EU Blue Card in Sweden

You need higher education equivalent to at least 180 Swedish credits, roughly a three-year Bachelor’s, or at least five years of professional experience relevant to the job. The employment must be highly qualified, last at least six months and be set out in a contract signed by you and the employer. You must have comprehensive health insurance, or have applied for it, for the whole stay; if the stay is under a year, it must run three months beyond the end of the employment.

The threshold is 1.25 times the average gross salary in Sweden according to the National Mediation Office and is set once a year. Since 15 July 2026 it is SEK 53,625 a month before tax; Migrationsverket stated in June 2026 that the work permit reform did not change this threshold. The Blue Card threshold is therefore well above the ordinary work permit requirement of SEK 34,470.

The employer starts the application online and you complete it, adding your degree certificate or employer certificates and paying SEK 2,000. You give fingerprints and have your passport checked at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general. The card must be granted before you enter Sweden.

Register with Skatteverket if you will stay a year or more. Report to Migrationsverket in writing if the employment ends, you change employer or profession, or something affecting the card changes, such as a salary below the threshold; failing to do so can lead to refusal of an extension or withdrawal of the card. Extend the card before it expires.

Spouses, registered or cohabiting partners and children under 18 can apply with you and receive permits for the same period; you must meet the maintenance requirement. From 1 October 2026 family members staying for a year or less need comprehensive health insurance. If you have held another EU country’s Blue Card for at least 12 months, you can move to Sweden and apply within one month of arrival, but you may not work until you have applied.