Sweden · Visa guide
Sweden · Visa guideSweden Family & Friends Visit Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa to visit family or friends living in Sweden — up to 90 days.
- ProcessingUsually about 15 calendar days from submission
- Visa categoryFamily & Friends Visit Visa
- Your guideOne consultant
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Sweden Family & Friends Visit Visa — overview
A Swedish family-and-friends visit visa is a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C): up to 90 days in any 180-day period, to stay with someone who lives in Sweden. Applications from India are decided by the Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi.
Sweden works from numbered forms and hard evidence. The application is form 119031, the host's invitation is form 241011, and the embassy states in plain words that an affidavit will not be considered as a document of evidence. It also warns that a travel date falling within 15 calendar days of the standard processing time may see the application rejected or written off.
Earliest slot we saw
Checked by hand · 26 September
- New Delhi
- 28 Sept
Tourist / short-stay appointments only. A snapshot from the portal on the date above, not a live feed. Slots move hour to hour and we never hold or sell them. All Sweden centres & earliest dates
Sweden does not take your word for it — or an affidavit's
One sentence on Sweden's checklist changes how a Punjabi family should prepare: "Affidavit will not be considered as a document of evidence by the Embassy of Sweden."
In India an affidavit is the everyday fix — for a relationship, a name difference, a sponsorship, a source of funds. For Sweden it counts for nothing. Whatever you would normally swear to has to be shown with a document that an authority issued:
- a relationship → birth certificate, family book, or another official record of the family link;
- your host's status → their personbevis (Sweden's population-register extract), identity card, passport or naturalisation decision, plus a residence permit if they are not a Swedish or EU national;
- who is paying → the host's payslips, pension statements or bank excerpts for three months.
We go through the file looking for every place an affidavit is doing a document's job, and replace it before submission.
Two form numbers to know
- 119031 — the Schengen visa application, with one photograph, and with the purpose of the visit explained.
- 241011 — the invitation letter from the host. Sweden has its own form for this; a free-form letter is not what the checklist names.
Every passport you have ever held
Sweden asks for previous passports — irrespective of their condition. Torn, cancelled, corner-cut: bring them. If one is lost, a note explaining that is required. For parents whose only foreign travel was years ago, the old passport is often the best evidence in the file that they go abroad and come home.
The current passport has its own rule: handwritten Indian passports are not accepted, nor passports with a manual entry made after 1 April 2010 altering the name, place or date of birth, or sex.
Do not apply late
The checklist ends with an acknowledgement you sign: if your proposed travel date falls within 15 calendar days of the standard processing time, the embassy may not be able to process the application in time, and it may be rejected or written off. The visa fee is non-refundable, so a late application can cost both the trip and the fee. Build the timeline backwards from the flight and leave room.
Source: Embassy of Sweden, New Delhi — Visiting Family / Friends visa checklist, as issued through VFS Global and held in our knowledge base. Requirements change; confirm against the current checklist before you submit.
13 items
Documents you need
Application for Schengen Visa — form 119031
With one photograph not older than six months, white background, 3.5 cm × 4.5 cm. The purpose of the visit must be explained.
Passport — original and copy
If the passport has been extended, enclose a copy of that page and of the observation page. Handwritten Indian passports, and passports with a manual entry made after 1 April 2010 changing the name, place or date of birth or sex, are not accepted.
All previous passports
Every earlier passport that is available, whatever its condition. If one has been lost, a note explaining that is required.
Invitation letter from the host — form 241011
Sweden's own invitation form, completed by the person you are visiting.
If the host is covering costs
Copies of official documents showing the family link (family book, birth certificate and so on); proof of the host's nationality (personbevis, identity card, passport or naturalisation decision); and, if the host is not a Swedish or EU national, a copy of their residence permit.
If your host is paying for your support
The host's payslips, pension statements or bank excerpts for the last three months.
Kinship proof
A certificate proving the family relationship.
Proof of lodging
Hotel, rental or campus residence reservation — or, if you are staying with family or a friend, proof of private accommodation from the host.
Flight reservation
A return reservation, plus intra-Schengen flights, train itinerary or car rental if you are visiting several states.
Travel medical insurance
Valid for all Schengen countries, at least EUR 30,000, dated to cover the whole trip including arrival and departure days.
Evidence of your occupation
Employees: three months' payslips, employment contract and the employer's approval of leave. Students: a letter confirming enrolment. Self-employed: PAN registration and three months' bank statements, or company registration. Pensioners: three months' pension statements or proof of regular income from property or business.
Proof of financial means
Bank statements for the last three months and any other document showing solvency; income-tax declarations for the last two assessment years; proof of sponsorship if sponsored.
Co-travellers and minors
State whether you are travelling accompanied, with the number and names of co-travellers. Parental consent is needed only where a minor travels alone or with one parent.
5 steps
How the process works
Typical processing: Usually about 15 calendar days from submission — may extend up to 45 calendar days. Apply at least 2-3 weeks before travel.
Step 1
Free eligibility review
We assess your profile and build a document checklist matched to the embassy's requirements.
Step 2
Build the file & cover letter
Every document — finances, bookings, insurance and the cover letter — is prepared and verified.
Step 3
Book the VFS Global appointment
Applications in India are submitted through VFS Global — we schedule your slot.
Step 4
Submit & give biometrics
You attend the VFS centre to submit the file and provide fingerprints and a photograph.
Step 5
Decision & passport return
The embassy decides the application and your passport is returned through VFS.
Transparent
Costs & fees
Item
Amount
Schengen visa fee (adult)
EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11; under 6 exempt. Payable in INR.
EUR 90
VFS Global service charge
Plus optional add-ons such as courier.
Confirmed at booking
Government and third-party fees change often — we confirm the exact current amounts for your case before you pay anything.
6 answers
Frequently asked questions
No. The Embassy of Sweden's checklist states that an affidavit will not be considered as a document of evidence. A relationship, a sponsorship or an income has to be shown with official documents — a birth certificate, a family book, payslips, bank statements — not sworn on stamp paper.
On Sweden's own invitation form, number 241011. If they are covering any of your costs, they add documents showing the family link, proof of their nationality such as a personbevis or passport, and their residence permit if they are not a Swedish or EU national.
Leave real margin. The checklist has applicants acknowledge that if the proposed travel date falls within 15 calendar days of the standard processing time, the embassy may not be able to process the application in time, and it may be rejected or written off.
Yes — all previous passports that are available, irrespective of their condition. If one was lost, Sweden asks for a note saying so.
No. The checklist says the Schengen states do not accept Indian handwritten passports, or passports containing a manual entry made after 1 April 2010 that changed the name, place or date of birth, or sex.
Her payslips, pension statements or bank excerpts for the last three months, alongside the invitation form and the documents proving your relationship and her status in Sweden.
Why it matters
Going it alone vs filing with us
On your own
- Guessing the document list — one missing or wrongly formatted paper triggers a refusal.
- Generic cover letters copied from the internet that officers recognise and flag.
- No read on peak rejection windows or what this visa post is strict about.
- Government and VFS fees are non-refundable — money lost if you are refused.
- A refusal stamp follows you and weakens every future visa application.
With Lifeset Overseas
- An honest case assessment before you spend a rupee on government fees.
- A file built to the embassy's exact checklist and in the exact order.
- Weak finances, ties or purpose identified and fixed before submission.
- Previously refused? We can rescue and rebuild the file.
- Every case handled by one consultant, end to end.
Refused before?
A refusal isn't the end
A refusal is not a permanent bar — but it only improves if the actual reason is found and answered, and nobody can tell you a second application will succeed. If a Sweden visa has been refused, we:
- Read the actual refusal letter and pinpoint the real gaps.
- Advise whether to pull the officer's notes (CAIPS / GCMS) for the true reason.
- Identify which part was weak — funds, employment, purpose or ties.
- Tell you honestly whether to reapply now or strengthen the file first.
- Refused? Your fee back, or a rebuilt application free — your choice.
Other Sweden visas
Sweden Tourist Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for tourism and holidays in Sweden — up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Sweden Business Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for business meetings, conferences and training in Sweden.
Sweden Study & Research Visa
A visa for study, research or an internship in Sweden — short stays use a Schengen visa; longer study needs a residence permit.
Sweden Cultural, Sports & Religious Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for cultural, sporting and religious events and film crews in Sweden.
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Sweden visitor visa: get a straight answer before you pay the fee.
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