Swedish Citizenship: New Law Tightens Naturalization From 2026 — 8-Year Requirement, Income Threshold and Mandatory Tests

On 29 April, Sweden’s parliament backed one of the most far-reaching reforms to its citizenship law in more than half a century. Under the decision, starting 6 June 2026, the overall residence period required for naturalization will rise from 5 to 8 years. At the same time, mandatory checks will be introduced—covering language skills, knowledge of the basics of Sweden’s civic system, and proof that applicants can support themselves independently.

An attempt by the opposition to secure transitional provisions for more than 100,000 people who have already submitted citizenship applications failed by just one vote: 147–146. The bill passed in its original form with broad support—backed by three parties in the ruling coalition and the Sweden Democrats.

From five years to eight—plus mandatory tests

Under current rules, most foreign nationals can apply for Swedish citizenship after five years of continuous residence in the country (hemvist). The new version increases the baseline period to eight years.

At the same time, certain categories keep reduced timelines:

• citizens of Nordic countries and former Swedish citizens—2 years of residence;
• stateless persons—5 years;
• refugees, spouses or partners of Swedish citizens, and young people under 21—7 years.

For spouses and partners, an additional requirement applies: both the relationship and the Swedish partner’s citizenship must have existed for at least five years.

A self-sufficiency criterion is also introduced immediately. According to EY’s analysis, applicants must prove an annual gross income of at least three inkomstbasbelopp (income base amounts). For 2026, that figure is 83,400 SEK, meaning a threshold of 250,200 SEK per year (roughly 27,200 USD).

The rule will work as follows: if a person received income-related benefits for more than six months during the last three years before applying, they will not meet the requirements. Some forms of subsidized employment will also not be counted.

Language and civic-knowledge requirements are written into the law as of 6 June, but the testing mechanisms are not ready yet. It is expected that:

• a test on civic-system knowledge will start in August 2026;
• reading and listening skills checks for citizenship will begin no earlier than 1 October 2027;
• additional tests covering other aspects of Swedish language knowledge will be introduced on a date set by the government.

Rules for children will also change. From now on, a child will not be automatically included in a parent’s application. Under the updated rules, the guardian must submit a separate application. Behaviour requirements apply from age 15, while knowledge requirements apply from age 16.

In addition, the simplified citizenship procedure will be discontinued in most cases—particularly for certain young people who grew up in Sweden.

No “grace period” for a queue of 100,000 applicants

The most contentious aspect of the reform was not the substance of the new requirements (which generally received support), but the decision to apply the changes retroactively to all applications already under review.

In Sweden, applications are assessed under the rules that apply at the time a decision is made, not at the time of filing. That means that for people who applied expecting to qualify under the previous five-year period, but whose cases have not yet been decided, once the law takes effect they will be assessed against the new standard of 8 years. As a result, many may be rejected immediately.

All four opposition parties—the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, the Greens, and the Left—submitted a joint counterproposal for transitional rules. A similar recommendation was also issued by the Swedish Council on Legislation (Lagrådet).

However, the amendment did not pass: a one-vote majority proved decisive. At the same time, two former Sweden Democrat lawmakers who now sit as independents, Elsa Widding and Katia Nyberg, backed the opposition’s position. Three MPs from the Liberal Party, previously seen as potential “rebels,” were absent from the chamber.

A breach of the kvittning understanding

Shortly after the vote, opposition leaders accused the Sweden Democrats of violating the informal parliamentary practice of kvittning—a mechanism used to “balance” absences on the opposing side.

According to the opposition, the Sweden Democrats sent two MPs who were supposed to be “held back” under the agreement, which they say affected the final outcome.

The leader of the Greens, Amanda Lind, called the actions a breach of trust and demanded a re-vote. The Social Democrats and the Centre Party agreed to the demand.

The Sweden Democrats’ parliamentary group leader, Linda Lindberg, responded that the importance of the bill justified departing from the usual procedure. The Moderates’ parliamentary group leader, Matthias Karlsson, acknowledged that something went wrong but did not promise to support a new vote. On 30 April, the leaders of the parliamentary groups met to discuss the future of the kvittning practice—without representatives from the Sweden Democrats present.

What happens to applications already submitted?

The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) is currently processing a backlog of more than 100,000 citizenship applications. Processing times range from several months to nearly three years.

For applicants who have lived in Sweden for 5–7 years, the new rules mean they will need to build up additional residence time before approval. Even after reaching the required period, delays are still possible if the applicant does not meet the income threshold or fails to satisfy the requirements for Swedish language proficiency.

The Fair Transition movement, formed by activists and affected residents, said it intends to challenge the retroactive application of the law in Sweden’s immigration courts and, if necessary, in international bodies. If the current government loses the September 2026 election, activists also plan to push for a change in approach with the incoming administration.

Parallel changes elsewhere in Europe

Sweden’s decision to tighten naturalization timelines contrasts with several initiatives in other European countries. For example, in 2024 Germany reduced the standard naturalization period from eight years to five and, for the first time, expanded dual citizenship to citizens of all nationalities. In the same year, Portugal changed its citizenship law to allow waiting time to count from the date a residence permit application is filed—not from the date it is approved—effectively shortening the path to citizenship.

On the same day as the citizenship vote, Sweden’s parliament also approved parallel provisions aimed at making it easier for foreign researchers and PhD students to obtain status. Under these rules, PhD students may apply for permanent residence after three years, and once their studies end they will receive up to 18 months to search for a job.

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