Government commissions inquiry on revocation of citizenship

The background is a proposal presented in January 2025, suggesting that it should be possible to limit the constitutionally protected right to citizenship in order to enable revoking it in certain situations. The Government will now task an inquiry with developing concrete proposals. The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen the importance of citizenship as a bearer of rights and obligations. 

According to the assignment, the Inquiry will submit proposals to revoke citizenship of people who have been granted it on erroneous grounds or have been convicted of offences that seriously threaten the security of the country or that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. In addition, the Inquiry will investigate the possibility of revoking the citizenship of anyone convicted of an offence that seriously threatens the vital interests of the State. The basic premise should be that citizenship can be revoked in those instances where crime can, in various ways, be described as a systemic threat. This includes crime committed within the framework of criminal networks that seriously harm the State’s vital interests.  

“In contrast to many other countries, there is no possibility to revoke Swedish citizenship from someone who has been granted it on erroneous grounds, or who has been convicted of a serious offence. Introducing such a possibility is about emphasising the importance of citizenship and our zero tolerance for abuse and serious crime,” says Minister for Migration Johan Forssell. 

A report will be submitted by 20 March 2026.