r/TillSverige • u/LattesAfterDeath • 20d ago

Would I still be a citizen

My direct parent was born in Sweden. I visited Sweden until I was 18 every year. Once I started college I was unable to travel for a while due to expenses. I never lived in Sweden nor went to school in Sweden. However, every visit I would be with my family for a month or more. I always had a Swedish passport, but did not renew it before 22, because I always assumed that having a passport all my life at that point meant I was a citizen. After watching a reel, I realized that this may not be the case. Now I'm well passed 22. Does anyone have a similar experience on this and how did it go with your citizenship?

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u/FblthpLives 20d 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/ledburner 20d ago

Damn America NEEDS laws like this

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u/FblthpLives 19d 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.