Swedish citizenship requirements are set to tighten from 6 June 2026, after the centre-right government presented a package of stricter rules backed by the Sweden Democrats. The proposal raises the standard residency period, introduces a self-sufficiency threshold, and adds tests in Swedish and civics, while expanding the “honourable lifestyle” check to cover conduct both in Sweden and abroad.
Swedish citizenship requirements: what the government wants to change
At a press conference in Stockholm on 9 February 2026, Migration Minister (migrationsminister) Johan Forssell said the reforms are meant to “upgrade” Swedish citizenship, describing it as proof of full participation in Swedish society rather than simply a travel document.
According to the government, the reforms would make citizenship the end point of an integration process, placing greater emphasis on individual effort, work and language skills. The new rules are being prepared through a lagrådsremiss (a draft bill submitted to the Council on Legislation for legal scrutiny) before they can move forward to parliament.
Residency requirement to rise from five to eight years
The central change is a longer period of habitual residence (hemvisttid). The government proposes that applicants should, as a general rule, have lived in Sweden for eight years, up from the current five.
The government has also signalled that the new framework should cover more categories of applicants by limiting simplified “notification” routes (anmälan) where possible. In practice, this could mean that more people will need to meet the full set of requirements, not just the residency threshold.
A key political detail is timing: the government has said that, once the law enters into force, it should apply to cases not yet decided at that moment. That would include many applications already in the system.
Self-sufficiency threshold of about SEK 20,000 per month
The proposal introduces a new income requirement intended to demonstrate self-sufficiency. The government has indicated a threshold of about SEK 20,000 per month (about €1,875).
Public service broadcaster SVT has reported that the model also includes limits on reliance on social assistance: applicants should not have received means-tested support for more than six months over the past three years, although exceptions are expected for certain groups, including students.
The government frames the income threshold as a way to strengthen incentives for labour-market participation. Critics, however, argue that strict economic criteria risk excluding groups whose paths into work are structurally harder, including people with disabilities, carers and some refugees.
‘Honourable lifestyle’ rule expands to conduct abroad
A second major pillar is a tighter requirement to “live honourably” (hederligt levnadssätt). In addition to criminal convictions in Sweden, the assessment would also take account of offences and misconduct abroad, as well as other factors used in current practice to evaluate a person’s conduct.
Government-linked summaries and Swedish media coverage indicate that “misconduct” may include issues such as large unpaid debts and certain court orders. The proposed framework would also extend waiting periods after convictions.
Under examples presented by the government, a person sentenced to four years in prison could face a waiting period of 15 years after serving the sentence before being able to apply. SVT has also reported that the maximum time that should have passed since a conviction could be extended from 10 to 17 years, and that the rule should apply to applicants aged 15 and above.
Citizenship tests: civics from August, Swedish language exam later
The reform would introduce two separate assessments: one on Swedish language and one on knowledge of Swedish society. The government has argued that the purpose is not detailed memorisation, but practical knowledge needed to function in Sweden, including civic participation.
The first civics tests are expected to begin in August 2026, while the Swedish language test is being developed on a longer timeline. The government has recently extended the assignment for designing the Swedish test, and current plans suggest that the language assessment may not be introduced until autumn 2027.
This creates a practical question for the rollout: if the main package enters into force in June 2026, some requirements may be implemented in stages depending on when the tests are ready.
Why the Tidö parties say tougher rules are needed
The governing Moderates (Moderaterna), Christian Democrats (Kristdemokraterna) and Liberals (Liberalerna), supported in parliament by the Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna), argue that Sweden has historically had comparatively low thresholds for naturalisation.
Forssell has pointed to cases where people have acquired citizenship without Swedish-language ability and to examples involving serious criminal suspicion, presenting the new rules as a corrective. Sweden Democrat migration spokesperson Ludvig Aspling has said that the tougher conduct requirement goes beyond the recommendations in the previous state inquiry.
More broadly, the citizenship package fits into the government’s wider agenda of tightening migration and integration policy under the Tidö Agreement (Tidöavtalet).
Critics warn of exclusion and legal uncertainty
Opposition parties and rights organisations have warned that stricter citizenship rules risk creating a larger group of long-term residents without full political rights, potentially weakening integration rather than strengthening it.
The Left Party (Vänsterpartiet) migration spokesperson Tony Haddou has described the proposal as creating insecurity and anxiety for immigrants, particularly when combined with other policy debates such as changes affecting permanent residence.
Human rights organisation Civil Rights Defenders has previously argued that tougher citizenship requirements do not necessarily increase integration incentives, and can instead contribute to exclusion for people who live in Sweden for many years without the protections and participation linked to citizenship.
International scrutiny has also increased. In late 2025, a UN committee examining Sweden raised concerns about a broader pattern of proposals aimed at restricting residence permits and access to citizenship, asking Swedish authorities to clarify safeguards against discrimination.
What happens next
The government plans for most of the new Swedish citizenship requirements to take effect on 6 June 2026, but implementation ultimately depends on legal review and parliamentary approval. The design of the tests, the details of exemptions, and how authorities will interpret “honourable lifestyle” in practice are likely to be central points of debate.
For Sweden, the reforms would mark a significant shift in a policy area with clear EU implications: Swedish citizenship also grants EU citizenship, affecting voting rights, freedom of movement, and access to consular protection across the Union. In the Nordic region, Sweden would move closer to neighbours such as Denmark and Norway, where language and civics requirements have long been part of the citizenship process.
