Key Takeaways
To be eligible for Finnish citizenship, applicants must have resided in the country for eight years or longer. This new requirement took effect on October 1 and will apply to all foreigners submitting their applications after that date. Applications received prior to October will be assessed under the previous Citizenship Act.
Beginning October 1, 2024, individuals applying for Finnish citizenship must have lived in the country for a minimum of eight years, according to the recent amendments to the Citizenship Act. The Finnish Immigration Services indicate that this residency requirement may be shortened under certain circumstances. Additionally, the regulations regarding the number of days applicants can spend outside the country have also been updated.
In the future, applicants will be permitted to have a total of 365 days of residence outside Finland during the required residency period. However, only up to 90 days of absence can occur in the year prior to the citizenship decision. Any time spent abroad beyond this limit will not be considered part of the residency requirement.
— Finnish Immigration Services
Citizenship Act Changes to Apply Only After October 1, 2024
Applicants who submit their applications before October 1, 2024, will have their requests processed under the old regulations, meaning the recent changes to the Citizenship Act will not impact these earlier submissions.
Those who apply before this date will need to demonstrate five years of continuous residence in Finland. Additionally, individuals who have resided in Finland for seven years, with the last two years being continuous, are also eligible for citizenship.
For situations where less than five years of residency is required, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:
- Strong language skills
- A Finnish spouse
- Possession of a Nordic passport
- International or humanitarian protection granted by Finland
- Stateless status
Authorities are encouraging candidates to submit their applications early, as there are currently 28,000 pending applications.
The Finnish Immigration Services has urged applicants to submit their citizenship applications promptly, as processing is delayed by a significant backlog of approximately 28,000 requests.
Authorities have noted a substantial increase in citizenship applications in recent years and mentioned that many of these submissions are incomplete.
Processing times for citizenship applications have lengthened due to the influx of submissions that do not fulfill the necessary criteria. It is crucial to ensure that you meet all requirements before applying for citizenship, as failing to do so could result in a negative decision.
— Finnish Immigration Services
The authorities aim to eliminate the backlog of citizenship applications by 2027. Reforms to the Citizenship Act are set to be introduced in three phases, with the first two phases already implemented.
