Apply for citizenship by declaration while you still can
Finnish citizenship still possible for former Finnish citizens and their descendants
December is the time for being with the family and contacting distant relatives, if only by Christmas card. The beginning of December is also the time when Finland celebrates Independence Day. It is a good time for thinking what family, Finnishness and roots mean to each of us.
Finnish citizenship means the legal relationship between the State of Finland and an individual person and includes bilateral rights, such as the right to vote in national elections, and obligations, such as military service. It also allows free movement and other rights in the EU region. Citizenship is also an emotional matter, an experience of belonging to a certain group.
Declaration by the deadline
The present Nationality Act came into force on June 1, 2003. From that point former Finnish citizens have been able to obtain Finnish citizenship by declaration, if they have lost it, for example, when obtaining citizenship of another country. Furthermore, children of former or present Finnish citizens have been able to obtain Finnish citizenship by declaration even if they have never held Finnish citizenship before.
There is a deadline for declaration and May 31, 2008 is the final date for starting the process. Looking back to the entry into force of the Nationality Act and looking forward to this deadline, we are now at the mid-way point. Since the Act came into force, over 5,000 former Finnish citizens or their descendants have obtained citizenship.
"Now is a good time to start considering submitting a declaration. The deadline is unconditional and obtaining Finnish citizenship subsequently will be much more difficult for former Finnish citizens and their descendants," points out Tiina Suominen, Director of Nationality Division at the Directorate of Immigration.
Tiina Suominen encourages us to think about what benefits or drawbacks Finnish citizenship carries: "Even though you might feel that it is of no benefit to you personally, it is worth thinking about in terms of children under the age of 18. The clear advantage is obtaining a Finnish passport."
Updating personal details in the Finnish population data system
It can be expected that declarations will come in a rush as the deadline approaches and the times for processing the declarations will be extended. So the wise thing to do is set the wheels in motion in good time. Processing will be speeded up if the information about you and your family is up-to-date in the Finnish population data system. You can check your own information from your local register office or from the service unit of the Vaasa local register office in Pietarsaari.
You can submit a declaration for citizenship abroad and there is no normal demand about a period of residency in Finland. Nor is it necessary to have Finnish or Swedish language skills. Once the time limit expires, it will become impossible to make an application from abroad.
Further information about the declaration for citizenship and how to submit it can be found on the migri.fi website under the heading Citizenship > Acquiring Finnish Citizenship > Declaration. The contact information for the local register offices can be found at www.maistraatti.fi.
2.12.2005
