Sweden Announces 2 Categories of Foreigners Exempt From Paying Citizenship Application Fee

• Sweden charges a particular fee for adult citizenship applications, with no refund if the application is rejected
• The Swedish Migration Agency has outlined two specific categories of foreigners who qualify for a full fee exemption
• Processing times for citizenship decisions can stretch significantly, with official statistics revealing a lengthy wait for most applicants

Sweden's Migration Agency has confirmed that two categories of foreign nationals are exempt from paying the standard fee required to apply for Swedish citizenship as an adult.

All other applicants are required to pay SEK 2,900 (N412,500) when submitting a citizenship application. The agency is clear that this fee is non-refundable, meaning anyone whose application is ultimately rejected will not receive their money back.

Who qualifies for Swedish citizenship fee exemption

The exemption applies to:

1. Stateless individuals who have been granted refugee status by Swedish authorities.

2. Stateless refugees who hold travel documents issued by the Swedish Migration Agency.

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Outside of these two groups, no other category of applicant qualifies for a waiver, and the full fee applies regardless of personal circumstances.

How long Swedish citizenship applications take

Applicants should also prepare for a potentially long wait before receiving a decision. The Swedish Migration Agency notes that processing times vary considerably depending on several factors, including whether the submitted application is complete from the outset, whether additional information needs to be requested from the applicant, and whether consultations with other government bodies are required during the review process.

According to statistics published by the agency, based on cases decided over the past 12 months, 75% of recently decided applications were processed within 55 months.

This figure gives prospective applicants a realistic benchmark for planning purposes, even though the agency stops short of guaranteeing any specific timeline.

Legit.ng has also published residency years for foreigners who want to become Qatari citizens.

Citizenship: Australia mentions residency years for foreigners

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs has outlined the residence requirement foreigners must meet before applying for citizenship.

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Sweden lists 5 categories of foreigners who can get citizenship without permanent residency

Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for a number of years before the date they apply for citizenship.

The rules also specify how much time applicants are allowed to have spent outside Australia during that period.

Source: Legit.ng