Sweden's parliament has voted to change the constitution so that dual nationals can be stripped of their Swedish citizenship in limited cases, completing a process that began with a first vote in May and an election in between.

The Riksdag approved the amendments on Wednesday, 11 November, in the second of the two votes Swedish law requires for a constitutional change, with a general election held between them. The changes will come into force on 1 January 2027, the Sweden Herald reported.

The change does not itself take citizenship from anyone. It creates the constitutional basis for ordinary legislation that would allow revocation in two situations only, and only for people who hold another citizenship as well as Swedish citizenship, so that no one is left stateless. The two grounds are that Swedish citizenship was obtained on false grounds, or that the person has been convicted of a crime that seriously harms Sweden's vital interests.

What still has to be decided

The detailed law that would define which crimes qualify has not been completed. The outgoing government had been working on a bill but had not presented it to parliament, so it will fall to the next government to decide how to proceed, according to Bytes Europe, which cited Gulf News reporting on the vote.

An inquiry published earlier in 2026 proposed that revocation could apply to dual citizens convicted of very serious offences, including crimes against Sweden's security, terrorism-related offences, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and offences committed within criminal networks, where they seriously damage the state's vital interests. That list remains a proposal, not law, and the exact scope will be a matter for the next parliament.

A wider constitutional package

The citizenship change was part of a broader package of constitutional amendments approved in the same vote. The package also enshrines the right to abortion in the Instrument of Government, one of Sweden's fundamental laws, as a constitutional right, and opens the way for ordinary law to restrict freedom of association for groups that engage in serious organised crime for financial gain or other improper advantage.

The proposal was backed by the Social Democrats as well as the governing parties and the Sweden Democrats, and opposed by the Left Party and the Green Party, with the Centre Party abstaining in the second vote. Critics have argued that the change creates two tiers of citizenship, with dual nationals holding a less secure status than those with only Swedish citizenship. Supporters, including the outgoing centre-right government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, have argued it is a necessary tool against organised crime and gang leaders.

Kristersson continues to lead a caretaker government after the general election on 13 September, which the centre-left bloc won. The Sweden strip citizenship dual nationals debate will now move to the next government, which must draft the law that turns the constitutional opening into workable rules. Sources: Sweden Herald; Bytes Europe.