New rules for asylum seekers from 1 October 2026

On 1 October 2026 a new reception act came into force. It replaces the Act on the Reception of Asylum Seekers etc. (LMA). This guide summarises what the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) has described about the changes. The rules can differ for different people and change over time. Always check the Migration Agency’s page and your own decisions. The guide is based on the Migration Agency’s information; the text of the law itself has not been reviewed in this guide.

Who do the rules apply to?

The rules apply to people who apply for international protection (asylum) and to people with a return decision. More people may be covered by the reception act and some are covered for longer than before. This applies, for example, to someone with an enforceable return decision: the person may remain covered even after the decision has become final or the time for voluntary departure has passed.

Exception: People from Ukraine with temporary protection under the Mass Influx Directive are not covered by the area restriction and the attendance checks, and are not affected by the new rules on the right to work.

Application card

According to the Migration Agency, all LMA cards were to be replaced by application cards by 1 October 2026 at the latest. The application card is personal, valid for one year and is not an ID document. It has a QR code showing, among other things, that the card is valid, that you are covered by the reception act, whether you have the right to work (AT-UND) and whether you have an area restriction.

Daily allowance: apply again

If you have no money of your own and need daily allowance after 1 October you must apply for daily allowance again. The Migration Agency then makes a new decision under the new law.

To receive daily allowance from 1 October, the Migration Agency required the new application to arrive by 30 September. If the application arrives later you may lose daily allowance, because the Migration Agency cannot grant daily allowance for the time before the application arrived. If you are unsure about your situation: contact the Migration Agency as soon as possible. The form is on the Migration Agency’s page on financial support and at the Migration Agency’s offices.

More obligations can affect your daily allowance. The allowance can be reduced or withdrawn in more situations than before, for example if you do not follow your area restriction, do not report to the Migration Agency or seriously misbehave in Migration Agency accommodation. You also need to keep meeting the other conditions, for example helping to establish your identity.

Repayment. The Migration Agency can demand repayment of daily allowance or special grants that were paid out wrongly, for example if you gave incorrect information. If your finances change – for example if you or your partner start working – you must tell the Migration Agency.

Housing and the area restriction

Anyone applying for asylum should as a main rule live at the place the Migration Agency has assigned. From 1 October an area restriction applies: the main rule is that you may not leave the county where your assigned accommodation is located. If you have permission from the Migration Agency to live elsewhere, the restriction instead applies to the county where you live.

If you need to leave the area you can apply for permission from the Migration Agency.

Attendance checks

If you are 16 or older, are applying for international protection and live at one of the Migration Agency’s reception and return centres, you must take part in attendance checks. According to the Migration Agency they take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Migration Agency informs you how they work. If you have special reasons not to take part you can apply for permission.

If you have an enforceable return decision

If you are 16 or older you must as a main rule report to the Migration Agency three times a week. The Migration Agency informs you where and when. To be entitled to daily allowance you need to cooperate in the measures needed to carry out the decision. If you were previously told that you are no longer covered by the LMA you may be covered by the new law from 1 October and are then registered in the reception system again.

The right to work (AT-UND)

The rules on exemption from the requirement of a work permit (AT-UND) change. The main rule is that you can only be given the right to work if the Migration Agency has not made a decision in your case within six months of the application being registered. The delay must not be caused by you, and the other conditions must be met.

If you already have AT-UND: The main rule is that you keep it and can continue to work. In some cases an existing AT-UND can end – the Migration Agency will then inform you.

Do not start working before you have checked that you have the right to work. Your employer can check AT-UND by scanning the QR code on your application card.

A conversation about the new rules

The Migration Agency calls everyone affected by the changes to a conversation about what the new rules mean. You do not need to contact the Migration Agency to book it – they will call you. Read your post regularly and request an interpreter if you need one (see the interpreter guide).

Municipalities’ responsibility

The new law clarifies municipalities’ responsibility for support and help in accommodation, for example home help services for someone living at one of the Migration Agency’s centres.

What this guide cannot tell you

The guide cannot say how the law applies in your case, how transitional rules apply to you or what an individual decision means. The Migration Agency decides that. Contact the Migration Agency or your representative if you are unsure.