Sweden visa requirements for Indian passport holders

Entry rule for your passport

Schengen visa required: Sweden lists India among countries whose citizens need a visa, with only diplomatic passports exempt. The visa allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

Official sources: Government Offices of Sweden (Ministry of Justice).

Who this covers: Ordinary Indian passports for short tourist visits to Sweden, with applications lodged through VFS Global in India. Existing Schengen residence permits and EU-family rights can change the route. Work, visits over 90 days and diplomatic passports need separate checks.

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Confirmed for this scope: Sweden lists India among the countries whose citizens need a visa; only holders of Indian diplomatic passports are exempt. The Embassy checklist also says handwritten Indian passports are not accepted.
Official sources: Government Offices of Sweden (Ministry of Justice).
Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope: The Schengen visa covers tourist visits of up to 90 days. You may work on it only in exceptional cases, and visits of more than 90 days need a visitor's residence permit instead.
Official sources: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).
Age Conditions to check: The fee is lower for children and nil under 6. The tourist checklist asks for the consent of the parent or guardian when a minor travels alone or with only one parent.
Official sources: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden).
Residence Conditions to check: The Embassy describes applications lodged in person at VFS Global's nine centres in India. The EU cascade for longer multiple-entry visas applies to Indian nationals residing in India.
Official sources: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden).
Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check: A valid residence permit from another Schengen country removes the need for an entry visa for stays of up to 90 days. Two visas used lawfully in the last three years can lead to a two-year visa.
Official sources: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden).
Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check: A Schengen visa does not guarantee entry. Border officers can ask about your funds, length of stay and purpose, so carry copies of the documents you applied with.
Official sources: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden).
Stay and visa validity Conditions to check: A Schengen visa allows at most 90 days in any 180-day period. The sticker shows the entries and the days you may stay, and its validity period is usually 15 days longer than those days.
Official sources: Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

Where and how to apply

Apply to Sweden if it is your main destination in the Schengen area. In India you lodge the application in person at one of VFS Global's nine centres: New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Ahmedabad. The Embassy says Indian nationals can also apply at the Embassy in New Delhi.

You can apply no more than six months before your trip. Decisions are generally made within 15 days, can take up to 45 days when a case needs more scrutiny, and in exceptional cases up to 60 days. If you have given fingerprints for a Schengen visa in the past five years, a representative with your signed power of attorney and a copy of an Indian government ID can submit the application for you.

Official sources: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden); Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden); Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden); Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

Documents and money

Follow the Embassy's tourist checklist: the Schengen application form with one recent photo, your passport and any previous passports, hotel or other accommodation bookings for the whole stay, a return flight reservation, and proof of your job, studies, business or pension. Add three months of bank statements and income tax declarations for the last two assessment years, or proof of sponsorship. Documents not in English or Swedish need an authorized translation, and affidavits are not accepted as evidence.

Your passport must be valid at least three months after the visa expires, issued within the past ten years, with at least two blank pages. Sweden asks visitors to have SEK 700 for each day of the visit. The Embassy may ask for more documents or call you for an interview, and an incomplete application is decided on the documents you handed in.

Travel insurance and fees

You need medical travel insurance of at least €30,000, valid in all Schengen countries for the whole trip. The Embassy accepts policies from the Schengen-approved Indian insurers on its list, or from an insurer in another country whose claims can be recovered in a Schengen state.

The visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children, and children under 6 pay nothing. VFS Global adds its own service fee, and the visa fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

Longer visas for frequent travelers

Since 22 April 2024, the EU cascade for Indian nationals residing in India applies at the Embassy. If you meet the entry conditions and have obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years, you are issued a multiple-entry visa valid for two years. It ends three months before your passport expires if the passport runs out sooner.

Each stay on any Schengen visa still counts toward the limit of 90 days in any 180-day period.

Official sources: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden); Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).

Family of EU citizens and visa agents

Family members of an EU or EEA citizen who is exercising free movement apply for the same short-stay visa with proof of the relationship and of the EU citizen's right of residence, and pay no visa fee. The Embassy notes that a Swedish citizen living in Sweden is not exercising free movement, so their family members pay the fee.

The Embassy works only with VFS Global and has no accredited travel agent. Agents cannot influence processing or decisions, and you remain responsible for everything submitted in your name.

At the border

Carry copies of the documents you applied with, such as bookings and proof of funds, because border officers may ask about your stay. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational at Schengen borders since 10 April 2026. ETIAS is not yet operating, and it would not replace the visa an Indian tourist needs.

Official sources: Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (swedenabroad.se, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden); European Commission.

Check the linked authorities again before travel; Sweden makes the final entry decision.

Approved by TravPa Editors.