Finland: Longer period of residence required for citizenship
Effective 1 October 2024, Finland’s Citizenship Act has been amended so that the period of residence required for Finnish citizenship is now eight years, up from the previous five years.
In some cases, the required period of residence is shorter than eight years. For applicants who meet the language skills requirement, for example, the required period of residence will be five years.
Applications submitted before 1 October 2024 will be decided in accordance with the old version of the Citizenship Act. Applications submitted on or after 1 October 2024 will be decided in accordance with the new period of residence requirement.
Changes to permitted time abroad
The rules regarding residence abroad during the required period of residence have also changed.
A total of 365 days abroad is now accepted as part of the required period of residence. Up to 90 of these days may be from one year immediately preceding the citizenship decision.
For applicants who spend more time abroad, the exceeding days will not be counted towards their period of residence.
Beneficiaries of international protection
The processing of citizenship applications from beneficiaries of international protection and stateless applicants are now processed as urgent: a decision will be made within one year of the day when the application was submitted.
For applicants who have been granted international protection, the period of residence will no longer be calculated from the day when the asylum application was submitted. Instead, the period of residence will be counted from the day when the applicant was granted a first continuous residence permit (an A permit).
Applying for Finnish citizenship online
Those applying online may be able to avoid a visit to a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service if:
- they are at least 18 years old and apply for citizenship for themselves;
- they submit the application via the Enter Finland online service ;
- they use strong electronic identification, such as Finnish online banking credentials, to log in to the online service and;
- they pay for the application before submitting it.
Backlog in the processing of Finnish citizenship applications
Currently, there is backlog in the processing of citizenship applications. Approximately 28,000 citizenship applications are waiting for processing. There is a long waiting time because the number of incoming applications has been exceptionally high in recent years.
Another reason for longer processing times in citizenship applications is that many applications do not meet the requirements.
The Finnish Immigration Service aims to clear the backlog of citizenship applications gradually by 2027.
For more information on these changes or for immigration advice relating to Finland, please contact the Global Immigration team at Smith Stone Walters.
