Visa for visiting friends or relatives

Requirements for a visa to visit friends or relatives (all documents should be in English or Swedish)

• A passport or other travel document, including copy, valid for at least 90 days after expiration of visa. We only accept passports which have been signed by the holders of the passports. Photocopy of the identity page of the applicant's passport. For non-Chinese applicants a valid Chinese residence permit must be provided as well.
  
  
• Two passport size photos. The photos must be: full face (facing the camera directly with your eyes looking straight at the camera); in colour with a light background; no more than six months old and resemble you; you must be bareheaded, unless you have special religious reasons. Photos that do not conform to these standards will be rejected and may cause delay in processing the application.
  
  
• A completed application form. The application form (and the appendixes below) for a Schengen visa may be downloaded to the right. They are also available at the Embassy or Consulate.
  
  
• A completed form "Family appendix for applicants – Appendix D";
  
  
• A completed form "Referee's Appendix – Appendix E" to be filled in by the person inviting you,
  
  
• Proof of identity of the inviting person in Sweden (personbevis). We accept a copy, fax or outprint from Internet. This can be requisitioned from the nearest local tax office or from the website of the Swedish National Tax Board. The referee must send the completed form (Appendix E) and his/her proof of identity to you so that you can enclose them with your application.
  
  Copy of passport of the inviting person. If the person inviting is not a Swedish citizen, a copy of his/her Swedish residence permit is also required as well as a copy of his/her passport.

• If inviting person in Sweden also is economic guarantor, an employment certificate from her/him or other information (copy of bank-book, salary statement or the like) verifying that funds for the stay are available must be provided. If costs for the visit are to be borne by applicant, financial proofs have to be submitted (bank statement). The required amount is 40 Euro/day in Sweden.

• For Chinese citizens who wish to visit relatives in Sweden we need "hukou" in original, with a photocopy of all the pages.
  
  
• If applicant has a job, a letter from the employer has to be presented. It should be clear from the letter that the applicant has been granted leave and for how long, i.e. will still be employed after his/her return home and the salary. The letter should be signed and stamped and the address, tel number and fax number to your employer should be clear.
  
  
• If the applicant is a student and the time of travel to Sweden is within the school-semester, a letter from the school/university is required where it is certified that he/she is granted leave from his/her studies and for how long. The letter should be signed and stamped and the address, tel number, and fax number to your school/department of university should be clear.
  
  
• Medical insurance covering at least 30.000 Euro valid during the entire duration of stay in the Schengen area (until 24:00 local European time on departure date), both original document and a copy of the insurance certificate (only printed insurance certificates will be accepted, not hand-written); Please note! The original Insurance Certificate must be shown to passport control when entering Schengen! You can otherwise risk being denied entrance.
   
  
• If the applicant is under 18 years old, a written permission from her/his parents is required. In addition to that, "hukou" in original with a photocopy of all pages should be provided.
  
  
• If the Consulate General finds it necessary, you may be asked to provide additional documents or information.

Note!:

You have to appear in person at the Consulate General when applying.

Presentation of the above-mentioned documents doesn't automatically mean that a visa will be granted.

For information about application fees, please browse the list of > expedition fees.

The application procedure normally takes 10 working days.

If you intend to stay longer than 90 days (for example six months or a whole year), you should use the special application form for residence permits instead! See > "Residence permit for visiting relatives"