Any EU citizen getting a residence in the UK according to the EU rules, can bring their family with them. The EEA permit allows the family member to work in the UK. The permit is valid for only 6 months.
You can get refused when entering the UK without a permit. You can apply for the EU card which is valid for 5 years, once you are in the UK. The residence card makes it easier for a person to work in the UK. However, The extended family has to apply for a residence card.
You can apply for an EEA permit if you are a family member of an EU citizen or a Swiss citizen. You can stay in Uk for more than 3 months if your EU family member sponsors you or has a permanent residence in the UK. It is also possible when your EU family member is working, studying, or running a business. Although you should have complete health insurance.
You must be the EEA citizen’s spouse or civil partner, or the child or grandchild under 21 of the EU national or his spouse/civil partner. Dependent parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren over 21 (of the EU national or his spouse) can be taken as family at any age if they can prove to be financially dependant on the EU sponsor.
It is also possible to apply as an extended family member of the EU national. It can be, for example, an unmarried partner who has been in a relationship with the EU citizen and has, in general, lived with him/her for at least 2 years, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, or niece.
Except for unmarried partners, all other extended family members must prove to be or have been dependent on the EU citizen or being a member of their household. The extended family member can also have to prove.
It is possible to apply for an EEA Family Permit if you have a derivative right of residence.
You will have a derivative right of residence if you are:
The Home Office defines the primary caretaker as someone who has the responsibility for the day-to-day care of the person. This includes decision-making about education, health, and finance.
The primary caretaker must be a family member or the legal guardian. This person can be the main caretaker or can share the responsibility with someone else. You must fulfill very strict requirements to qualify under this route.
One can apply for an EEA Family Permit if you previously had a right to reside in the UK as the family member of an EEA national who either had a permanent right of residence in the UK or was a worker, student, self-employed person, self-sufficient person or someone looking for work in the UK.
It is only possible to apply if you were in the UK as the EEA national’s family member on the date the divorce/civil partnership was ended and one of the following applies;
After spending five years in the UK, from the first date of entry, with the EEA family visa, it is possible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. It is important though to note that the EU citizen must fulfill the requirements throughout the 5-year period.
EU and EEA Permits in Sweden: Right of Residence, Residence Cards and Permanent Status
If you hold citizenship of an EU or EEA member state, your right to move to Sweden comes directly from EU law rather than from a Swedish permit decision. Directive 2004/38/EC on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States is transposed into Swedish law in Chapter 3a of the Aliens Act, Utlanningslagen (2005:716). Sweden Relocators AB handles the practical side of that move for EU and EEA families, for their non-EU family members who do need a decision from the Swedish Migration Agency, and for employers relocating EU staff into Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
Do EU and EEA citizens need to register in Sweden?
No. Sweden abolished the registration requirement for EU and EEA citizens, and the Swedish Migration Agency states plainly that if you have right of residence in Sweden you do not need to contact the agency at all. There is no EEA permit to apply for and no registration certificate to collect.
What matters instead is whether you actually meet the conditions for right of residence, because everything else in Sweden depends on it. For the first three months a valid passport or national identity card is enough. Beyond three months you must fall into one of four categories: you are employed, you run your own business, you are enrolled in studies, or you have sufficient funds to support yourself. If you plan to stay for at least one year, you register with the Swedish Tax Agency for population registration and a personal identity number, which is the key that opens bank accounts, healthcare, housing contracts and school places.
The gap that catches people out is the space between arriving and being registered. You have the legal right to be here on day one, but without a personnummer you are close to invisible to Swedish systems. That is the part we manage.
Right of residence: what each category actually requires
Employment
An EU or EEA citizen may start work in Sweden immediately on arrival. No work permit is required and no employer sponsorship is needed. Genuine and effective work establishes worker status even if the hours are limited. Involuntary unemployment does not automatically end your right of residence if you register as a jobseeker with Arbetsformedlingen.
Self-employment
If you are starting a business you will need an F-tax certificate from Skatteverket, and depending on the company form a registration with Bolagsverket. Sweden Relocators handles company registration alongside the relocation, so the business and the family arrive together rather than in sequence.
Studies
Enrolment at a Swedish university or other approved institution establishes right of residence for the duration of the course.
Sufficient funds
Self-sufficiency is assessed individually. There is no fixed sum published, which is precisely why this route is the most commonly misunderstood. The assessment looks at whether you are likely to become an unreasonable burden on the Swedish social assistance system, taking your household composition into account.
Family members from outside the EU: the residence card
Your family right travels with you. A spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner from outside the EU or EEA, children under 21, adult children who are financially dependent on you, and dependent parents all derive rights from your status as an EU citizen exercising free movement.
If that family member is not an EU or EEA citizen and intends to stay longer than three months, they apply for a residence card, uppehallskort. The Migration Agency confirms the following:
- The application is free of charge
- 75 per cent of recently decided cases were decided within six months
- The card is valid for a maximum of five years and can be renewed
- The family member may start work or study as soon as they arrive, without waiting for the card
That last point is worth repeating because employers frequently get it wrong: the residence card records a right that already exists, it does not create it. A non-EU spouse of a working EU citizen may lawfully begin employment on arrival.
The Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed that this right does not depend on prior lawful residence in another member state (Metock, C-127/08) and that a member state may not refuse entry or a residence card solely because a family member lacks a visa or identity document, where the family relationship can be proved by other means (MRAX, C-459/99). Dependency for adult children and parents is a factual question about material support, not a formal maintenance obligation (Jia, C-1/05; Reyes, C-423/12).
Permanent right of residence after five years
After five years of continuous right of residence in Sweden, an EU or EEA citizen acquires permanent right of residence automatically. No application is needed, and periods can be combined: two years working, one studying and two self-employed still make five. Parental leave counts. Involuntary unemployment with registration as a jobseeker counts.
A certificate confirming permanent right of residence can be requested free of charge, and it is genuinely useful when dealing with banks, municipalities and other authorities that ask for documentation you would otherwise not have.
A non-EU family member who has lived in Sweden with their EU family member for five years may apply for a permanent residence card. That application is also free, and 75 per cent of recently decided cases were decided within five months. Evidence must cover the whole five-year period: employment contracts, tax records, business accounts, housing costs and proof of cohabitation. Documents must be in Swedish or English, with certified translations where needed.
Where EU cases go wrong
Most refusals we see on appeal are not really about the family relationship. They are about proof of the sponsor’s right of residence, gaps in the documentary chain, or an assessment made without the individual examination that Article 3(2) of Directive 2004/38/EC and the objectivity principle in Chapter 1, Section 9 of the Instrument of Government both require. Common failure points:
- The EU citizen’s employment is treated as marginal without a reasoned assessment
- Dependency evidence for a parent or adult child is dismissed as insufficient without saying what would have been sufficient
- A cohabiting relationship is doubted because the couple did not register at the same address in a previous country
- Self-sufficiency is refused against an unstated benchmark rather than an individual assessment of the household
If you have received a refusal, a reconsideration request under Section 37 of the Administrative Procedure Act, Forvaltningslagen (2017:900), and an appeal to the Migration Court are separate routes with separate deadlines. We assess both before advising which to use.
EU and EEA moves across the Nordics
Free movement is the same right in each Nordic country, but the administration is not. Norway requires EU and EEA citizens staying longer than three months to register with the police or UDI, and non-EEA family members apply for a residence card there. Denmark issues EU residence documents through SIRI. Our Danish work is delivered through our partner company, Nordic Relocators, based in Albertslund.
For companies moving EU staff between Nordic entities, the recurring problems are tax registration, social security coordination and the family’s timeline rather than the permit itself. We handle the whole file, including Swedish personal identity numbers, Danish CPR numbers, housing and school placement.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move to Sweden as an EU citizen without a job?
Yes, for the first three months without conditions. Beyond three months you need to be working, self-employed, studying or self-supporting. Job seeking with a genuine chance of finding work is also protected.
My spouse is not an EU citizen. Can they travel with me?
Yes. They may enter with a valid passport and, where required by nationality, an entry visa, and they then apply for a residence card in Sweden. They can begin working immediately.
Does a residence card give permanent residence?
No. It is valid for up to five years and documents a derived right. Permanent residence card status is applied for separately after five years.
Do I need a residence permit if I already have permanent residence in another EU country?
Long-term resident status under Directive 2003/109/EC is a different route with its own mobility rules. See our page on permanent residence in Sweden or contact us for an assessment.
How long does a residence card take?
The Migration Agency reports that 75 per cent of recently decided cases were decided within six months. Incomplete applications take substantially longer.
Sources: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket), pages on EU/EEA citizens with right of residence, family of EU/EEA citizens, permanent right of residence and permanent residence card. Last reviewed 26 August 2026. This page is general information and not individual legal advice. Processing times and requirements change; contact us for an assessment of your own case.