Technical article

Living in the North Through a Partner: What Finland and Sweden Ask

Some retirees from abroad do not need a retirement visa at all.

By Neil Solomon · 4 min read

Picture a couple named Ellen and Mark. Ellen is 64 and American. Mark is 67 and has lived in Sweden for years. They want to know a plain thing. If Ellen moves to Sweden to be with Mark, what does the government look at, and for how long does she get to stay?

Some retirees from abroad do not need a retirement visa at all. They may qualify because of a husband, wife or partner. The rules then rest on the person already living there. I looked at the immigration offices of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Slovakia. Three gave real figures. One did not.

What I could confirm

Sweden in more detail

The Swedish Migration Agency says a partner who holds only a temporary permit must have lived in Sweden with a permit for at least two years before you apply. There are exceptions.

The page also describes a route for couples who have lived together abroad. It says two years together if there are no children, and one year if there are. That route is described for a partner who is a Swedish citizen.

The agency says new family-ties rules took effect on 1 October 2026. They are stricter for the person in Sweden, and the maintenance amount is higher. That page does not give the new figure. A separate agency page on the maintenance requirement for the person in Sweden (last modified 28 September 2026) lists 2026 amounts per month, after tax and rent: SEK 8,116 for a single adult and SEK 13,408 for cohabiting spouses or partners. It also lists lower amounts, SEK 6,243 and SEK 10,314, for extensions of permits granted before 1 October 2026. That page does not say which of these applies to a first partner application, so a person could ask the agency.

On waiting times, the agency says 75% of recently decided cases were decided within 14 months.

Finland in more detail

The Finnish Immigration Service says an application made on or after 16 June 2025 may go in at the earliest 9 months before you turn 21. Sending it sooner may lead to a negative decision. The general entry requirements for Finland also apply. Many first applications are made at a Finnish mission abroad.

Norway and Slovakia

• Norway. The immigration directorate's page says that "those who apply for family immigration are usually a spouse, cohabitant or child of someone who lives in Norway." For family immigration with a Norwegian or Nordic citizen, the page gives an income requirement of NOK 436,957 a year before tax for applications registered on or after 1 February 2025, which is 3.2 times the national insurance basic amount. The page says the amount is adjusted each May (UDI, read 11 October 2026, through a search extract of the page), so check the figure in force.
• Slovakia. The Ministry of Interior pages reached held only menus, and nothing is stated from an official page.

What is left open

• Finland. The first permit's length and the road to permanent residence are not on the page. The Finnish Immigration Service lists a fee of EUR 750 for an electronic application and EUR 800 for a paper one for the spouse of a Finnish citizen (Migri, read 11 October 2026, through a search extract of the page).
• Sweden. Which maintenance amount applies to a first partner application, and the road to a permanent permit for the partner who arrives, are not on the pages.
• Slovakia. The Ministry of Interior pages should be read by a person, since the site's menus did not open for automated reading.