Details of Visa for Sweden

IMMIGRATION AND VISAS

Passport Requirements:

All travelers require a passport, except for:

1. Travelers with a Book of the Seaman as long as they travel on service.

2. Recognized refugees and individuals without nationality or citizenship with travel documents and residency permits provided by Switzerland or a Member State of the European Economic Region.

3. except for Denmark, Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Romania, and the United Kingdom, travelers with a national identification card given to citizens of Switzerland and the Member States of the European Economic Region.

4. Travellers with travel documents given to Kosovo’s permanent residents by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

5. Refugees with travel documents provided in compliance with the 1951 Geneva Convention or the 1946 London Convention by any country.

6. Travelers with official certificates provided by the United States, such as a ‘Laissez-Passer’ while traveling on duty.

7. Travellers released by the United Nations with a ‘Laissez-Passer.’

8. ‘Kinderausweis’ passengers, a German identification document was given to children less than 16 years old.

9. Gibraltar-based travelers with a national identification card (Gibraltar Identity Card).

Document Validity:

For the duration of the intended visit, the passport or alternative documentation must be valid.

Additional information:

1. Students living in a Member State of the European Union, Liechtenstein or Switzerland and traveling as part of a school community from within the European Union, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, except for their nationality, do not need a passport on condition that they do not need a passport:

– Their names are indicated on a ‘List of Travellers’ stamped by the school and accredited in their home country by the authority concerned;

– One of the teachers at that school accompanies the school group;

– A picture of the student must be included in this ‘List of Travelers’.

All European Union member countries do not provide this kind of ‘List of Travelers’. Furthermore, the exemption would not extend to the ‘List of Travellers’, which is only stamped without the school’s images.

Sweden does not accept 2. Somali passports issued and extended after 31 January 1991 unless the passport contains:

– A valid Swedish residency permit, permanent or temporary; or

– A visa issued by Sweden before 23 October 1995.

Warnings:

The Schengen Agreement, aimed at lifting immigration limits on travel within all the signatory member countries’ territories, became effective on 25 March 2001. This led to the emergence of a ‘Schengen area’ known as a borderless zone. Consequently, residents of the signatories of that agreement can travel between the countries referred to above without having their papers checked. However, travelers needing visas for one or more of the Schengen States to which they are ticketed and whose final destination is a Schengen State for which no visa is required must travel with a ‘Schengen Visa.’ Besides, transit without a visa (TWOV) is impossible if the Schengen country for which a visa is required is one of the next travel or transit countries as the traveler reaches the Schengen region or borderless territory. This means that travelers from countries requiring a visa for all the Schengen States and travelers from countries requiring a visa for one or more of the Schengen States to which they have a ticket still require a visa. Travelers should obtain Schengen visas before they arrive in the Schengen region.

Visa Issuance:

Until arrival: Travelers are kindly requested to contact Sweden’s nearest department.

Visa Exemptions:

All travelers must carry a visa except for the following:

1. Swedish citizens.

2. Travelers with a residency permit provided by Monaco or one of the Schengen Region Member States.

3. Travelers are residing in Liechtenstein for no more than five days, irrespective of their nationality, and keeping proof of their residency, given that they are in transit through the Schengen country.

4. Travelers who stay for no longer than three months, given that they are:

4.1. Travellers with British passports which are endorsed:

– ‘British Overseas Territories Citizen’ which includes Great Britain’s ‘right of residence’ label; or ‘British Subject,’ which also includes Great Britain’s ‘right of residence’ label;

4.2. Travellers with passports issued by Hong Kong (A Special Administrative Region of China) and Macao (A Special Administrative Region of China).

4.3. Turkish citizens with service, special or diplomatic passports;

4.4. Citizens of Andorra, Australia, Barbados, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Guatemala, Israel, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Antigua and Barbuda, Mauritius, Argentina, Mexico, Bahamas, Monaco, Brazil, New Zealand, Canada, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Paraguay, El Salvador, San Marino, Honduras, Seychelles, Japan, Singapore, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Uruguay, United States of America, Vatican City and Venezuela;

4.5. Citizens of the United Arab Emirates with special or diplomatic passports;

4.6. Thai citizens with official or diplomatic passports;

4.7. Travellers with a ‘Laissez-Passer’ which is issued by the European Union.;

4.8. Travellers with British passports that are endorsed ‘British Citizen Overseas’;

4.9. Residents of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia or the Philippines with service or diplomatic passports;

4.10. Citizens of Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Montenegro, Russia, Republic of Serbia, Tunisia, and Ukraine with diplomatic passports.

4.11. Identified refugees and individuals without nationality or citizenship with European Economic Area member state or Switzerland issued travel documents and residency permits.

4.12. Travelers, irrespective of their nationality, with a ‘family member’ residency permit granted by a Member State of the European Union to a member of the family who is a citizen of a Member State of the European Economic Area or a citizen of Switzerland, provided that they are traveling with or traveling to enter a citizen of a Member State of the European Economic Area or a citizen of Switzerland; or

– A long-term residence permit issued by the Republic of Ireland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.

4.13. ‘Laissez Passer’ travelers released by the United Nations, they are traveling on duty.

5. People of Andorra, Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Antigua and Barbuda, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Seychelles, Barbados, Singapore, St Kitts-Nevis, Uruguay, Australia, United States of America, Canada, Vatican City, Costa Rica, and Venezuela.

6. ‘British Resident’ or ‘British National (Overseas)’ is endorsed by travelers with British passports.

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):

TWOV allows passengers to begin their journey to a third country on the same day with the same or first connecting aircraft without leaving the transit area or staying overnight as long as they are:

– Keeping all the documents needed for their next trip; and

– Arrival or departure from non-Schengen countries; and

– Holding tickets with onward bookings confirmed.

For citizens of Afghanistan, Congo (Kinshasa), Eritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Ghana, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sri Lanka, the TWOV facility does not apply;

However, as long as travelers hold an official residence provided by Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Republic of Ireland, Romania, and the United Kingdom, the TWOV facility is possible.

Additional information:

1. For their onward or return journey, travelers must have the required documents, such as a passport or a visa, and enough money for their stay.

1.1. Exempt: citizens of Switzerland and member states of the European Economic Region.

2. Students living in a Member State of the European Union, Liechtenstein or Switzerland and traveling as part of a school community from within the European Union, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, except for their nationality, do not need a visa on condition that:

– Their names are indicated on a ‘List of Travelers’ stamped by the school and accredited in their home country by the authority concerned;

– One of the teachers at that school accompanies the school group;

– A picture of the student must be included in this ‘List of Travelers’.

Not all European Union member countries issue this type of ‘List of Travelers’. Furthermore, the exemption would NOT extend to the ‘List of Travelers,’ which is only stamped without the school’s images.

Warnings:

Travelers who do not comply with the rules of entry or transit may be refused entry upon arrival, and a fine of up to SEK 46,000 will be levied on both the carrier and the visitor.

CUSTOMS AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Import regulations:

1. Travelers arriving with products purchased only for personal use within the European Union are permitted to import:

a. 800 cigarettes; 400 cheroots; 200 cigars; one kilogram of smoking tobacco; 800 cigarettes are licensed to travelers aged 18 years and over;

b. 10 liters of alcoholic beverages over 22 percent are licensed for travelers aged 20 years and older; 20 liters of alcoholic beverages under 22 percent; 90 liters of wine but no more than 60 liters of sparkling wine; 110 liters of beer.

2. Travelers coming from countries outside the European Union, including the Aland Islands, the Canary Islands, the Channel Islands, and other related areas, are entitled to import:

If you are a resident of Sweden, the right to importation free of duty and tax shall apply only if:

– Taxed alcohol in Norway or on the Island of Aland; or

– The arrival of a passenger on a commercial flight; or

– It takes more than 20 hours to travel abroad.

a. Travellers aged 18 years old and more are allowed 200 cigarettes; 100 cheroots; 50 cigars; 250 grams of smoking tobacco; or a proportional mixture of these products;

b. One liter of alcoholic beverages over 22 percent volume is allowed for travelers aged 20 years and older; non-denatured ethyl alcohol of more than 80 percent volume; two liters of alcoholic beverages or wine-based aperitifs or related beverages of less than 22 percent volume; sparkling wines or liqueur wines; or a balanced combination of these products complementing four liters of alcoholic beverages or related beverages of less than 22 percent volume.

c. Medicines exclusively for personal use;

d. Other goods up to a total value of SEK 400 are permitted by air travelers.

3. Prohibited Goods:

Animal products not originating in a Member State of the European Union, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino or Switzerland cannot be imported into a Member State of the European Union, except for small amounts originating in Andorra, Iceland, the Faeroe Islands, Croatia, the Faeroe Islands, Greenland, and limited amounts from other countries of unique items. 

3.1. For further details, please check the website of the European Union: http://europa.eu/

Pets:

– Pet animals are permitted to enter as checked luggage of the passenger, as freight, or in the cabin.

– If directly imported into Sweden, there are no limits on imports of cats and dogs coming from Norway;

– If cats and dogs come from all other countries of the European Union, they are subject to a particular law of the European Parliament and the European Council (EC no. 998 of 2003);

– Licenses for the importation of kittens and puppies aged less than three months and not vaccinated against rabies may, under certain conditions, be licensed for animals born in countries that are not infected with rabies. Contact the Pet Animals Helpdesk for more information at +46-771-223-223 or refer to hundochkatt@sjv.se

– Pets shall be held in solitary confinement for at least 120 days if they come from countries other than countries of the European Union or low-risk third countries mentioned below. The pet animal is then kept isolated for 60 days from other animals: Andorra, Aruba, Australia, Barbados, Canada, Croatia, Falkland Island, Ascension Island, French Polynesia, Bahrain, Jamaica, Antigua & Barbuda, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Cayman Island, Mayotte, Monaco, Bermuda, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Fiji, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Singapore, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Switzerland, United States of America, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Wallis Islands & Futuna Islands.

Baggage Clearance regulations:

On arrival in Sweden, the traveler’s luggage should be cleared at the first airport of entry.

a. The exception:

Travelers fly from an international flight to another international flight.

Airport tax:

When leaving the airport, all travelers are not allowed to pay any airport fees.

Currency Import & Export Regulations:

There are no limits on importing and exporting local currency (Swedish Krona-SEK) and foreign currencies for travelers coming from or traveling to a country within the European Union. As far as travelers coming directly from or commuting to a country outside the European Union are concerned, amounts greater than or equal to EUR 10,000 must be reported in another currency, including drafts of bankers and cheques of any sort.

Additional information on regulations:

1. Foodstuffs: Travelers must obtain a permit to introduce foodstuffs of animal origin for private consumption, which can only be obtained from the Swedish Agricultural Council.

2. Medicines (only for personal use & medical purposes, including pet animal medicines, traveler’s arrival & veterinary surgeon’s prescription):

As for substances that are known as narcotic drugs:

– If the drugs are specified in List IV or V of the Medical Product Department, appropriate medicinal products can be imported for three weeks of use. If the traveler is a foreign resident temporarily residing in Sweden, he/she can bring ample medicinal products for a period of stay not exceeding three months;

– If the medicines are listed in List II or III of the Medical Product Department, imports equal to 5 days of use each time the traveler enters Sweden are permitted;

* As for prescription medications (not listed as narcotic medications):

– Where the traveler is from a country outside the European Economic Region, he/she is allowed to import for a period of up to three months;

– Where the traveler is from a country within the European Economic Region, he/she shall be permitted to import only for an equal period of one year;

Arms and Ammunition regulations:

The importation or exportation without a permit of weapons and ammunition is not permitted. Travelers must apply for and be given an import permit by the Swedish police before arrival; if they come from a member of the European Union, they must also display a European Firearms Pass given in the resident country.

* Exempted from the import permit are the following:

– Travelers from Denmark, Finland, and Norway carrying arms for competition or hunting, in so far as they have an arms license given in their country of origin and possession of arms for a period not exceeding three months;

-Travelers with an Arms License from Sweden.