Sweden au pair visa: residence permit for au pairs

You must be at least 18 and under 30 on the day the decision is made. Before applying, you and the host family sign a written au pair agreement that limits childcare and light housework to 25 hours a week and leaves most of the remaining time for studying Swedish. Work and studies together may not exceed 40 hours a week. You may switch to another host family during the permit without a new application, as long as the conditions are still met.

The host family must pay at least 10 per cent of the Swedish price base amount (prisbasbelopp, set yearly by Statistics Sweden) per month before tax, enough to cover your stay and the trip home, and provide free food and accommodation. The family takes out accident insurance covering accidents and illness caused by the work; a policy that only covers leisure-time accidents is not enough. You need your own comprehensive health insurance for the whole stay.

The host family starts the application in Migrationsverket’s e-service and you receive an email link to complete your part and pay SEK 1,500. If you cannot use the e-service, the family fills in form 232511 and sends it to you for a paper application. You then give fingerprints and show your passport at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general. The permit must be granted before you leave for Sweden.

Population registration normally requires a stay of at least a year, so an au pair usually remains outside the Swedish public health system; keep your health insurance active and follow the agreed hours. At the end of the year the permit cannot be extended, so a further stay needs a different permit, such as studies, for which you must meet that permit’s own rules.