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Loss of citizenship

You may lose your Finnish citizenship if:

  • you do not have a sufficient connection to Finland;
  • you have provided false or misleading information to the Finnish authorities; or 
  • you have committed treason, high treason or a terrorist offence.

Losing Finnish citizenship at the age of 22

If you hold the citizenship of another country in addition to your Finnish citizenship, you may lose your Finnish citizenship if you do not have a sufficient connection to Finland. Read more about what is meant by sufficient connection: Retaining Finnish citizenship at the age of 22.

The Finnish Immigration Service will notify you of the risk of losing your citizenship.

Losing Finnish citizenship due to providing false information

You may lose your Finnish citizenship if:

  • you have acquired Finnish citizenship on application or by declaration; and
  • you have provided false or misleading information to the Finnish authorities.

A child may lose his or her Finnish citizenship if:

  • the child has become a Finnish citizen based on the father’s or the non-birth mother’s citizenship; and
  • the paternity or the maternity of the non-birth mother is annulled.

Losing Finnish citizenship due to committing treason, high treason or a terrorist offence

You may lose your Finnish citizenship if you have committed treason, high treason or a terrorist offence. Further, you may lose your Finnish citizenship if you have been sentenced for an attempt to one of these offences or for complicity in such an offence or attempted offence.

You will not lose your Finnish citizenship when you obtain the citizenship of another country

If you are a Finnish citizen and acquire the citizenship of another country, you will not lose your Finnish citizenship. You do not need to be released from another country's citizenship in order to become a Finnish citizen. Finland has accepted multiple citizenship (dual citizenship) since 1 June 2003.

This website is part of the European Commission's Your Europe portal. Did you find what you were looking for? Give feedback to the European Commission! If you wish to give feedback to the Finnish Immigration Service, go to the page migri.fi/feedback.