Residence permit

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Students at Chalmers campus Johanneberg

When you are admitted, you can start your application for a residence permit for studies. If you come from a country outside the EU/EEA and you are planning to study for longer than three months, you need to have a residence permit to study in Sweden. As an EU/EEA citizen you have the right of residence in Sweden and may study without a residence permit. The application has to be made directly at the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

Studying and researching in Sweden

In order to study for more than 90 days in Sweden, you must have a residence permit. Read more about how to apply for a permit for studies or research in Sweden.

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Applying for a residence permit for studies

To receive your residence permit in time for your travel to Sweden before the semester starts, it is important that you submit the residence permit application as soon as possible after you have been admitted and paid the first instalment of the tuition fee. It can take a long time to get your residence permit application approved, so make sure you pay the invoice as soon as you receive it and submit your residence permit application as early as possible.

The most efficient way to make an application is online at the Swedish Migration Agency website, but please ensure you have all documents ready so you can make a complete and full application. Regardless of the start date for the semester, you can apply for a permit that is valid from 1st of August. This to enable you to get to Sweden in time and prepare for the first day at your new university.

What you must do to apply for a residence permit

There are a few different things you must do and criteria you must meet to apply for a residence permit for studies:

Resi­dence permit for studies in higher educa­tion

You can find helpful information on how to apply for residence permit on the Swedish Migration Agency's website.

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5 tips to increase your chances of a deci­sion before the semester

There are a few things that you can do in order for your application process to go as smoothly as possible. Watch this video to learn more!

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Notification of selection results

The official notification of selection results is available on your account at universityadmissions.se and serves as an official document in your application.

Residence permit for work, during and after studies

Admitted students with a residence permit for studies are allowed to work according to Swedish law, but a prerequisite for this residence permit is full-time studies on a programme or course. Chalmers’ master's programmes require you to study full-time, day-time (the rate of study is 100%). This can be difficult to combine with work, as you are required to be present at the university to participate in lectures, labs, project assignments and examinations. 

If you wish to stay in Sweden after your studies and find a job, you can do so for up to 12 months. There is a specific residence permit for that purpose.

Resi­dence permit for looking for work after studies

If you have a residence permit for studies in higher education in Sweden and have completed your studies you can get a residence permit to seek employment or explore the possibilities of starting your own business here.

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Extend residence permit

If you need to extend your residence permit you should apply online at the Swedish Migration Agency’s web site. Application for extension should be submitted while the current state is still valid and at the earliest six months before the current state ends.

Applying for a visitor's permit

If you want to visit Sweden for more than 90 days, you must apply for a visitor’s permit. If you are in Sweden and want to extend your visit so that it will be more than 90 days in total, you must also apply for a visitor’s permit.

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The certificates from Chalmers inform about your studies and study situation. The decision about residence permit is made by the Swedish Migration Agency. If you have questions about the application process, contact the Swedish Migration Agency.

Residence permit for study breaks

If you consider taking a study break, please note that the requirements from the Swedish Migration Agency for acceptable progress in your studies do not change, regardless of a registered study break.

When you apply for a residence permit, you can state the following contact information:

Contact: Chalmers Admissions
Email: admissions@chalmers.se
Phone: +46 31 772 25 90

All Admissions officers can confirm data regarding admitted students, this is a common procedure.

You can contact officials working with residence permits for Chalmers' students at:
GB-ORB-STUD@migrationsverket.se