Means of support
When you apply for Finnish citizenship, you must provide a reliable account of how you have earned enough money to live in Finland. You must tell us the sources of income you have relied on during the period of residence that is required of you. The required period may be the past 5 years or some other time period.
Your income must be legal and enough to live on.
- If you have only received general housing allowance, for example, it is not regarded as sufficient without any other sources of income.
Proving your means of support
Mention all your current and past income sources in your application. For example: if you have a job now but you have earlier received benefits from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), mention both sources.
You can prove your means of support in the following ways:
Add the following documents to your application:
- your employment contract
- certificates of employment from your previous employment relationships
- If you do not have any certificates of employment, give the name and contact information of your employer on your application.
The Finnish Immigration Service receives information about your salaries and benefits from the Incomes Register. Therefore, you do not need to attach certificates of salaries or benefits to your application. If we need further information, we will send you a request for additional information. Read more on the page Incomes Register.
If you are a private trader or have an individually-owned business (toiminimi), add the following documents to your application:
- A certificate from your accountant of private investments and private withdrawals.
- If you do not have an accountant, submit a document listing your private investments and private withdrawals based on your own bookkeeping.
- A trade register extract that is no more than six months old.
- An income statement and a balance sheet covering the previous accounting period.
- Decision on start-up grant if you have been granted a start-up grant, ‘starttiraha’.
If you own a limited liability company, general partnership or limited partnership, add the following documents to your application:
- A certificate from your accounting firm on salaries, capital income and dividends paid to you.
- An income statement and a balance sheet covering the previous accounting period.
- A trade register extract that is no more than six months old.
- Decision on start-up grant if you have been granted a start-up grant, ‘starttiraha’.
- If you have received any benefits from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela), indicate in your application the benefits you have received.
- You do not need to attach any Kela decisions to your application because the Finnish Immigration Service will obtain the necessary information directly from Kela.
The Finnish Immigration Service receives information about your benefits from the Incomes Register. Therefore, you do not need to attach certificates of benefits to your application. If we need further information, we will send you a request for additional information.
- If you get money for your living costs from some other source, such as from your spouse, attach documents on his or her income to your application. The documents can be, for instance, a copy of your spouse's employment contract and payslip.
- If you draw pension from a country other than Finland, attach a copy of the pension decision.
- If you are using your own savings, attach documents as proof of the funds. The documents can be, for instance, bank statements from all your bank accounts.