Free movement of persons

Free movement of persons within the EU internal market means that EU citizens and members of their family must have the right to move between Member States. EU citizens must be able to seek employment and live in a Member State on more or less the same terms as those that apply to citizens of that particular country. Sweden is one of the countries that did not introduce special transitional rules when the EU was enlarged.

EU membership brings with it the right for every EU citizen to move and reside freely in any other Member State's territory on more or less the same terms as those that apply to citizens of that country (Articles 17 and 18 of the EC Treaty).

The basic principle is that EU citizens must be able to move freely between Member States in more or less the same way as the Member States' citizens are able to move around and change their place of residence or work in their own countries. One concrete example of how this works in everyday life is the mutual recognition of academic qualifications. This means that all EU citizens can seek employment or training in another EU country on the basis of the qualifications gained in their home country. Obligations of an administrative or legal nature must be limited to what is absolutely necessary because the persons in question are not citizens of the country in which they are residing.

Entry to and residence in a Member State

EU citizens travelling into a Member State's territory must have a valid passport or identity card as proof of their citizenship. A family member must have a passport.

EU citizens and members of their family have the right of residence and are not required to have a residence permit. After a stay of three months, EU citizens must register, and members of their family who are not EU citizens must apply for a residence card. After five years EU citizens are entitled to permanent right of residence. Permanent right of residence certificates or permanent residence cards can then be issued. Permanent right of residence can, in some cases, be obtained before the end of a five-year stay.

• The Swedish Migration Board deals with the registration of EU citizens and issues certificates and residence cards.

General questions on free movement can be addressed to the Swedish National Board of Trade.