A Detailed Guide on Sweden Visa Process for Indians

Sweden is a sought after European holiday destination for many reasons. The country is known for its innovative lifestyle, spectacular nature, nice weather, beautiful landscapes, delicious food, an abundance of water sports and of course, the hospitality. From the beauty personified Drottningholm palace to the ever enchanting northern lights, to the fascinating Milles Garden, Sweden is home to a plethora of mindblowing experiences. For folks visiting Sweden, it is mandatory to get a pre-approved Sweden Visa and sometimes this can turn out to be a not-so-pleasant experience. We have laid down the ground rules and suggestions to make the entire process slightly easier for you. 

Requirements for Indian Citizens

Planning for a Sweden vacation, but worried about insufficient funds? Worry not. You can avail the working holiday visa to solve your concern. This allows tourists to go on a holiday and parallelly supplement their day-to-day expenses by availing short-term employment. Currently, there are two types of visas available that allows tourists to holiday and do some work based on their individual skillset. One is called Work and Holiday visa, while the other is called a Working Holiday Visa. 

You can apply by going directly to the Sweden High Commission office or choose to apply it online. However, do remember to do your reading on the rules and regulations that need to be followed to apply for a Sweden Visa. Its recommended that you take help from some authentic private visa companies to apply for the working holiday visa online. These firms come with a lot of expertise in this field that will help you file for the visa application in an easier and simpler manner. These service providers extend support by giving advise, proofreading your documents and even help with filling the application form correctly. For these services, the Visa expert companies charge a fee that will vary from one firm to another 

The type of Visa permit you will be applying for will depend on the stay duration you are planning on. If you plan to stay in Sweden for less than 90 days, then you will be applying in the tourist visa category, on the other hand, if you are planning to stay in Sweden for more than 90 days, you will be asked to apply for visitor’s residence permit. 

Schengen Visa for Sweden Travel 

Remember to apply for the right type of Schengen Visa. This will depend on if you are planning to work, study, travel for leisure or willing to settle in Sweden permanently. Applying for the European Schengen Visa will depend on which country you are visiting and it is not a difficult task. Let’s take an example to make things easier for you. Scenario 1: You are travelling only to Sweden, then you need to apply only to Sweden embassy. Scenario 2: You are travelling to Sweden and another European country. Then you will apply to the country where you are spending the majority of your vacation. Scenario 3: You are travelling to two European countries but staying the equal number of nights in both the countries, then you will apply to the embassy of the country you are entering first from your home country. 

Application Process

You are first required to submit all the necessary documents. Firstly you will be filling the application form along with your sign and the most recently taken passport size photos. If you are travelling with your kids who are minors, then you will need to submit separate forms for them along with their photographs and original birth certificates. You will also need to submit your original passports with minimum 6 months validity from the date of your scheduled return from the visiting country. 

Please be advised that you need to be sure to apply for your Sweden visa through the correct Consulate-General or Embassy. This is purely based on the first port of entry or maximum time you are spending in your destination country or based on the objective of your travel. You can also try reaching the Sweden Visa Application Centre by their official email address or through their Helpline number. Please keep in mind that the Sweden Visa Application Centre only accepts and processes applications basis the Embassy’s instructions and they do not prepare Visa applications.

If you are an Indian Citizen, then you will be applying for the Schengen Visa at the consulate or embassy of the country you will be entering first or to the country where you are spending the maximum number of nights in your vacation. 

Application Requirements

Here is an extensive list of essentials for applying for a Schengen Visa for Sweden travel 

• Two recently taken photographs with white background
• Original passport along with old passports if any 
• Copies of your previous Visas if any 
• Round trip ticket and its copy
• Travel insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000 Euros within Sweden
• Itinerary and purpose of Visit to Sweden to be included in the covering letter 
• Flight tickets with date, flight numbers, entry and exit port of Sweden 
• Hotel reservation details tallying to the entire duration of your stay in Sweden 
• Civil status document proof 
• Proof of strong financial status depending on the duration of your stay
• Six months of bank statements physically signed by the bank officer. 

Sweden Visa Fees 

A visa fee depending on your visa type is applicable. You can choose to pay by credit card or debit card. Applicants paying directly at the Swedish Visa Application Centre will be imposed a service charge of around INR 1000. This can slightly vary depending on the current exchange rates.  Please note that the Visa fees and service charges are non-refundable even if your visa application gets rejected.

The first day, you enter Sweden will be counted as day 1 of your visa approved duration. Please keep in mind that the tourist visa does not grant the rights for Indian Tourists to work in Sweden.  The Visit Visa is granted by the Polish consulate/embassy for Business, Leisure and private visit purposes only. So next time you are planning a trip to Sweden, reach out to our Visa experts at Pickyourtrail for a hassle-free Visa process