Sufficient financial resources to be required for Finnish citizenship 

The requirements for acquiring Finnish citizenship will be tightened in accordance with the Government Programme. The new amendments concern the integrity requirement, the requirement for sufficient financial resources and the establishment of identity. In its session on 23 October, the Government proposed that the President of the Republic approve the amendments to the Citizenship Act on 24 October. The amendments will enter into force on 17 December 2025.

“To qualify for Finnish citizenship, applicants are required to be successfully integrated into Finnish society, in employment, and able to comply with the rules of Finnish society. In addition, the importance of national security for gaining citizenship is emphasised,” says Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen.

The integrity requirement will be made more stringent, which means that committing offences will have a greater impact on whether an applicant can be granted citizenship. The importance of national security as part of the procedure for granting citizenship will also be emphasised.

In future, applicants for Finnish citizenship will be required to have sufficient financial resources. The premise is that people who have no income other than unemployment benefit or social assistance will no longer be eligible for Finnish citizenship.

Applicants will now have a greater obligation to assist the authorities in establishing their identity compared with the current situation. The amendments will only apply to those who can be reasonably expected to present their national passport.

Amendments to legislation on loss of citizenship

Legislative amendments related to the loss of citizenship apply to situations where a person has provided false information when applying for citizenship or has committed offences that violate Finland's vital interests.

In such situations, losing citizenship can become more common in future. For example, a larger number of terrorism-related offences can lead to loss of citizenship. A person with dual citizenship may lose Finnish citizenship if they have been imposed a sentence of at least two years for a terrorist, treason or high treason offence (currently the threshold is five years).

Inquiries:
Roope Jokinen, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 362, [email protected]
Hanna Pihkanen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 217, [email protected]