How to get a tourist visa to Sweden?

In Sweden, fascinating walks along the neat streets of Stockholm and the beaches of Malmö, unforgettable fishing on the grandiose Lake Vanern and in the bay of Hanebukten, rich nightlife and varied shopping in Gothenburg, excellent slopes of any difficulty level in the ski resorts of Hydre and Are are waiting for you.

To be able to travel to Sweden, you need first to apply for a visa. The answer to the question “How to get a tourist visa to Sweden?” you will find below.

Which type of visa?

Here's how to figure it out: Do I need a tourist visa for Sweden?

First of all, a visa and a residence permit are not the same things. On a short-stay visa (it gives the right to stay in Sweden and the Schengen countries for no more than 90 days) you travel as a tourist, visit friends, relatives or, for example, go on a business trip. This material describes how to get a tourist visa to Sweden. Tourist visa is not for.

If you are invited to work by a Swedish company, you are enrolled as a student in a Swedish educational institution for a period of more than 90 days, or you enter into a marriage (including civil marriage) with a person living in Sweden - you need to issue not a visa, but a residence permit. In these cases, most likely, the Swedish party inviting you has already provided or will provide you with the necessary information about obtaining a residence permit.

Do I need a tourist visa for Sweden?

There are different types of short-term visas - it also depends on the purpose of the visit to Sweden.

How to define: do I need a tourist visa for Sweden?

Let's say you have a business negotiation planned in Sweden. After working meetings, you are also going to meet with friends - and be sure to set aside a day to get to know the city as a tourist. What type of short-term visa to apply for: business trip, visiting friends, or tourism?

Correct answer: start from the main purpose of the trip. To process your visa application, you will need a business invitation from a company registered in Sweden, a private invitation from friends or family, or documents proving where you will be staying in Sweden (such as a hotel or ferry cruise booking).

Above, we assumed that you are going to negotiations - and a Swedish company sends you an invitation. In this case, the main purpose of your trip is business. It doesn't contradict meeting friends and sightseeing in your free time. Accordingly, you need to collect a package of documents and fill out a short-term business visa application form.

Sweden tourist visa requirements

You will need to fill out a visa application form and collect a small set of documents for each type of visa. The visa application form can be filled in by hand or on a computer. When submitting documents for a visa, the application form will need to be submitted in a printed form and signed.

Documents for a tourist visa to Sweden:

• Application form

Completed in English or Swedish and personally signed by the applicant (the child will also need a questionnaire signed by the parent);

• International passport

Validity period - at least three months from the date of the end of the trip, the presence of the owner's signature and at least two blank pages is required.

• Copy of passport

The first page of the passport plus copies of all old Schengen;

• The photo

One photo 3.5 x 4.5 cm (see photo requirements below);

• Copy of internal passport

All pages of the internal passport with entries or stamps.

• Copy of tickets

A photocopy of air tickets or tickets for any type of transport in both directions.

• Copy of hotel booking

Confirmation of the booked hotel/hostel room. The document must contain all members of the arriving family/company, as well as data on the payment of accommodation;

• Reference from the place of work

Reference from work with the prescribed position and salary. For entrepreneurs - a photocopy of the company registration certificate and a copy of a tax payment certificate (tax declaration);

• Bank statement

The statement must be fresh, no older than 6 months. Confirmation of a sufficient amount of finance at the rate of 450 SEK per day;

• For students, schoolchildren

Certificate from the place of study, sponsorship letter with a photocopy of the general civil passport of the sponsor, certificate of employment/extract from the sponsor's account (drawn up according to general rules);

• Medical insurance

Medical insurance is valid throughout the Schengen area and for the entire duration of the trip (the amount of insurance coverage is at least 30,000 EUR);

Sweden tourist visa requirements for minors:

To visit Sweden, a minor must provide:

• Copy of a birth certificate, consent of parents/guardians (or one parent/guardian) in case of traveling accompanied by a third person or with one of the legal representatives.

• Single parents must show a photocopy of the relevant certificate confirming their status or a police certificate stating that relations with the child's second parent are not maintained and his whereabouts are unknown, widows (widowers) provide a copy of the death certificate of their spouse.

How should the photo be in Sweden tourist visa requirements?

• Photos were taken 3.5 x 4.5 cm with a head size of 3 cm long, without a frame.

• The only white background is allowed, paper - matte or glossy.

• The applicant's face is centered from the front, for correct identification the oval must be clearly visible: not covered with hair, massive glasses, scarves, and other items, unless medical indications require it.

• The length of the head from the chin to the crown is about 30 mm (70-80% of the area).

• The photo is taken from the front, the gaze is directed to the camera, there is no smile.

How often can you go to Sweden on a tourist visa?

The practice of requesting a single or multiple entry visa in a Sweden tourist visa application form is a thing of the past. All diplomatic missions of the Schengen countries are governed today by the common visa code. According to the current code, the decision on single or multiple valid visas is made automatically - let’s see below how often can you go to Sweden on a tourist visa:

You will receive a multiple-entry Schengen visa:

• for a period of one year, provided that you have previously received and legally used three visas within the previous two years;
• valid for two years, provided that you have obtained and legally used a previous multiple entry visa valid for one year within the previous two years;
• for a period of five years, provided that you have obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for two years within the previous three years.

Pay attention to the word “legal”. So, if the applicant previously exceeded the permissible periods of stay in the Schengen region or, for example, received a multiple-entry visa at the Embassy of Finland, but used it mainly for travel to Portugal and Italy, this may affect the type of visa at the next consideration.

Previously issued transit visas and national visas of individual Schengen member states are not taken into account when issuing multiple-entry visas.

Hope you could find the answer to the question “how often can you go to Sweden on a tourist visa” here.

Where to submit documents?

Documents for obtaining it can be submitted to the migration department of the Embassy of Sweden or visa centers of the country. The Consulate General and other official representations of the state do not issue short-stay visas. The requirements for the package of documents are unified Schengen, the rules for crossing the border and staying also do not differ from those of other countries participating in the Schengen agreement. No prior registration required. You can submit documents at any time convenient for you during the opening hours of the Visa Application Center.

Sweden tourist visa fees

Currently, the consular fee for all types of visas, including Sweden tourist visa fees is 35 EUR. In case of visa refusal, the money will not be returned. When contacting the Visa Application Center, you must additionally pay a service fee of 20 EUR.

Children under 6 years old, schoolchildren and students with accompanying teachers, participants in cultural, sports events and exchange programs, and scientists and persons with disabilities, are exempted from paying the Sweden tourist visa fees. In addition, the Sweden tourist visa fees are not charged if the purpose of the trip is medical treatment, the funeral of a close relative, or caring for him due to illness.

Sweden tourist visa processing time

The website of the visa center states that Sweden tourist visa processing time takes 3-5 days to make decisions on applications. Considering that sending documents to the embassy takes one more day, the real Sweden tourist visa processing time is 5-7 days. Employees of the migration department also issue ready-made passports within 5 days. In rare cases, the processing time increases, the applicant may be asked for additional data.

Information about the readiness of a visa can be obtained via SMS notification from the visa centre. Also, for a fee, a courier passport delivery service is available.

Validity periods of visas, Sweden long-term stay tourist visa

A Schengen visa to Sweden is valid for 90 days within six months. Seasoned travelers have every chance of an annual Schengen (Sweden long-term stay tourist visa) with unlimited entries.

A compromise option is a six-month multiple entry Schengen visa, which applies to one or two correctly "cancelled" visas.

With a competent justification of the need for frequent trips to Sweden (to relatives, at work), you can request a Sweden long-term stay tourist visa with a validity of 2 years or more. To do this, you need to draw up a so-called motivation letter, state your situation, and attach it to the general package of documents.

Can I extend a tourist visa in Sweden?

If you cannot leave Sweden before your Sweden tourist visa expires, you must contact the Migration Agency to extend a tourist visa in Sweden. You will need to show that you cannot leave Sweden on time for a compelling reason (for example, your flight was cancelled).

Suppose your anticipated stay, including extend a tourist visa in Sweden, exceeds 90 days. In that case, you should contact the Sweden Migration Board to apply for a residence permit for the purpose of the visit.

What is Sweden long term stay tourist visa?

It assumes a long stay of up to one hundred and eighty days within six months. By having Sweden's long-term stay tourist visa, you can live in the chosen country permanently. It is only necessary to obtain a "residence permit" in special government service.

With Sweden long term stay tourist visa you can travel for three months in each half of the year.

Grounds for obtaining Sweden long term stay tourist visa are issued:

FOR THE SPOUSES OF EU CITIZENS, FOR FAMILY RECONNECTION;

FOR STUDENTS;

FOR SCIENTIFIC STAFF;

FOR WORK;

FOR LEARNING THE LANGUAGE;

FOR TRAINING OR PAID TRAINING.

What is the Sweden tourist visa success rate?

According to the information on rapidvisa.com Sweden tourist visa success rate is 12,78%. So, as you can see Sweden tourist visa success rate is not so high.

Can a visa be refused?

They can. At the same time - attention! - according to the statistics of the Swedish Embassy, this happens in about one case out of a hundred: if the Embassy has doubts about the veracity of the information contained in the application. For example, if there is reason to believe that the visa applicant will not return from Sweden at the end of the visa validity period, or that he/she intends to work in Sweden instead of the declared tourist trip.

See the point "in one case out of a hundred" - please provide true information in the application and do not worry.

Welcome to Sweden!