Residency

How to get residence in Sweden as investor

If you are going to be in Sweden for longer than three months running your own business you must have a residence permit. The residence permit must already have been granted before you travel to Sweden. You can apply online from your home country or any other country outside Sweden where you live.

Residence permit requirements

To apply for a residence permit to run your own business, you must:

• have a valid passport (if your passport is about to expire, you should extend it because you cannot get a permit for longer than your passport if valid)

• show that you have considerable experience in the industry and previous experience of running your own business

• show you have relevant knowledge in Swedish or English. If you have contact with, for example, many suppliers or customers in Sweden, you must have very good knowledge in Swedish.

• prove that you are the person who is running the company and has executive responsibility for the business

• show that you have enough money of your own to provide for yourself and any family members, the equivalent of SEK 200,000 for you, SEK 100,000 for your accompanying wife/husband and SEK 50,000 for each accompanying child for a permit period of two years

• present plausible supporting documentation for your budget

• show that you have created customer contacts or a network

The Swedish Migration Agency will do a financial assessment of your business plans.

To be registered as living in Sweden, you must have a permit that is valid for at least one year and you must be planning to live in Sweden for at least one year.

Self-employed persons who are going to work for less than three months in Sweden do not need a residence permit. The citizens of some countries must have a visa even for work lasting less than three months. Read more about visas under Visit Sweden.

Documents

• copies of the pages in your passport that show your personal data, photo, signature, passport number, issuing country, validity period and if you have permission to live in countries other than your home country

• bank certificates showing that you have sufficient funds to support you and your family for two years, the equivalent of SEK 200,000 for you, SEK 100,000 for your accompanying spouse and SEK 50,000 for each accompanying child

• bank certificates showing that you have enough money to buy the company and for the costs and investments you have reckoned on in order to run your business

• a purchase contract if you have purchased or are intending to buy the company or business

• a registration certificate for your company in Sweden

• copies of a trading company agreement or share register

• a document showing that you have paid the purchase price if you have purchased the company or business

• copies of contracts with customers, suppliers and premises

• the two most recent annual accounts or financial statements if the company has been in operation

• a balance sheet and profit and loss statement for the current financial year up to the previous month

• copy of a course certificate or other proof that you know Swedish or English on a relevant level

• copies of qualification certificates from your studies

• copies of employer’s certificates from previous employers

• a registration certificate for companies that you have had or have outside Sweden.

The documents should be translated into Swedish or English by an authorised translator.

Benefits of getting residence in Sweden

• Residence in Sweden and all Schengen area for the investor and his family (wife \ husband and children under 18 years old).

• Medical insurance in Sweden for all family members

• Free education

• Getting the citizenship after 5 years from getting residence in Sweden.

This information was taken from the Swedish Migration Board:
http://www.migrationsverket.se/info/start_en.html