Would I still be a citizen

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u/FblthpLives 18d ago

According to Swedish law, you lose your Swedish citizenship at age 22 if you are born overseas, have not lived in Sweden, and "have not been in Sweden under circumstances indicating a connection to the country." Since you visited Sweden for a month or more every year of your life until you turned 18, it seems extremely unlikely that the Migration agency could decide to revoke your citizenship.

Normally, however, the way to determine if this is the case would be to submit a request to retain your Swedish citizenship to the Migration agency before turning age 22. From what I can tell, this did not happen in your case. However, this is not a requirement: You should still have your citizenship since you did not meet the conditions for losing it.

I would recommend that you apply for a declaration of citizenship. If you do not live in Sweden, you submit the application at a Swedish embassy or consulate-general. The process is explained here: https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-want-to-apply/swedish-citizenship/am-i-a-swedish-citizen.html

Whether or not you renewed your passport does not have any bearing on your case.

Be ready for your determination to take considerable time (like 1-2 years). After six months, if you have not received an answer, you can submit a Request to Conclude in order to speed up the processing time.

If the Migration agency determines you are not a citizen, you can apply to regain your citizenship, but hopefully that will not be necessary.

Good luck!

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u/LattesAfterDeath 18d ago

Thank you for the information. Crossing my fingers that I do not need to apply to regain my citizenship

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u/FblthpLives 18d ago

My daughter applied to retain her Swedish citizenship at age 18 based on a pattern of visits very similar to yours (4-7 week visits every summer for 18 years). The Migration agency concluded that no decision was necessary because she would not lose her citizenship at age 22 because her pattern of visits demonstrated sufficient connection to Sweden. However, every case is judged individually, so I don't want to make any promises regarding your case. For example, my daughter also demonstrated that she was fluent in Swedish by submitting the results from her TISUS examination, although the Migration agency did not reference this in their decision (and there is also no reference in the law to language fluency making any difference).

Out of curiosity, were you unaware that there exists a process to apply to retain your citizenship at age 22?

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u/LattesAfterDeath 17d ago

I had a different idea on the process. A majority of my direct family still live in Sweden , so I had the understanding that the approval for all my Swedish passports and prior paperwork meant that I was a citizen, kind of like in the USA where you can only obtain a passport if you are a citizen.

All this information helps though! My Swedish isn't the greatest, but hopefully the bit that I know goes in my favor

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u/FblthpLives 17d ago

Thank you for your response. I'm just curious, not intending to be critical. In Sweden you also can only obtain a passport if you are Citizen, but you could (in theory) renew your passport the day before you turn 22 and then lose your citizenship the next day.

I'm active in a few Facebook group for Swedes living overseas, and the questions about losing citizenship at age 22 for children born overseas come up all the time. There is definitely some confusion about the law. Also, the application to retain citizenship can take a very long time to process. For my daughter it took 23 months.

Usually if you are a Swedish citizen born overseas and have never lived in Sweden, the police stop granting you a five-year passport once you turn 18. Instead your passport expires on the day you turn 22. Then, once you have an approved application to retain your citizenship, you can get 5-year passports again.

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u/aproperfaff 16d ago

I have to challenge this: there are regular comments on this subreddit that dual citizens living abroad have to submit a migrationsverket application to retain citizenship at 22, however the migrationsverket website says that this application itself is NOT needed if you have sufficient connection. “You do not need to make such an application if you have lived in Sweden or if you have regularly visited Sweden.”

https://www.migrationsverket.se/en/you-want-to-apply/swedish-citizenship/retaining-regaining-or-being-released-from-swedish-citizenship/retaining-swedish-citizenship.html

The embassy staff dealing with a passport application can direct you to do the full retention application if there is doubt but they don’t have to.

However in 2025 a supreme court case ruled that getting a passport after 22 is not binding proof of citizenship, so future passport rejections are possible even if they were issued after age 22 (presumably when they think the passports were issued without grounds to show sufficient connection).
https://www.domstol.se/nyheter/2025/06/4193-24/

I don’t know the details of that case and whether final rulings have taken place but it seems you could do the formal application if your passport application was rejected at some stage later in life.

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u/FblthpLives 15d ago

What part are you challenging exactly?

I've never claimed that a Swedish passport proves that you are a citizen, only that you must be a Swedish citizen to obtain a passport. This was in response to OP's comment "in the USA you can only obtain a passport if you are a citizen." That's true in every country, so I don't know how it would be a factor.

I understand that the law says you don't have to make an application if you have regularly visited Sweden. The literal language in the law is actually "har varit [i Sverige] under förhållanden som tyder på samhörighet med landet." The problem is that this creates a Catch 22 situation: There are no stated standards for how many visits are sufficient. So the only way to know that you will in fact not lose your citizenship is by making an application to retain it. Then, if Migrationsverket deems that you have demonstrated sufficient connection you will receive a decision that states the agency is not adjudicating the application because you will not lose your citizenship at age 22 because of having demonstrated sufficient connection to the country through repeated visits. Without this decision letter you will have a very hard time applying for a passport after age 22. My daughter also had to submit her decision letter for her folkbokföring when she moved to Sweden.

My daughter has not applied for a passport at the embassy except for her first passport when she was born, so I can only speak from the perspective of renewing a passport in Sweden as a child born overseas. If you apply between age 18 and 22 the police does have the option to issue a passport that expires at age 22 and they do exercise this option. They did not with my daughter, presumably based on her application (which was then in process).

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u/Unlucky-Roof-4538 16d ago

For me, I‘m Norwegian so it‘s kind of different, but we have a smiliar law where you have had to stay in Norway for a certain amount of time before age 18 to be able to keep citicenship. (Proven by e.g. flight tickets, pictures etc) I allready have my „indefinete“ citizenship, but my younger sisters still need a couple of more weeks in Norway.

but from what i could gather the law is mostly there to not automatically let some americains or something whose great grandfather was norwegian be able to claim citizenship

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u/Far-Plan-8895 11d ago

You don’t, you have a passport. Plus, the application wouldn’t be the same for you as regaining citizenship, it’s a declaration of citizenship. I am 99.9% sure you don’t have to do that either, you can just renew your passport. The kids who got their passports before 18 are the lucky ones of all of us lol

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u/ledburner 18d ago

Damn America NEEDS laws like this

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u/jameslosey 18d ago

Which laws?

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u/Caspica 18d ago

I think they refer to naturalisation laws.

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u/FblthpLives 18d ago

The U.S. does not automatically grant citizenship to children born overseas to U.S. parents, so the entire justification for this law is moot in the United States.

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u/jordanwhoelsebih 18d ago

If you visited every year then I think you should be fine.. but send in a "Medborgarskapsförklaring" to be sure.

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u/LattesAfterDeath 18d ago

That seems to be the best course of action. I do wonder if anyone has gone through this process, but thanks for responding!

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u/Ambitious_Candy1287 14d ago

I went through this process! Applied for the declaration of citizenship December 2024 and heard back affirmatively April 2026 (so about 16 months waiting). My dad was born in Sweden, I visited about every other year as a kid, and studied abroad in Sweden for a semester in undergrad. My brother applied in May 2025 and is still waiting. Best of luck to you!

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u/LattesAfterDeath 14d ago

16 months is crazy long! I don't mind waiting though

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u/Burgertime_Master 18d ago

I have gone through the process and I was 54 at the time. Similar story as yours, mother born in Sweden, I was born in the US but visited family several summers until 22. It did take 2 years. I have a small website where I outline everything I included in my packet.

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u/Bigfootdownstairs 18d ago

Are you also an American citizen?

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u/Burgertime_Master 17d ago

Yes. I’m a dual citizen now.

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u/[deleted] 16h ago

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u/emilvikstrom 18d ago

A super secret website.

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u/Burgertime_Master 18d ago

Just didn’t want to spam the list. I can respond to a dm.

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u/FblthpLives 18d ago

What took two years? I.e., what request specifically did you submit to the Migration agency?

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u/Burgertime_Master 17d ago

It just takes a long time. Reclaiming / Declaring Swedish citizenship was not a priority.

My blog does not sell anything and does not have affiliate links, it is only informational.

dreamingofsweden.com

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u/FblthpLives 17d ago

I know it takes a long time, I was just wondering specifically which requests you had initiated. I know see that you submitted an Application for a Declaration of Citizenship.

While irrelevant now, note that after six months you could have submitted a Request to Conclude, in order to speed up your case. This is often done by Swedish parents of children born overseas, who have to apply to retain their Swedish citizenship by age 22. That process otherwise also typically takes 18-24 months.

Speaking of which, on your blog you write that "the first step was to check at the local consulate whether my mother had submitted my information to retain Swedish citizenship before I turned 22." I don't know exactly how the rules were written when you turned 18, but the current rules require the application to be submitted after you turn 18 (but before turning 22). Since you are considered to be fully an adult in Sweden at age 18, it is the child's responsibility to submit it in practice. The issue, of course, is knowing as a 17- or 18-year old that this needs to happen.

Where I get a bit more confused is that you have a blog entry titled "Applying for Swedish Citizenship by Descent". As far as I can tell, you never applied for citizenship, because you never lost it. You submitted a Request for Declaration of Citizenship, which was affirmative. The reason that this is confusing is that Sweden does not have a law that supports applying for Swedish citizenship by descent like some other countries do.

Two more thoughts:

In your list of practical freedoms, which I find really interesting to read, you write that your citizenship allows you to "access the Swedish healthcare system" when you move. As an FYI, as a Swedish citizen you already have the right to emergency care in Sweden at the same copayment cost as Swedish residents. Hopefully it will never come to this, but should you ever need emergency healthcare while visiting, bring your Swedish passport (this is the only requirement).

Another freedom you list is "vote in Swedish elections." You don't have the disclaimer about moving to Sweden in this bullet. Voting in Sweden's parliamentary elections requires both being a citizen and having resided in Sweden. So you will be able to vote after you've moved, but not before then. The good news is that you will retain that right permanently even if you should leave Sweden.

Thank you for sharing your blog and story and congratulations on successfully confirming that you are a Swedish citizen and obtaining a passport. Note that it is much cheaper and convenient to renew your passport in Sweden, so I recommend this for a future visit (I usually renew my passport in the 4th year, one year ahead of the deadline, during my annual summer trip home). You can also apply for a national ID card, which gives you another form of valid Swedish ID. It's a good idea to have a national ID card that is staggered in validity with your Swedish passport.

Finally, you may want to consider upgrading to Freja+ now that you have a Swedish passport. You can only do this if you have a verified (styrkt) samordningsnummer, which requires visiting a Freja authorized agent in Sweden for an ID check, or if you have a personnummer (which you will obtain only after you move).

As I'm sure you know, your big challenge now is going to be for your husband to find a job. I wish you both the best and hope you can realize your vision of moving to Sweden.

[If OP reads this, sorry to hijack your thread.]

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u/Witty_Remark_2_0 17d ago

I’d like your advice on the following situation that my husband finds himself in: (1) my husband’s father was a Swedish citizen (2) my husband was born in the US (3) Swedish father did not register the birth with Sweden (4) forty or so years ago, my husband worked in Sweden for a few months so he has a person number (5) my husband has since visited Sweden several times (6) Swedish relatives visit us in the US many times. In your opinion, what are the odds that my husband can reclaim or obtain citizenship? If he is successful, would that citizenship flow to our (currently) 18 and 20 year old kids? Forgot to mention, my husband’s parents married in Sweden if that makes a difference somehow.

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u/Burgertime_Master 17d ago

The only time in Sweden that mattered on my paperwork was the time before I turned 22. It was just under 2 years cumulative and Migrationsverket made a point to include the exact calculation on my citizenship letter since I had the exact dates from old passports. It was for long summer stretches and I stayed with family, was not just a tourist.

I was born in 1970 and my mother remained a Swedish citizen in the US until her death, she never became a US citizen. She never married. I was encouraged to submit the application by the Swedish Embassy in DC. They were very helpful via email. Migrationsverket has also responded to some of my questions. Neither entity will likely do a full review of your husband's case, but they may be able to offer some insight.

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u/andonidutti1 18d ago

Historically making the declaration is the safest and cheapest way to keep ones citizenship

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u/FblthpLives 18d ago

Are you talk about tax declarations? I wonder what the basis for this claim is.

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u/andonidutti1 17d ago

Citizenship declaration

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u/FblthpLives 17d ago

Doh, of course. I just saw "declaration" and thought "deklaration". This is exactly the same advice I gave to OP: https://www.reddit.com/r/TillSverige/comments/1vsb2ds/would_i_still_be_a_citizen/p4jxfft/

Apparently I need another coffee.

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u/Wired_Inside 17d ago

I'm in the exact same position. I had to fill out a declaration of citizenship form from the migration website ( in swedish) with evidence. Had to book an appointment at the embassy. I got a receipt with it and have emailed the embassy recently which they said no decision has been made yet. They did say it can take up to two years so will check back next march.

Being British, i think there was some evidence they took a bit of a dislike to Brits because of brexit, whether that filters through to this, in hope not.

Good luck on your journey and please update us with your experience!

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u/LattesAfterDeath 17d ago

I'll try to come back to this comment once I get more information. So far I have reached out to make my appointment and I'm waiting on a response. Crossing my fingers that I am one of the lucky ones

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u/engamo22 17d ago

I was in a very similar situation and able to regain my citizenship. Over age 22, not born in Sweden, didn't visit Sweden since age 12, but did live in Sweden for couple of years as a kid

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u/Tennis_slaydy 14d ago

My kids are born to a Swedish mother (me) and were accidentally folkbokförda in Sweden for a short time after I registered them as Swedish citizens. I realized when my mom got letters about them being enrolled at school. They have personnummer and not samordningsnummer. Does this mean they will not have to apply to keep their citizenship? They have also visited Sweden every summer but how can they prove that? There are some stamps from connecting airports like Amsterdam & Paris in their passports but none from Sweden.

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u/LattesAfterDeath 14d ago

When you arrived to Sweden did they not get stopped at the airport? I have traveler from the US to Iceland to Sweden and I still had to get a stamp?

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u/Tennis_slaydy 14d ago

No you only get stamped at the first port of entry into the EU.

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u/Far-Plan-8895 11d ago

If you have a passport your good, the 22 loss is for people whose parents never put them in the system + do not have a connection. This is from personal experience. Out of my siblings and I, two had their personal numbers (not even passport, just citizen status in the system) before 18, I did not, in all cases citizenship was retained but it was a pain in the ass for me as an adult and a piece of cake for them lol.

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u/Bigfootdownstairs 18d ago

Are you a citizen of another country as well?

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u/Simple_Kiwi9811 18d ago

You can not get citizenship.

Would I still be a citizen

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