Do you need a work permit?

EU and EEA citizens staying beyond three months must meet the right-of-residence conditions, and a job does that. If you plan to stay a year or more, report your move to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket), which decides whether you get a personal identity number.

Swiss citizens need not wait for a decision on their residence permit before starting work. The Migration Agency's page for Swiss citizens explains the application. Long-term residents of another EU country follow separate rules.

Planning to work for yourself? EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who start a business apply to Skatteverket for F-tax approval (F-skatt), and some companies must also be registered with the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket).

Some work needs no permit at all

Even without EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship, a few situations let you work without a separate work permit. The ones most relevant to graduates:

• You already hold a permit that gives you the right to work. That covers permanent residence, a permit for first- or second-cycle studies, a special residence permit for research, a permit to live with someone in Sweden, and permits granted for protection, temporary protection, particularly distressing circumstances or impediments to enforcement. Asylum seekers exempt from the work permit requirement (AT-UND) may also work. The Migration Agency's page for employees lists these groups.

  Students are the exception to watch. On a bachelor's or master's permit granted on or after 11 June 2026, you may work at most 15 hours a week. More is allowed when the work is part of your programme (an internship, say), when it is student representation, administration or research at your own university, during June to August, or once you have completed at least two semesters of a programme and are not applying for a new study permit below doctoral level. Working more than that can lead to your permit being withdrawn or an extension refused; see the Migration Agency's page for approved students.

• Short academic visits. Researchers and higher education teachers can do research, teach or lecture for up to three months in any twelve-month period.

• Researchers from another EU country. If another EU country has granted you a permit for research, you can work for an approved research organisation in Sweden for up to 180 days in a 360-day period.

• Specialists within an international group who are hard to replace and will work in Sweden for less than a year.

• Trainees within an international group for up to three months in a twelve-month period.

• Mobility students. A residence permit for mobility studies in higher education, in Sweden or another EU country, lets you work for up to 360 days.

Shorter lists of exemptions also cover touring artists, athletes, journalists, international drivers and urgent machine repairs. Each comes with strict time limits, so check the full list of exemptions before relying on one.

The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) issues several permits for work. Which one you need depends on three things: your citizenship, how long you plan to stay and what the job is. For people with a degree, the main ones are:

• Work permit for employees. The standard route for most job offers.
• EU Blue Card. For highly qualified jobs with a higher salary floor.
• Residence permit for research. For researchers and, since 2026, many doctoral students.
• Permit to look for work or start a business. For graduates who want to search for a job in Sweden first.

The overview of work permits also lists permits for self-employed people, intra-corporate transfers and seasonal work.

Citizenship matters most for short stays. If you are between 18 and 30 and a citizen of Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand or South Korea, a working holiday visa lets you live and work here for up to a year. Other permits for temporary work cover traineeships, seasonal jobs, au pairs and volunteering.

You need a signed employment contract, and:

• Your salary must reach a minimum set as a share of the Swedish median salary. If a collective agreement or practice in your field sets a higher level, that higher level applies. Some applicants get a lower floor (see below).
• Pay, insurance and other terms must be at least as good as Swedish collective agreements or what is normal in your profession.
• Your employer must provide health, life, occupational injury and occupational pension insurance.
• If the job lasts one year or less, you also need comprehensive health insurance.

Each permit lasts up to two years and never longer than your contract. The current salary floor is on the Migration Agency's page for employees.

Who gets a lower salary floor

Since 1 June 2026, some applicants only need to reach a lower share of the median salary (75 percent rather than the general 90 percent). The groups that matter most for graduates:

• Students and researchers already in Sweden who apply for their first work permit while holding a student or research permit. The lower floor lasts two years, or until the permit runs out if it is valid longer.
• People with temporary protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, on the same two-year terms.
• Doctors, dentists and nurses trained abroad who are working towards a Swedish licence.
• Staff at young tech or life science companies in a start-up phase, under five years old and with fewer than one hundred employees.
• Listed occupations in the Aliens Ordinance, such as chemical engineering technicians, laboratory engineers and several IT technician roles.

The pay must still match the collective agreement or what is normal in your field. Check the current amounts and the full list on the Migration Agency's page before you rely on an exemption.

Changing jobs on a work permit

How free you are to switch jobs depends on how long you have held a work permit:

• Your first two years. The permit covers one employer and one occupation. A new employer, a new occupation or a clearly different role means applying for a new permit. So does your employer changing its company registration number.
• After two years in total. On extension the permit covers only your occupation. You can move to another employer in the same occupation without applying again; a new occupation still needs a new permit.

Your decision letter and residence permit card show which limit applies to you. When you do need a new permit, you can start the new job as soon as you have applied, provided your current permit has not expired. The new employer must have advertised the job in Sweden and across the EU/EEA and Switzerland first.

If the job ends, you may stay up to three months after your last working day to find a new one, as long as your permit is still valid. The Migration Agency covers this on its page about changing employer or stopping work, and our guide to redundancy and notice explains the rest.

A first work permit must normally be applied for from outside Sweden; otherwise the application can be rejected. You can apply from inside the country if you:

• have studied at a Swedish university on a student permit and completed at least two semesters of a higher education programme, or two semesters of doctoral studies,
• hold a permit to look for work or start a business after finishing studies or research in Sweden,
• hold a permit for highly qualified people to look for work or explore starting a business,
• already have a work permit and are applying again because you are changing employer or occupation,
• have held a permit to run your own business and apply while it is still valid, having met its conditions,
• came to Sweden to visit an employer, in an occupation with a high demand for labour,
• have temporary protection under the EU directive, under its own conditions.

The exact wording of each exception is on the Migration Agency's page for employees. If none fits, apply from abroad.

The EU Blue Card is built for highly qualified work. You need:

• a university education of at least 180 higher education credits (a bachelor's level degree), or at least five years of relevant professional experience,
• a highly qualified job lasting at least six months,
• a salary of at least 1.25 times the average Swedish salary. The kronor figure is updated regularly.

A first Blue Card is valid for between nine months and four years. Family members can join you, and changes of employer must be reported. See the EU Blue Card requirements for the current salary level.

For a post at a university or research institute, the residence permit for research is usually the right track:

• You need a hosting agreement with a research organisation approved by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet).
• At least half of your working time must be research.
• The permit itself gives you the right to work.
• It can be granted for up to four years at a time, but not beyond your hosting agreement.
• Adult family members who come with you may also work.

Under rules from June 2026, doctoral students with a hosting agreement can get this permit too. Three consecutive years with a permit for research, doctoral studies or an EU Blue Card can count towards permanent residence, and the job-search permit after completed research or a completed doctoral programme now lasts between 12 and 18 months. The Migration Agency's news item summarises the changes.

Short academic visits may need no permit: researchers and university teachers can research, teach or lecture for up to three months in a twelve-month period without one.

Unsure which permit applies? Use the guide for researchers and doctoral students.

• Get the offer in writing and compare the salary with the current threshold for your permit type.
• Check your passport: a permit never outlasts it.
• Plan for processing time. The Migration Agency publishes current waiting times.
• If you are moving with family, they can usually apply at the same time as you.

Once your permit is granted, read what to do after you receive your residence permit. Still looking? Browse open positions.