Sambo permit to permanent residence: the three-year application window

If your sambo permit is nearing its expiry date, you need to know whether you qualify for permanent residence yet, or only for another extension. Migrationsverket tests three separate conditions before answering that, not one. A residence history of at least three years, a specific income floor, and a good-conduct standard each apply on their own terms. That good-conduct standard tightened on 13 July 2026. This guide sets out what each gate requires, in the order Migrationsverket checks it, for extending the sambo permit itself.

Still living with the same partner

The extension itself depends on one condition first: continued cohabitation with the partner who sponsored the original permit. Migrationsverket requires that you still live with the partner you got the permit to live with when you first applied. A valid passport is required alongside it.

If the relationship has ended, this condition is no longer met on its own. Separate grounds can still keep the application alive, and those grounds are covered later in this guide.

The three-year mark for permanent residence

If you have lived in Sweden with a residence permit for at least three years, you can apply for permanent residence too. You do this at the same time as your extension, not in a later application round. This is an optional step taken alongside the extension, not a separate filing made afterward.

The three-year figure applies to time held under a residence permit, not time spent in Sweden more broadly. Anyone unsure how their own permit history counts toward it should check the figure directly against Migrationsverket's own page.

The self-support test

Permanent residence requires that you can support yourself financially, through taxed income from legal employment, your own company, or a combination of the two. For 2026, that income floor is SEK 6,243 a month for a single adult, calculated after housing costs.

Some income counts toward that figure and some does not. Parental benefit or sickness benefit counts, provided employment is ongoing and the leave involved is assessed at 12 months or less. Self-employment income counts only if you own at least half the company and hold decisive responsibility in it.

Income from a family member does not count. Neither does income from capital or assets, unemployment benefit, activity compensation, grants, scholarships, or a subsidised employment. A gross income above the floor that relies on any of these does not clear the test.

The good-conduct requirement, and what changed on 13 July 2026

Permanent residence has always required living what Migrationsverket calls a "skötsamt liv," a well-behaved life. As of 13 July 2026, stricter good-conduct requirements apply to residence permit applications generally. One provision, Chapter 7, Section 3d, instead takes effect on a date the government separately determines.

To assess conduct, Migrationsverket looks at how you have lived so far. That includes whether you have been convicted or suspected of a crime in Sweden or abroad. It also includes whether there are circumstances showing you have not followed applicable rules. These stricter conduct requirements do not apply when residence permits for international protection seekers are assessed.

If the extension or permanent residence application is refused, see Appeals, Rejections & Disputes.

When to apply, and for how long the extension runs

Apply for an extension no earlier than two months before your current permit expires. You must apply before it expires, not after.

The extension itself runs for a maximum of two years. It can never run longer than your passport is valid. A passport renewal ahead of the application is worth checking.

What changed for extensions on 1 October 2026

New rules for residence permits based on family ties took effect on 1 October 2026. Four points bear directly on a sambo extension.

Until 30 September 2026, your partner did not have to meet the maintenance requirement when you extended; it applied only to a first application. From 1 October 2026 they do, and your own income can count toward it, not only your partner's. This is separate from the permanent residence self-support test above, which looks at your own qualifying income.

The requirement is also set at a higher amount. For 2026, Migrationsverket sets it at "13 408 kronor för sammanlevande makar eller sambor", SEK 13,408 a month for a cohabiting couple, left after tax and after rent is paid. Under the old rules the figure was SEK 10,314.

A transitional rule covers people already here. If your original permit was granted before 1 October 2026 and you file your extension by 1 October 2027, the higher amount does not apply. From 2 October 2027, the higher amount applies to everyone.

The new rules also require a partner in Sweden who holds a temporary residence permit to have lived here for two years before a family member can get a permit. The two-year rule does not apply when you extend a permit granted under the old rules (Prop. 2025/26:301, transitional provision 2). A partner on a temporary permit must also have "well-founded prospects" of permanent residence. That condition is not new: the bill says it "följer även av hittillsvarande regler", it already followed from the previous rules, and the transitional exemption for extensions covers only the two-year rule, not this one. A partner who is a Swedish citizen or holds permanent residence is not covered by either condition.

Processing time and fees

Migrationsverket reports that 75% of recently decided cases in this category were decided within six months. As Migrationsverket states, it is not possible to say exactly how long you will need to wait for a decision.

An application fee applies, with a lower amount for children under 18; Migrationsverket sets the current fee. EU/EEA and Swiss citizens and their family members are exempt, as are Japanese citizens and the family members of protection-based permit holders.

If the relationship has ended, or if there has been violence

A relationship ending does not automatically end eligibility to extend the permit. In some cases, an extension is still possible, but the applicant then needs to show continued ties to Sweden in another way.

Those ties can include living with a new partner, or having children with the right to live in Sweden. Established labour-market ties can count as well. You may show these ties yourself when the relationship has ended. Separately, an extended permit is available in some cases if the relationship ended because you or your child were mistreated by your partner.

Conclusion

The path from a sambo permit to permanent residence runs through three checks. These are three years of residence history, an income floor tied to a 2026 figure, and a good-conduct standard reshaped on 13 July 2026. All three apply at the same two-month application window before your current permit expires.

Confirm your own case against Migrationsverket's current rules before applying. For what permanent residence leads to next, see Citizenship & PR. For how this extension sits inside the wider permit system more broadly, start there.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do you need a sambo permit before applying for permanent residence in Sweden?

At least three years of residence held under a permit. You can apply for the permanent residence permit at the same time as that extension, once the three years are reached.

What income counts toward the self-support requirement for a Swedish permanent residence permit?

Taxed income from legal employment counts, as does income from your own company if you hold at least half of it with decisive responsibility. Parental or sickness benefit counts only where employment continues and the leave is 12 months or less. Income from a family member, capital, unemployment benefit, grants, or a subsidised employment does not count.

What changed in the good-conduct requirement for Sweden residence permits from 13 July 2026?

Stricter good-conduct requirements began applying to residence permit applications generally from that date. Migrationsverket assesses how the applicant has lived, including any convictions or suspected offences. One provision, Chapter 7, Section 3d, was excluded from that date and instead starts on a date the government separately determines.