How to apply for SFI: steps, waiting time, preparation

You apply for SFI at the adult education office (vuxenutbildning) of the kommun (municipality) where you live, usually with a form on the kommun's website. Then you are invited to a talk where a teacher or study counsellor finds out how much Swedish you know. That decides which course you start in. As a rule, the kommun must be able to give you a place within three months. This guide goes through each step, and what you can do while you wait, for example practise for free on Beyond SFI if you already know some Swedish.

Who can study SFI?

SFI (Svenska för invandrare, Swedish for immigrants) is for adults who do not have basic Swedish. You have the right to study SFI if you:

• are folkbokförd (registered as living) in the kommun where you apply (there are exceptions, for example for some EU citizens),
• lack basic knowledge of Swedish,
• are at least 16. The right starts in the second half of the year you turn 16.

SFI is free. In many kommuner, books and materials are included too. You cannot get CSN studiemedel (student finance) for SFI. Depending on your situation, support while you study may come from the kommun or from Arbetsförmedlingen (the Public Employment Service) instead.

How to apply for SFI, step by step

Every kommun has its own application, but the steps look roughly the same:

1. Find your kommun's SFI page. Search for "SFI" and the name of your kommun. The page is usually under vuxenutbildning or komvux.
2. Fill in the application. Most kommuner have an e-service where you log in with BankID or another e-ID.
3. No BankID? There is almost always another way. Malmö has an e-service without e-ID, and you can also register in person at its SFI office. In Linköping you e-mail the kommun and get help. Check with your kommun.
4. No Swedish personnummer? Then there may be an extra step. In Malmö, EU and EEA citizens first apply for the right to study SFI, with a copy of their passport or ID card. They then get a temporary number to register with.
5. Have your details ready. Your personnummer or samordningsnummer if you have one, address, phone, e-mail, the languages you speak and how many years you went to school.

The talk before you start

Before you start, the kommun must find out what you already know. Often this is a talk with a teacher or a study counsellor, sometimes with a short test. It is often called kartläggning (mapping). They ask about:

• how many years you went to school and what you studied,
• which languages you speak, and how much Swedish you already know,
• whether you work and how long you have been in Sweden,
• which times you can study.

In Stockholm you can speak Swedish or English in the talk. You can also speak your mother tongue, with help from a relative or an interpreter. Based on the talk, you get a study path (studieväg) and a course:

What the courses cover, and how to read the new course names from 2027 (for example 2C or 3D), is explained in our guide to SFI levels.

The kommun also writes an individual study plan. Among other things, it records the date you were admitted to SFI. That date matters, see below.

How long will I wait?

The rule in the Education Act (skollagen) is that you must be able to start within three months, unless there are special reasons. For some newly arrived people in Arbetsförmedlingen's introduction programme (etableringsprogrammet) the time is shorter, one month.

Many kommuner have rolling starts. This means you start when a place becomes free, not on a fixed date. How long the queue is varies between kommuner and schools. Check with your kommun.

Use the waiting time

The wait can be up to three months. That is a long time. How you use it depends on how much Swedish you already know.

If you are new to Swedish: Start by listening to and reading easy Swedish. A library card is free, and the library has a shelf of easy-to-read books (lättläst). Listen to Klartext and Radio Sweden på lätt svenska on Sveriges Radio. Look up words in Lexin. Learn to greet, introduce yourself and count.

If you already know some Swedish and think you will be placed in course C or D, you can start real practice now. Beyond SFI is a free website where you practise Swedish for everyday life, at your own pace. The course Everyday Swedish A2 fits during course C and early in course D. It follows Skolverket's syllabus for SFI, so the time is not wasted. If you are at the level of course A or B, the courses are still too hard. Come back when you have started course C.

During SFI: practise next to your class

A few things that are good to know once you have started:

• You have the right to SFI for three years from the day you were admitted. If you started before 1 January 2026, the three years count from 1 January 2026. If you have special reasons, such as illness, parental leave or work, the kommun can extend the time by at most six months at a time, up to three more years.
• Do not stay away too long. If you are absent for more than three weeks in a row without a valid reason (giltigt skäl), it counts as dropping out.
• National tests come at the end of courses B, C and D. They have four parts: reading, listening, writing and speaking. Read how to prepare for the national test.
• Practise outside the lessons too. A few hours in the classroom are rarely enough. We have collected free exercises for courses C and D.

After SFI

SFI ends with course D. There is no course E, but there are several ways forward after course D. Which one suits you depends on what you want: a job, more studies or better everyday Swedish. Here is an overview of courses and next steps.

Our honest take

Applying for SFI is usually easier than it looks. The hardest parts are finding the right page and waiting. Call or visit the kommun if the form does not work for you. Helping you is their job, and they are used to questions in many languages. And start listening to Swedish today. People who have heard a lot of Swedish before the first lesson get going faster.

Common questions

Related articles

• Is there an SFI E?
• After SFI, what next? Courses and options compared

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Facts checked: October 2026. The SFI rules changed on 1 January 2026, and the application looks different in each kommun. Always check with your kommun's vuxenutbildning. Beyond SFI is independent and not affiliated with Skolverket or any kommun.

Sources

• Skolverket – Elevinformation om de nya reglerna för sfi (three years, extensions, dropping out, assessment, study plan)
• Riksdagen – Prop. 2025/26:10 Skärpta krav i kommunal vuxenutbildning i svenska för invandrare (sfi) (three months, one month, in force 1 January 2026)
• Malmö stad – Så funkar sfi and Application for the right to study sfi for EU/EEA citizens
• City of Stockholm – Guide: how to start sfi
• Linköpings kommun – Så här gör du en webbansökan till sfi
• Sundsvalls kommun – Sfi: studieformer och scheman
• CSN – Kan jag få studiestöd om jag studerar på SFI?
• Stockholm University – Om sfi-proven