The short answer
The medborgarskapsprov is not one exam. The civics test, on basic knowledge about Swedish society, came into force on 6 June 2026 and held its first sitting on 15 August 2026. The Swedish language test, covering reading and listening comprehension, is scheduled for 1 October 2027 at the latest and does not exist yet; a further test of speaking and writing has no date at all. UHR develops and runs them, Skolverket produces the preparatory material for the civics side, and Migrationsverket decides who may sit and receives the results. Both are written in Swedish, and each can be satisfied by a school grade instead.
The two requirements, side by side
The law created two knowledge requirements at once, which is why they get merged in people's heads. One is knowledge of Swedish. The other is basic knowledge about Swedish society.
They are proven separately. A grade in svenska or svenska som andraspråk covers the language side; a grade in civics or in basic social orientation subjects covers the society side. Having one does nothing for the other.
They also apply to the same age bracket, 16 to 66, counted at the moment your file is examined. If you are inside that bracket and cannot satisfy either with a grade, you are potentially looking at two exams rather than one.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| medborgarskapsprov | citizenship test | The umbrella word. It covers both, which is where the confusion starts. |
| samhällskunskapsprov | the civics test | The one that exists today. |
| prov i svenska | the test in Swedish | The one that does not exist yet. |
| Vilket prov gäller det? | Which test are we talking about? | Worth asking before any conversation about preparation, including with a course seller. |
The civics test: real, and already sat once
It is in Swedish, on paper, multiple choice with one correct answer. The first sitting was on 15 August 2026 at Stockholmsmässan in Älvsjö, with around a thousand candidates and about sixty questions with four options each.
Its scope is set by förordning (2026:451), which names eleven areas of knowledge. We went through each of the eleven and where they differ from the book's chapters.
Its study material is free: a printable PDF and fourteen audio chapters, published by UHR with Skolverket. It is in Swedish at the level the law calls funktionell nivå, which is why the civics test is, in practice, a reading test with civics content.
The language test: law without an exam behind it
The Swedish requirement is in force. The exam is not. The bill assesses that the reading and listening test can start on 1 October 2027, or earlier if the government decides and only if the authorities can actually deliver it. On 6 February 2026 the government confirmed 1 October 2027 as the latest date after Stockholm University asked for more time.
A separate test of speaking and writing has no date. The law starts it on a day the government decides, and that day has not come. The three dates and what each one is worth are worth having straight before you plan anything around 2027.
Until then the Swedish is proven with a grade or an accepted exam, with Tisus and Swedex named in the bill. The bill also says this route should be removed when the full test starts, which makes it a window rather than an arrangement. Every accepted route is set out here.
| In Swedish | What it means | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| läs- och hörförståelse | reading and listening comprehension | The half of the language requirement that is scheduled. |
| muntlig och skriftlig färdighet | speaking and writing skill | The half with no date. |
| senast den 1 oktober 2027 | by 1 October 2027 at the latest | The government's own wording about the reading and listening test. |
Who does what
UHR develops, delivers and marks the tests. It was given overall responsibility rather than splitting it across several education agencies as the original inquiry had proposed. Gothenburg University and Stockholm University are involved in building the Swedish test.
Skolverket produces the preparatory material for the civics test, which is the free book and audio.
Migrationsverket decides who may register, and receives results automatically. That last point is the one that reorders everything: you cannot book either test the way you book a language exam. Being called is the whole gate.
What to prepare, in what order
Swedish first, always, because both tests are written in Swedish and one of them is entirely a test of reading Swedish about society. The split the law asks for is comprehension at B1 and production at A2, and the reasons that split matters are here.
Civics second, on the free official material, because it is free and because it doubles as the reading work. Buying a translated quiz instead trains the one skill the exam does not test.
And before either, check whether the rules even reach you. A file filed years ago is judged under the new requirements, and a grade you already hold may settle one side or both.
We are not affiliated with UHR, Skolverket or Migrationsverket. There is no published pass mark for the civics test and no exam at all yet for Swedish, so nobody can promise you an outcome, and Migrationsverket alone decides an individual case. The missing pass mark is one of five things about the test that nobody has published.
Sources
- Prop. 2025/26:175, Skärpta krav för svenskt medborgarskap2026-03-12
- Regeringen: Regeringen justerar uppdraget för medborgarskapsprovet i svenska2026-02-06
- UHR: Om medborgarskapsprovet2026-08-17
- UHR: Utbildningsmaterial till medborgarskapsprov2026-08-12
Rules and processing times change. Check the official page for your own case before acting on anything here.
Questions people ask
- What is the difference between the civics test and the language test?
- The civics test checks basic factual knowledge about Swedish society and exists today, with its first sitting held on 15 August 2026. The language test checks Swedish and does not exist yet: reading and listening is due by 1 October 2027 at the latest, and speaking and writing has no date.
- Do I have to take both?
- Only where you cannot satisfy the requirement another way and you are aged 16 to 66 when your file is examined. Each requirement has its own list of grades that count, and they are assessed separately by Migrationsverket.
- Is the civics test in Swedish?
- Yes. It is in Swedish, on paper, in multiple-choice questions with one correct answer, and the official study material is in Swedish too, at the level the law calls funktionell nivå.
- Who runs these tests?
- UHR develops and delivers them, Skolverket produces the preparatory material for the civics side, and Migrationsverket decides who may sit and receives the results automatically.
- Can I take the language test now to get ahead?
- No, because it does not exist. What you can do is obtain a grade or an accepted exam that proves your Swedish under the provision that applies until the test starts.
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