How to improve your Swedish for citizenship

Last updated: July 2026. We will keep this guide updated as UHR and Migrationsverket publish new information.

On 6 June 2026, Sweden's new citizenship law came into force - and with it, one of the biggest changes to Swedish citizenship in decades: a mandatory knowledge of Swedish.

If you've read anything about Sweden's new citizenship rules, you will know a new language test. It's listed as one of the main ways to prove the Swedish language knowledge now required for citizenship - and since the new law took effect on 6 June 2026, "do I have the right level of Swedish or not" has become a very practical question for thousands of internationals in Sweden.

But what is Swedish for citizenship, exactly? What level of Swedish does it represent? And how do you actually get it - especially if you've learned your Swedish outside the SFI system?

What level of Swedish is kurs D, really?

In CEFR terms - the European framework used across language education - SFI kurs D corresponds to roughly B1 to B1+: the "independent user" threshold.

In practice, a person who passes kurs D can:

• Understand the main points of clear, everyday spoken Swedish conversations, workplace instructions, news in plain language

• Read and understand straightforward texts on familiar topics: letters from authorities, workplace information, newspaper articles in simpler Swedish

• Take part in conversations about work, daily life, and current topics without preparation

• Write coherent, connected text such as emails, short reports, descriptions of experiences and opinions

  
  

What it is not: fluency. Kurs D is functional, everyday Swedish - enough to manage life, work, and society in Swedish, but below the level needed for academic study (that's what courses like SAS - svenska som andraspråk - and Tisus are for).

This functional level is also no coincidence in the citizenship context: the new knowledge requirements are explicitly set at "functional" Swedish, which is why kurs D is the named benchmark.

What's included in a SpeakCharlie course for this level?

Our course trains and assesses all four skills:

Listening — understanding spoken Swedish in everyday and work situations. Reading — comprehending and interpreting different types of texts.

Speaking — participating in conversation, presenting, expressing and justifying opinions.

Writing — producing structured texts adapted to purpose and recipient.

Most municipalities offer kurs D in several formats: classroom-based (often daytime or evening), "flex" combinations, and fully distance-based study - though even on distance programs, the national test must be taken on site.

Building your Swedish to D-level - with or without SFI

SFI is free and works well for many people. But it also has well-known friction points for working professionals: group pacing, waiting lists, schedules that collide with full-time jobs, and classes that can't adapt to your specific gaps.

That's where SpeakCharlie comes in. Our Swedish coaching is built for busy internationals: personal, flexible, and focused on getting you to functional Swedish efficiently - whether your goal is to fast-track through SFI's levels, walk into a prövning with confidence and skip the course entirely, or be genuinely ready for the citizenship requirements when your application day comes.

Explore our Swedish programs or Contact Us today!