Can I move to another country and wait for my Swedish citizenship?

Question

Hi,

I have been living in Sweden for 5 years and I have recently applied for citizenship. Right now I am in the queue to get a case officer. My question is the following: Can I move to another country, Switzerland and wait for my citizenship abroad. Originally, I have a non-Eu citizenship.

Answer 1

Hi!

Thanks for coming to Lawline with your question.

Regulations regarding Swedish citizenship can be found in lagen om svenskt medborgarskap.

Am I allowed to stay abroad?

Your question seems to be regarding if there is a requirement to live in Sweden to be able to get a citizenship. There is no regulation which says you currently have to be in Sweden when your application is to be approved. There is, however, a requirement that says you need to have a period of habitual residence in Sweden for 5 consecutive years in order to become a citizen (11 § p. 4 lagen om svenskt medborgarskap). You are allowed to travel abroad during this time, but if you spend more than six weeks outside of Sweden during a year, this time will not count towards the 5 total years needed. If you make an actual move to a different country during this time, your period of habitual residence is interrupted, and you will not be able to fulfil the criteria. You can read more about this on the Swedish Migration Agency's website.

Can I move to Switzerland and wait for my citizenship?

You are not able to actually move to Switzerland if you want a Swedish citizenship, as it will interrupt your habitual residence. You can however stay there for a short period of time without it affecting your application.

Hope this answered your question!