Facts

Residence permits for studies are temporary. Even if your stay has lasted for several years, you will normally not be allowed to reside in Sweden. The permit must be valid and included in your passport before you travel to Sweden.

Requirements to be granted a residence permit

To be granted a residence permit you must:

*have a valid passport
*be admitted to full-time studies
*be able to support yourself for the planned study period
*have comprehensive health insurance that covers the whole period you are in Sweden if you plan to study for less than one year.

You must be able to support yourself

You must show that you have funds for the whole of the planned study period the first time you apply for a residence permit. You must show that you have your support secured by means of verification of personal bank assets, a scholarship or similar means of support, such as a foreign study grant. You must enclose a bank statement showing that you have your own bank assets available in an account belonging to you. If you have a scholarship you must present a certificate proving this. We do not accept that a sponsor (such as a relative or a company) supports you during your stay in Sweden.
 
The support requirement is at present a minimum of SEK 7,300 per month. If you intend to study for one year or more you must show that you can support yourself for 10 months per year.  

If you can prove, for example, that you have free accommodation and/or food, this monthly figure can drop. The monthly amount drops by SEK 1,500 per month for free food and by SEK 1,500 per month for free accommodation.

Related files

General information and procedures at the Embassy

Applicants who wish to study in Sweden need to apply for a Residence Permit before entering Sweden.

IMPORTANT: Please note that as of June 2011 all applicants have to make an appointment with the Embassy before visiting. More information regarding this can be found under the following link: Appointment system for the Embassy


On May 2011 an EU Regulation enters into force in Sweden which means that a residence permit card will replace the sticker in passports. For more information, please click on the following link: Introduction of residence cards and biometric data. 

All applicants have to pay the application fee through the Embassy bank account before applying and bring the receipt to the Embassy together with the application. The fee must be paid to the Embassy bank account in ANZ Bank, account number: VND 6143432, account name Embassy of Sweden-UM.

 For information on current fees, please consult the Application Fees page. Please note that the Fee is non-refundable.


You will find all the information on which documents you require to bring and how to apply under the page Residence Permit for Studies on our website.

After you submit your application at the Embassy the Embassy will send your application and all the attached documents to the Migration Board for further process. When the application has left the Embassy you have to contact the Migration Board directly for any questions regarding your application. For contact information, please visit their website: Migrationsverket

It is the Migration Board who decides whether or not you will get a residence permit. The Embassy has no influence over the Board’s decision. Once the decision has been taken, it is sent to the Embassy. The applicant will be contacted by the Embassy by phone. If you wish to have your decision in written form it will be provided upon request. Please note that the decisions made by the Migration Board are in Swedish, with a short explanation in English, and that it is up to you to have it translated into Vietnamese if needed.

If your application is rejected, you may appeal the decision within three weeks of the date you received the decision. You must send the appeal to the Migration Board by post and not through the Embassy in Hanoi. If you have given someone in Sweden a power of attorney to represent you, he or she may write your appeal and send it to the Migration Board.

If you have general questions regarding residence permits for studies, please contact the Embassy during our visa phone hours on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 15.00 -16.00. Our staff speaks Swedish, English and Vietnamese.

If you have any questions regarding an ongoing application you should contact the Migration Board in Sweden directly.