Submit the application when you meet all the requirements and have the required attachments. The decision may be negative if you do not meet the requirements or if a mandatory attachment is missing.

No, not yet. If you have the required language skills, you must have lived in Finland for 5 years.

No. Your required period of residence is shorter only if your current spouse is a Finnish citizen. Read more about the required period of residence.

No, your required period of residence is 8 years. Your period of residence is calculated from the date when you received your first continuous residence permit (an A permit). In some cases, a shorter period of residence is enough. See the page Period of residence for more information.

If you have been granted temporary protection, your period of residence is calculated from the day when you received your first continuous residence permit (an A permit). This means that your period of residence does not start from the day when you were granted temporary protection. The period of residence includes the time you have resided in Finland with an A permit and half of the time you have resided in the country with a temporary residence permit (B permit)

If you are granted asylum, your period of residence will be calculated from the day when you received your first continuous residence permit (an A permit).

The time without a valid residence permit will not be counted as part of your period of residence. Applications for an extended permit must be submitted before the old residence permit expires. The time you reside in Finland without a residence permit is illegal residence.

The required period of residence may contain a total of 365 days abroad. Out of these 365 days, a maximum of 90 days may be from the one-year period preceding the submission of your citizenship application. If you spend more time abroad than what these two limits allow, the exceeding days will not be counted towards your period of residence. If you exceed the maximum number of days abroad, this will postpone the day when you will meet the period of residence requirement. 

For example: When the required period of residence is 5 years in your case and you submit your citizenship application on 1 June 2025, we will count all the days you have spent abroad between 1 June 2020 and 1 June 2025. A maximum of 365 days abroad can be accepted as part of your period of residence. Out of the 365 days, a maximum of 90 days may be spent abroad during one year immediately before you submit the application. In this example, the 90-day limit would concern the period from 1 June 2024 to 1 June 2025. The day when you leave Finland and the day when you return to Finland will be counted towards your period of residence.

No, they will not. We will only inspect the number of days you have spent abroad before you submitted the application and that occurred during the required period of residence. However, you must still be living permanently in Finland when the decision is made.

No, the reason why you have spent time abroad is not relevant.

Your period of residence may include a total of 365 days spent abroad. Up to 90 of these days may be from a one-year period immediately preceding the submission of your citizenship application. If you spend more time abroad, the exceeding days will not be counted towards your period of residence. If you exceed the maximum number of days abroad, this will postpone the day when you meet the period of residence requirement.

The day when you leave Finland and the day when you return to Finland will be counted towards your period of residence, not as a day abroad. For example: If you have been travelling from 1 October to 31 October, this will amount to 29 days abroad.

The required period of residence allows you to spend a total of 365 days abroad. If you spend extra days abroad, those extra days will not be counted towards your period of residence. Any additional days abroad will postpone the day when you are regarded to meet the required period of residence. However, the total time the citizenship applicant has lived in Finland legally and supported by a permit will be taken into account.

You have lived in Finland with a permit for over 10 years, which is at least 2 years more than required. In such a case, you are considered to meet the required period of residence even though your days abroad have exceeded 365.