Swedish citizenship language requirements: how to show your Swedish

Quick answers

What language requirement applies for Swedish citizenship?

Reading and listening comprehension at level B1, and speaking and writing at level A2. The requirement applies to people aged 16 to 66.

How do I show my Swedish today?

With a pass grade in Swedish or Swedish as a second language, a pass in SFI course D, Tisus or another test at a functional level, for example Swedex.

Is there a language test for citizenship?

Not yet. The law says 1 October 2027 at the latest, but on 30 September 2026 UHR proposed that the test starts in autumn 2029. The government has not decided.

Is the language test the same as the citizenship test?

No. The citizenship test in civics already exists. The language test is a different test that is coming later.

Since 6 June 2026 you must show knowledge of Swedish to be granted Swedish citizenship. Many people confuse the language requirement (språkkravet) with the citizenship test (medborgarskapsprovet). They are two different things. Here we explain what the language requirement is, how you show the knowledge today and when UHR’s language test is expected.

Medborgarskapskursen is an independent course that prepares you for the test in civics. We have no connection to UHR or the Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

Two requirements, two different tests

The law (section 13 of SFS 2026:447) sets two knowledge requirements:

• Knowledge of Swedish. Shown today with grades or tests that already exist. UHR’s own language test is coming later.
• Knowledge of Swedish society. Shown with UHR’s citizenship test in civics (samhällskunskap), which already exists, or with a grade in civics.

The citizenship test in civics is written in Swedish, but it is not a language test. It tests what you know about Sweden. The language test will test how good your Swedish is. Both requirements apply to people aged 16 to 66.

What level is required?

The Migration Agency states the levels as follows:

• reading and listening comprehension (läs- och hörförståelse): level B1
• speaking and writing (muntlig och skriftlig färdighet): level A2

The levels come from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. B1 means you manage common everyday situations and understand the main content of simple texts. A2 is a basic level. The law calls B1 a functional level (funktionell nivå) and A2 a basic level (grundläggande nivå).

How do you show the knowledge today?

The language requirement already applies, even though UHR’s language test does not exist yet. Under section 13 a, you can show knowledge of Swedish with:

1. A pass grade in Swedish (svenska) or Swedish as a second language (svenska som andraspråk) from year 9 (including adapted compulsory school and special school), upper secondary school, adapted upper secondary school, a folk high school at upper secondary level or komvux. An equivalent grade from another Nordic country also counts.
2. A pass grade in the highest SFI course, today course D.
3. A pass result in Tisus, the test universities use to assess Swedish before higher education.
4. A pass result in another test that with high certainty shows Swedish at a functional level. The Migration Agency mentions Swedex as an example. From 31 December 2026 it is no longer possible to take a Swedex test. The Migration Agency writes that it will give information on whether another test can be used instead of Swedex during 2027.

You can also get the grade in SFI course D through an exam (prövning). You study the course on your own, and a teacher assesses you against all parts of the grading criteria. Schools in Stockholm report a sharp rise in these exams but warn that they are not necessarily a quick solution. Read more in the news item on the SFI course D exam.

SFI changes from 2027. New syllabuses apply to education that starts after 31 December 2026, and the courses will then include 1D, 2D and 3D. We have found no information on which of them counts for citizenship. If you are starting SFI after the new year, ask the Migration Agency.

Under section 13 b, you do not need to show knowledge of Swedish at all if you have a pass grade in Danish or Norwegian from the final year of compulsory or upper secondary school in another Nordic country.

Note: SFI course D only counts for the language. For knowledge of society you need the citizenship test or a grade in civics. The civic orientation course for newly arrived immigrants (samhällsorientering) is not mentioned in the legal text.

When is UHR’s language test coming?

The Riksdag has decided on the language test in two acts that have not yet entered into force:

• SFS 2026:448 concerns the test in reading and listening comprehension. The act enters into force on 1 October 2027, or an earlier date decided by the government.
• SFS 2026:449 concerns the full language test including speaking and writing. It enters into force on a date decided by the government.

The government gave UHR the assignment in three stages in a decision on 5 February 2026 (U2026/00202). Stage one was the test in civics, to be held by 17 August 2026 at the latest. Stage two is the test in reading and listening comprehension, by 1 October 2027 at the latest. Stage three is tests in writing and speaking, to be developed as quickly as possible.

The same decision states that Stockholm University, which is helping UHR with the language test, estimates that the test in reading and listening comprehension can be ready in autumn 2028 at the earliest. The government nevertheless kept the date of 1 October 2027.

On 30 September 2026, UHR submitted its final report. UHR writes that the conditions are not in place to introduce the test in reading and listening comprehension by 1 October 2027 and proposes autumn 2029 instead. The reasons are that Stockholm University can deliver the test on 1 October 2028 at the earliest, and that the test is to be taken digitally on a platform UHR expects to have at the end of 2027 at the earliest. The tests in speaking and writing are judged possible in 2030 at the earliest.

This is a proposal. The government will consider it, and UHR writes that the change in the law due to enter into force in 2027 may need to be adjusted. The Migration Agency wrote the same day that the requirement to know Swedish stays and that, for now, you show your knowledge in the other ways. Read more in the news item The Swedish language test may be delayed to 2029.

What does this mean for you? Until the test exists, you show your Swedish with grades, SFI D, Tisus or a Swedex test taken before 31 December 2026. If you already meet the requirement that way, you do not need to wait for the language test.

What happens to older tests when the language test arrives?

SFS 2026:449 has a transitional rule. Anyone who relies on a test such as Swedex in a case received before the third stage enters into force is assessed under the older rules. That is the only transitional rule in the legislative package. For the other requirements there are no transitional rules.

Four common misunderstandings

“I passed the citizenship test, so the language requirement is done.” No. The test in civics shows knowledge of society. You show your Swedish separately, with grades or a test.

“I have SFI D, so I do not need the citizenship test.” No. SFI D only counts for the language. For the civics part you need the test or a grade in civics.

“I can take the test in English or my own language.” No. UHR says the civics test can only be taken in Swedish. The study material is only in Swedish. So practising Swedish also helps you with the civics test. Our English chapter pages help you understand the content, but you will still read the questions in Swedish.

“The language test already exists, I just have to find it.” No. UHR’s language test does not exist yet. Sites selling a “language test for citizenship” are selling practice, not the test the Migration Agency requires. What counts today is grades, SFI D, Tisus and tests such as Swedex.

What should you do now?

Do you have a grade or a test result that counts? Send it to the Migration Agency when they ask for it. Do you not have one? Then you can complete SFI course D, take an exam in course D or take Tisus. Which one suits you depends on your level and where you live.

At the same time you need to pass the test in civics. That is a separate test with its own study material. How it works is explained in our guide to the Swedish citizenship test. All the requirements together are in our guide to the requirements for Swedish citizenship.

We will update this page when the government has decided when the language test will start. Until then, what is written here applies: levels B1 and A2, the four ways to show Swedish in section 13 a, and the fact that UHR’s own language test does not exist yet. Read our news item on the language test timeline for what the government decision says.

Difficult words

funktionell nivå

functional level: that you manage Swedish in everyday life, corresponds to B1

läsförståelse

reading comprehension, understanding what you read

hörförståelse

listening comprehension, understanding what you hear

Tisus

a test in Swedish used for admission to university studies