Citizenship Matters in Finland
Expat Finland is not a government authority. Citizenship issues are manifold and complicated. Only a few are outlined below. Comprehensive information on all aspects of citizenship, residence and work permits is available at the Finnish Immigration Service www.migri.fi.
See also:
Multiple / Dual Nationality is Accepted in Finland
Finnish legislation accepts dual or multiple nationality. A foreigner who acquires Finnish nationality will not be obliged to renounce his/her current nationality. It should be noted, however, that the nationality legislation of the country in question does not necessarily accept multiple nationality.
Further, although multiple nationality is allowed, if a Finn acquires nationality of another state/country, they will lose their Finnish citizenship at age 22, if they lack 'a sufficient connection to Finland'.
Citizenship of Finland
Finnish citizenship may be based on one of the following:
- The nationality of one of your biological or adoptive parents
- Your place of birth being Finland
- Your parents' marriage to each other
- Application (naturalisation)
- Declaration
For more information about being a citizen of Finland, including rights and obligations, loss of citizenship, establishing citizenship and more, visit
Finnish Immigration Service: www.migri.fi Finnish Citizenship
Application for Finnish Citizenship
The granting of Finnish citizenship by application is discretionary. Citizenship can be granted even if some requirements are not met. On the other hand, citizenship can be denied even if all requirements stipulated by law have been met.
Application Procedures & Requirements:
www.migri.fi Citizenship Application
The Finnish Immigration Service's e-service includes online applications for
- Finnish citizenship: If you meet the requirements for naturalisation
- Citizenship declaration: If you belong to a qualifying group
- Visit enterfinland.fi
As a foreigner you may acquire Finnish citizenship upon application if
- Your identity has been established beyond doubt
- You have reached the age of 18
- You have sufficient Finnish or Swedish language skills
- You have lived in Finland for a sufficient length of time
- You are not guilty of a crime, and meet the integrity requirement
- You have not neglected your payment obligations
- You have established your means of support
Citizenship by Declaration
In certain cases Finnish citizenship may be obtained by declaration, by
- A child born out of wedlock if his or her father is a Finnish citizen
- An adopted child aged between 12 and 17
- Former Finnish citizens
- Citizens of other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
- Young persons aged between 18 and 22 years
Langauge Skills
Passing the Finnish YKI (National Certificate of Language Proficiency) test in Finnish or Swedish, and obtaining the language certificate, is a mandatory step on the road to Finnish citizenship. Passing the YKI test at intermediate level or higher is enough to prove your language skills.
Information about the tests themselves, as well as registration and grading, is available at the Finnish National Agency for Education:
YKI Tests www.oph.fi/en/
