Sweden’s Working Holiday Visa for Australians
If you’re an Australian aged between 18 and 30 years old, you can apply for a working holiday visa to live in Sweden for up to 12 months!
The working holiday program is designed for young people to experience the life and culture in Sweden. Temporary work to fund your holiday is allowed. Although living in Sweden can be a little expensive, this could be a great opportunity to live in a cosmopolitan Scandinavian city like Stockholm, a university town like Uppsala or even experience life in the Arctic Circle.
This page contains information about the Swedish Working Holiday Visa for Australian citizens. It was last updated on 29 April 2023.
Key facts about Sweden
- Population: Approx. 10 million
- Official language: Swedish (“svenska” in Swedish)
- Capital city: Stockholm
- Largest cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala, Örebro
- Name of the country in Swedish: Sverige
- Currency: Swedish krona (SEK)
Sweden Working Holiday Visa requirements for Australians
In addition to Australians, Sweden offers Working Holiday visas to citizens of Argentina, Chile, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea & Uruguay. The information on this page applies to Australian citizens and may differ for citizens of other countries. Please check with the Migrationsverket website or the Swedish embassy in your country for more information.
To apply for a working holiday visa for Sweden as an Australian citizen, you must meet the following requirements:
- Aged between 18-30 years old (inclusive) at the time of application
- Have at least SEK15,000 (approx. AUD2,300) to support yourself initially in Sweden
- Have a return flight ticket to Sweden (or enough money to buy one)
There is normally also a requirement to have comprehensive health insurance, and this is highly recommended. But this is not a Swedish visa requirement for Australian citizens due to Australia’s reciprocal health care agreement with Sweden.
You cannot apply for this visa if you:
- Have accompanying children
- Have previously held a Swedish working holiday visa
- Are travelling to Sweden for a reason other than a working holiday
More information is available on Sweden’s Migrationsverket website.
Documents needed to apply for this visa
When applying for a Swedish working holiday visa as an Australian citizen, you will need to provide the following documents:
- Valid Australian passport with sufficient time until expiry
- A bank statement showing you have at least the equivalent of SEK15,000 (approx. AUD2,300)
- A copy of a return ticket to Sweden, or a bank statement showing you have enough money to buy one
There is a working holiday visa application fee of SEK1,500 (approx. AUD230).
How to apply for a Swedish Working Holiday Visa
You can apply for a Swedish working holiday visa online with the Swedish Migration Agency (recommended). Alternatively, you could submit an application form and supporting documents to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general in the country where you live.
If applying online: Once your application has been approved, you’ll need to visit the Swedish embassy or consulate-general that you nominated in your online application with your passport. There, you’ll be issued with your residence permit valid for up to one year.
In Australia, the Swedish embassy is in Canberra.
You must apply outside of Sweden. You cannot enter Sweden until a decision has been made and your residence permit has been granted. When you arrive in Sweden, present your residence permit decision and passport.
After arriving in Sweden, you’ll need to book an appointment with the Swedish Migration Agency as soon as possible to have your fingerprints and photograph taken.
More information is available on Sweden’s Migrationsverket website.
While best efforts are made to keep this information updated, we do not guarantee its accuracy. If you spot an error, would like to suggest new information to be added or simply have a question, please let us know in the comments and we’ll endeavour to respond or update the article as quickly as possible!
Good Afternoon,
I am writing to enquire about a few things regarding to the Working holiday Visa for an Australian.
As stated on your website, I’ll have to visit the embassy in Canberra. As I live in Queensland, I’m wondering if there is any way around this?
Also once/if my application is approved does the 1 year start from that date – or from when I arrive in Sweden?
Do I have to be fully vaccinated to send in my application?
If someone could get back to me it would be so much appreciated.
Kindest Regards,
Chelsea 🙂
Hi Chelsea,
I don’t think there is any way around the requirement to visit the embassy in Canberra. You can apply online but you need to physically attend the embassy to show your passport and to collect your visa, according to the official Swedish government website – https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Working-in-Sweden/Employed/Special-rules-for-certain-occupations-and-citizens-of-certain-countries/Working-holiday-visa-for-young-people.html
The 1 year normally starts from the date you enter Sweden. When you apply for the visa, you’ll normally have to show a plane ticket and this would have the date on it when you plan to enter Sweden.
I don’t see any specific reason you would need to be vaccinated to apply for the visa, but there may be entry requirements for travel to Sweden.
Good luck!
Oh thanks so much for that! Very helpful 🙂
My flight to Europe isn’t going straight to Sweden though, I will be travelling for around 2 months before, Would the visa still begin once entering Sweden or Europe?
Kindest Regards,
Chels
If in doubt, you should probably check with the Swedish embassy. But as far as I understand it, when you apply for the visa, you should present a plane or train ticket which shows the date you will enter Sweden. Even if it’s just a flight from Amsterdam to Stockholm, for example. And then the visa should commence from that date.
Hi Matt !
Just wanted to add in my update to maybe help someone else looking into this :)) I am now living in Sweden on my working holiday visa! I did not need to attend the embassy in Canberra, I was able to attend any embassy. I ended up in Paris and went to the Swedish embassy there to have my photograph and fingerprints taken, then once they received my actual visa they offered to send it to wherever I was.
Super easy and flexible process.
Kindest,
Chelsea
Great, thanks for letting me know. Enjoy your time in Sweden! 🙂
Hi there,
In regards to the Working holiday Visa for an Australian, it states on the website I am required to attend the embassy in Canberra to further my application process. I live in Perth, Western Australia – this is 3,800 kilometres from Canberra or two flights across the country, is there way around this process?
Kind regards,
Emma
You may wish to contact the Swedish embassy directly to ask them, but I am not aware of any obvious way around this. As far as I know, it is a requirement to attend in-person the Swedish embassy or consulate-general that you nominated during your online application, along with your passport, to collect your “residence permit decision”.
If it’s easier for you though, I don’t think you necessarily have to nominate the Swedish embassy in Canberra. You must collect the residence permit decision from outside of Sweden, but I think you could choose to visit the Swedish embassy in Jakarta or Singapore (for example).
Hi again,
Would you have an idea of the average processing times for the working holiday visa? I have read a few different things on a few websites ranging from 4 weeks to 3 months. How long shall I expect from submitting my application before I hear anything at all?
Kind Regards,
Chels
The official Sweden Abroad website says “approximately 3 months”. https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/about-sweden-non-swedish-citizens/australia/going-to-sweden/working-holiday-in-sweden/
It could be quicker than this, but I doubt it would take any longer. If possible, I guess this means it would be a good idea to apply around 3-4 months ahead of your planned travel to Sweden, if you can.
I don’t have any more information about this, sorry, so you may wish to contact the Swedish embassy directly and ask them.
I have been granted a working holiday visa in Sweden and now have a residence card.
Can I travel Europe and Schengen freely without considering the 90-180 rule for the Schengen visa ?
No – the Swedish working holiday visa only gives you the right to stay (and work/study) for the full duration of your visa in Sweden. You can still travel within the rest of the Schengen Area as a tourist, but the 90/180 day rule still applies for the other Schengen countries.
Hi! I’m also waiting on my visa to be granted. Could you please let me know how long it took for you? Thanks!
Hi Alex, how long did the process for the visa take?
Hi, I am looking to get a working holiday visa in Sweden, but still would like to travel around Europe. I understand from the above question I can only do so for 3 months and then leave. If I was to get my residency in Sweden, am I allowed to go back to Sweden and wait the 3 months to re travel again even though Sweden is technically apart of the EU.
Or does anyone know a way to be able to travel around Europe for longer than 3 months coming from Australia.
Any help is much appreciated thank you!
I’m not 100% sure, but I believe that if you have a visa for Sweden, you can still spend up to 90 out of every 180 days in other Schengen Area countries outside of Sweden (but you are also entitled to stay in Sweden as long as your visa is valid). So if you spent 3 months in other countries in Europe, then returned to Sweden (or travelled outside the Schengen Area) for 3 months, I think your 90 days would reset during that time.
See also: https://workingholiday.au/europe-working-holiday-visa/
Hi!
I am in the process of applying online. I would like some tips on the question ‘Why Sweden’ to maximise my chances of being accepted. I have quite a few reasons and would love to know if I should emphasise one of them.
– Progressing on my already evident knowledge of the language and culture
– Career development (I work in the performing arts and would like to both share Australian arts and to learn and develop in the Swedish way)
– Being reunited with friends I have met on my previous travels
– Living with my partner (I am not sure whether to mention this one at all)
Also, if you have any statistics on how many applicants are successful, it would be very interesting to know.
Thank you in advance!
Victoria
I wouldn’t overthink it. All of the reasons you’ve given for wishing to live in Sweden are valid, although I’d maybe leave out the part about living with your partner. 😛
I don’t know of any statistics on the number of successful working holiday visa applications to Sweden, but I imagine most who apply would be accepted as long as they meet the basic requirements.
This is the opposite of what you asked, but there are stats on the number of Swedish people accepted for working holiday visas in Australia on the Department of Home Affairs website – https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/visa-statistics/visit
Thanks Matt!
Hi Matt,
Could I please enquire regarding the age group as I’ve ready you need to be between 18 to 30 years old however I am 37 and I’ve read the skilled shortage list of Sweden for 2022. Within you experience would the age still be a declining factor when applying for a work visa in Sweden, as the one I was looking at is a Truck Driver position as listed in their skilled shortage list. Or would you be able to to guide me towards an agency that might be able to assist in the matter.
Thank you and regards
Sunny
The working holiday visa is only available to applicants aged 18-30 years old. Other types of visas come with their own rules. You may still be eligible for a skilled worker visa (or similar), but this isn’t something we cover on our website.
Hi Matt,
With the working holiday visa in Sweden for Australians, do you know if there are certain types of work you have to do? Like in Australia, Swedes need to do farm work etc., to get their visa. IS there something similar in Sweden? And do you know if there is a limit to how long you can work somewhere?
Another question, would you know of any companies that help link Australian’s with employers in Sweden who are on a working holiday visa?
Thank you for your time! 🙂
Rachel
No, there is no requirement in Sweden to do specific types of work such as farm work with the working holiday visa. The main thing is that any work should be “incidental” to your holiday, and not the main purpose of your trip.
On the second part of your question – I don’t know of any, sorry.
Hello Matt,
First of all, I love your website. It has such great information and very helpful to clarify things!
Secondly, I have a question after a Working Holiday Visa has been granted for Sweden. I have completed my fingerprints in Sweden and waiting for the ID card. However, I have heard about the Personnummer for tax purposes. However, since the WHV is less than one year (365 days), do I need to apply for the Personnummer or not if I want to work and pay taxes?
Thank you,
Hi Ned,
Sorry, this is not an answer to you but a question. How long did it take for you to get your visa ? I have applied in end of March but I haven`t received anything yet. And when did you apply also ?
Thanks.
Regards,
Murat
Glad you’ve found the website useful.
You should probably seek independent advice on this – I’m not an expert on Sweden tax laws etc. – but my understanding is you need to intend to live in Sweden for more than a year to get a Personnummer. I believe you can still work in Sweden (for less than a year) without one, but you may not be able to access certain services like online banking.