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Finnish citizenship

You can apply for Finnish citizenship by submitting:

  • a citizenship application if you live in Finland and meet the requirements for becoming a Finnish citizen
  • a citizenship declaration if you are, for example, a former Finnish citizen or a young person between 18 and 22 years of age who has lived in Finland for a long time. Use the Application Finder to check whether you can get Finnish citizenship by declaration.

See also the frequently asked questions about Finnish citizenship.

Multiple citizenship

Finland accepts multiple citizenship. In other words, a Finnish citizen may also be a citizen of some other country. 

If you have one or more citizenships in addition to your Finnish citizenship, the Finnish authorities will consider you to be a Finnish citizen in Finland and abroad. 

The authorities of other countries may not necessarily consider you to be a Finnish citizen because not every country accepts multiple citizenship.

Finnish citizenship through your parents

A child of a Finnish citizen receives Finnish citizenship through his or her parents at birth. 

The Finnish citizenship of a child’s parent will automatically pass on to a child who is born on 1 June 2003 or later if one of the following conditions is met:

  • The child’s mother is a Finnish citizen.
  • The child’s father is a Finnish citizen and married to the child’s mother.
  • The child is born in Finland and the father is a Finnish citizen whose paternity has been established on 1 June 2003 or later.
  • The child is born in Finland and the child’s non-birth mother is a Finnish citizen whose maternity has been established on 1 April 2019 or later.

Determination of citizenship

You may ask the Finnish Immigration Service to determine your citizenship status if:

  • you want to know if you are a Finnish citizen
  • you want to know what citizenship you are considered to hold in Finland.

Loss of Finnish citizenship

You may lose your Finnish citizenship if, for example: 

  • you turn 22 years of age, you are a citizen of another country in addition to Finland and you lack a sufficient connection to Finland
  • you have been granted Finnish citizenship on application or by declaration but you have given false or misleading information to the Finnish authorities.

Read more about losing your Finnish citizenship.