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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 Directorate
of Immigration web site.
See also:
Work & Residence Permits
Infopankki
(Information Bank) - more
information
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.
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 Directorate
of Immigration's information
sheets.
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, 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.
More
Information > Directorate of Immigration
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