The Riksdag has decided: Swedish citizenship can be revoked

The Riksdag voted yes a second time on 11 November 2026. From 1 January 2027 the constitution allows Swedish citizenship to be revoked for people with dual citizenship. How it will work is to be set out in an ordinary law, which is only a proposal so far.

Takeaways from this article4 points

• Constitution changes 1 Jan 2027

  The Riksdag voted yes a second time on 11 November. It then becomes possible to revoke citizenship by law.

• Nobody loses it automatically

  How revocation works is to be set out in an ordinary law. It is not decided, and the proposal applies from 2028.

• Only for dual citizens

  If you are only a Swedish citizen, you are not affected. The rules must not leave anyone stateless.

• The proposal is not retroactive

  The inquiry proposes that the rules only cover citizenship and crimes after the law has taken effect.

On 11 November 2026 the Riksdag voted yes a second time to a change in the constitution on revoking Swedish citizenship. From 1 January 2027 the state may, by law, take Swedish citizenship away from some people who have dual citizenship. Nobody loses their citizenship on that day. How revocation will work is to be set out in an ordinary law, and that law has not been decided.

What has the Riksdag decided?

The Riksdag has changed the Instrument of Government (regeringsformen), one of Sweden’s constitutional laws. The change makes it possible to decide by law that Swedish citizenship can be revoked for people who are also citizens of another country and who

• obtained Swedish citizenship through false or misleading information or other improper conduct, or
• have been convicted of crimes that seriously harm Sweden’s vital interests.

292 members voted yes and 51 voted no. The Social Democrats, the Moderates, the Sweden Democrats, the Centre Party, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals voted yes. The Left Party and the Green Party voted no.

The same change to the Instrument of Government also includes a constitutional right to abortion and rules on freedom of association. The Riksdag could only say yes or no to all of it at once. Here we only write about citizenship.

Why did the Riksdag vote twice?

A constitutional law is changed in a special way. The Riksdag must vote yes twice, with a general election between the two votes. The first decision was taken on 20 May 2026. The election was held on 13 September 2026, and on 11 November the new Riksdag voted yes again.

Can I lose my citizenship from 1 January 2027?

No, not directly. The constitution allows revocation from 1 January 2027, but the rules on how it will work are to be set out in the Swedish Citizenship Act. That law has not been changed yet.

A government inquiry has proposed how it should work (SOU 2026:21):

• The Migration Agency would decide on revocation.
• The law would take effect on 1 January 2028.
• Before deciding, the Migration Agency would weigh how serious the conduct was, how hard the decision hits the person and their family, and how long the person has been a Swedish citizen.

The consultation period ended on 1 June 2026. The government had not sent any bill to the Riksdag by 11 November 2026, so the proposals may change.

Does it affect me if I am already a Swedish citizen?

If you only have Swedish citizenship, you are not affected. The rules only cover people who are also citizens of another country, so that nobody becomes stateless.

If you have dual citizenship, the inquiry proposes that the rules should not apply retroactively:

• Revocation because of false information would only cover citizenship acquired after the law has taken effect.
• Revocation because of a crime would only cover crimes committed after the law has taken effect.

The inquiry also proposes that a child under 18 could in some cases lose their citizenship if a parent gave false information. This would not apply if the other parent keeps Swedish citizenship or if the child would become stateless, and the best interests of the child must always be considered. All of this is the inquiry’s proposal, and the government and the Riksdag decide what the final law looks like.

What should I do now?

• If you are applying for citizenship: give correct and complete information in your application. That has always applied. Under the new law, false information can also have consequences after you have become Swedish.
• If you have dual citizenship: read more in the guide to dual citizenship. It also covers what applies in the other country.
• If you want to know when you can apply: work it out with the tool When can you apply for citizenship?

We will update this news item when the government presents a bill on revocation. Medborgarskapskursen is an independent course that prepares you for the civics test. We are not connected to the Riksdag, the government or the Migration Agency.