Swedish citizenship test 2026: everything you need to know

Medborgarskapsprovet, the Swedish citizenship test, is the new civics test for people applying for Swedish citizenship. The first sitting is on 15 August 2026 in Stockholm. It tests knowledge of Swedish society, not the Swedish language, and every question is drawn from a free official study material published by UHR (the Swedish Council for Higher Education).

This guide collects everything that is officially confirmed about the test, and is honest about what isn’t published yet.

Bli Svensk is independent study material, not a government service. For official information about the test, see uhr.se/medborgarskapsprovet. For your citizenship application, see migrationsverket.se.

The key facts

The August sitting is an utprövningsprov, a calibration run. It’s the first time the questions are used with real candidates, which is why it’s free, why extra time is promised, and why the pass mark is being set partly by how the group performs.

Exam day: what UHR has published

UHR’s exam-day page now covers the practical details:

• Venue: Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö, south of Stockholm, about 10 minutes by commuter train from Stockholm Central. Your exact room is in your summons.
• Schedule: doors open 8:15, entry closes 9:30, seated by 10:00. Expect queues at ID control, so arrive early. Most people finish around 12:00.
• Summons (kallelse): arrives in your registration account about one week before the test. Print it and bring it.
• ID: only valid Swedish ID is accepted. That means a Swedish ID card (for those registered in Sweden), a Swedish driver’s licence or a SIS-marked ID card. Foreign passports and e-ID are not accepted. If you don’t have Swedish ID, arrange it well before test day.
• At your desk: pen and eraser (provided if needed) and simple pharmacy earplugs are allowed. Phones, smartwatches, other electronics, headphones, food and drink are forbidden.
• No minus points: UHR’s own tips say to dare to guess. Wrong answers cost nothing, so answer every question.

Who actually has to take it?

Sweden’s citizenship rules changed on 6 June 2026. Applicants aged 16 to 66 must now show knowledge of Swedish and of Swedish society. But the test is not the only route:

• The civics part (what this test covers) can be proven with a passing grade in samhällskunskap (civics) from year 9, upper secondary school, komvux or folkhögskola.
• The language part is separate: a passing grade in Swedish from school, the highest SFI course (course D), or Tisus counts there. Note that SFI D does not replace the civics test.
• Exemptions exist, including for certain disabilities and special circumstances.
• Migrationsverket decides what applies in your case. You can only register for the test after receiving a letter from them.

The civics test came first; a separate Swedish language test will be introduced later. For the full picture of the new rules (the eight-year residence requirement and the income requirement of roughly three income base amounts per year), see Swedish citizenship 2026: all the new requirements.

What’s on the test: the 13 topic areas

Everything comes from UHR’s free study material, organised into 13 chapters:

1. Sweden the country: geography, climate, nature
2. Democracy: free elections, rule of law, threats to democracy
3. How Sweden is governed: state, 21 regions, 290 municipalities
4. Elections and parties: voting rights, the eight parliamentary parties
5. Law and justice: the four constitutional laws, courts, allemansrätten
6. The media: press freedom, public service, source criticism
7. Human rights: UN declaration, discrimination law, national minorities
8. The labour market: unions, collective agreements, the Swedish model
9. The welfare state: how healthcare, schools and benefits are funded
10. Modern history: industrialisation, democratisation, folkhemmet
11. Sweden and the world: EU, UN, NATO membership since 2024
12. Religion: a secular state, religious freedom
13. Traditions and holidays: midsummer, lucia, and newer traditions

The hardest questions in this kind of exam are usually specific numbers, years and abbreviations (290 municipalities, universal suffrage in 1921, EU membership in 1995, what JO stands for) rather than concepts.

How to prepare (even though the test is in Swedish)

The test is Swedish-only, so your preparation should end in Swedish even if it starts in English:

1. Start with UHR’s official material. It’s free, and every test question can be answered from it.
2. Use English to understand, Swedish to rehearse. Study apps (including Bli Svensk) translate the material to English so you understand the content, but do your practice questions in Swedish, because that’s what you’ll face in the exam room.
3. Practise in the real format. A timed 60-question, 90-minute run tells you more than any amount of re-reading. Most people who fail broad-syllabus exams run out of time, not knowledge.
4. Budget 15–25 hours over 3–6 weeks if your Swedish is at a basic working level. Newer arrivals should plan for more.

For illustrative questions in the style of the real exam, see Swedish citizenship test: sample questions. For an honest comparison of the study apps, see Best app for the Swedish citizenship test.

After the test

UHR has not yet published the results timeline, the pass mark, or the retake policy for the August sitting. What they have committed to: all test questions will be published after the first sitting, which means the second sitting’s candidates will have real past questions to study from.

If you read Swedish, the most complete study overview (key years, concepts, figures and a four-week study plan) is our Swedish-language hub: Medborgarskapsprovet 2026: allt du behöver veta.

Further reading

• Swedish citizenship 2026: all the new requirements
• Swedish citizenship test: sample questions
• Best app for the Swedish citizenship test
• Income requirement for Swedish citizenship 2026
• (Official) uhr.se/medborgarskapsprovet