Historically, Sweden’s naturalisation rules – the process by which a foreigner obtains Swedish citizenship – have been comparatively generous by European standards and access to citizenship was widely understood as a tool for integration. This model is now being transformed. The Tidö Agreements proposed reforms signal a clear paradigmatic shift: citizenship is increasingly framed as something to be obtained through demonstrated behavioural responsibility and measurable integration performance. In these reforms, citizenship can be seen as a motivator for achieving integration rather than a tool for integration.
This report offers an overview of citizenship acquisition in Sweden, both in law and in practice, and examines the political, institutional and administrative dynamics shaping current and future citizenship rules. It also analyses the bureaucratic processes involved and explores their implications for refugees’ prospects of becoming Swedish citizens.
The report is part of the Expert Council for Integration and Migration (SVR) project “Naturalisation as an ‘integration booster’ for refugees”, funded by Stiftung Mercator. The SVR project investigates the naturalisation behaviour of refugees in Germany – particularly Syrians – and how this affects areas such as integration, identity, and administrative processes. Delmi contributes the Swedish perspective for the comparative component of the study.
A Policy Brief summarizing the Swedish findings will be published during the spring of 2026.
Picture: Hans Ott via Unsplash.