A Swedish working holiday gives you a year to live, travel and work here. The requirements are short. The details that trip people up are in the treaty texts: when your age is checked, where you must live when you apply, and when the year starts.
When you need this
You hold a passport from one of the partner countries, you’re 30 or younger, and you want more than the 90 visa-free days. Maybe you also want to earn money on a ski season or a summer job. Or you’ve read that Sweden has a deal with Argentina or the US and want the real list. Maybe your 31st birthday is coming up. Or you already have the permit and want to know what to sort out in your first week.
Who qualifies: six countries, ages 18–30
A “working holiday visa” isn’t actually a visa. It’s a residence permit for holiday work (uppehållstillstånd för feriearbete) that also lets you work. The Swedish Migration Agency, Migrationsverket, grants it under bilateral youth-exchange agreements. In October 2026 Sweden has six partners:
| Country | Age rule | Special terms |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 18–30 on the day you apply | No health-insurance requirement |
| Canada | 18–30 on the day you apply | Two stays possible, in different categories |
| Hong Kong | 18–30 on the day you apply | Ordinarily resident in Hong Kong; HKSAR or BN(O) passport |
| Japan | 18–30 on the day you apply | No application fee |
| New Zealand | 18–30 on the day you apply | Living in New Zealand when you apply |
| South Korea | 18–30 on the day you apply | Living in South Korea when you apply |
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, the US and the UK are not on the list, whatever third-party sites claim. EU and EEA citizens don’t need any of this, because they can live and work in Sweden under free movement.
Two rules from the agreements matter more than people expect. Your age is checked on the day you apply, “both inclusive”, so a 30-year-old can apply the week before turning 31. And five of the six agreements (all except Australia’s) require you to live in your home country when you apply. A Canadian based in London or a New Zealander living in Berlin should read their agreement first. Dependent children may not come with you.
You may work, but work “must not be the main purpose of your trip to Sweden and must end when your permit expires”, in Migrationsverket’s words.
What you need to show
- A valid passport. The permit is never longer than your passport is valid. With eight months left on the passport, you get at most eight months.
- Money to support yourself when you first arrive, at the fixed minimum in the table below, on a bank statement no older than six months.
- A return ticket, or enough money to buy one.
- Comprehensive health insurance for the whole stay. It must cover urgent and other medical care, hospital stays, emergency dental care and medical repatriation. Australians are exempt.
Documents should be in Swedish or English, with certified translations where needed. Don’t skip the insurance because it feels like paperwork. Most people from outside the EU/EEA pay the whole cost of care in Sweden themselves (see what healthcare costs visitors).
How to apply, step by step
- Check the gates: partner-country citizen, 18–30 on the application date, valid passport, living at home.
- Renew your passport first if it runs out within the year.
- Gather the documents: passport copies, bank statement, return ticket or proof of funds, insurance certificate.
- Apply in Migrationsverket’s e-service from outside Sweden. You need to be 18+, have an email address and pay by Visa or Mastercard. Choose the Swedish embassy or consulate where you’ll show your passport. If you can’t use the e-service, the paper form (155011) goes to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you live.
- Pay the application fee (see the table below). Japanese citizens are exempt.
- Show your passport, either in a digital passport-check app or at an embassy appointment with fingerprints and a photo.
- Wait for the decision. It arrives by email or letter, and the paper goes to your chosen embassy.
- Travel with your passport and the decision and show both at border control.
- In Sweden, book fingerprints and a photo at a Migrationsverket service centre. A permit longer than three months comes as a residence permit card.
Don’t apply from Sweden. First applications must be made from outside the country, or they may be rejected. If you’re refused while in Sweden, Migrationsverket says you “must prepare to leave the country”.
Timing: when the year starts
Migrationsverket publishes rolling waiting-time statistics rather than a promise (current figures in the table below), and incomplete applications take longer. Complete cases are prioritised, so send everything the first time. Not every Swedish embassy handles migration cases, so use Migrationsverket’s country selector to find the right one.
The catch is at the other end. Migrationsverket’s page says only “a maximum of one year”. The New Zealand, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan agreements make the permit valid for a year from the date of issue, not from the day you land. A decision in March for a September trip can cost you half the year.
So apply about three to four months before you travel, and check the dates on your decision. For a December ski season, that means late summer or early autumn. For a summer, it means late winter.
Canada, Japan and Australia: the special terms
Canada. The Sweden–Canada memorandum covers five categories: the classic working holiday, students on vacation, students with an internship, and young people or graduates with a job contract. Canadians may use it twice, with a break between the stays and each stay in a different category, at most 12 months each. Canada’s government confirms this. Migrationsverket’s page describes only the working-holiday category, so with a job offer, confirm the route with Migrationsverket before applying. Note that a second stay is not an extension. A permit itself can never be extended.
Japan. The Aliens Ordinance (utlänningsförordningen) lists Japanese citizens among those who pay no permit fee, and the Sweden–Japan agreement says the permit is issued “free of charge”. Migrationsverket’s page shows only the standard fee, so check the payment step.
Australia. No insurance is required. The Australian memorandum sets none, and Sweden has a healthcare convention with Australia. Cover is still sensible.
Once only. The Australian, Hong Kong and Japanese agreements exclude anyone who has already had a working-holiday permit under them. The agreements also let either state set yearly caps. Sweden publishes none.
Your first weeks in Sweden: card, ID number, bank
Personnummer: usually not. Population registration (folkbokföring), which gives a personnummer, requires that you can be expected to stay at least a year. Skatteverket says it applies if you “plan to live here for one year or more”. A permit that lasts at most a year rarely meets that test.
Coordination number instead. If you work, you’ll need a samordningsnummer, the Swedish ID number for people who aren’t registered as living here. You apply to Skatteverket yourself and prove your identity in person, with your passport and permit card. See getting a coordination number and bank account.
No BankID. BankID requires a personnummer, and a coordination number isn’t enough. That means no Swish and no app logins, so plan around it (living without BankID).
A bank account is still possible. The right to a basic payment account depends on legal residence in the EEA, not on a Swedish number.
Tax. You count as living in Sweden for tax once you stay six months in a row. Short trips home don’t break the stay. More in working remotely and paying tax in Sweden.
Housing. Most working-holiday stays end up as second-hand sublets. Read renting long-term in Sweden before paying any deposit.
Mistakes to avoid
- Calling it a visa and booking a Schengen-visa appointment. It’s a residence permit from Migrationsverket, and a Schengen visa allows no work. For short trips without work, see Sweden’s visa rules for short visits.
- Landing as a tourist and applying from Sweden. First applications go in from outside the country.
- Waiting until after your 31st birthday. What counts is the application date, not the travel date.
- Insurance that misses one element. Care, hospital, emergency dental and repatriation, for the whole stay.
- Working past the expiry date. No extension exists, so you’d be working without a permit.
- Counting on the visa-free days for a job. Swedish law requires a work permit for anyone who works here, so the 90 days don’t cover it. They are counted under the Schengen 90/180-day rule.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Partner countries | Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea |
| Age | 18–30 inclusive, on the application date |
| Length | Up to one year, never longer than your passport; cannot be extended |
| Application fee | SEK 1,500; Japanese citizens exempt |
| Funds | At least SEK 15,000, bank statement under six months old |
| Return | Ticket, or money to buy one |
| Insurance | Comprehensive health insurance for the whole stay; Australians exempt |
| Where to apply | Migrationsverket e-service, from outside Sweden |
| Processing (last 12 months) | 75% of complete applications within 3 months; 75% of incomplete within 4 months (checked 2026-10-03) |
| ID number in Sweden | Usually a coordination number, not a personnummer |
FAQ
Which countries have a working holiday agreement with Sweden?
Six: Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. Migrationsverket lists exactly these, and no others. Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, the US and the UK have no working-holiday agreement with Sweden, despite what some lists say. EU and EEA citizens don’t need one, because they can live and work in Sweden under free movement.
What is the age limit for a Swedish working holiday visa?
You must be between 18 and 30 inclusive, and every agreement checks your age on the day you apply, not the day you travel. So you can apply the week before your 31st birthday. But several agreements count the permit’s year from its issue date, so a decision long before you travel shortens your stay.
How much money do I need for a working holiday in Sweden?
At least SEK 15,000 to support yourself when you first arrive, shown with a bank statement no older than six months. On top of that you need a return ticket or enough money to buy one, comprehensive health insurance unless you are Australian, and the SEK 1,500 application fee. Japanese citizens pay no fee.
How long does a Swedish working holiday permit take?
Migrationsverket publishes statistics rather than a promise: in the last 12 months, 75% of complete applications were decided within three months, and 75% of incomplete ones within four. Send everything the first time, because complete cases are prioritised. Apply three to four months before you travel, from outside Sweden.
Can I extend a working holiday visa in Sweden?
No. Migrationsverket says a working-holiday permit cannot be extended, and it lasts at most one year, never longer than your passport is valid. The work must end when the permit does. Canadians are the one partial exception: their agreement allows a second stay, but only in a different category and after a break between the stays.
Do I get a personnummer on a working holiday?
Usually not. Population registration, which gives a personnummer, requires that you can be expected to stay at least a year, and the permit lasts at most a year. Most holders use a coordination number (samordningsnummer) instead, which they apply for themselves at Skatteverket. Without a personnummer there is no BankID, but a bank account is still possible.
Can I apply for a working holiday visa while I’m in Sweden?
Not for a first application. Migrationsverket says first applications must be made from outside Sweden, otherwise they may be rejected, and if you are refused while in Sweden you must prepare to leave. Most agreements also require you to live in your home country when you apply. Apply from home, then travel once you hold the decision.
Related guides
- Getting a coordination number and bank account: the first paperwork once you start working
- Renting long-term in Sweden: sublet rules and how to avoid deposit scams
- Working remotely and paying tax in Sweden: what your permit does and doesn’t cover
- Living without BankID: paying and logging in without a personnummer
- The Schengen 90/180-day rule: how your visa-free days count before and after the permit
Facts verified 2026-10-03. Sources: Migrationsverket, the six bilateral agreements (Regeringen), Regeringskansliet’s statute database (Aliens Ordinance, Population Registration Act), Skatteverket, the Government of Canada and the Embassy of Sweden in Tokyo. The full register is in this topic’s source file. This page explains the rules and is not legal advice. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.