Subsistence allowance and insurance

Read this first:
This page is only intended for invited guests. Please do not spread this link to anyone else.

The information on this page is intended for participants/students within the Sida bilateral research programmes in Bolivia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania, where ISP handles the administration and payment of subsistence allowances and insurance.

Please follow the procedure below:

1. First you need to fill in this form Request for Letter of Support and Insurance certificate Word, 36 kB. with your and your coordinators signature. We recommend you to apply for your whole study period at the same time (it makes it easier to get resident permit and bank account in Sweden).
2. Then you send it to allowances@isp.uu.se together with you invitation letter from your Swedish university.
3. When you receive these documents back from us you can apply for resident permit.
4. When you have resident permit you can book tickets.
5. When you have tickets you send tickets and resident permit together with Request for Subsistence allowance Word, 56 kB. to us at allowances@isp.uu.se.
6. When you travel you send your boarding card as soon as you can.

NB! We would like to make you aware of the Swedish Migration Agency´s long decision times.

The estimated time to reach a decision at the Migration agency is based on statistics for similar cases which have recently been decided upon. The estimate is no guarantee or promise that you will receive a decision within the same time. The time is calculated from the day you submit an application to the Swedish Migration Agency or to a Swedish embassy or consulate-general.

Of recently closed cases, 75% have received a decision within 7 months for extensions and within 5 months for new applications!

More information:

• Visa and Residence permit
• Request for Letter of Support and Insurance certificate
• Request for Subsistence allowance
• Payment of Subsistence allowance
• Insurance - terms and conditions
• Contact at ISP

Some useful information for your visit to Sweden.

Visa and Residence permit

Visa

For shorter visits (up to 90-days), a visa is required and the application is made at a local embassy. This applies to all the students regardless if a student is admitted at a Swedish university/institution or not.

More information: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Visiting-Sweden/Visit-Sweden-for-less-than-90-days---apply-for-a-visa.html

Residence permit

PhD students – admitted at a Swedish university
Students on sandwich program who are admitted at the Swedish university should apply for a residence permit for studies.

General rules:

• Validity from 3 months to 4 years.
• At least 50% of the time has to be spent in Sweden.
• Each period for the residence permit has to start and end with a visit in Sweden.
• A residence permit cannot be valid during a longer period than the validity period of the holders passport.
• Can be extended.

The application to the Embassy/Swedish Migration Agency has to include:

• The formal decision on admission as a doctoral student, with information on the date for admission.
• A supplementary certificate regarding the doctoral studies, issued by the host university in Sweden. The Swedish Migration agency has a checklist that we refer to: Checklists and examples of attestation of third-cycle studies (doctoral studies) Pdf, 253 kB..
• A Letter of Support and an Insurance Certificate from ISP (please use the Request form on this page).
• A passport valid for the whole period for the Residence permit.
• Any other document required by the Swedish Migration Agency as indicated on their website.

It is recommended to make sure that you have all the requested documents before initialising the application process in order to ensure an efficient handling at the Swedish Migration Agency.

More information about residence permit for doctoral studies:
https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Studying-and-researching-in-Sweden/Higher-education/Residence-permit-for-doctoral-studies.html

More information about extending a residence permit for doctoral studies: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Studying-and-researching-in-Sweden/Higher-education/Extend-a-residence-permit-for-doctoral-studies.html

PhD students – not admitted at a Swedish university
Students on sandwich program who are not admitted at the Swedish university but at their home universities should apply for a visitor’s permit.
Reseacher on doctoral programme conducting research in Sweden should apply for a residence permit as a researcher.

Validity from 3 to 12 months, can not be extended.

The application to the Embassy/Swedish Migration Agency has to include:

• Certificate from the host institution in Sweden.
• Certificate from home university.
• Letter of Support and insurance from ISP (please use the Request form on this page)
• A passport valid for the whole period for the Residence permit.
• Flight ticket.

Resident permit for visitors

Resident permit for researchers

Postdocs
Postdocs should apply for a residence permit as a visiting researcher. A visiting researcher is a person who has taken their doctor's degree or is qualified to start their doctoral studies and who has been invited by a Swedish institution to conduct research in Sweden.

Validity from 3 months to 4 years, full time in Sweden expected.

The application to the Embassy/Swedish Migration Agency has to include:

• The hosting agreement/invitation letter with the hosting institution in Sweden.
• Letter of Support and insurance from ISP (please use the Request form on this page).
• A passport valid for the whole period for the Residence permit.

More information: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Working-in-Sweden/Employed/Special-rules-for-certain-occupations-and-citizens-of-certain-countries/Visiting-researchers.html

Application fee
All the students within Sida and ISP programs are exempted from application fee to Swedish migration agency.

More information: https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/Private-individuals/Studying-and-researching-in-Sweden/Fees.html

Request for Letter of Support and Insurance certificate from ISP

How to request a Letter of Support and Insurance certificate from ISP

In order to obtain the required Letter of Support and Insurance certificate the below steps have to be followed:

1. Fill in the Request Form for Letter of Support and Insurance certificate Word, 36 kB.
2. Send the signed Request form to ISP, allowances@isp.uu.se together with the Letter of admission/invitation from your hosting Swedish university/institution.

ISP will thereafter issue a Letter of Support and an Insurance certificate and send the requested documents to the student.

We recommend the student to start this process as soon as a study period in Sweden is set in order to avoid delays.

Request for Subsistence allowance from ISP

How to request Subsistence allowance

In order to obtain subsistence allowance the student needs to request this from ISP. The request has to be done for each separate visit or prolongation of a visit in Sweden. We recommend that the request is made as soon as the visa/residence permit has been approved and travel plans are set. The below procedure should be followed:

1. Fill in the Request Form for subsistence allowance Word, 56 kB.
2. Send the signed Request form to ISP, allowances@isp.uu.se
3. Confirm your arrival in Sweden with a copy of your boarding pass to the same e-mail above.

Disbursement of subsistence allowance will only be done while the student is in Sweden.

ISP has to be informed about any changes in stay in Sweden.

Payment of Subsistence allowance

Payment of subsistence allowance are done on a monthly basis, normally on the 25th each month.

If the student holds a Swedish bank account the allowance payment will be deposited on the account. If the student does not have a Swedish bank account the allowance will be deposited on an ICA Maestro Card. The card will be sent to the Swedish supervisor´s institutional postal address. The students have to follow the instructions that are sent with the card in order to activate the card and obtain the allowance.

Students living in Uppsala can get their ICA cards from Segerstedthuset reception only after having a confirmation from ISP administrator. In order to get ICA cards, students need to have their valid passport as an identity proof.

* Segerstedthuset is open during the weekdays from 8.00.16.30

Insurance - terms and conditions

Claims to the insurance company are handled by ISP. Fill in the claim form (leave the fields for authority empty for ISP to fill in) and send it together with receipts/invoice to allowances@isp.uu.se

• Terms and conditions 2021 - Insurance for foreign visitors Pdf, 544 kB.
• Claim form Pdf, 938 kB.
• Insurance for foreign visitors - A Presentation by Kammarkollegiet Pdf, 938 kB.
• Health Care in Sweden - A brief Summary Pdf, 376 kB.