Sweden’s plan to strip citizenship from people deemed a threat to the state

Swedish political parties have agreed that dual citizens who commit crimes that threaten national security should lose their citizenship.

A cross-party committee recommended that the change apply to anyone who used bribes or false information to obtain their citizenship; and even if they were a threat to the state or had committed crimes under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

But the minority government balked at proposals to strip mobsters of their citizenship.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said Sweden is dealing with “violent extremism, state actors acting hostile to Sweden and systemic organized crime”.

According to the Swedish constitution, it is currently not allowed to revoke citizenship and next year there will be a vote in parliament to change the laws.

Center-left opposition parties argue that removing the citizenship of criminal gangs would go too far, as it would be difficult to decide how to define the law.

However, Sweden’s centre-right governing parties, backed by the more radical anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, want the changes to tackle a dramatic rise in gang crime and a high rate of gun murders.

“The proposals I received today will not give us the opportunity to restore Swedish citizenship to the leaders of criminal networks who are sitting abroad, directing shootings and bombings and murders on the streets of Sweden,” Strommer told Swedish Radio.

The government points to neighboring Denmark, where citizenship can already be revoked for “an act that seriously harms the vital interests of the state”. The law has recently been expanded to include some serious gang crimes.

Sweden’s minority government has also moved to tighten the rules for applying for citizenship.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell said last year police reported 600 cases of applicants who were considered a threat to national security.

From June 2026, anyone seeking a Swedish passport will generally have to have lived in the country for eight years instead of the current five. Swedish language and social tests would also be included.

Forssell said that it was “too easy” to become Swedish and that it should be something to be proud of: “Together we will build a Sweden that lasts, where Swedish citizenship is more important.”

“Boys and girls have the right to swim and play football. If you don’t accept that, Sweden is not the country for you.”

The leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Akesson, wants the government to go further by asking new citizens to swear a declaration of loyalty to Sweden.

However, this did not appear in the recommendations of a government inquiry.

Kirsti Laakso, the author of the Utvik consultation, said the changes will bring Sweden closer to other European countries.