🇸🇪 Sweden Visa Guide for Indian Passport Holders

At a glance

Indian passport holders need a Schengen Short-Stay visa (Type C) to visit Sweden for tourism or business — Sweden is part of the Schengen Area, so this same visa also covers travel across other Schengen countries during your trip. There is no visa-free or visa-on-arrival option. Applications go through VFS Global, the official partner of the Embassy of Sweden in India, but the actual decision is made by Swedish authorities (the Swedish Migration Agency, or the Embassy), not by VFS Global.

About the Schengen Area (full explanation on our France guide)

Sweden is one of 29 Schengen Area countries, and a Schengen Type C visa allows a stay of up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, calculated across the whole area. See our France visa guide for the full explanation, the list of member countries, and the EU's official short-stay calculator. If you're visiting multiple Schengen countries, apply through whichever country is your main destination.

Choose your purpose of travel

The Schengen Short-Stay (Type C) visa covers tourism, business visits, and family/friend visits, for stays up to 90 days. If you want to visit Sweden for more than 90 days, you need a visitor's residence permit instead — a separate, longer-stay category out of scope for this guide.

Visa requirement for an Indian passport holder

A visa is required for every visit to Sweden, regardless of length or purpose, since India has no visa-waiver arrangement with the Schengen Area.

Where and how to apply

• Submit your application through VFS Global at any of 9 centres across India: New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, or Ahmedabad.
• Special routing for neighbouring countries: if you live in Bhutan, apply through the Danish Embassy in New Delhi (Denmark represents Sweden there); if you live in the Maldives, apply directly through the Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi (which has no accredited travel agent for this purpose); if you live in Sri Lanka, apply through VFS Global in Colombo instead.
• A representative can submit your application on your behalf if you've applied for a Schengen visa (to Sweden or another Schengen country) within the past 5 years and provided fingerprints then — your representative needs a power of attorney, attached to the application, and the application must be submitted outside Sweden.

iamravi.com is not affiliated with the Government of Sweden, the Swedish Migration Agency, the Embassy of Sweden, or VFS Global. All application, payment, and biometric steps happen through the official VFS Global platform or Swedish authorities — never here.

Eligibility and passport conditions

Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months beyond your intended departure from the Schengen area, issued within the last 10 years, and have at least 2 blank pages — consistent with standard Schengen requirements described in our France guide.

Application steps

1. Complete the Schengen visa application form and gather your supporting documents.
2. Book your appointment at your chosen VFS Global centre in India (or the appropriate alternative channel if you live in Bhutan, Maldives, or Sri Lanka).
3. Submit your application no more than 6 months before your intended travel date (9 months if you're a seafarer).
4. Attend your appointment, give biometrics, and pay your visa fee plus the VFS Global service fee.
5. Wait for a decision — this is made by Swedish authorities, not VFS Global.
6. Collect your passport from the Visa Application Centre once processing is complete — note the Embassy of Sweden has changed its passport-collection arrangement at VFS, so check current instructions at your centre.

Forms required

The Schengen visa application form, completed and signed, is the core document — consistent with standard Schengen practice.

Document checklist

Typical requirements consistent with standard Schengen practice: your passport (issued within the last 10 years, 3+ months validity, 2+ blank pages) plus previous passports showing travel history, recent passport photos, travel medical insurance covering at least €30,000 across the Schengen area, evidence of financial means (commonly cited guidance suggests roughly €60–70 per day of stay, though we could not confirm this specific figure from a primary Migrationsverket source), and evidence of your ties to India. Confirm the exact current checklist directly with VFS Global before your appointment.

Photo and biometric requirements

A recent photo meeting standard Schengen specifications is required with your application. Fingerprints and a photo are captured in person at your VFS Global appointment, valid for reuse within 59 months before new biometrics are needed.

Fees

The Schengen short-stay visa fee is set at EU level, the same framework as our other Schengen-country guides in this archive. We were not able to independently confirm the exact current government visa fee from a primary Migrationsverket or Embassy fee-schedule source during this review. However, we can confirm directly from the Embassy of Sweden's own page: VFS Global charges a separate service fee of €19 (inclusive of tax) per application, on top of the government visa fee. Confirm the current government visa fee directly with VFS Global before applying.

Processing information

A decision on your application will normally be available within 15 calendar days, per the Embassy of Sweden's own guidance — apply within the 6-month (or 9-month for seafarers) window before your intended travel.

Common mistakes

• Assuming you can submit your application at any VFS centre regardless of your country of residence — Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka residents have specific separate routing.
• Confusing the VFS Global service fee (€19) with the full government visa fee — both are payable separately.
• Applying for a Schengen visa when your actual stay will exceed 90 days — this requires a visitor's residence permit instead.
• Assuming a representative can always submit on your behalf — this is only allowed if you've already provided fingerprints for a Schengen visa within the last 5 years.

Official links

• Swedish Migration Agency — Visiting Sweden for up to 90 days
• Sweden Abroad — Embassy of Sweden in India: Apply for a Visa
• VFS Global — Apply for a visa (Sweden)