six-month condition also appears in chapter 5, section 3 of the Swedish regulation, utlänningsförordningen. Do not assume that sending any extension application gives permission to work.
If you apply after your permit expires, Migrationsverket says you cannot work while waiting. Changing jobs or permit types needs a separate check.
What else needs checking?
You need a valid passport. An extension cannot last longer than your employment or passport allows.
The employee application fee is 2,200 kronor. Japanese citizens do not pay it. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused.
Use Migrationsverket’s extension page for the required documents. This guide is not a complete application checklist.
Where to get help
Migrationsverket cannot promise an exact decision date. You can follow your application through Min sida and use its contact routes for questions about your case.
Check the agency’s travel guidance before leaving Sweden while waiting. An expired permit can cause problems returning if you need a visa.
