Anyone who wants to visit Sweden from a country outside the Schengen area may have to apply for and get approved Swedish visa before the trip. You need a visa if you want to stay for a period shorter than 90 days. For periods longer than 90 days you’ll need a residence permit. There are several different visas to apply for:

• Visa to visit relatives or friends
• Visa for business or conference visits
• Tourist visa
• Visa for medical treatment
• Visa to visit Sweden for religious purposes
• Visa for studies, research or to visit as an exchange doctoral student
• Visa for volunteer work or internship

Which requirements do you need to fulfill to get a visa?

The requirements for Swedish visa can differ depending on your reason to visit Sweden, but for all visas you need to:

• have a passport that is valid for at least three months after your visa expires. There also has to be at least two blank pages in the passport.
• be able to describe why you want to visit Sweden.
• make sure you have enough money both to be able to live in Sweden during the period you’re here and to travel back to your home country when the time comes. In Sweden, this means that the person visiting Sweden must have at least SEK 450/day that the person intends to spend in Sweden.
• have travel insurance that covers individual medical care for at least 30,000 euros in case you need emergency medical attention, urgent hospital care or transport to your home country for medical reasons. The insurance must be valid in all Schengen countries.
• show that you intend to leave before your Swedish visa expires. This can be proved by sending a copy of your return ticket back to your home country.
• send a photograph in the same format as the one you took for your passport. The photo must be taken from the front and cannot be more than six months old.
• in some cases the Swedish embassy will have more requirements that you need to fulfill to get an approved visa. So make sure to contact them before the trip to hear what applies in your case.

Special requirements in some cases

When you’re going to visit family and friends in Sweden

• The person inviting you must fill in a special invitation form provided by the Swedish Migration Agency.
• You don’t need to have enough money to be able to live in Sweden as long as the person who invites you can pay for all costs.

Visiting Sweden for work purposes

• You have to be able to present an invitation from the company you intend to visit.
• You don’t need to have enough money to be able to live in Sweden as long as the company that invites you can pay for all costs.

If you need medical care in Sweden

• In your application for Swedish visa, when stating why you want to visit Sweden, you need to present a medical certificate from Sweden that states when you’ll receive your treatment and what it entails.
• You also need a medical certificate from your home country stating that you can’t receive the treatment there.
• You need proof that you have paid at least part of the sum for the planned care in Sweden.
• You need to fill in a special questionnaire from the Swedish Migration Agency.
• You don’t need to show that you have SEK 450/day to spend in Sweden if you’re going to spend some or all of the days hospitalized.

When visiting Sweden for religious purposes

• You have to be able to present an invitation from a religious organization or congregation in Sweden.
• You don’t have to have enough money to live here as long as the organization or congregation that invites you can pay for all expenses.

If you’re going to study, research or visit Sweden as an exchange doctoral student

• You have to present an invitation or a certificate of admission from a university in Sweden.
• If you’re already enrolled in a university in another country, you need a certificate from them as well.

Visiting Sweden for an internship or to volunteer

• In your application for Swedish visa, you have to be able to present an invitation from the place of your internship or volunteering organization.

Do you need legal help?

Separating isn’t an easy decision to make

The end of a relationship, common law partnership or marriage is never easy for anyone. It’s even more upsetting when there are children involved. On the other hand, it may be best for all parties to go their separate ways. This way, you get a chance to start fresh on your own.
The circumstances are unique in each case, but legally one set of regulations applies to common law partners and another to married spouses.

When you and your partner are separating

It’s usually easier to separate when living as common law partners compared to being a married couple. A property division can be an option if one of you wants it to be. Then you’ll have to go through your joint assets, value your debts and divide everything between you. However, you don’t need to do this if there’s a cohabitation agreement signed by both of you, where it’s made clear what belongs to whom in case of a separation. If one of you owns a home since before you became common law partners, that person is entitled to keep the home. However, it’s important that the intention to the purchase of the home is made clear. If it was bought for both of you to live in, legally each of you own half of the home.

When your marriage ends

It’s a little trickier if you’re married and is thinking about separating. On the other hand, it can be done much more smoothly if you have a prenuptial agreement. You have to do a property division regardless, but what’s written in a prenuptial agreement, deed of gift or will won’t be included in the division. There’s also an opportunity here for you if you think you have more of a right to your home, to argue your case. If children are included in the picture, the home belongs to the parent who lives with the children. But it’s important to remember that if it’s a property or condominium, whoever leaves the home also receives a corresponding financial compensation for this.

Do you need legal help?

Do you know what your rights as a tenant are?

In many parts of the country, finding an apartment is a challenge, to say the least. Especially in larger cities and close to universities, many people find it difficult to rent an apartment. Many are therefore forced to sublet their home. As a second hand tenant, it can sometimes be difficult to know what rights you have.

Something that has become increasingly common in recent years is renting through letting agents. Then the property owner rents out the apartment to a letting agent, who then rents the apartment out to a tenant. In some cases, this can affect the tenant in the form of higher rents. It also sometimes leads to the tenant losing their protected tenancy. Protected tenancy means that you as a tenant have the right to an extension of your lease if the landlord terminates your agreement before the contract has expired.

In some cases, as a second hand tenant who rents your apartment through a letting agency, you may also be entitled to a first-hand contract, reimbursement of any excess rent you may have paid and fair rent in the future. To find out if you have the right to get a first-hand contract, get back rent you’ve paid or even have the right to have your rent adjusted, you need to review your lease with a lawyer.

How do you know you’re renting an apartment through a letting agency?

When letting agencies sublet apartments, it risks eroding the Swedish residential rental market. It becomes more difficult for people to find apartments with reasonable rent. At the same time, the letting agents can drive up rental prices when they own the rental contracts for several residential areas. By extension, it also results in fewer available rental apartments on the market.

You can easily find out if you’re subletting your apartment by looking at the name plate at the main door of the house where you live. The owner of the house must be named there. Compare the name with the name that appears on your lease. If there’s a different name on your lease than what’s on the nameplate, you’re most likely renting your apartment through a letting agent.

Do you need legal help?

All children in Sweden has the right to have adjustments made in the classroom if they need it

Thanks to today’s digital society, there’s a lot of information and knowledge to take advantage of as a family with children who have special needs. It’s easier today to share knowledge and information and thereby normalize that all children do not look the same. And above all, that each child has different conditions. This way, we can ensure that our society adapts the environment in the right way to make sure that the children have a chance to live their best life.

In Sweden, children with special needs have the right to support and protection according to various laws and regulations. As a family with children who have special needs, it’s important to know of three Swedish laws, all of which exist to secure children’s conditions in our society.

1. The Swedish Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments

One of the most important laws protecting children with special needs is The Act concerning Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments, also known as LSS. According to the LSS, children with special needs have the right to personal assistance, accommodation support and other measures needed to make sure they get the opportunity to live an independent life. LSS also means that children with special needs have the right to daily activities and leisure activities adapted to their individual needs.

To be able to get help according to LSS, you have to qualify according to one of below.

1. People with developmental disabilities, autism or autism-like conditions.
2. People with significant and permanent intellectual disability after brain damage in adulthood caused by external violence or physical illness.
3. People with other permanent physical or mental disabilities that are clearly not due to normal ageing. Or if they are large and cause significant difficulties in daily life and thus an extensive need for support or service.

Getting help according to LSS is not always easy. Sometimes you as a relative may need a lot of documentation before your child gets the help they need. A reason to this is beause affected families are expected to be able to navigate within the law without prior knowledge. Becuase of that, it can be good to try and get help when you apply for support according to the LSS.

2. The School Act

Another important law that protects all children and especially those with special needs is the School Act. According to the School Act, all children have the right to equal education. The schools are obliged to adapt teaching and the environment to the children’s needs to ensure that they receive an inclusive education.

If your child needs smaller adjustments in school then you don’t need to validate in any way that your child has special needs. It’s enough that your child expresses difficulty in keeping up with school. This applies if, for example, your child is disturbed by noise and needs ear muffs. Or if they’re easily overstimulated and needs to take breaks during lessons. If, however, your child needs special educational support, it’s important that the right people are involved in creating an environment best suited for your child.

3. Health care for children with special needs

All children have the right to health and medical care according to the Health and Medical Services Act. But unfortunately, some children are in more need of healthcare than others. Therefore, it’s also important that you as a parent know what to do if your child isn’t receiving the right care.

The Health and Medical Services Act means that children have the right to care and treatment adjusted to their individual needs. It may include habilitation, rehabilitation, medical treatment and other necessary care. What many families of children with special needs find difficult is usually not the right to care, but rather how to get the right healthcare. As a parent of a child with special needs, you need to know where to turn to in order to get the right help. And for obvious reasons, this isn’t easy for a person who doesn’t work in healthcare.

If you find yourself in a situation where you feel that your child isn’t receiving the right care despite contacting the right authorities, it’s important that you seek the help of a lawyer who can prosecute your case. Sometimes it helps to have someone on your side with a different perspective on the situation. Someone who knows which strings to pull so that your child gets help as quickly as possible.

Do you need legal help?

For the vast majority of us, to write a will is something we associate with old age, illness or death. In the middle of life, you may feel that it’s far-fetched to even consider the idea of writing a will. But we recommend at least having a basic plan in case something unexpected happens. Here are three important reasons why.

1. You get to decide for yourself

If you don’t write a will, the Inheritance Code comes into force. When you draw up a will, you, as the testator, put all or parts of the Inheritance Code out of play. This way, you decide for yourself, for example, which family member, relative, organization or association receives all or part of your fortune. You can also state conditions in the will if you wish. You do this when, for example, you want something someone inherits to be individual property, for example a large sum of money or a property. Then you ensure that the property is not part of a property division, if the person who inherits divorces in the future.

2. You can make changes whenever you want

A common misunderstanding is that you only write a will once in your life. That you cannot change the content. This is not the case – we often change during life, family relationships change and things happen that affect the original idea of the content of the will. The most important thing is that you destroy the original and enter a wording in the new will that the first will is invalidated.

3. When you write a will, your common-law partner can inherit

Many people believe that common-law partners automatically inherit each other if one of them passes away. But that’s not true because The Cohabitees Act is the basis for common-law partners, while the Marriage Code governs how spouses inherit. The Cohabitees Act doesn’t contain any rules regarding inheritance. That’s why, you and your partner can only inherit from each other through a will.

Let a lawyer help you

A will is easy to write on your own. But if you want help you can let a lawyer draft one for you as well. Our lawyers at Kliently can help you no matter which of these you choose.

Do you need legal help?

A divorce often takes a toll, so make sure you have someone you can trust to help you

Divorcing is always emotional and many only associate it with problems. However, there are simple and clear ways that can make the process of divorcing in Sweden easier. In addition to hiring a good lawyer to guide you through the entire process, the information below will help you keep track of what happens in the process.

When the separation is a fact

Have you and your partner decided to divorce? Or have you reached the end of the road in your marriage? Regardless of who applies for divorce, it has to be done at the district court where you’re registered. Sometimes, when divorcing in Sweden, you’ll have to go through a reflection period. This is a period of time that needs to pass before you can complete your divorce. The reflection period exists to avoid couples divorcing in Sweden hastily. However, there are some differences in if and how long the reflection period is.

Most often, the reflection period is for six months, but can in some cases be up to a year. If you’re both in agreement and don’t have children under the age of 16, you won’t need a reflection period. In this case, divorcing in Sweden takes effect immediately. If the divorce was filed by one party’s initiative, or if you have children under the age of 16, a reflection period of at least six months applies.

Divorcing in Sweden involves a division of property

After the divorce process itself is completed, you usually have to go through a division of property. This is the process where you divide what is known as matrimonial property. That is what you as spouses have owned together during your marriage. Everything that isn’t legally individual property. Aside from each spouse’s debts, everything will be written down and summarized in a property division agreement that you both have to sign.

When divorcing in Sweden, if you aren’t in agreement, or have different views on how your property should be divided, the district court will appoint a property division administrator who’ll help you. And if there are big differences between your view points, the property division executor will be the one to decide who gets what.

Do you need legal help?

Make sure you have help and a good support system when going through a custody battle

Having to deal with a custody battle is certainly not easy for anyone in the family. So it’s important to make sure that you have a good support system, both among your loved ones and within the lawyer you hire to help you at the district court. In the very best case scenario, you and your ex-partner will come to an agreement on your own about how you to divide custody of your children. Maybe there’s a natural solution to the situation? Maybe your children are old enough to choose which parent to live with?

However, if you can’t agree among the two of you, you’ll have to get help to come to a solution that works for your children. Since March 1, 2022, all parents who want to take a custody battle to court have to participate in an informational interview with the municipality first. In the interview, you’ll get help to resolve the conflict and come to a joint decision about how to divide custody of the children between you. If you still can’t agree, you’ll receive a certificate of having participated in the intervew and your case will be handed over to the court.

What can be decided in a custody battle?

In a custody battle, you decide how you want to divide custody of your children, where the children will live and how you intend to resolve your visitation rights with the children. In Sweden, the best interests of the child are always top priority, and the court takes that into account when making their decisions. In order for the district court to take your case, one of you have to file a subpoena. If you already have a divorce case that’s being handled by the district court, you can ask to settle custody of the children directly in that case.

The district court can ask for information and investigations from the social welfare board and the family court to see what’s best for the children. A social worker will then often meet with both you and the children to gather information about your new living situation, your finances and the children’s needs and wishes.

There are a number of factors that can influence the district court’s decision. For example, the childrens ages and the relationship between the children and the parents can play a role. It’s also important how well each of you as parents can meet the needs of your children. This applies to both financial needs and other needs that the district court deems important.

What happens at the district court?

Often times, the custody process begins with district court calling the parents to a hearing. During the hearing, you tell a judge what you think is best for the children. In some cases, you may need to have several hearings if it’s particularly difficult to come to a good solution. And if you still can’t manage to agree, the district court can decide to hold a main hearing. Then the district court can call in other witnesses and use written evidence to help them make a decision. After the main hearing, the district court decides on your case and you can choose to accept the verdict or appeal it.

In some cases, the district court can decide to grant joint custody, meaning that you share responsibility for your children. The district court can also decide that one of you gets sole custody. Even if one parent gets sole custody, the other parent still has the right to visit the children. In very extreme cases, the court can decide that a parent shouldn’t be granted visitation rights. But then it’s because the child is at risk of being harmed by that parent.

Do you need legal help?

Think about what your surnames are going to be after the wedding

To many, the wedding ceremony and marriage symbolizes the beginning of a new family life together. And the biggest symbol of family life is changing the surname to a common one. If you want to keep your surname after the wedding, you don’t have to think about anything because you will automatically keep the name you already have. But if you and your partner want to have common surnames, there are a couple of things that are good to keep in mind.

Previously, you could change your surname through the marriage officiant, but nowadays they’re not allowed to accept name-change applications. If you want to change your name, you have to send an application directly to the Swedish Tax Agency instead. Your partner doesn’t have to approve your application if you change to your partner’s surname.

Do you have any specific questions regarding name-changes or other legal preparations before getting married? Download the Kliently app to be able to talk to our lawyers specialized in family law.

Do you need legal help?

Everything you need to know before the name change

You can choose to have one common surname. You can also choose to have a double surnames, which is when you take on a new surnamn based on your and your partner’s current names. Whether you want hyphens between the surnames is entirely up to you. If one of you already has a double surname, only one of the surnames can be included in the newly formed name. However, you can change to your partner’s double surname if you wish.

You can apply to change your surname both before the wedding and during the marriage. You can also change your surname several times during your marriage if you were to regret anything. You can even change to your partner’s last name even if your partner got that name in a previous marriage. When the Swedish Tax Agency approves the name change, you’ll receive an extract from their register from them. There you can see, among other things, when the name was changed and how it’s spelled. That way, you can ensure that everything is correct.

Some name changes cost money and can amount upto a couple of thousand Swedish crowns. But changing to your partner’s name won’t cost you anything. When you have changed your surname, the Tax Agency sends the new information to most authorities and companies. However, you have to make sure youtself to renew your ID, passport and notify everyone in your network, both friends, colleagues and others, that you have changed your name.

Check the waiting time for new passports when changing your surname

Remember that if you intend to go on a honeymoon trip, it’s important that you book the trip in the name that appears in your passport. Many people miss this, often because they’re used to making reservations in their old name. And that only leads to unnecessary costs and stress.

You cannot change the name on your passport before the Swedish Tax Agency has approved the name change. However, in connection to your wedding, you can apply to change your surname and at the same time, book a trip in your old surname, as long as you have a valid passport in that name. Processing times can be long with both the Swedish Tax Agency, who registers the name change, and the Swedish police, who issues the new passport. So it’s often easier to book a honeymoon in your old name and apply for a new passport when you’re back home. Alternatively, you can apply to change your surname after the honeymoon instead.

Do you know the difference between alimony and maintenance support?

If you have children and have or are about to separate or divorce, you have probably come across the words alimony and maintenance support. Many find the terms confusing and difficult to keep track of what is what. Both alimony and maintenance support are about financial support for children, but what exactly is the difference between the two?

Alimony is paid by one parent to the other

Alimony is what one parent pays the other to cover the child’s living expenses. Alimony is paid when the child spends more time with one of you. This way, the financial responsibility for the child is balanced out. How much alimony one parent pays depends on their finances and the child’s needs. The alimony has to cover the costs of the child’s clothes, food, school fees, any leisure activities and such. At the Swedish Social Insurance Agency’s website, you can calculate how much the alimony will end up being.

Maintenance support when alimony cannot be paid

If the child mostly lives with one parent and the other parent is unable to pay alimony, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency steps in and pays maintenance support to the parent who has the children most of the time. The maintenance support has to then be paid back to the Social Insurance Agency from the parent who owes alimony.

The maintenance support is always the same, regardless of your finances. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency pays out:

• SEK 1,673/month up to and including the month the child turns 7.
• SEK 1,823/month from the month after the child turns 7.
• SEK 2,223/month from the month after the child turns 15.

If you’re the one who has to pay back maintenance support, the amount you have to pay depends entirely on your finances. The Social Insurance Agency calculates how your finances look and then decides what you will pay per month. If your finances are strained, you can pay back a smaller amount a month without it affecting the maintenance support that’s being paid out. If, on the other hand, you have an economy that the Social Insurance Agency considers good enough, you pay the same amount back as they pay out.

When your child is old enough to work, it’s important to keep track of how much the child earns since it affects the maintenance support. Your child can have an annual income upto SEK 60,000 without it affecting the maintenance support. If your child earns more than that, the maintenance support will also be lower. And the amount you have to pay back also decreases.

Do you need legal help?