Finnish citizenship granted to 9,292 persons in 2013

In 2013, the Finnish Immigration Service granted Finnish citizenship to 9,292 applicants. Of those, 8,500 obtained citizenship by application and 792 by declaration.

Of all decisions issued on citizenship applications, 83 per cent were positive and 13 per cent (1,339) were negative. The largest groups among those who obtained citizenship by application were Russians (2,058), Somalis (789), Iraqis (505) and Afghans (467).

Of the decisions issued on citizenship declarations, 92 per cent (792) were positive and 3 per cent (25) were negative.

Former Finnish citizens, young people aged 18 to 22 who have spent a major part of their youth in Finland, and the children born out of wedlock of a Finnish father, are among the groups that may obtain Finnish citizenship by declaration, which is less onerous than by application. The largest groups among former Finnish citizens who obtained citizenship by declaration were Swedes (200), Australians (42) and citizens of the United States (34).

Russians still at the top of the applicant list

A total of 9,489 persons applied for Finnish citizenship in 2013. The number of persons applying for citizenship by application increased by 10 per cent from the previous year (2013: 8,638; 2012: 7,865). On the other hand, somewhat fewer persons submitted a citizenship declaration in 2013 than the previous year (2013: 851, 2012: 889).

During the last five years, the largest groups among those who applied for citizenship by application have remained unchanged. Only the rankings at the top vary. Russians top the list without exception.

In 2013, a total of 2,054 Russians applied for citizenship by application (2012: 2,111). The group with the second-highest number of citizenship applications were Somalis, whose number almost doubled compared to the previous year (2013: 1,140, 2012: 645).

With regard to the number of citizenship applications, they were followed by Iraqis (611), Afghans (421) and Estonians.

Electronic services made applying for citizenship easier

As of autumn 2012, it has been possible to apply for citizenship electronically. As of June 2013, it has been possible to submit a citizenship declaration electronically.

In 2013, 8 per cent of citizenship applications were submitted via electronic services. E-services shorten the time taken to start the processing of the application as the application is forwarded between authorities more quickly than paper forms.

With e-services, the applicant can also monitor the processing status of the application, supplement it and be informed of the status of the decision or the decision having been made.

Following the new decree on fees, electronically submitted citizenship applications and declarations will cost less than paper applications.

More detailed review available online

A more detailed review of citizenship-related matters in 2013 is available in Finnish on the Finnish Immigration Service website www.migri.fi > For the media > Statistics > Statistics on citizenship.

Further information for the media

Kristiina Simonen, Director of the Nationality Unit,

tel. +358 295 430 431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi