The Swedish Parliament (Riksdag) has adopted significant amendments to Sweden’s migration legislation affecting persons who are granted EU long-term resident status (ställning som varaktigt bosatt) in Sweden. From 12 July 2026, applicants granted long-term resident status will no longer receive a permanent residence permit (permanent uppehållstillstånd, PUT). Instead, they will receive a residence permit valid for five years, while retaining their legal status as EU long-term residents.

This reform forms part of a broader package of legislative amendments implementing the EU Migration and Asylum Pact and restructuring Sweden’s residence permit system. The amendments were introduced through Government Bill (Prop. 2025/26:262) and approved by the Riksdag through Committee Report SfU30.

Background

Long-term resident status is an EU legal status established under Council Directive 2003/109/EC. It provides enhanced security of residence for third-country nationals who have legally and continuously resided within an EU member state for a prolonged period and who fulfil the conditions laid down in the directive. In Sweden, individuals granted this status have traditionally also received a permanent residence permit, giving them both national permanent residence and the rights attached to EU long-term resident status.

The new legislation changes this approach. While the underlying EU long-term resident status remains unchanged, the national residence permit issued by Sweden will now generally be valid for five years.

What is changing?

Until now, a successful applicant for long-term resident status automatically received:

• EU Long-Term Resident Status; and
• a Swedish permanent residence permit (PUT).

From 12 July 2026, successful applicants will instead receive:

• EU Long-Term Resident Status (ställning som varaktigt bosatt); and
• a residence permit valid for five years, which may be renewed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Aliens Act.

Importantly, the reform does not abolish EU long-term resident status itself. It changes only the type and duration of the Swedish residence permit issued following the grant of that status.

Which applications are affected?

The decisive factor is the date on which the Swedish Migration Agency issues its decision, not the date on which the application was submitted.

Accordingly:

• Decisions issued before 12 July 2026 result in a permanent residence permit.
• Decisions issued on or after 12 July 2026 result in a five-year residence permit.

Applicants whose cases remain pending should therefore be aware that the timing of the decision may determine which type of residence permit they receive.

Existing permanent residence permits remain unaffected

The reform applies prospectively. Persons who already hold permanent residence permits granted before the legislation enters into force will retain those permits. The amendments do not automatically convert existing permanent residence permits into five-year permits. The new rules apply only to decisions issued from 12 July 2026 onwards.

Why has Sweden introduced this reform?

The reform originates from Government Bill 2025/26:262, Utmönstring av permanent uppehållstillstånd och anpassning av svensk rätt till EU:s migrations- och asylpakt.

According to the government, the principal objectives of the reform are to:

• implement Sweden’s obligations under the EU Migration and Asylum Pact;
• replace permanent residence permits with renewable residence permits for the affected categories;
• modernise Sweden’s migration legislation; and
• adapt national law to the new EU migration framework.

The proposal was approved by the Riksdag through Committee Report SfU30 and entered into force on 12 July 2026.

It is important to distinguish between the legal status and the residence permit

A point that is often misunderstood is the difference between EU long-term resident status and the Swedish residence permit. EU long-term resident status (ställning som varaktigt bosatt) is an EU legal status governed primarily by Council Directive 2003/109/EC. The five-year document issued by Sweden is the national residence permit evidencing the holder’s right of residence in Sweden. The reform changes the duration of the Swedish residence permit. It does not abolish, replace or diminish the underlying EU long-term resident status.

Does this affect the path to Swedish citizenship?

One of the most important aspects of the reform concerns Swedish citizenship. When the government proposed abolishing permanent residence permits for newly recognised long-term residents, it also recognised that this change could unintentionally prevent this group from meeting the residence status requirement for Swedish citizenship.

For that reason, the government proposed corresponding amendments so that persons holding EU long-term resident status in Sweden would not lose their opportunity to apply for Swedish citizenship merely because they no longer receive permanent residence permits. Accordingly, the amendments ensure that a person holding long-term resident status is not excluded from applying for Swedish citizenship solely because they no longer hold a permanent residence permit. Eligibility for Swedish citizenship remains subject to all requirements contained in the Swedish Citizenship Act, including those applicable at the time the application is examined.

These requirements include, where applicable:

• the required period of habitual residence;
• proof of identity;
• compliance with the conduct (vandel) requirements;
• the maintenance requirement; and
• the language, civics or other statutory requirements that are in force.

In other words, the abolition of permanent residence permits for this category does not remove the legal pathway to Swedish citizenship. Rather, the citizenship legislation has been adapted to reflect the new residence permit system introduced by the Riksdag.

Practical implications

For applicants with pending cases, the timing of the Migration Agency’s decision has become particularly important. Applicants whose decisions are issued before 12 July 2026 will receive permanent residence permits. Applicants whose decisions are issued on or after that date should generally expect to receive a renewable five-year residence permit while retaining their EU long-term resident status.

From a practical perspective, the rights associated with EU long-term resident status continue to exist. The principal change concerns the form and duration of the Swedish residence permit, rather than the existence of the EU status itself.

Conclusion

This reform represents one of the most significant changes to Sweden’s residence permit system in recent years. While permanent residence permits will no longer be granted to newly recognised EU long-term residents from 12 July 2026, the underlying EU long-term resident status remains unchanged.

Equally important, the Riksdag has ensured that persons holding this status continue to have a legal pathway to Swedish citizenship, provided they satisfy all applicable requirements under the Swedish Citizenship Act.

Applicants should therefore distinguish between EU long-term resident status, which continues unchanged, and the national residence permit issued by Sweden, which, from 12 July 2026 will generally be valid for five years instead of permanently.

Legal References

• Government Bill Prop. 2025/26:262, Utmönstring av permanent uppehållstillstånd och anpassning av svensk rätt till EU:s migrations- och asylpakt.
• Committee Report SfU30, approved by the Riksdag on 9 June 2026.
• Council Directive 2003/109/EC concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents.
• Swedish Migration Agency, Varaktigt bosatta får femårigt uppehållstillstånd (25 June 2026).