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.
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.
The application fee is SEK 2,000 for an adult and SEK 1,000 for a child under 18. 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.
