Becoming a citizen of Finland: residence and dual nationality

For Americans who settle in Finland for the long term, citizenship is the final step after residence permits and permanent residence. Finland allows multiple citizenship, so becoming Finnish does not by itself require giving up another nationality. The requirements center on years of residence, language skills and a clean record. This guide follows InfoFinland, the information service of Finnish public authorities, and the Finnish National Agency for Education.

Ways to become Finnish

InfoFinland describes several routes:

| Route | Who it fits | |---|---| | Application | Adults who have lived in Finland long enough and learned Finnish or Swedish | | Notification (kansalaisuusilmoitus) | Certain children of Finnish fathers or non-birth mothers, people aged 18 to 22 with years in Finland, and Nordic citizens | | Descent | Children of Finnish citizens, depending on circumstances | | Birth in Finland | Exceptionally, a child born in Finland to foreign parents who gets no other citizenship |

Most American adults will use the application route. The notification route is quicker and cheaper for those it covers, such as a young American aged 18 to 22 who grew up in Finland for several years.

The application requirements

You can apply for Finnish citizenship as an adult living in Finland if you meet these requirements:

1. Residence: you have lived in Finland long enough. In most cases the requirement is five or eight years.
2. Livelihood: you can explain how you obtained the money you lived on in Finland over the past two years.
3. Limited benefits: you have not received unemployment benefit or income support for more than three months in total in the past two years.
4. Language: you have at least satisfactory skills in Finnish or Swedish, or in Finnish or Finland-Swedish sign language.

You must be at least 18 to apply yourself. InfoFinland warns that crimes, or failing to pay taxes, can block citizenship.

Migri's website sets out how the residence period is counted and when five rather than eight years applies. Read it closely before you count your own years.

The language requirement

This is the hurdle that takes the most planning. You need an official certificate of your Finnish or Swedish skills, or school-leaving certificates and diplomas approved by the Finnish Immigration Service.

### The YKI test

The National Certificates of Language Proficiency (YKI) are language tests for adults, run under the Finnish National Agency for Education. Every YKI test has four subtests: listening comprehension, speaking, reading comprehension and writing, each assessed separately. The tests come in three levels, basic, intermediate and advanced, covering six proficiency levels in total. The intermediate test covers levels 3 and 4.

For citizenship, InfoFinland states you must achieve at least level 3 in one of these combinations:

• speaking and writing;
• listening comprehension and writing; or
• reading comprehension and speaking.

YKI certificates also serve for permanent residence applications. The test is subject to a fee.

### The Civil Service alternative

Civil Service Language Proficiency Certificates have three levels: satisfactory, good and excellent. The satisfactory level can also be used toward citizenship, and tests are held in different parts of Finland.

### How long it takes

Reaching level 3 in Finnish takes most adult English speakers sustained study. Starting in your first year, through integration training or courses, means the language is ready when your residence years are.

Applying

You apply online in the Enter Finland service and pay the processing fee when you submit. At minimum you need:

• a valid official identity document, such as your passport;
• an account of your language skills;
• an account of your income.

If you apply for yourself as an adult and log in with Finnish online banking credentials, you usually do not need to visit a Migri service point. If you also apply for your underage children, which you can do at the same time as their guardian, you and the children must visit a service point to prove identity.

Watch your Enter Finland account after applying. Migri asks for additional information there, and InfoFinland notes you may receive a negative decision if you do not respond.

If you cannot apply online, you can use a paper form and book an appointment at a Migri service point.

Records worth keeping from year one

The application asks you to account for your income over the past two years and to show your residence history, so build the file as you go. Keep each year's Finnish tax decision, employment contracts and pay slips, residence permit decisions and cards with their dates, and records of any time spent abroad. If you run a business, keep its accounts and tax filings. When the time comes, these papers turn a stressful search into a simple upload, and they let you check your residence count against Migri's rules before you pay the fee.

Dual nationality

Finland allows multiple citizenship. InfoFinland's advice is to check, before applying, whether your other country of citizenship allows it too, and to consider practical issues such as military service obligations in more than one country.

For Americans, the US question is separate: confirm current US rules with the Department of State or the US Embassy in Helsinki before you apply. The Embassy notes that relinquishing US citizenship by performing certain statutory expatriating acts is a personal right; it is not something anyone can do on your behalf.

Children

A child can hold both Finnish and another citizenship, depending on whether the other country accepts it. Children can get Finnish citizenship automatically in several situations, for example when the child's father is a Finnish citizen married to the mother, or when the child is born in Finland to a Finnish father with confirmed paternity. A child born abroad to a Finnish father or non-birth mother who is not married to the other parent can acquire citizenship by notification.

Losing Finnish citizenship

InfoFinland lists reasons citizenship can be lost, including:

• holding another citizenship at age 22 without adequate ties to Finland;
• giving false or misleading information in the application or notification;
• citizenship based on a father's citizenship where paternity is later disproved.

Before citizenship: permanent residence

Many Americans hold permanent residence first. InfoFinland notes routes such as six years on a continuous (A) permit with two years of work history and B1 Finnish or Swedish, or four years with income above EUR 40,000 a year.

A long-range plan

1. Track your continuous residence from day one.
2. Keep records of income and tax payments.
3. Start language study in your first year and aim for level 3.
4. Book a YKI test once you are ready.
5. Check US and Finnish rules on dual nationality.
6. Apply in Enter Finland once the years are complete.

Common questions

How many years must I live in Finland before applying for citizenship? In most cases five or eight years, as counted under Migri's rules.

What language level does Finnish citizenship require? At least level 3 in Finnish or Swedish in a specified pair of skills, such as speaking and writing, usually shown with a YKI certificate.

Does Finland allow dual citizenship? Yes. Finland allows multiple citizenship; check whether your other country allows it too.

Can I apply for Finnish citizenship online? Yes, through Enter Finland, with a passport, an account of language skills and an account of income, paying the fee on submission.