The Swedish language requirement for citizenship (2026 rules)

The short version

Since 6 June 2026, most people who apply for Swedish citizenship must show sufficient knowledge of Swedish and basic knowledge of Swedish society. These are two separate requirements, the språkkrav (language requirement) and the civics requirement, and people often mix them up.

• Language: the planned citizenship test in Swedish will check reading and listening at B1 and speaking and writing at A2 on the CEFR scale. That test does not exist yet. Today you meet the requirement with a grade, most often a pass in SFI course D, or with a pass on Tisus.
• Civics: a separate test about Swedish society, the medborgarskapsprov i samhällskunskap, has been held since August 2026. It is written in Swedish at B1 level, but it tests what you know about Sweden, not your Swedish.
• Who: applicants aged 16 to 66. There are exemptions for some Nordic school grades, and for people who cannot reasonably be expected to show the knowledge because of a disability or other personal circumstances.

Want to know where you stand? Our free Am I B1? citizenship language check tests reading and listening at the levels the requirement is about, in about fifteen minutes.

This guide is general information, written for learners, not legal advice. Lingolib has no connection to Migrationsverket or UHR. The facts below were last checked on 7 October 2026 against the sources listed at the end; when in doubt, Migrationsverket's own pages decide.

What changed in June 2026

For decades Sweden was one of very few European countries with no language requirement for citizenship. That changed with the government bill Skärpta krav för svenskt medborgarskap (prop. 2025/26:175), which tightened the citizenship rules from 6 June 2026. Besides the knowledge requirement, the reform raised the normal residence requirement to eight years and added requirements about self-support and conduct. Those parts are outside the scope of this guide; Migrationsverket's page on applying for citizenship covers them.

Two details matter for anyone already in the process:

• There are no transitional rules. According to Migrationsverket, applications that were still being processed on 6 June 2026 are decided under the new rules, including the knowledge requirement.
• The requirement applies now, even though the language test does not exist yet. You show your Swedish in other ways in the meantime (see how to prove your Swedish today).

The language requirement and the civics test are different things

When people search for "the Swedish citizenship test", they usually mean the civics test, because it is the only one that exists today. But passing it does not show your Swedish, and showing your Swedish does not replace it. You need both, unless an exemption applies.

What level of Swedish do you need?

The law describes the levels in Swedish legal terms, not in CEFR letters. The government bill then explains what they mean:

The split was first proposed in the 2021 inquiry SOU 2021:2 and kept by the government. The reasoning in the bill is that B2 would be too high and exclusionary for many adults, while anything below A2 would be too low to serve the purpose of the requirement. The bill also notes that SFI course D used to be aimed at B1 back when SFI was tied to the CEFR, which is one reason a pass in SFI D counts.

What B1 and A2 mean in practice

The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, GERS in Swedish) has six levels, from A1 to C2. In plain terms:

• A2 (basic user): you get through everyday, predictable situations: shopping, booking an appointment, talking about your family, work and last weekend in simple sentences. You understand short, clear messages and notices.
• B1 (independent user): you follow the main points of clear standard Swedish on familiar topics. You can read a letter from your kommun or an email at work and understand both the point and the important details. You can follow a station announcement, a voicemail or a short radio news item.
• B2: you read longer articles and opinion pieces, follow most radio and TV at normal speed, and catch what people imply as well as what they say.

So the requirement asks you to understand Swedish at an independent level, and to produce it at a basic one. Someone who reads and listens comfortably but speaks haltingly can meet it; someone who chats easily but struggles with written letters may not.

When does the citizenship test in Swedish start?

The citizenship test is being introduced in steps:

1. Civics (samhällskunskap): first held in August 2026, in Stockholm.
2. Reading and listening in Swedish: the law sets 1 October 2027. At the end of September 2026, UHR asked the government to postpone this step to autumn 2029, saying a fully developed, quality-assured test cannot be ready by 2027.
3. Speaking and writing in Swedish: no date in the law. UHR says 2030 at the earliest; finding enough qualified assessors is one of the main challenges.

When we last checked, the government had not announced a decision on UHR's request. Either way, the practical consequence is the same for the next few years: if you need to show Swedish for citizenship, you will most likely do it with a grade or Tisus, not with the citizenship test.

How to prove your Swedish today

Until the language test exists, the law lists these ways to show sufficient Swedish. Any one of them is enough.

A pass in SFI course D

A pass grade in the highest course of SFI (svenska för invandrare, Swedish for immigrants), which today is course D. The law says "the highest course" rather than "course D", so the rule keeps working if SFI is reorganised. For most adult immigrants this is the most realistic route. SFI is free for those entitled to it; see our guide to learning Swedish when you move to Sweden for how it works.

A pass in Swedish or Swedish as a second language

A pass grade in svenska or svenska som andraspråk (SVA, Swedish as a second language) from:

• the last year of compulsory school (grundskolan, year 9) or the equivalent, including adapted school and special school,
• upper secondary school (gymnasieskolan), or folk high school (folkhögskola) studies at upper secondary level,
• municipal adult education (Komvux),
• the last year of compulsory or upper secondary school in another Nordic country (for Swedish taught there).

A pass on Tisus

Tisus is the Swedish test that universities use to check whether foreign applicants have the Swedish needed for higher education. It sits well above B1, so it is a demanding route, but it suits people with good Swedish and no Swedish grades, for example those educated abroad.

Another Swedish test, used restrictively

The law also accepts a pass on another Swedish test that shows functional level with a high degree of certainty. The bill stresses that this should be applied restrictively: the test must be reliable and protected against cheating. It also plans to remove this route once the full citizenship test, with speaking and writing, is in place. If you plan to rely on a particular test certificate, check with Migrationsverket first.

Who is exempt from the language requirement?

• Age. The requirement applies to applicants who have turned 16 but not 67. Children under 16 who are naturalised do not have to show the knowledge.
• Nordic school languages. If you have a pass grade in Danish or Norwegian from the last year of compulsory or upper secondary school in another Nordic country, the Swedish requirement does not apply to you.
• Disability or personal circumstances. An applicant who has not shown the knowledge can still be granted citizenship if, because of a disability or other personal circumstances, they cannot reasonably be expected to show it. Migrationsverket assesses this case by case, and you will need to explain and document your situation.

Nordic citizens who become Swedish through notification (anmälan) rather than application follow their own rules; check Migrationsverket's pages if that is your route.

The civics test in brief

Because it is so often confused with the language requirement, here is what the civics test is and is not.

• What: a test of basic knowledge about Swedish society. The regulation on the citizenship test (SFS 2026:451) lists the kind of topics it covers, among them Swedish history, traditions, the welfare state, work and personal finance, democracy, the constitution and the legal system, rights and equality, religions and freedom of religion, the media, geography, and the EU.
• How you get there: Migrationsverket refers applicants to UHR, which runs the test. You cannot simply sign up on your own.
• Language: the test is in Swedish, at B1 level. In practice, this means you need B1 reading for the civics test even before the language test exists.
• Cost: the regulation sets a fee of 2,000 kronor per test, applied from tests held in 2027. Stateless people who have been granted refugee status or a travel document by a Swedish authority are exempt from the fee.
• Other ways to meet it: a pass grade in samhällskunskap (or the basic social studies subjects) from year 9, upper secondary school or Komvux.

How to get to B1 for reading and listening

If you are not at B1 yet, the good news is that reading and listening are the skills you can practise most on your own, every day.

1. Find out where you are. Take the Am I B1? check for reading and listening, and the Swedish level test for grammar and vocabulary.
2. Go to SFI, and finish course D. It is free, it is structured, and the grade itself meets the requirement. Combining SFI with self-study is the fastest route; our guide SFI or an app? explains how.
3. Read the Swedish your life already sends you. Letters from your kommun, Försäkringskassan, Skatteverket and your children's school are exactly the kind of text B1 reading is about. Read once without a dictionary, then check. Paste a letter into the text difficulty checker to see how hard its vocabulary is.
4. Listen every day, with a transcript when you can. Easy news such as Klartext (Sveriges Radio) and 8 Sidor is written for this stage. Our guide to learning Swedish with TV, podcasts and easy news has a full list by level.
5. Learn the small words that carry meaning. At B1, comprehension often hinges on words like eftersom (because), därför (therefore), i stället (instead), trots att (even though) and som vanligt (as usual).
6. Keep speaking and writing at A2. You need less here, but use it: book appointments in Swedish, write short messages to neighbours and teachers.

Season 1 of our course, Complete Swedish, is free in full: video lessons with synced Swedish transcripts that train listening and reading together, from the start to A2. Season 2 then takes you from A2 to B1.

FAQ

What level of Swedish do I need for Swedish citizenship?

B1 for reading and listening and A2 for speaking and writing, on the CEFR scale. These are the levels planned for the citizenship test in Swedish. Until that test starts, you show your Swedish with a grade such as a pass in SFI course D, or with a pass on Tisus.

Is SFI D enough for Swedish citizenship?

Yes. A pass grade in the highest SFI course, currently course D, is one of the ways the citizenship law lists to show sufficient Swedish.

When does the Swedish language test for citizenship start?

The law sets 1 October 2027 for the reading and listening part, but UHR asked the government at the end of September 2026 to postpone it to autumn 2029, with speaking and writing in 2030 at the earliest. The government had not announced a decision when this guide was last checked.

Is the Swedish citizenship test a language test?

Not yet. The only citizenship test held so far is the civics test, which checks knowledge about Swedish society. It is written in Swedish, so you need to read Swedish to pass it, but it does not on its own show that you meet the language requirement.

Do I need to show Swedish if I am over 65?

The requirement applies until you turn 67. Applicants aged 67 or older do not have to show knowledge of Swedish or of Swedish society.

Does Tisus count for citizenship?

Yes. A pass on the Swedish test universities use for admission, which is Tisus, is one of the ways listed in the law. It is set at a higher level than the citizenship requirement.

I applied before 6 June 2026. Do I need to show Swedish?

According to Migrationsverket, the new rules came into force without transitional provisions, so applications still being processed on 6 June 2026 are decided under the new rules, including the knowledge requirement.

Can I use an online test or app certificate as proof?

Not this check, and not ordinary app certificates. Besides grades and Tisus, the law accepts only a test that shows functional-level Swedish "with a high degree of certainty", and the bill says that route should be applied restrictively. Ask Migrationsverket before relying on any particular certificate.

Sources

Last checked 7 October 2026.

• Migrationsverket: Nya regler för svenskt medborgarskap från 6 juni 2026 (6 May 2026), Hur blir man svensk medborgare? (17 July 2026) and Medborgarskapsprovet i svenska kan flyttas fram (30 September 2026).
• Government bill prop. 2025/26:175 Skärpta krav för svenskt medborgarskap: law text (11–13 e §§ lagen om svenskt medborgarskap), levels, ways to show Swedish, exemptions.
• SOU 2021:2 Krav på kunskaper i svenska och samhällskunskap för svenskt medborgarskap, the inquiry that proposed B1 and A2.
• Regeringen: Regeringen justerar uppdraget för medborgarskapsprovet i svenska (February 2026).
• Förordning (SFS 2026:451) om medborgarskapsprov, as amended by SFS 2026:1194: topics of the civics test, referral by Migrationsverket, the fee.
• UHR: Slutredovisning om införandet av medborgarskapsprov (autumn 2026).
• The Local: Swedish agency calls for citizenship language tests to be postponed until 2029 and How can you show proof of Swedish and civics knowledge for citizenship?