Islamic Republic of Iran vs Kingdom of Sweden
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Islamic Republic of Iran and Kingdom of Sweden government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- Iran MFA eVisa
Evisa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran - verified
- Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket)
Migrationsverket - verified
- Iran MFA eVisa - visa types
Evisa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran - verified
- Migrationsverket — Employees work permit
Migrationsverket - verified
Islamic Republic of Iran
Iran publishes public non-immigrant visa guidance through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs eVisa portal and the MFA traveller pages. The source-backed packet covers visa-waiver tourism entry, tourist, entry, pilgrimage, education, temporary work, transit, media, investment, marital and medical visa categories, while avoiding unsupported permanent-residence or citizenship claims.
- Official portal
- Evisa Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran
- Languages
- Persian
- Currency
- Iranian rial
Kingdom of Sweden
Sweden's work and residence permits are administered by the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket). The work permit system requires an employer offer meeting minimum salary and insurance conditions. The EU Blue Card (Sweden) targets highly qualified workers. Self-employment, researcher, and student permits round out the system. Sweden offers permanent residence after 4 years of continuous residence on a work permit.
- Official portal
- Migrationsverket
- Languages
- Swedish
- Currency
- Swedish krona
How Islamic Republic of Iran and Kingdom of Sweden differ
| Dimension | Islamic Republic of Iran | Kingdom of Sweden |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 11 | 4 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 5 | 1 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 0 | 3 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | — | Employee permit -> permanent residence after 4 qualifying work years in 7; self-employed permit -> possible permanent residence after 2 qualifying years; citizenship is a separate residence-based step. |
| Dominant skilled visa | Temporary Work Visa | Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | — | SEK 34,470/month |
| Skilled visa processing time | — | For initial highly qualified employee cases, the Swedish Migration Agency reports that 75% of complete applications are decided within 1 month and incomplete applications within 2 months. |
| Skilled visa government fees | — | A Swedish employee work-permit application costs SEK 2,200 for the principal applicant. |
| Official languages | Persian | Swedish |
| Currency | Iranian rial | Swedish krona |
| Primary regulator | MFA | Advokatsamfundet |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Islamic Republic of Iran
Temporary Work Visa
- Salary minimum
- —
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- —
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- No
Kingdom of Sweden
Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd)
- Salary minimum
- SEK 34,470/month
- Government fees
- A Swedish employee work-permit application costs SEK 2,200 for the principal applicant.
- Processing time
- For initial highly qualified employee cases, the Swedish Migration Agency reports that 75% of complete applications are decided within 1 month and incomplete applications within 2 months.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Islamic Republic of Iran
Routes unique to Kingdom of Sweden
Visa routes side by side
Islamic Republic of Iran (11)
Visa-Waiver Tourism Entry
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 15 days for the MFA-listed ordinary-passport tourism waiver; other bilateral waivers depend on the nationality-specific rule.
Tourist Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and permitted stay are shown on the issued visa; confirm the grant terms before travel.
Entry Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and permitted stay are shown on the issued visa or mission instruction.
Pilgrimage Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and stay length are shown on the issued pilgrimage visa.
Education Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and stay conditions are set by the issued visa and the Iranian academic or ministry approval.
Temporary Work Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and work conditions are set by the issued visa and the approved labour certificate.
Transit Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Transit-only permission; validity and transit stay are shown on the issued visa.
Media Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and conditions are shown on the issued media visa and permit.
Investment Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and conditions are shown on the issued visa and investment approval.
Marital Visa
No sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and stay conditions are shown on the issued marital visa.
Medical Visa
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Validity and stay conditions are shown on the issued medical visa and treatment approval.
Kingdom of Sweden (4)
Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 2 years initially, limited by the employment contract and passport validity; extendable for up to 2 years at a time.
EU Blue Card (Sweden)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · At least 9 months and up to 4 years; renewable.
Self-Employment Permit (Eget företag)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 2 years initially, limited by passport validity; at the extension stage, permanent residence can be requested after at least 2 qualifying years.
Student Residence Permit (Uppehållstillstånd för studier)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 1 or 2 years depending on the institution and programme; never longer than the studies or passport validity.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Islamic Republic of Iran or Kingdom of Sweden?+
Islamic Republic of Iran’s Temporary Work Visa is the dominant skilled route; Kingdom of Sweden’s Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) requires SEK 34,470/month. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Islamic Republic of Iran or Kingdom of Sweden have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Islamic Republic of Iran has more: 5 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 1 for Kingdom of Sweden. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Islamic Republic of Iran vs Kingdom of Sweden immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/iran/vs/sweden. Last verified 22 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons
Underlying comparison sources (4)