If you are visiting Sweden on a conference trip and are a citizen of a non-EU country, you may need a visa. To be granted a visa, you need an invitation from the company or person who is arranging the conference. You must show that you have enough money for your keep and for your home trip. You also need health insurance that covers the costs if you become ill during your visit to Sweden.

If you wish to visit Sweden and the other Schengen countries, you must have

• a passport that is valid for a minimum of three months after your visa has expired and which has been issued in the last ten-year period
• an invitation from the company or the organisation arranging the conference
• money for your keep and for the journey home. Sweden requires that you have SEK 450 for each day spent in Sweden. In certain circumstances, this amount may be lower, for example in the case of a young child, if the cost of food and accommodation is paid in advance or if you are going to stay with relatives or friends. You must be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds for your keep with the help, for example, of bank statements or a document in which the person inviting you to Sweden promises to meet all expenses during the visit  
• individual medical travel insurance which covers the costs which could arise as a result of emergency medical assistance, emergency hospitalisation or medical repatriation. The insurance should cover costs of at least EUR 30,000 and be valid in all the Schengen country.

Requirements of Swedish embassies and consulates

Some requirements differ from country to country. It is therefore important that you check what applies in your case. The requirements may change depending on the current circumstances. You will find more information on the website of the relevant embassy. Click on the link at the bottom of the page find the appropriate embassy.

Special agreement for certain countries

Special rules apply for citizens of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine due to the Visa Facilitation Agreement concluded between these countries and the EU. More information about this agreement can be obtained from the embassies and consulates of the EU Member States in these countries.

You should hand in your visa application to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general. In certain countries, Sweden is represented by another Schengen country. There are also countries where Sweden does not have its own mission and is not represented by another country. If this is the case, anyone wishing to hand in a visa application must travel to the nearest country where there is a Swedish embassy or consulate-general.  

If you intend to hand in your visa application at another Schengen country’s mission abroad, you should contact the mission in advance. In such cases, it is this country’s documentary requirements which will apply. The documents should also be translated into the language of that country.

To apply for a visa, you must fill in the form Application for Schengen Visa.  

Ensure your application is complete

To enable the authorities to process your application, you must clearly state

• Why you are visiting Sweden  
• How long you intend to stay in Sweden  
• How you will support yourself during your time in Sweden  
• The type of passport you hold and for how long it is valid  
• Where you intend to travel following your visit to Sweden  
• If you have a permit to enter the country you intend to travel to after your stay in Sweden

With your application, you must enclose

• two passport photographs in which you are looking straight ahead and which are not more than six months old
• Appendix A, form number 210021
• an invitation – a letter – from the company or the organisation arranging the conference
• other documents which the embassy may require.

The invitation must contain information about you, for example

• your personal data
• the reason for your visit to Sweden
• how long you intend to be in Sweden
• who will be responsible for supporting you financially during the time you are in Sweden.

You will normally receive a response within two weeks, but processing times can vary at embassies or consulates. During the June–August holiday period, the processing time could be longer. If you need current information about this, contact the Swedish embassy or consulate-general which will process your application. If the Swedish embassy or consulate-general sends your application on to the Swedish Migration Agency, the process may take longer. To be sure that you receive your visa in time, you should submit your application at least two months before you are due to travel to Sweden.

For more information, please visit the Swedish Migration Agency website: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Visiting-Sweden/Visiting-on-business-and-for-conferences.html