How to apply for asylum
Så här ansöker du om asyl – arabiska
If you want to apply for asylum in Sweden, you must go to the Migration Agency to submit your application. It is not possible to apply for asylum before arriving in Sweden.
Other lang
If you meet the border police when entering Sweden, you must tell them that you want to apply for asylum. There are border police, for example, at passport control at international airports, at ferry terminals and where trains and buses enter Sweden. The Border Police will ask you some questions and then refer you to the Migration Agency, where your asylum application will be submitted.
If you are in Sweden, you must contact the Swedish Migration Agency. You can apply for asylum at any of the Migration Agency offices in Gothenburg, Malmö or Stockholm.
Where are the Migration Agency units for asylum applications (in English)
The Migration Agency will register your asylum application
When you apply for asylum, you must provide information about yourself, why you want to apply for asylum and how you traveled to Sweden.
You must tell us who you are
If you have your own passport or identity documents, you must hand them over in order to prove your identity: your name, date of birth, and place of birth. It is important that you provide proof of your identity so that the Migration Agency can make the right decision.
In the event that you are unable to submit any identification documents, you should try to prove your identity in another way. You can do this, for example, with a birth certificate, military or family registration documents, or a marriage certificate. These documents do not establish your identity individually, but sometimes multiple documents are approved together to prove your identity.
Read more about: Why you should tell us who you are
The Migration Agency will register you as an asylum seeker using your name and other information on your identity documents. This may mean, for example, that transgender people are registered under their name and the gender of their birth. Unfortunately, Swedish law does not allow you to be registered under any other name, but you must tell us if you want to use another first name or personal pronoun, and we will write it down. It is recommended that you tell us at this point if you have specific reasons for wanting the assistance of an interpreter, lawyer or investigator of a certain gender, or if you do not wish to share a room with asylum seekers of a certain gender.
You will be photographed and fingerprinted
You will be photographed and fingerprinted when you apply for asylum. Your photo will be added to the Immigration Service's record and will be used on the Asylum Seeker Card (LMA Card) that you will receive as proof that you are an asylum seeker. It is not necessary to take fingerprints for children under the age of six.
The fingerprints are used to check whether you have previously applied for asylum in any other Schengen country, and if you have a residence permit or ban in any Schengen area. If the fingerprint examination shows that you have previously applied for asylum in any other country on your way to Sweden, or that you have already applied for asylum in another country, the Migration Agency will determine which country should examine your asylum application. Where specified, the EU Dublin Regulation will apply.
No fingerprinting is carried out for children under the age of fourteen.
Find out more about the Dublin Regulation
Demand interview
When you have finished photographing and taking your fingerprints, you will meet with an investigator. With the help of an interpreter, you will introduce yourself, the reasons for leaving your home country and how to travel to Sweden. You will be asked questions about your family and your health.
You must tell the Migration Agency if you have a functional disability, meaning that you have a reduced ability to work physically, mentally or intellectually. If your functional disability makes it difficult for you to contact the Migration Agency when you apply for asylum, you have the right to seek assistance. You also have the right to get accommodation that suits your needs.
You will be given information about the asylum process - about the next step and what you should do. You will also receive information on practical issues such as the right to housing, financial support, health care and children's education.
You should try to support yourself mainly financially while you are waiting for a decision. If you are not getting money and you have no other assets, you can apply for financial support from the Migration Agency.
You will be called to an asylum inquiry at a later time in which you will tell us more about why you fled and what you think would happen to you if you had to return.
An unfounded request
If it is clear that there are no grounds for granting you asylum, the investigator will explain that the Migration Agency does not consider that you have grounds for asylum, and that a decision will be issued to you in a few weeks. If you do not have valid reasons for seeking asylum, you will receive a decision on refusal of entry with immediate effect.
Read more about what it means to receive a denial of entry with immediate effect
After submitting your order
An investigator will check all your documents, what you have told the Migration Agency and what your fingerprint examination has revealed. The investigator will decide, on the basis of the information provided, the extent of investigation required in your case. All investigations are different and therefore require different types of investigation.
The investigator will prepare your request for an ongoing investigation. This can include things like obtaining information from other government agencies. If you need to make additions to your application, the investigator will contact you. These additions may be requested, for example, if you did not provide any identification documents with your application.
Waiting for asylum investigation
If your application is studying in Sweden, you should stay here while the Migration Agency checks whether you are entitled to a residence permit.
It can be a long time before you are called for your asylum interview. During this interview, you will tell us more about the reasons why you should seek asylum in Sweden
Holland Weekly Magazine President Jaafar Al-Khabouri
