Italy's rules for citizenship by descent are among the most generous in the world, providing a bureaucratically tangled but relatively open route to an EU passport for Italians in the US, Australia, and elsewhere.
Sadly for the descendants of the more than a million Swedes who emigrated to the US between 1865 and 1915, Sweden is not anywhere near as generous.
Even having a Swedish grandparent, let alone a great grandparent or ancestor, does not provide any advantages when it comes to applying for Swedish citizenship. Indeed, even those born abroad to a Swedish parent can have problems.
- READ ALSO: How to become a Swedish citizen
What are the citizenship rules for those born to one or more Swedish parents?
Any child born in Sweden who has at least one Swedish parent automatically becomes a Swedish citizen at birth.
But for those born outside of the country, it can be more complicated, as the rules changed on April 1st, 2015.
If a child is born before April 1st, 2015
A child with a Swedish mother automatically becomes a Swedish citizen regardless of where or when they were born.
But according to the Migration Agency's website, a child with a Swedish father, but not a Swedish mother, who was born outside Sweden between July 1st, 2001 and April 1st 2015 does not automatically become a Swedish citizen unless the couple were married at the time.
Instead, the parents must apply for the child to become a Swedish citizen by notification, but this can only be done before the child turns 18. The father must also have been a Swedish citizen since before the child was born and there must be valid established paternity. This can be done via a declaration of parenthood if the couple live in Sweden.
You'll need to apply to the Migration Agency or to your closest Swedish embassy if you live abroad, providing the following documents:
- a certificate of paternity and/or another equivalent document
- documents (such as passports) that show your citizenship at the time of the child’s birth and at the time of notification (if you are not registered in the Swedish population register)
- a custody decision if you have sole custody of the child or if anyone other than you and the child’s mother are legal guardians.
- If the child lives abroad, you must also include a birth certificate.
If the couple gets married after the birth and the child is still under 18, then the child can also become a Swedish citizen through 'legitimation'. In this case, they will be legally considered a Swedish citizen from the day their parents got married.
Children whose parents became Swedish citizens after they were born can also qualify for citizenship, but they must also meet the following requirements:
- The child must have a permanent residence permit, right of residence or a residence card in Sweden
- The child must be able to verify his or her identity
- If the child has turned 15, he or she must have had a residence permit for settlement for the past three years
- If the child is over 12, he or she must sign a document saying they want to become a Swedish citizen
If the child is born after April 1st, 2015
If a child is born abroad to at least one Swedish parent after April 1st, 2015, they then automatically become a Swedish citizen regardless of whether they are born to a Swedish father or mother, even if the Swedish parent has died by the time of the birth.
Parents can register the birth with the Swedish Tax Agency here.
What about adults?
There is not currently any way for adults to apply for Swedish citizenship by descent - all the routes above apply to under-18s, so you'll have to qualify for citizenship on the same grounds as everyone else. The exact process varies slightly with different rules for Nordic, EU and non-EU citizens.
Can I lose citizenship once I have it?
If you got citizenship by descent, then yes. You could lose your Swedish citizenship when you turn 22, if you've never lived in the country or visited in "circumstances which indicate an attachment to the country".
See here on how to apply to retain your citizenship.
Comments (2)