Sweden raises urgent dental costs for asylum seekers with means
Sweden’s parliament has approved rules that will make adult asylum seekers with income or assets reimburse the Migration Agency for dental care that cannot wait.
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Under the Riksdag’s decision, the duty will also cover some other foreign nationals, including adults held in Migration Agency detention and people whose removal decisions have been temporarily stopped. They must pay a reasonable amount if they can afford it. Qualifying asylum seekers currently pay a fixed SEK 50 patient fee for such care.
Adults living in Sweden without the required permit will lose the subsidised right to dental care that cannot wait and instead face the provider’s price. The new law gives them a right to apply for social assistance for that care.
No reimbursement will be due if it would leave an affected person below the national social-assistance standard. The main cost changes take effect on 2 January 2027.
The government bill says the Migration Agency warned that assessing and collecting payments would be difficult and costly. The government argued that people able to pay should cover a reasonable share of their urgent dental costs.
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