Finland, like any other northern country, is interested in attracting compatriots and people who are ready to work for the good of the state. Many of them will eventually acquire Finnish citizenship. There are several ways to do this, and some of them are available for Russians as well.
Benefits of a Finnish passport
The decision to take Finnish citizenship is always deliberate. Harsh even for Russia climatic conditions, bizarre traditions, complex language and a culture atypical for Europeans - the future citizen gets used to all this for years. But everyone who has decided to become a citizen of Suomi (the colloquial name of the country) knows what and in the name of what they are going.
The Finnish passport attracts foreigners from outside the EU with the following advantages:
- Finnish citizens automatically become citizens of the European Union, which allows them to move and live in any of the EU and Schengen countries without problems and additional permits;
- citizenship gives the right to work and conduct business without permits and visas in Finland and any other EU country;
- the standard of living in Finland is higher than the EU average, the average salary in 2021 was 3.36 thousand euros;
- convenient location and a common border with the Russian Federation allow frequent visits to the homeland;
- legal culture - the Finns are accustomed to strict observance of the legislation, no matter what spheres of life it concerns;
- economic stability - annual inflation does not exceed 1%.
And these are just the main benefits.
Who and how gets Finnish citizenship
The conditions for obtaining Finnish citizenship and the procedure for this procedure are determined by the provisions of the Law on Citizenship No. 359 of May 16, 2003 (Kansalaisuuslaki). It sets out three possible paths on how to become a citizen of the country, in particular:
- by birth: automatically, if the child is born to Finnish parents in Finland, or upon notification, if born outside the country;
- by notification that is available only for certain categories, in particular, for Finns by origin or former citizens of the country;
- by application, that is, as a result of the procedure for accepting citizenship.
It is clear that for Russians who do not have Finnish roots, the only available path is to acquire citizenship upon application, that is, as a result of naturalization. In this case, the Russian must comply with a number of conditions and requirements set out in Chapter 3 of the Kansalaisuuslaki.
We are talking, in particular, about such conditions as:
- the applicant's majority or his emancipation as a result of a contracted marriage;
- actual continuous residence in Finland for five years on the basis of a residence permit or for seven years after reaching the age of 15, two years of which are continuous;
- lack of prosecution and bans on entry to Finland;
- absence of violated payment obligations (debts);
- availability of a legitimate source of livelihood and adequate housing;
- a sufficient level of knowledge of spoken and written Finnish or Swedish.
Thus, the main condition for most foreigners is a five-year period of residence on the basis of a residence permit (oleskelulupa), refugee status, granted asylum.
Methods and grounds for obtaining citizenship
Finnish legislation allows different ways of living in the country legally with the further possibility of obtaining a Finnish passport. Law "On Foreigners" No. 301 of 30.04.2004 (Ulkomaalaislaki) allows migration to the country:
- for education in Finnish universities or other educational institutions;
- as a Finn by ancestry - in the presence of confirmation of Finnish origin and a declaration of Finnish citizenship;
- for doing business;
- to obtain refugee or other humanitarian status;
- for work in a Finnish enterprise;
- as a close relative or family member of a Finnish citizen.
Please note that the purchase of real estate is not a mandatory basis for obtaining a residence permit. However, it will be an additional plus for making a positive decision when applying for a residence permit.
Let's take a closer look at the main ways to obtain Finnish citizenship.
By birth
According to § 9 Kansalaisuuslak, children are entitled to Finnish citizenship by birth (Suomen kansalaisuus syntymän perusteella) if:
- the mother is a Finnish citizen;
- the father is a citizen and is married to the mother, or the child was born in Finnish territory and paternity is confirmed (even if the father dies);
- the child is born in Finland to foreign parents, but does not acquire another citizenship and does not have the right to it;
- the child was born in Finland to parents who have received refugee status in the country or other protection from the authorities in their country of residence, and the child does not acquire another citizenship. If only one of the parents is a refugee, the child should also not be eligible for another citizenship by belonging to the other non-refugee parent.
Thus, if you give birth to a child from a Finn, and the father does not dispute paternity, the newborn will receive Finnish citizenship.
In addition, foreign adopted children are also entitled to Finnish citizenship, according to § 10 Kansalaisuuslaki, if at least one of the adoptive parents is a Finnish citizen.
If the adopted child is under 12 years old, he acquires citizenship automatically, if he is younger, he will be able to receive it by declaration or by marriage of his adoptive parents.
Also, the right to citizenship arises for found children, whose parents are unknown, if the children themselves are not recognized as foreigners. If the found child is recognized as a foreigner, but continues to live in Suomi, citizenship is given to him upon reaching the age of 5 years.
By marriage
Marriage with a Finnish citizen does not give rise to citizenship. However, § 37 Ulkomaalaislaki allows a Finnish spouse to obtain a residence permit in the country as a family member. On this basis, it is possible to move and live in Finnish territory until the requirements for obtaining the status of a citizen are met. The place of marriage does not matter: it can be registered both in Russia and in Finland.
Finns are a tolerant people, therefore the right to a residence permit is granted to spouses regardless of their gender, including if it is a same-sex civil partnership. But in this case, it must be registered under the national legislation of Finland.
In general cases, a residence permit is granted to the spouses of Finnish citizens if they:
- have reached the age of majority;
- plan to live in Finland, have the means of living and housing (the Finnish spouse must assume the obligations of the host party);
- live together for at least two years or have a common child (which excludes the fictitious marriage).
Education, employment
One of the reasons for applying for a primary residence permit is getting an education. A residence permit for students is issued if a foreign applicant has applied for admission and it has been approved by a Finnish university. A residence permit is issued for the period of study, each new course must be renewed.
At the same time, the student must have the necessary funds for living, the minimum annual budget is 6720 euros (or 560 euros per month) to pay for housing, meals and other expenses. In free time, part-time jobs are acceptable (about 25 hours a week).
You can also move for a full-fledged job.Basically, the provision of a residence permit is related to the application of the employer - he will have to prove that there are no such specialists on the Finnish labor market. If there is no specific employer, a residence permit can be issued for the purpose of finding a job. But such an application will be additionally considered by the Bureau of Employment and Economic Development.
Entrepreneurial activity
A Finnish residence permit can also be obtained as an entrepreneur (oleskelulupa yrittäjille). The country is interested in attracting foreign capital and investment, therefore, it issues a residence permit to everyone who plans to do business. It can be a small private business, for example, individual entrepreneurship, and opening your own enterprise, and even buying shares of a Finnish company.
A residence permit will have to be requested in advance: only a resident, that is, a resident of Finland, can open an individual entrepreneur or a company. However, having received a residence permit, one can count on state support when starting a business.
A foreigner will be able to get advice, assistance with paperwork and even financing of their own business ideas.
Getting asylum
All foreigners who face a reasonable threat of persecution on racial, national, religious, ethnic, gender or other grounds in their home country have the right to apply for refugee status in Finland. To obtain humanitarian status, such a foreigner must:
- provide evidence that he is in danger of persecution in his home country;
- apply for asylum in Finland, filing an application through diplomatic missions abroad is not provided;
- enter the EU through the Finnish border - asylum is granted by the EU country into which the applicant entered first.
Refugee status in Finland has many benefits. In particular, it gives the right to a permanent residence permit, to live in a reception center, to a cash allowance for basic needs, to employment and other benefits.
Please note that humanitarian status is granted to foreigners subject to a quota set by the government.
The procedure for obtaining citizenship by naturalization
Since a citizen of the Russian Federation can obtain Finnish citizenship only in the process of naturalization, we propose to dwell on this procedure in more detail. We remind you that this is a long process that will definitely take more than one year, regardless of the reasons for entry: the compulsory residence permit is 5 years, the countdown of which starts from the moment of obtaining the primary residence permit. When the residence permit expires, it can be extended for a maximum of 4 years.
After 4 years of continuous residence on the basis of a temporary residence permit, a foreigner is entitled to apply for a permanent residence permit (Pysyvä oleskelulupa). It is given to foreigners indefinitely and does not require renewal, but it is not mandatory to obtain Finnish citizenship - you can live in Finland for 5 years with a temporary residence permit, after which you can start applying for citizenship.
Having lived in the country for the required period, a foreigner must:
- Obtain documentary evidence of language skills. This can be, for example, a certificate of graduation from a general education school, a university diploma or a certificate of passing a language exam, more about which can be found here.
- Obtain confirmation of the existence and legality of sources of income and housing.
- Collect a package of other necessary documents, which we will discuss below.
- Pay the state fee for filing an application.
- Apply for citizenship in any prescribed way.
- If this is an electronic registration, you must additionally appear at the migration service to confirm your identity, submit original documents and check your language skills. This must be done within three months after submitting the application, admission is carried out by appointment.
- Wait for the decision to be made.
- If the decision is positive, contact the local civil police office for a Finnish passport.
- If the decision is negative, the foreigner has the right to appeal against it.
Where to apply
The local immigration office (Maahanmuuttoviraston) at the place of residence of the foreigner is in charge of granting Finnish citizenship. However, he can apply to any office convenient for him. The applicant for citizenship has the right to visit the office to apply in person.
Reception on issues of citizenship is carried out by appointment. You can book a place and a convenient time for an appointment using the electronic queue service. The addresses and working hours of the offices of the migration service can be found on its website.
If you do not want to personally visit Maahanmuuttoviraston, you can submit an application electronically on the Enter Finland website. To do this, you must first register on the resource, identifying your identity in any convenient way, for example, by phone number or bank account, or by e-mail.
When submitting an electronic application, the applicant will still have to visit the migration service - to identify the person, check language skills and submit original documents. This also requires an appointment.
A package of required documents
The main document when applying for citizenship is the application. It must be completed in Finnish or Swedish and meet the required form (form KAN 1). Together with him, the following documents are submitted:
- passport or other identity document in the absence of a passport;
- language certificate, university diploma or certificate of basic education;
- documents confirming past and present sources of funds for living in Finland.
This is the minimum package of documents that the applicant will need. Depending on the circumstances, the migration service may ask for other documents, for example, a police clearance certificate, documents on the right to use housing, some medical or travel documents, and others. You do not need to provide a photo, residence permit and any other papers yourself.
Cost and processing time of the application
For processing the application, the Finns charge a state fee from the applicants. Its size depends on the application form: in 2021, when submitting an online application, the applicant pays 350 euros, a paper application costs 440 euros.
In addition, the applicant will have to pay for the language exam. The cost of passing it depends on the level of knowledge that the applicant plans to confirm with a certificate. In any case, the cost of the exam will be between 100 and 160 euros. Any other compulsory expenses are not included.
As for the terms of consideration, they are individual in each case. The average time for processing an application and making a decision is 5-9 months.
If the migration service needs additional information, it will contact the applicant on its own. If a written application is submitted, the applicant will be notified of the decision by mail.
If an electronic application was submitted, the notification of the decision is sent by text message to the e-mail.
Renunciation of Citizenship
Finnish law does not require those who adopt local citizenship to renounce their previous passport. Therefore, any Russian who has received a Finnish indigenate can retain Russian citizenship. We remind you that in this case, he must inform the Russian authorities about his foreign citizenship.
Dual citizenship in Finland
Finns are a multicultural nation, therefore local legislation since 2003 does not prohibit them from having citizenship of any other countries - both the European Union and Russia and other CIS states. Another issue is the recognition of bipatrism by the authorities of the second country.
For example, Ukrainian legislation prohibits bipatrism and provides for the automatic loss of Ukrainian citizenship by a Ukrainian if he voluntarily acquires a passport of any other country. In the Russian Federation, it is not prohibited to have a second citizenship, therefore, the Russian-Finnish multiple citizenship can be considered completely legal.
But keep in mind that the Finnish authorities, regardless of the location of the bipatrid, unless otherwise provided by an international treaty, will treat him exclusively as a citizen of Finland.
Rejection of an application for citizenship
In some cases, an application for citizenship may be rejected by the migration service. This is possible if:
- the applicant does not meet the requirements for naturalization established by law;
- the migration service has reasonable grounds to believe that the applicant, upon receipt of the passport, will endanger the national security of the country and public order;
- there is reason to believe that a Finnish passport will be obtained by a foreigner without intent to reside in the country;
- for other compelling reasons, naturalization of a foreigner is contrary to national interests.
In any case, a negative decision is drawn up and issued to the applicant in writing. In this case, the amount of the state duty is not refundable.
A negative decision of the Migration Service can be appealed to the nearby Administrative Court. You can find the contacts and website of the court, as well as the conditions for filing a complaint, here.
Deprivation of Finnish citizenship
Finnish legislation provides for a limited and exclusive list of grounds on which a citizen can be deprived of this status, in particular:
- when a person has received the status of a Finnish citizen on the basis of false information;
- if a Suomi citizen who has reached 22 years of age, simultaneously has the citizenship of another state, and at the same time, at the time of his 22nd birthday, he did not establish sufficient contacts with Finland (does not live in the country; previously lived, but less than 7 years; did not do military service, and so on) ;
- in case of voluntary renunciation of citizenship.
In the last two situations, former citizens have the right to restore their status by obtaining citizenship under a simplified scheme - by notification.
Conclusion
Finnish citizenship provides foreigners with many benefits - from the right to live to the right to work in any of the EU countries. It is not so difficult to get it: for this it is enough to live with a residence permit for at least 5 years, prove the existence of legitimate sources of income and sufficient written and oral language skills.
You can submit an application both in writing and electronically. There is a fee of 350-440 euros for its submission. In case of a positive decision, you do not need to give up your previous passport - since 2003, the Finns have allowed dual citizenship.
