You may already hold Finnish citizenship by descent without knowing it, or you may be entitled to claim it through a simplified notification rather than an ordinary application. If you hold multiple nationalities, you must also be aware of the rules governing whether you automatically retain your status on your 22nd birthday. Here is how dual nationality, parental descent, and citizenship declarations work under Finnish law.
Dual citizenship — allowed since 2003, with one catch
Finland has accepted multiple (dual) citizenship since 1 June 2003. Under this rule, a Finnish citizen who acquires another citizenship does not lose Finnish citizenship, and a person acquiring Finnish nationality does not need to be released from their previous citizenship. A dual national is treated as a Finnish citizen by Finnish authorities both in Finland and abroad. However, other countries may not recognise your Finnish nationality, because not every state accepts multiple citizenship.
Apart from the sufficient-connection rule that applies to dual nationals approaching age 22, Finnish citizenship can be lost for giving false or misleading information to the Finnish authorities, or for treason, high treason or a terrorist offence.
Are you already Finnish? Citizenship through a parent
Whether you are automatically a citizen depends on your parents' marital status, which parent holds Finnish nationality, your date of birth, and where you were born:
- A child whose mother is a Finnish citizen at the birth is automatically Finnish, wherever born.
- A child is automatically Finnish if the father is a Finnish citizen married to the mother at the birth.
- A child born in Finland to unmarried parents becomes Finnish automatically once a Finnish father's paternity is confirmed.
- A child born abroad out of wedlock to a Finnish father can become Finnish by declaration.
- If the Finnish father and the mother marry after the birth, the child becomes Finnish automatically, provided paternity is confirmed and the father has been Finnish without interruption since the birth.
- For a child born abroad out of wedlock to a Finnish father before 1 June 2003, a citizenship application (not a declaration) is needed.
If you were born before 1 June 2003, the old Nationality Act applies and the rules above may not fit; Migri can determine whether you are or were a Finnish citizen (form KAN_9, paper fee €280).
Declarations for children and adults born abroad to a Finnish father
A citizenship declaration (kansalaisuusilmoitus) is an administrative procedure that is quicker and less expensive than standard naturalisation.
Minor children
The child declaration (KAN_4_Lapsi) is for a child under 18 born abroad outside marriage where only the father is Finnish, or with two mothers where only the non-birth mother is Finnish; parenthood must be established first. The fee is €230 online or €250 on paper, and the child must attend the identity appointment at a mission or Migri service point.
Adults
An adult (18+) born abroad outside marriage on or after 1 June 2003 to a Finnish father (or Finnish non-birth mother), or born in Finland with Finnish parenthood established after 18, can declare. The adult declaration can only be submitted on paper, with identity proved at a Finnish mission abroad or a Migri service point. The adult declaration fee is €260, paid at the identity appointment.
Former Finnish citizens getting citizenship back
A former Finnish citizen aged 18 or over can regain citizenship by declaration, and can include minor children in their care. It is not available if citizenship was taken away by an authority, for example for false information or an annulled paternity.
The former-citizen declaration costs €260 online, €280 on paper, €230 for a child. A citizenship declaration is quicker than an application and its fee is lower. The citizenship test coming in 2027 does not apply to declarations, nor did the 2024 residence-period reform. Migri's estimate for declarations (former citizen, adult or child of a Finnish parent) is 7 months in most cases and 29 months in a minority of cases.
Grandparents and the descendant residence permit
Having a Finnish grandparent does not entitle you to citizenship directly or through a declaration. However, a person with a parent or grandparent who is or was a Finnish citizen by birth can get a residence permit (not citizenship) on that basis.
That permit needs no proof of means of support and gives an unrestricted right to work once granted. The descendant permit is a paper application costing €800, paid and completed at a Finnish mission.
Keeping Finnish citizenship at 22
A dual national without a sufficient connection to Finland automatically loses Finnish citizenship at age 22. Any of the following counts as a sufficient connection to retain citizenship:
- Being born in Finland with a municipality of residence (kotikunta) in Finland at 22.
- Having lived in Finland or another Nordic country for a total of 7 years before 22.
- At any point while aged 18 to 21, including the whole year you are 21, applying for or getting a Finnish passport or ID card, doing Finnish military or non-military service, or notifying a mission or DVV of the wish to keep citizenship.
Migri writes each year to 18-year-olds with under 7 years of Finnish municipality of residence whose address it holds. The written notice of wanting to keep citizenship goes to a Finnish mission or DVV, not to an honorary consulate or Migri.
Children of someone who loses citizenship at 22 do not lose theirs. Someone who lost citizenship at 22 can regain it by the former-citizen declaration.
Finnish passports when you live abroad
Passports for Finnish citizens living abroad are issued by Finnish missions, not the police.
A police online application is possible from abroad with Suomi.fi identification, but any identity visit must be at a police station in Finland, since missions cannot handle online applications. The police online service only offers collection points in Finland; someone can be authorised to collect and post it.
A Finnish passport is usually valid for five years. Parents of a Finnish child born abroad notify the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (Digi- ja väestötietovirasto, or DVV) of the birth. You can also read our guide on obtaining a Finnish personal identity code.
