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Sweden Visa Policy

Familiarize yourself with the Swedish visa policy and discover travel requirements for your nationality.

Visa Policy for Sweden

On this page, you can find all the relevant information about Swedish visa policy and the requirements that your nationality needs to meet to be able to travel to Sweden.

Sweden is part of the European Union and, as it has signed the Schengen Agreement for passport-free travel, shares the common Schengen Area visa policy with the other 25 member countries.

Therefore, the visa requirements for Sweden that a foreign traveler needs to meet depend on whether or not they are a national of a Schengen country or not.

All citizens of Schengen zone countries are able to enter Sweden visa-free for an unlimited period of time for any travel purpose, by presenting a valid ID card at border checkpoints.

Other foreign travelers with visa-exemption are currently permitted a total stay of 90 days in Sweden for tourism, business, or transit purposes if they present a valid passport at Swedish immigration control.

However, this visa policy will change in 2025, when these same visa-exempt citizens for Sweden will be required to obtain an ETIAS electronic travel authorization to travel to Schengen countries for the same periods and purposes of stay.

Once this online system is implemented, it will be mandatory for these passport holders to pre-register a simple ETIAS electronic application, to receive a multiple-entry visa waiver for Sweden digitally linked to their passport.

Swedish visa regulations also state that citizens of roughly 150 countries must apply for a Schengen visa in order to travel to Sweden no matter the purpose and length of stay intended.

This must be obtained in advance of travel from a Swedish embassy or consulate near the applicant, as a visa on arrival for Sweden is not available.

At the moment, there are no entry bans for Sweden in place for any foreign citizens.

Below you can find a complete guide to the different visa options to travel to Sweden.

Tourist Visa Policy for Sweden

Although Swedish visa policy states that around 90 nationalities can currently enter the country for tourism without a visa, citizens of roughly 150 countries need a tourist visa to visit Sweden.

As a visa on arrival or eVisa for Sweden is not available, all individuals who need a tourist visa for the country must apply for a Schengen travel document from their nearest Swedish overseas diplomatic government office.

Sweden’s tourist visa policy states that these applicants must make an appointment at a Swedish embassy or consulate well in advance of intended travel dates to allow for sufficient time for the visa for tourism to be approved.

Those who are currently visa-exempt for tourism in Sweden are able to either present a valid ID from a Schengen country or a passport with a minimum validity of 3 months, at Swedish border control to enter the country.

However, from 2025, all tourist travelers to Sweden with visa exemption from outside of the Schengen Area will be required to request an ETIAS in advance.

This electronic tourist travel authorization for Sweden is being implemented to strengthen the security of Schengen external borders and will be available through a simple online application system.

Find below further information about Swedish tourist visa types for your nationality.

ETIAS for Sweden

ETIAS is a visa waiver program being implemented by the European Commission to pre-screen visa-exempt travelers to Sweden and all of the other Schengen Area countries, with the aim of strengthening the security of the external borders of Europe.

ETIAS, which stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System, is expected to become a mandatory requirement to visit Sweden from 2025, for all visa waiver citizens from outside of the Schengen zone.

To obtain ETIAS for Sweden, it will be necessary for eligible citizens to complete a simple online application with basic personal data, and passport and travel information, as well as to answer a few security questions.

Before a Swedish ETIAS application form can be sent for review and approval, the visitor must pay a processing fee imposed by members of the Schengen Area, using a valid credit or debit card.

Once an ETIAS authorization has been approved, it will be electronically linked to the same passport used to complete the form. The applicant’s passport must be valid for 3 months from the intended date of arrival in Sweden and the Schengen Area.

An approved ETIAS visa waiver is a multiple entry travel authorization that permits multiple short visits to Sweden and the Schengen Area for tourist, business, or transit purposes, as well as for medical treatment reasons.

The holder of an approved ETIAS can stay in Sweden and all other Schengen countries for to 90 days with each entry, within every 180-day period. ETIAS Sweden is valid for 3 years from the date of approval, or until the associated passport expires.

If an ETIAS-eligible citizen wishes to visit Sweden for longer consecutive stays or other permitted purposes, they must apply for a visa from a Swedish embassy or consulate.

Below you will find a full list of all the countries for which an ETIAS for Sweden will be required.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

Citizens of over 150 countries need an embassy visa in order to travel to Sweden. This applies whether they require a transit visa, tourist visa, business visa, work visa, or another visa type, as a Swedish visa on arrival or eVisa is not available.

Sweden’s visa policy states that all visa-required citizens must go to a Swedish diplomatic government office, in order to obtain a Schengen visa for the country.

To get a Schengen visa for Sweden, the applicant must make an appointment at the nearest Swedish embassy or consulate. This should be made several weeks before the expected travel dates, as processing and approval of the visa may take some time.

It is necessary to bring a completed Schengen visa application filled in with passport and travel information, as well as additional supporting documentation depending on the type of Swedish visa required.

In order for a Swedish consular visa to be approved, the citizen must ensure that the passport is valid for a minimum of 3 months from the intended date of arrival in Sweden and the Schengen Area.

The period of stay and validity of an approved Swedish embassy visa depends on the travel purpose selected by the applicant, and it may also be issued for single, double, or multiple entries to Sweden depending on the type of visa needed.

See the list below for nationalities that require a visa in advance from a Swedish embassy.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list

  • Afghanistan
  • Aland Islands
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Antarctica
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Belarus
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bonaire
  • Botswana
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Cayman Islands
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos Islands
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Cook Islands
  • Cuba
  • Curacao
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greenland
  • Guadeloupe
  • Guam
  • Guernsey
  • Guinea
  • Guinea Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Isle of Man
  • Ivory Coast
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Martinique
  • Mauritania
  • Mayotte
  • Mongolia
  • Montserrat
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • New Caledonia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Niue
  • Norfolk Island
  • North Korea
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palestinian Territory
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Pitcairn Islands
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Reunion
  • Russian Federation
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Barthelemy
  • Saint Helena
  • Saint Martin
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Sint Maarten
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Swaziland
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Tokelau
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Uganda
  • United States Virgin Islands
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Visa Not Required

Swedish visa regulations currently state that individuals from more than 90 visa-exempt countries can visit Sweden visa-free for varying periods of time according to their nationality.

As Sweden has signed the Schengen passport-exempt Agreement, all citizens of the Schengen Area are able to enter the country using only an ID card for an unlimited stay for any travel purpose.

Travelers from other visa not required countries, including Australia, Japan, and the United States, are currently permitted to stay in Sweden for up to 90 days visa-free, within every 180 days, for business, tourism, or transit motives.

The only requirement they must currently meet is presenting a passport valid for the entire period of the trip upon arrival at Swedish border control.

However, an additional requirement will need to be met when the ETIAS program for visa waiver citizens is implemented in 2025.

Once this electronic system is introduced, all citizens with visa exemptions who do not belong to the Schengen Area will be obliged to pre-register for an ETIAS travel authorization before they can visit Sweden for the same period of stay and purposes.

See above for more of the information about ETIAS currently available.

For any other purpose of visit or a stay in the Schengen zone longer than 90 days, these citizens must visit an embassy or consulate of Sweden to submit a visa application.

Find below a complete list of the nationalities for which a visa is not required for Sweden.

Visa Not Required: Country list

  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Dominica
  • El Salvador
  • Estonia
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kiribati
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macau
  • Macedonia
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Norway
  • Palau
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Republic of Cyprus
  • Romania
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Timor Leste
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tuvalu
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Vanuatu
  • Vatican City
  • Venezuela

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Handyvisas.com is not owned by, or affiliated with any government agency. We are a private, online agency that provides assistance in submitting applications for tourist visits to different countries around the world. Applications can also be made directly through government websites.