Migrationsverket Has Requested My Passport — Does It Mean I Will Get Swedish Citizenship?

Migrationsverket Has Requested My Passport — Does It Mean I Will Get Swedish Citizenship?

When Migrationsverket asks for your passport, most applicants feel the same thing:
“This must mean I’m almost approved… right?”

For thousands of people every year, this single letter triggers hope, anxiety, and endless speculation in Facebook groups and online forums. Some claim it means the decision is basically done. Others insist it means nothing at all.

So what is really happening behind the scenes when Migrationsverket takes your passport — and what does this step actually signal about your citizenship case?

This article explains what the passport request means, what it does not mean, and how it fits into the Swedish citizenship process.

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Why Migrationsverket Requests Your Passport

A passport request happens because the Migration Agency needs to perform or complete formal identity verification.
In Swedish citizenship cases, proving identity is a legal requirement, not a formality.

At this stage, the agency uses your original passport to:

• Verify your identity against their records
• Check the authenticity of the document
• Review travel history and residence continuity
• Prepare the mandatory identity check (“personal appearance”)

Without a confirmed identity, no citizenship decision can legally be made.

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What a Passport Request Does — and Does Not — Mean

What it does mean

When Migrationsverket requests your passport, it means your case has reached a point where identity documentation is required to continue processing.
The agency is following the formal citizenship procedure.

Your file is active.
It is not stuck in a queue.
It is moving forward.

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What it does NOT mean

A passport request does not mean:

• That approval is guaranteed
• That all requirements are already met
• That a decision is imminent
• That only a formality remains

The Migration Agency does not state anywhere that a passport request equals approval.
It is a procedural step — not a verdict.

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Can You Still Be Rejected After Sending Your Passport?

Yes.

Swedish citizenship is granted only if all legal requirements are fulfilled, including:

• Proven identity
• Sufficient period of legal residence
• Law-abiding conduct
• No security or integrity concerns

If, after identity verification, Migrationsverket concludes that one or more requirements are not met, the application can still be refused.

This is uncommon — but it is legally possible.

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The Identity Check (“Personal Appearance”)

In citizenship cases, Migrationsverket requires applicants to appear in person for an identity check.
This step is separate from simply sending in your passport.

Many applicants confuse these two steps:

• Passport submission → sending the document
• Personal appearance → in-person identity verification

They are connected, but they are not the same thing.

Your passport may be reviewed before, during, or after your personal visit.

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If You Need Your Passport While Waiting

If you have sent in your passport but need it back for travel or urgent matters, Migrationsverket provides a formal procedure to request its return — including for children’s passports.

The case continues even if the passport is temporarily returned.

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If the Waiting Time Becomes Long

If more than six months have passed since you applied, Swedish law gives you the right to submit a Request for a Decision
(Begäran om att avgöra ärende).

This forces Migrationsverket to either decide the case or formally justify the delay.

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What This Step Really Signals

A passport request means your case is inside the active decision pipeline and that identity verification is now required.

It does not promise approval.
But it does mean your application is being worked on — not ignored.

The final decision comes only after identity, residence history, and legal conditions are fully confirmed.

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