8. Private servants

Introduction

A 'private servant' is an individual who is in the domestic service of a member of a mission (Article 1(h) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations). Private servants should be distinguished from members of the service staff who are in the domestic service of a mission.

Only diplomatic agents and their consular equivalents are accepted as employers of private servants. In principle, only one private servant for each household is allowed. Exceptions can be made for heads of mission to employ an additional private servant. This is determined based on a needs assessment, taking into account the size of the employer's household, access to subsidised child care and special needs, etc.

Relatives of staff members will not be accepted as private servants.

The Protocol Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs issues a residence permit for a private servant after their arrival in Sweden. However, a visa may be needed to enter Sweden. A person who is granted a residence permit by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as a private servant is exempt from the obligation to hold a work permit for their employment with a diplomatic agent or career consul.

Contract of employment

The mission in Sweden must submit a signed contract of employment to the Protocol Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs before a private servant can apply for a visa at a Swedish embassy/consulate-general. The signed contract must be modelled after the employment contract provided via the link below. 

Model Employment Contract for Private Servants

The required salary for private servants is minimum SEK 27 000 per month as of 1 September 2026. A deduction of SEK 5 000 is permitted if food and housing are provided. 

• The employment must be based on a full-time position.
• The integrity of private servants must be respected.
• Private servants must be in possession of their passport, ID cards and personal belongings at all times.
• Working hours should not exceed 40 hours per week. Compensation should be given for overtime.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave should be granted.
• Salaries should be paid through bank transfers.
• The employer is responsible for paying the necessary insurance coverage (life, healthcare and accident insurance).
• The employer must pay for the private servant's return travel upon termination of employment.

Visa procedure at a Swedish mission abroad

A private servant should submit their visa application in person. A brief interview will be conducted to ensure that the private servant is fully informed of the main contents of the employment contract. When necessary, the employer is obliged to provide a translation of the employment contract in a language that the intended private servant understands.

Once the Protocol Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs have reviewed the employment contract, the relevant Swedish mission abroad will issue a type D-visa.

Before a visa is issued, a copy of the insurance policy (healthcare and accident insurance) covering the first year of the private servant's stay in Sweden, should be presented. As alternative, travel insurance covering the first 3 months of stay is sufficient and can then be supplemented after arrival.

When no visa is required

In cases where no visa is required, the foreign mission in Sweden must present a signed employment contract to the Protocol Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs prior to the private servant's arrival. The Protocol Department may ask the Swedish mission in the country where the applicant resides to ensure that the contract is written in a language that the applicant understands and that they are aware of its main contents.
 

Residence permits

The Protocol Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs must be notified of the private servant's arrival in Sweden in accordance with the normal procedure and thereby apply for a residence permit. A copy of the insurance policy should be attached, if one has not already been submitted. 

A residence permit can be renewed on an annual basis, as long as the private servant works for the same diplomatic agent or career consul. When applying for an extension, the following additional documents should be attached;

• a copy of the insurance policy covering healthcare and accidents twenty-four (24) hours per day for the duration of at least one year or for the contract period, and
• a copy of bank statements for the past year showing salary payments.

A private servant's service is limited to the service of the diplomatic agent or career consul who employed them, except in the case of a succession of ambassadors. Residence permits for private servants will not be granted for periods longer than eight years in total (including time spent as another category of staff or as a family member). Private servants are not permitted to change positions to work for another official of a mission or consulate. Nor are they permitted to work for other employers in the regular Swedish labour market.