Period of residence: application submitted before 1 October 2024
You can become a Finnish citizen if you live in Finland and if the total time you have lived in Finland (your period of residence) is long enough.
You have lived in Finland long enough if
- you have lived in Finland for the past five years without interruption (continuous period of residence), or
- you have lived in Finland for seven years in total, with the last two years without interruption (accumulated period of residence).
If you have had a temporary residence permit (a B permit):
- Half of the time you have lived in Finland with a B permit before getting an A permit will be counted towards your continuous period of residence.
- When you apply for Finnish citizenship, you must have either a valid continuous residence permit (A permit) or a permanent residence permit (P permit).
- You must have lived in Finland with either a continuous or a permanent residence permit (A or P permit) for at least one year before your citizenship application is decided.
In certain situations, living in Finland for less than 5 years is enough
The period of residence required of you is shorter if any of the following conditions applies to you.
If you have the language skills required for becoming a Finnish citizen, you need to have lived in Finland
- for the past four years without interruption (continuous period of residence), or
- for six years in total (accumulated period of residence), with the last two years without interruption.
- Only the time you have lived in Finland after reaching the age of 15 will be counted towards your accumulated period of residence.
If your spouse is a Finnish citizen, you need to have lived in Finland
- for the past four years without interruption (continuous period of residence), or
- for six years in total (accumulated period of residence), with the last two years without interruption.
- Only the time you have lived in Finland after reaching the age of 15 will be counted towards your accumulated period of residence.
You must have lived together with your spouse for at least three years. If your spouse has died, you need to have lived together with your spouse for at least three years before he or she died.
‘Spouse’ refers to your husband or wife, your cohabiting partner or your registered same-sex partner.
If you are a citizen of Denmark, Iceland, Norway or Sweden, you need to have lived in Finland for the last two years without interruption.
If you have refugee status in Finland or if you have been granted a residence permit on the basis of subsidiary protection or humanitarian protection, you need to have lived in Finland
- for the past four years without interruption (continuous period of residence), or
- for six years in total (accumulated period of residence), with the last two years without interruption.
- Only the time you have lived in Finland after reaching the age of 15 will be counted towards your accumulated period of residence.
Your period of residence is calculated from the date when you submitted your asylum application in Finland.
If you have arrived in Finland as a quota refugee, your period of residence is calculated from the date when you moved to Finland.
If you are stateless against your own will, you need to have lived in Finland
- for the past four years without interruption, or
- for six years in total (accumulated period of residence), with the last two years without interruption.
- Only the time you have lived in Finland after reaching the age of 15 will be counted towards your accumulated period of residence.
In some very rare cases, it is sufficient if you have lived in Finland for the past two years. In that case, one of the following conditions must be met:
- You have permanent full-time work in Finland and it would be unreasonably difficult to be engaged in this work without Finnish citizenship.
- You have been erroneously considered a Finnish citizen for a minimum of 10 years, which has led to a serious consequence related to the rights or obligations of a Finnish citizen.
- There are otherwise very weighty reasons.
How to calculate the period of residence
To calculate your period of residence, you need to know:
- how many years you need to have lived in Finland
- when your period of residence started
- whether you have lived in Finland for a continuous period or whether there have been interruptions in your residence.
- If your continuous period of residence in Finland has been interrupted, you need to calculate your accumulated period of residence.
When does the period of residence begin?
The start date of your period of residence depends on the permit you had when you moved to Finland.
- If the residence permit was granted to you before you moved to Finland, the start date of your period of residence is the date when you moved to Finland.
- If you arrived in Finland before you were granted a continuous residence permit, the start date of your period of residence is the date when you were granted your first residence permit.
- When you apply for Finnish citizenship, you must have either a valid continuous residence permit (A) or a permanent residence permit (P).
- You must have lived in Finland with either a continuous residence permit (A) or a permanent residence permit (P) for at least one year before your citizenship application is decided.
- The start date of your period of residence is the date when you were granted a continuous (A) residence permit.
- Half of the time you have lived in Finland with a B permit before getting an A permit will be counted towards your period of residence.
- The time you have lived in Finland with a B permit is only counted towards your continuous period of residence, not towards your accumulated period of residence.
- The start date of your period of residence is the date when you submitted your asylum application in Finland. If you have applied for asylum several times, the start date of the period of residence is the date of submission of the asylum application for which a positive decision has been made.
- The start date of your period of residence is the date when you were granted your first residence permit.
- If you are a citizen of an EU country or a Nordic country, the start date of your period of residence is either
- the date on which you moved to Finland, or
- the date on which your notification of move was registered.
- The start date of your period of residence depends on which of these took place later.
- If you are an EU citizen, you need to have applied for registration of your right of residence within 3 months of entering the country. This requirement also applies to your underage children living in Finland.
- If you are a family member of an EU citizen, the start date of your period of residence is
- the date when you moved to Finland, or
- the date when your notification of move was registered, depending on which of these has taken place later.
You must submit an application for a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen to the Finnish Immigration Service within three months of entering the country.
Interruption in the period of residence
Continuous period of residence in Finland
Your continuous period of residence is interrupted in the following situations:
- You move away from Finland.
- You live outside Finland for more than a year.
- Your residence permit expires before you apply for a new permit.
- You travel outside Finland more than the limitations related to the period of residence allow.
How travels affect your period of residence
Short trips abroad do not cause interruptions in your period of residence in Finland. However, your continuous period of residence is interrupted if
- you stay outside Finland so often and so long periods that you are considered to live mostly outside Finland.
The reason why you have lived abroad is not relevant, except when there is a well-founded personal reason. Your period of residence is interrupted if, for instance, your Finnish employer has sent you abroad on assignment and the period of absence from Finland is too long.
Trips that last less than six months
The following periods of absence from Finland do not interrupt your continuous period of residence:
- trips that last a maximum of one month
- a maximum of six periods of absence that last 1–2 months each
- a maximum of two periods of absence that last 2–6 months each.
Trips and absences that last over six months
One trip that lasts 6 to 12 months does not interrupt your period of residence but the trip is not counted towards your continuous period of residence.
A trip that lasts over 12 months interrupts your continuous period of residence. If there is an interruption in your period of residence in Finland, the time periods you have lived in Finland will be counted towards your accumulated period of residence.
Well-founded personal reasons
Your period of residence in Finland is not interrupted if your absence is caused by a well-founded personal reason. The reason must be exceptional and unexpected, preventing you from returning to Finland. One such reason can be, for instance, a sudden illness that begins abroad.
The following are examples of reasons for absence that have not qualified as well-founded personal reasons:
- studies
- work
- taking care of your ill parents abroad.
Accumulated period of residence in Finland
If there is an interruption in your continuous period of residence in Finland, an accumulated period of residence will be calculated for you.
- Your accumulated period of residence may consist of several periods during which you have lived in Finland.
- You must have lived in Finland for at least seven years in total. In some situations, six years of accumulated period of residence is sufficient.
- You must have lived in Finland for the past two years without interruption, meaning that you have not moved away from Finland during that time.
- Holiday trips abroad are allowed but there is a limit for their durations: In total, you may spend four months outside Finland during the two years preceding the decision on your citizenship application.
- Only the time you have lived in Finland after reaching the age of 15 can be counted towards your accumulated period of residence in Finland. The time you have lived in Finland with a temporary residence permit (a B permit) is not counted towards your accumulated period of residence.