How can i become a Swedish citizen?

Question

Will i be able to try out for a Swedish citizenship if i stay there for 5 years ?(cause it says that to get a citizenship you need to have stayed there for atleast 5 years). What are some other conditions that apply? Also do i need to have any idea of Swedish language to study there?

Answer 1

You are confused about the terminolgy. Living there for five years does not make you eligible for Swedish citizenship, you must have had a permanent residence status in Sweden for five years or be a citizen of the EU with a permanent right to residence for five years. You must be over the age of 18, there are lots of other requirements, see the link below.

Note, that time spent as a student in Sweden does not count towards the five year permanent residence requirement.

Yes, being able to speak and understand the Swedish language is a must if you plan to study there since only certain classes will be taught unless you can find an English-speaking university in Sweden to study at.

Answer 2

You can find the answers you need on the official homepage of the Swedish Migration Board: http://www.migrationsverket.se/english.j...

The link for "citizenship" is in the left column.

The rules are different dependent on what country you come from. If you come from Scandinavia or a country of the European Union it is very easy, if you come from another country and have no close connection to Sweden it is normally not easy.

If you come here as a foreign student, you can also not count the years you stay on a student visa, so first you have to get a temporary permit to live and work in Sweden (which is not an easy thing to get if you don't have a clear reason, even if they are planning to make it somewhat easier in some cases) after you finish your studies, and then get a permanent permit to live here.  

Having studied in Sweden doesn't formally make it easier to get this, although it of course might make it easier to find a job, which then might make it easier to get a permit to stay and work.

If you get that, then the five years you have to live here before you can even apply for citizenship start. This is a quote from the link I gave above: "If you have been staying here temporarily , for example as a visiting student, researcher, teacher, sportsman/woman/coach, musician or performing artist, that period does not count towards duration of stay". You need at least five years, and both the years with temporary and the years with permanent permit count.

There are several ways to study in Sweden without knowing Swedish, but of course you will have much more to choose from if you know Swedish. Apart from the studies, you will have no problems if you speak English, since virtually everyone speaks quite good English in Sweden - except very old people and some immigrants.

You can find what you need about studying in Sweden here: http://www.studyinsweden.se/