Sweden lets non-EU citizens with a master’s degree or higher come and job-hunt in person for up to nine months. It’s a real advantage, but a narrow one. Here is who qualifies, what it costs, and how the switch to a work permit actually works.
When you need this
You have a master’s degree or a PhD from outside the EU and want to look for a job in Sweden face to face, not only from a distance. Or you want to test a business idea on the ground before committing to a self-employment permit. Or a Swedish company is interested but hasn’t made an offer yet. If you studied in Sweden, read the section on the post-study permit first: you probably need that one instead.
Who qualifies
The legal basis is short. The Aliens Act (utlänningslagen) lets Migrationsverket, the Swedish Migration Agency, grant a permit to someone who wants to look for work or investigate starting a business, if they meet four conditions:
| Condition | What Migrationsverket asks for |
|---|---|
| A second-cycle degree (examen på avancerad nivå) | A 60- or 120-credit master’s, a professional degree of 60–330 credits, or a PhD |
| Enough money | Bank assets for every month you apply for, plus the cost of your trip home |
| Comprehensive health insurance (heltäckande sjukförsäkring) | Valid in Sweden for the whole stay, covering urgent and other care, hospital, emergency dental care and medical repatriation |
| A valid passport | The permit never runs longer than the passport |
A bachelor’s degree is not enough. Nor is there a condition that the degree be recent, or that you hold a PhD. Some agency pages invent both. The statute sets a maximum of nine months. It sets no minimum, so you can apply for fewer months if your savings are tighter.
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens don’t need this permit. Long-term residents of another EU country have their own route.
Not the same as the post-study permit
Search results mix two different permits. If you completed higher education, research or a doctorate in Sweden, you use the post-study job-search permit, not this one. The two compare like this:
| Job-seeker permit (from abroad) | Post-study permit (Swedish graduates) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Master’s level or higher, from anywhere | Completed studies in Sweden (at least two semesters), research or a doctorate |
| Where you apply | Outside Sweden | Inside Sweden, before the study permit expires |
| Length | Up to nine months | One year; 12–18 months after a doctorate or research |
| Family | No family application described | Partner and children under 18 can apply with you |
| Salary floor for your first work permit | 90% of the median wage | 75% of the median wage |
The salary difference matters most, and few pages mention it. Swedish law gives the reduced 75% floor to people switching from study, research and post-study permits. The provision does not reach job-seekers under this permit, so the job you find must pay the full work-permit floor. The figures are in the Practical information table below.
How to apply
- Check your degree against the list above.
- Count the money. Migrationsverket asks for bank assets per month applied for, plus your return fare. Nine months adds up to a large sum; see the table below.
- Buy comprehensive health insurance with medical repatriation for the whole period.
- Collect the documents: passport copies, a digital copy of your degree certificate, the list of courses you took, bank statements, insurance papers, and a signed power of attorney letting UHR (Universitets- och högskolerådet, the Swedish Council for Higher Education) check your degree with your university. If your country needs central-bank permission to move money abroad, include that too.
- Translate anything not in Swedish or English, with a certified translation plus a copy of the original.
- Apply from outside Sweden, in Migrationsverket’s e-service or on paper at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general where you live. You name the embassy you’ll use and pay the fee by Visa or Mastercard.
- Verify your identity. Most applicants get an email inviting them to a digital passport check by app. If you need a visa to enter Sweden, you also visit the embassy to give fingerprints and a photo for the residence permit card.
- Wait abroad for the decision. The law says the permit must be granted before you enter. A first-time application made from inside Sweden may simply be rejected.
Waiting time. Migrationsverket gives no fixed time, only a rolling statistic, and the figure has run to several months. Your nine months start with the permit, so the wait doesn’t eat into your search time. Plan for it anyway: notice periods, leases and flights all depend on it. Complete applications are prioritised, so send everything, including the UHR form, at the start.
While you are in Sweden
The permit is for searching, not working. Use it to interview, meet employers and, if that’s your plan, explore the business idea. Don’t take paid work on it, not even a short gig.
A few practical consequences of a stay under a year:
- No personnummer. Population registration (folkbokföring) normally requires an expected stay of at least a year, so you won’t get a Swedish personal identity number. Your private insurance carries your healthcare costs.
- Coordination number. Skatteverket, the Swedish Tax Agency, issues a coordination number (samordningsnummer) to people who aren’t registered. It helps with some practical matters; see our guide to coordination numbers and bank accounts.
- Travel in Schengen. A Swedish residence permit card generally lets you visit other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180 while it is valid.
- Scams. Migrationsverket warns that no company or agent can promise you’ll be allowed to work in Sweden. Be wary of anyone selling a “guaranteed” job and permit package.
For how Swedish recruitment works, see applying for jobs in Sweden.
Found a job: switching to a work permit
This is the permit’s real value. With an offer in hand, you apply for an ordinary work permit from inside Sweden, which other visitors can’t do. Two conditions are easy to miss.
Apply before your permit expires. The law allows the in-country application only while the job-seeker permit is still valid. Let it lapse and you are back to applying from abroad.
You can start work once you have applied. Under the current Aliens Ordinance, after your work-permit application is in, you may work for that employer, in that job, while Migrationsverket decides. Many guides written when the permit launched in 2022 say you must wait for the decision. That’s out of date. But you may not start before applying.
The job itself has to meet the ordinary work-permit rules: salary at or above the floor, and terms at least at Swedish collective-agreement level. It does not have to be a highly qualified job. If the offer is well paid, an EU Blue Card may suit you better, and a job-seeker permit holder can apply for that from inside Sweden too. Our guide to work permits in Sweden covers both routes in detail.
Starting a business instead? Apply for a self-employment permit from inside Sweden. You may run the business while it is processed; see starting a business in Sweden.
No job by the end? The permit can’t be extended past nine months on this ground. Leave before it expires.
Practical information
| Item | Detail (checked 15 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Maximum length | 9 months, never beyond passport validity |
| Application fee | 2,200 kr |
| Money to show | At least 13,000 kr in bank assets per month applied for, plus return fare (117,000 kr for nine months, before the fare) |
| Health insurance | Comprehensive, valid in Sweden, incl. medical repatriation; price set by the insurer |
| Where to apply | Outside Sweden: Migrationsverket e-service or a Swedish embassy |
| Processing time (75% of cases, last 12 months) | Complete applications 5 months; incomplete 4 months, as published by Migrationsverket |
| Salary floor for the work permit you switch to | 34,470 kr a month (90% of the median, since 16 June 2026) |
| EU Blue Card salary floor | 53,625 kr a month (since 15 July 2026) |
| Post-study permit, for comparison | Fee 1,500 kr; 10,656 kr a month for 2026 applications |
| Right to work on the permit | None; work only after applying for a work permit |
FAQ
Who can get Sweden’s job-seeker permit?
Non-EU citizens who have completed studies equal to a Swedish second-cycle degree: a 60- or 120-credit master’s, a professional degree of 60 to 330 credits, or a PhD. You also need bank assets of 13,000 kr per month applied for plus your fare home, comprehensive health insurance valid in Sweden, and you must apply from outside Sweden.
How long does the job-seeker permit last?
At most nine months, and never longer than your passport is valid. You choose how many months to apply for, and the money requirement scales with that number. The permit cannot be extended beyond nine months on this ground; if you have not found work or started a business by then, you must leave before it expires.
Can I work in Sweden on a job-seeker permit?
Not on the permit itself. Once you have a job offer, apply for a work permit from inside Sweden while the job-seeker permit is still valid. After the application is in, you may work for that employer, in that job, while Migrationsverket decides. Older articles from 2022 say you must wait for the decision; current rules no longer require that.
What salary does the job I find need to pay?
The ordinary work-permit floor: at least 90% of the Swedish median wage, 34,470 kr a month since 16 June 2026, and at least collective-agreement level. The job does not have to be highly qualified. The reduced 75% floor applies to graduates of Swedish universities switching from a post-study permit, not to this permit.
How much money do I need to show?
At least 13,000 kr in bank assets for each month you apply for, plus enough to pay for your journey home. For the full nine months that is 117,000 kr before the fare. Attach bank statements, and if your country requires central-bank permission to take money out, include that permission too.
Can my family come with me on a job-seeker permit?
Migrationsverket’s page for this permit offers no family application, unlike the post-study job-search permit, where spouses, partners and children under 18 can apply together. Plan on travelling alone, or check with Migrationsverket whether a family member qualifies on a separate ground. Once you hold a work permit, family rules for employees apply.
I studied in Sweden. Is this the permit for me?
Probably not. If you completed higher education in Sweden, or research or a doctorate, you apply for the post-study permit instead: one year after studies, 12 to 18 months after a doctorate or research. It costs 1,500 kr, needs a lower monthly amount, is applied for from inside Sweden, and leads to the 75% salary floor.
Related guides
- Work permits in Sweden — the permit you switch to once you have an offer, and the Blue Card alternative.
- Applying for jobs in Sweden — how Swedish hiring works, so the nine months count.
- Student residence permits — if you studied in Sweden, the post-study route starts there.
- Moving to Sweden for work — registration, ID and the first weeks once the work permit is granted.
- Starting a business in Sweden — the self-employment route this permit lets you explore.
Facts verified 15 October 2026. Sources: Migrationsverket, the Aliens Act and Aliens Ordinance (Sveriges riksdag), Skatteverket — full register in this topic’s source file. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.