Skip to Content
Finnish citizenship

Requirements for a child for becoming a Finnish citizen

You can add your child as a co-applicant to your application when you apply for Finnish citizenship for yourself. The child must be under 18 years of age, and you must have custody of him or her. Remember to check that your child meets the requirements for becoming a Finnish citizen before you apply for citizenship for him or her.

See how to apply for Finnish citizenship for a child who is applying together with you.

You can apply for Finnish citizenship for your child without applying for citizenship for yourself if:

  • you are a Finnish citizen and have custody of the child and the child is living with you; or
  • you are the child's guardian; or
  • you are a foreign national who has custody of the child and there is a weighty reason related to the best interest of the child for obtaining citizenship. 

See the page Citizenship application for a child.

The child’s identity must be reliably established 

A child’s identity can be established: 

  • by presenting reliable documents, such as a passport; or
  • by providing otherwise reliable information at least about the child’s name, date of birth, citizenship and family ties. 

When we are determining your child’s identity, we will also take into account any information you have given us earlier about his or her identity. Read more on the page Establishment of identity.

Children aged 14 or younger:

Children aged 14 or younger must meet the following requirements:

  • The child must be living legally in Finland when the application is decided. Legal residence in Finland means that the child has a valid residence permit or some other right of residence in Finland.
  • The child does not need to attach a certificate of sufficient language skills.

Children aged 15 to 17:

Children aged 15 to 17 must meet the following requirements:

  • The child lives in Finland and has lived in Finland for a sufficient period of time:
    • The child must have lived in Finland for the past 5 years if he or she is applying for citizenship on 1 October 2024 or thereafter.
    • If the child’s application has been submitted before 1 October 2024, the child must have lived in Finland for the past 4 years without interruption, or for 6 years in total after he or she turned 7, and out of these 6 years, for the past 2 years without interruption. Read more on the page Period of residence: application submitted before 1 October 2024.
    • A child who is a Nordic citizen must have lived in Finland for the past 2 years.
  • The child has the language skills required for applying for Finnish citizenship.
    • For a child who is still participating in comprehensive education, the most recent interim report card (period or end-of-term) is sufficient. The certificate must show that the child has a passing grade in Finnish or Swedish as their native language or as a second language.
  • The child has not committed crimes. Read more on the page Integrity.