ALPHA. Demokratiskolan.se is a PROTOTYPE · Content review in progress
Demokratiskolan
The Citizenship card from MethodKit for Society and Politics
Card 68 of 128 · MethodKit for Society & Politics
  • AreaPeople & belonging
  • Centre of gravityCentral government
  • Points of influence3 on the journey
  • Decisive electionThe general election
People & belonging

Citizenship

Old, new & prospective citizens

Citizenship decides which elections you may vote in, which passport you carry and which country's protection you can count on. Few areas are this entirely a matter for central government: the Riksdag writes the law and the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) decides the applications. But the final step, the ceremony that welcomes new citizens, takes place in your municipal hall.

Where does the power lie?1

  • Municipality · ceremonies & welcoming · approx 5 %
  • State · law, decisions & passports · approx 85 %
  • EU · EU citizenship & free movement · approx 10 %

The centre of gravity lies entirely with central government: the Riksdag sets the requirements and the Migration Agency decides. The general election determines what the path to citizenship looks like.

How it works: the breakdown

The municipalityThe local welcome
The regionWithout a formal role
Central governmentThe law & the decision · centre of gravity
Who decides?
The municipal council (kommunfullmäktige) and the municipal executive board, often through the culture or administrative department.
No formal role. The regions have no tasks in citizenship matters.
The Riksdag, the Government, the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) and the migration courts. The Police issue the passport.
What do they decide?
Every municipality must hold a ceremony for new citizens at least once a year. No power over who becomes a citizen.
No formal role, but healthcare and public transport serve all residents regardless of citizenship.
The Citizenship Act: requirements on proven identity, residence permit and period of residence. Decisions on applications and notifications.
Where are decisions made?
Often in the town hall or in the park on the national day, 6 June.
No arena here: the decisions are made by central government.
In the Riksdag and at the Migration Agency. A rejection can be appealed to a migration court.
Who pays?
The municipal tax: a small cost for the celebration and the venue.
No cost: this area is funded by central government.
The central government budget funds the processing, the applicant pays a fee.
Fastest way in?
Municipal election A proposal to the municipality on how new citizens are welcomed and how the national day is celebrated.
Regional election The regional election does not affect citizenship, but it does shape everyday life for all residents.
General election The general election shapes the requirements. Changes to the law go out for open referral (remiss).
EUWhoever becomes a Swedish citizen also becomes an EU citizen, with the right to live, work and vote across the union. The framework is shaped in the European Parliament election.

Read the table by column to understand one level, or by row to compare the levels. The green level is the area's centre of gravity.

How it works: follow the decision

The case From residence permit to passport
  1. State

    The Riksdag sets the requirements

    The Citizenship Act states what is required: proven identity, a permanent residence permit, a few years of residence in Sweden and an honest way of life. The requirements have been tightened and eased over the years, always by decision of the Riksdag.

    Point of influence

    The general election decides which requirements apply. When the law is reviewed, the proposals go out for referral (remiss) that anyone can respond to.

  2. State

    The application is decided by the Migration Agency

    Those who meet the requirements apply to the Migration Agency, which checks identity and length of residence. Nordic citizens can take a simpler route via notification, which since 1 October 2024 is handled by the Migration Agency.

  3. State

    A no can be appealed

    If you are rejected, the decision can be appealed to the migration court, part of the administrative courts. The court reviews the case afresh, independently of the Migration Agency.

    Point of influence

    The appeal is a right and costs nothing. How to do it is always stated in the decision.

  4. Municipality

    The municipality welcomes you

    A granted citizenship is celebrated with a ceremony that every municipality is required by law to hold at least once a year, often on the national day. Symbolic, but laid down in law.

    Point of influence

    Many municipalities accept proposals on how the ceremony and the celebration are designed.

  5. State

    The passport and the right to vote

    Citizenship brings the right to a Swedish passport, issued by the Police, and the right to vote in the general election. The right to vote in municipal and regional elections belongs to citizens of the EU, Norway and Iceland as soon as they are registered as residents, and to other foreign citizens after three years of registered residence.

  6. Your everyday life

    An envelope with a polling card

    Before the next general election, the polling card lands in the letterbox. What began as a form at an agency ends as a vote that counts.

The journey looks the same in reverse: what has been built came the same way, through the same decisions. Whoever knows where the decisions are made also knows where they can be changed.

Questions to discuss

  1. What makes someone a citizen, the papers or the sense of belonging?

  2. How long should the residence requirement be to become a citizen, and why?

  3. The right to vote in municipal elections does not require Swedish citizenship. Where do you think the line should be drawn?

  4. What should a citizenship ceremony include to feel meaningful?

  5. Dual citizenship is allowed in Sweden. What opportunities and dilemmas does it create?

Glossary

Naturalisation
Becoming a citizen through application, in Sweden decided by the Migration Agency.
Hemvist
The time you have lived permanently in Sweden, one of the requirements for citizenship.
Anmälan
A simpler route to citizenship for, among others, Nordic citizens and young people.
Migrationsdomstol
An administrative court that reviews appealed decisions from the Migration Agency.
Medborgarskapsceremoni
A statutory welcome for new citizens that every municipality holds at least once a year.

Go further

Footnotes

1) This is an estimate of how decision-making power over the issue is split between the municipality, the region, central government and the EU, based on how responsibility is divided in legislation. A teaching guide, not an exact measurement.