Kingdom of Sweden
Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd): total cost to complete
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
A source-linked budget for a single Swedish employee work permit: Migration Agency application fee, current 90%-of-median salary evidence, employer insurance and trade-union gates, passport/biometrics steps, translations, short-contract health-insurance exposure, higher-investigation industry evidence, and accompanying-family scaling.
What does the Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) actually cost?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are SEK 2,200-SEK 3,200. Refundable proof-of-funds requirements are tracked separately at SEK 413,640, because that money is shown or blocked rather than normally lost.
Verified against Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden on 1 July 2026.
What it actually costs
A source-linked budget for a single Swedish employee work permit: Migration Agency application fee, current 90%-of-median salary evidence, employer insurance and trade-union gates, passport/biometrics steps, translations, short-contract health-insurance exposure, higher-investigation industry evidence, and accompanying-family scaling.
Money you don't get back
SEK 2,200-SEK 3,200
Mandatory fees, services and one month of insurance.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
SEK 413,640
Not a fee. Annualises the current standard work-permit threshold of SEK 34,470/month, which equals 90% of the current median salary. The salary must also match collective agreements or common practice and can need to be higher.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
SEK 344,700
Conditional: certain exempt occupations and applicant groups can qualify at 75% of the median salary, currently SEK 28,725/month. This line is excluded from the baseline because most employee applications use the 90% rule.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
SEK 0
Conditional employer-side gate for higher-investigation industries such as cleaning, hotel/restaurant, construction, trade, agriculture/forestry, automotive workshop, service and staffing. The employer may need to prove it can pay salary for at least three months.
Proof of funds (returned to you)
SEK 0
Conditional: if family members apply with the worker, Migrationsverket checks that post-tax income covers housing and standard living amounts. The 2025 standard amounts range from SEK 6,243 for a single adult to child-specific monthly amounts by age.
| Cost line | Amount | Type | When / who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee work-permit application fee | SEK 2,200 | Gov fee | Migrationsverket lists SEK 2,200 for an employee work-permit application, with no refund if the application is rejected. Citizens of Japan do not pay this fee. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Current work-permit salary evidence | SEK 413,640annual salary at SEK 34,470/month | Proof of funds | Not a fee. Annualises the current standard work-permit threshold of SEK 34,470/month, which equals 90% of the current median salary. The salary must also match collective agreements or common practice and can need to be higher. Migrationsverket - Salary requirements for a work permit |
| Lower-threshold exemption salary evidence(optional) | SEK 344,700annual salary at 75% of current median salary | Proof of funds | Conditional: certain exempt occupations and applicant groups can qualify at 75% of the median salary, currently SEK 28,725/month. This line is excluded from the baseline because most employee applications use the 90% rule. Migrationsverket - Salary requirements for a work permit |
| Signed employment contract and terms gate | SEK 0 | Service | The employment contract must be signed by the employer and employee, and the salary and working conditions must be at least on par with collective agreements or common practice. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Employer insurance and occupational pension gate | SEK 0 | Insurance | Migrationsverket requires the employer to have taken out health insurance, life insurance, industrial injuries insurance and occupational pension insurance by the time the job starts. Premiums are employer/payroll-specific and are not modelled as a fixed tariff. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Trade-union comment gate | SEK 0 | Service | The employer sends employment information to the relevant trade union, which is given the opportunity to comment on the terms and conditions. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Passport presentation, fingerprints and photo· indicative | SEK 0-SEK 1,000 | Service | Before a decision, applicants may need to present a passport and provide fingerprints/photo at an embassy or consulate-general unless offered a digital passport check. Local appointment, copy or travel costs vary and are shown as an indicative exposure range. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Certified translation of non-Swedish/non-English documents(optional)· indicative | SEK 0-SEK 1,500 | Service | Conditional: submitted documents should be in Swedish or English. Certified translations must include a copy of the original-language document. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Comprehensive health insurance for contracts of 1 year or less(optional)· indicative | SEK 0-SEK 6,000 | Insurance | Conditional: if employment lasts a maximum of one year, the applicant must have or have applied for comprehensive health insurance covering urgent and other medical care, hospitalisation, emergency dental care and medical repatriation. Premiums vary by provider and age. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Higher-investigation industry salary-guarantee evidence(optional) | SEK 0 | Proof of funds | Conditional employer-side gate for higher-investigation industries such as cleaning, hotel/restaurant, construction, trade, agriculture/forestry, automotive workshop, service and staffing. The employer may need to prove it can pay salary for at least three months. Migrationsverket - Employer work-permit process |
| Family maintenance income gate(optional) | SEK 0 | Proof of funds | Conditional: if family members apply with the worker, Migrationsverket checks that post-tax income covers housing and standard living amounts. The 2025 standard amounts range from SEK 6,243 for a single adult to child-specific monthly amounts by age. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Adult family member residence-permit application(optional) | SEK 1,500per adult family member | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line. Adult accompanying family members pay SEK 1,500 when applying with or after the employee. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
| Child family member residence-permit application(optional) | SEK 750per child | Gov fee | Optional family-scaling line. Children applying as accompanying family members pay SEK 750. Migrationsverket - Apply for a work permit in Sweden |
Baseline sunk cost is the SEK 2,200 Migration Agency employee application fee plus an indicative SEK 0-1,000 passport/biometrics appointment exposure for a single principal applicant, no family, no certified translations, no one-year-or-shorter health-insurance policy, and no higher-investigation employer evidence. Salary is shown separately as annual evidence, not money paid away. Zero-cost gates for employment terms, employer insurance/pension and trade-union comment are included because they are mandatory approval conditions even when no public tariff exists. Last checked 1 July 2026.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This cost model is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite Visa Atlas for the compiled sunk/refundable split and cite each linked authority or provider source for the underlying line item.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) cost-to-complete model", https://visaatlas.org/cost-to-complete/sweden-work-permit. Last verified 1 July 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/cost-to-complete
FAQs
What does the Work Permit (Arbetstillstånd) actually cost to complete?
Mandatory non-refundable costs are SEK 2,200-SEK 3,200 in the current model. Separately, refundable proof-of-funds requirements are SEK 413,640. The line table explains each item and source.
Is proof of funds a sunk cost?
No. Proof of funds is money you must show, hold or block. It can still be a cash-flow barrier, but it is different from application fees, document costs and insurance payments that you do not normally get back.
Why are some lines marked indicative?
Some third-party costs vary by country, provider and document count. Those lines use a range and are marked indicative so they are not confused with a single government tariff.