Sweden Planning to Tighten Citizenship Requirements Starting June 2026

Sweden may soon tighten a number of citizenship requirements for foreign nationals who want to obtain the country’s passport, following proposals made in a new report.

The government-appointed investigator, Kirsi Laakso Utvik, presented the report with proposals to tighten the criteria for citizenship acquisition earlier this week.

After a thorough investigation on the matter, the report proposes that several rules, including the residence period, be tightened for all future citizenship applicants, Schengen.News reports.

As the Swedish Ministry of Justice has revealed, the report requires that the country increase the residence period requirement by three years from the current five to eight years.

By increasing the residence period requirement, the report notes that the authorities would be able to better obtain information about the citizenship applicants and assess their lifestyle over time.

Report Proposes Tightening of Several Other Rules
The report has also proposed that Sweden introduces a stricter requirement for “an honest lifestyle” to be eligible for Swedish citizenship.

As explained by the Ministry, the stricter requirement for an honest lifestyle means, among other things, that those who have committed a crime will have to wait for a longer period of time before they can be admitted as Swedish citizens.

In addition to the above-mentioned, the report also proposes that citizenship applicants show self-sufficiency and that they have additional knowledge of Swedish society and culture.

Moreover, according to the proposal, applicants should also be required to prove that they have not received financial assistance for more than six months in the last three years prior to filing their citizenship application.

Other proposals have also been made, but these are some of the most important.

As the Ministry noted, the report proposes that these changes to the citizenship rules enter into force on June 1, 2026. However, a final decision on the matter still needs to be made by the government before the citizenship criteria be tightened.

The Time of No Requirements Is Over, Migration Minister Says
Commenting on the proposals made in the report, the Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell said that the time of no requirements to become a citizen of the country is over.

According to him, in order to obtain Sweden’s passport, foreign nationals must make an effort to become part of the society.

The Minister further noted that with the tightening of the requirements, those who want to become Swedish citizens will have to do more.

Source: https://schengen.news/sweden-planning-to-tighten-citizenship-requirements-starting-june-2026/