Sweden family-visit visa from India: the official document checklist, decoded

The checklist, as published

Condensed from the official document linked above; wording is the mission's, shortened. Where the mission names an official form it is listed under "Forms". Always download the current version from the source link on the day you apply.

1. Application for Schengen Visa (No. 119031) with 1 photograph under six months old, white background 3.5x4.5 cm; explain purpose
2. Original and copy of passport or valid travel document; extension/observation page copies; handwritten passports not accepted
3. Previous passports available, irrespective of condition (if lost, a note is required)
4. Invitation letter (form 241011) from host; if host covers costs: family-link proof, host's nationality (personbevis/ID/passport), residence permit if non-EU
5. If the reference pays for support in Sweden: reference's 3 months pay slips, pension statements or 3 months bank excerpts
6. Certificate proving the existence of family relationship (kinship proof)
7. Proof of lodging: hotel/holiday home/campus reservation, or proof of private accommodation from the host
8. Flight reservation of a return ticket; intra-Schengen flight, train itinerary or car rental if several states
9. Overseas travel medical insurance valid for all Schengen countries, minimum EUR 30,000, all risks, covering arrival and departure dates
10. Documentary evidence of professional activity (employees: 3 months pay slips, contract, holiday approval; student; self-employed; pension)
11. Proof of financial means: 3 months bank statements; income tax declaration last two assessment years; proof of sponsorship if sponsored
12. Consent of parental authority or legal guardian required only if the minor travels alone or with one parent
13. Is applicant's travel accompanied? If yes, mention number and names of co-travellers

Forms named by the mission

• Invitation form No. 241011 (English, or Swedish 'Inbjudan')
• Application for Schengen Visa form No. 119031
• Consent letter for minors; Power of Attorney (Migrationsverket 107011)

Notes the mission attaches

• Same checklist footer as tourism (additional documents or interview possible; fee non-refundable; affidavits not accepted as evidence).
• The host's residence permit copy is needed if the host is not a national of the country of residence or of the EU.

What each item is for

Every Schengen checklist is Article 14(1) of the Visa Code made specific: (a) purpose of the journey, (b) accommodation, (c) means of subsistence for the stay and the return, (d) information enabling an assessment of your intention to leave before the visa expires. Read the list above with those four heads in mind: bookings and invitations answer (a) and (b); bank statements, salary slips and tax returns answer (c); employment, business, family and property papers answer (d). Our documents guide explains each head, and the cover-letter guide shows how to make them agree.

For a family or friends visit the host's documents carry the weight: proof of the host's status in Sweden, the relationship, and, where the mission uses one, its own hospitality or sponsorship form. A missing or informal invitation is the classic route to ground 2 or 10 on the refusal form.

Processing time, as stated by the mission

"A decision on your application will normally be available within 15 calendar days. Applications can be lodged no more than six months before the start of the intended stay (nine months for seafarers)." (source) The Visa Code sets 15 calendar days from an admissible application, extendable to 45 (Article 23).

Sweden's record for applications lodged in India

In 2025 Sweden decided 32,536 applications lodged in India and refused 11.4% (all-India average 15.7%); 28.1% of visas issued were multiple-entry. Its consulates: New Delhi (11.4%). Which one handles you depends on your state of residence: see the Sweden country page.