FAQ: Reform of the Citizenship Act

This is a major reform with several objectives. Some of these need further study before the decisions can be made. For this reason, the citizenship measures in the Government Programme will be introduced gradually.

You can follow the progress of the Citizenship Act projects on the Ministry of the Interior's website. There you will find information such as decisions to launch the projects. Documents from the consultation rounds will also be published on the site.  

1. First project: https://intermin.fi/hankkeet/hankesivu?tunnus=SM034:00/2023  
2. Second project: https://intermin.fi/hankkeet/hankesivu?tunnus=SM055:00/2023 
3. Third project: https://intermin.fi/hankkeet/hankesivu?tunnus=SM056:00/2023 

The projects include consultations with public authorities and other stakeholders. The draft government proposals will also be circulated for comments. 

The citizenship test is part of the reform of the Citizenship Act, which tightens the conditions for acquiring Finnish citizenship in line with the Government Programme. The aim is to ensure that applicants have the basic knowledge needed to take part in Finnish society. Applicants would demonstrate this by passing the citizenship test. 

A cross-administrative working group examined how a citizenship test could be implemented in Finland and assessed its relationship to the language skills requirement. The working group proposed three alternative models for testing knowledge of society and language skills. Currently, applicants must already demonstrate satisfactory skills in the Finnish or Swedish language.

In addition to the Ministry of the Interior, the working group included members from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Ministry of Education and Culture, Finnish Immigration Service, National Police Board, National Agency for Education, Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, and the six largest Finnish cities (C6 cities). The working group consulted various experts.  

Report on the introduction of a citizenship test | fi

The citizenship test would measure knowledge of how Finnish society works, its key principles, and the rights and responsibilities of individuals. Language skills would, however, remain a separate requirement for acquiring citizenship.

The citizenship test would be a computer-based test in Finnish or Swedish, but applicants would also need to present a certificate of their language skills in future too.

The test questions would be based on predefined and publicly available learning material that would be drawn up on the basis of the existing learning material on civic orientation. This would ensure the transparency and impartiality of the test.

The topics of the questions would include:

• key legislation in Finland
• fundamental and human rights
• equality
• gender equality
• Finnish history and culture.  

The citizenship test would be taken in person under supervision and would, as a rule, be in digital format. The test would include multiple-choice questions. 

The Finnish Immigration Service would be responsible for the new official duties related to the citizenship test and would commission a university, for example, to prepare the test.

The European Migration Network (EMN) published a study on acquiring citizenship in Europe in July 2020.

According to the study, over half of EU Member States require a citizenship test or oath of allegiance for naturalisation. At that time, citizenship tests were in place in Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia and the Netherlands.

Among the Nordic countries, Denmark and Norway have citizenship tests. Sweden is planning to introduce one, while Iceland does not have a test.

Study on acquiring citizenship in Europe

You can follow the progress of the preparations for a citizenship test at https://intermin.fi/hankkeet/hankesivu?tunnus=SM056:00/2023.  

A government proposal concerning the citizenship test was submitted to Parliament on 16 April 2026. The amendments are scheduled to enter into force at the beginning of 2027, after which the citizenship test would also be introduced.

If a person is assessed as a threat to Finland’s national security, their application for citizenship can be refused.

This applies regardless of whether the person seeks citizenship by application or by declaration. This change makes it easier to address threats to national security.

Statements on citizenship declarations may also be requested from the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and the National Bureau of Investigation.

A citizenship declaration is a simplified procedure for certain groups, such as former Finnish citizens and Nordic citizens. It has fewer conditions than the application procedure.

Applicants for Finnish citizenship must have sufficient financial resources. 

The premise is that people who have no income other than unemployment benefit or social assistance are no longer eligible for Finnish citizenship.

In line with the Government Programme, citizenship will not be granted if the person does not actively help the authorities to establish their identity. Identity is usually proven with a passport from the applicant’s country of nationality or another official identification document.

The applicant’s obligation to prove their identity is now stronger than before. These amendments only apply to people who can reasonably be expected to present their national passport. They do not apply to beneficiaries of international protection.

The amendments related to the loss of citizenship apply to situations where the applicant has given false information during the application process or has committed offences that violate Finland’s vital interests.

In such situations, the loss of citizenship can become more common. For example, more terrorism-related offences can lead to loss of citizenship than before. A person with dual citizenship may lose Finnish citizenship if they are sentenced to at least two years for a terrorist, treason or high treason offence (previously the threshold was five years).

The integrity requirement was tightened so that committing offences will have a greater impact on whether an applicant can be granted citizenship. 

Waiting periods imposed because of offences were generally extended by one year. The waiting period is the time after which a person can apply for citizenship again. In future, applicants whose application has been rejected may face a waiting period of one to eight years. 

In addition, the Act now states that a person guilty of a very serious offence cannot acquire Finnish citizenship.

The period of residence required for Finnish citizenship was extended from five years to eight years on 1 October 2024. Now only periods of residence with a residence permit count towards the requirement, and fewer days spent abroad are accepted as part of the calculation. 

The derogation for people with international protection has been removed. With the amendment, the residence requirement for spouses of Finnish citizens, children aged 15 or over, stateless persons and applicants meeting the language proficiency requirement was extended from four to five years. 

The change is connected to the Government Programme's objective of tightening the requirements for naturalisation. Extending the required residence period highlights successful integration as a key condition for citizenship and allows security aspects to be addressed more effectively.

The aim of extending the residence requirement by at least one year for almost all applicants is to ensure these objectives are achieved as comprehensively as possible.

In line with the Government Programme, the Government will examine the possibility of introducing the principle of reciprocity in the dual citizenship system, taking into account the rights of the child and family law issues.

A study on the dual nationality system in line with the Government Programme will be carried out as part of the third project. It is too early to say what amendments might be proposed. The Ministry will provide more information once the study is complete.