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 web
site.
 Dual / Multiple Nationality
Application for Finnish Citizenship
Finland on the Basis of Family Ties
Member
States of the European
Union
Finland accepts multiple / dual nationality
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'.
Application for Finnish Citizenship
A foreigner may acquire Finnish citizenship
upon application if his/her identity has been reliably established
and he or she
- is of age (18 years) or married before the age
of 18
- has resided in Finland long enough before applying for
Finnish citizenship
- has not committed a punishable act or been placed under
a restraining order
- has not failed to pay any maintenance or other fees under
public law
- can provide reliable evidence of his/her means of support,
and
- has a knowledge of Finnish or Swedish or of Finnish sign
language.
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.
For further information on acquiring Finnish citizenship
by application and the related requirements, please consult
the Finnish
Immigration Service's information sheets. Application
forms are also available at the site.
Finland on the Basis of Family Ties
A person who wishes to come to Finland and live in the same
household with a family member residing here must have a
residence permit. The permit can be granted on the basis
of family ties.
The circle of family members is defined in the law and may
not correspond to those whom people generally think of as
family members. The Finnish idea of family is more restricted
than in many other countries.
The notion of family member is also different when it comes
to a family member of an EU citizen or an equivalent person
(see below), or a family member of a non-EU citizen. As for
the definition of a family member, the family members of
a Finnish citizen have the same status as family members
of a non-EU citizen. In other words, the wider definition
of a family member of an EU citizen does not apply to them.
In the application procedure, a family member living in
Finland and with whom the applicant is planning to continue
family life is called a sponsor.
Member States of the European Union
In addition to Finland, the Member States of the European
Union (EU) include Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Similar regulations on the right of free movement that apply
to citizens of EU Member States also apply to those of Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Hence, the citizens
of these States are equated with EU citizens.
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