By Traveli 360 
Getting Swedish citizenship is now no longer possible in five years; the Swedish government is about to set stricter requirements for obtaining Swedish citizenship. According to the new proposal, which is not yet finalised, the residency requirements will be increased from five to eight years.
It’s not just limited to the increase in residency requirements; the Swedish government is also planning to make it easier to revoke even granted citizenship. In this case, if Swedish security agencies believe a naturalised citizen poses a danger to national security, the government can revoke their citizenship.
Swedish Citizenship New Rules 2025
According to the new proposal, which has been agreed upon by all political parties, any person who provides false information during the citizenship process or obtains citizenship through bribes will lose their citizenship.
Naturalised citizens will lose their citizenship if they commit serious crimes—specifically, crimes that threaten the state or national security or fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
Sweden’s Justice Minister, Gunnar Strömmer, says the country faces a significant wave of extremism, and the new regulations will give authorities more time to gather information about Swedish citizenship applicants.
Until now, if a foreigner had lived legally in Sweden for five years, they could apply for Swedish citizenship. However, under the new rules, this period will be extended to eight years, and foreigners will only be eligible if they have resided in the country for that duration.
It’s not only about national security; the Swedish government says that an individual who wants to become a Swedish national should live an honest and responsible life.
Financially, applicants should be able to support themselves and must not be dependent on government funds.
The Swedish government is planning to assess complete integration into Swedish society. If you are not fully integrated, you may not be eligible for citizenship. For example, if you don’t accept that boys and girls can swim or play football together, then Sweden may not be the right option for you.
When will it take effect?
By 2026, any person who applies for Swedish citizenship must prove they have lived in Sweden for eight years. Currently, this requirement is five years.
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All the new rules haven’t yet been officially approved, as they need to be passed by the country’s parliament.
At present, it is not possible to revoke Swedish citizenship from anyone. However, if these new rules are approved by all political parties and parliament, it will become possible.