Obtaining Finnish citizenship in 2021

What are the advantages of Finnish citizenship?

This northern state was part of the Russian Empire until 1918. Today Finland directly borders Russia and maintains good neighborly relations with it.

For the second year in a row, the country ranks first in the world according to the Happiness Index of its inhabitants (The World Happiness Report). This was achieved primarily through progressive reforms in health and education.

Among the main advantages of a Finnish passport, the following points are worth highlighting:

1. Possibility of visa-free visits to 175 countries, including all Schengen countries;
2. Simplified procedure for purchasing real estate both in Finland and in other EU countries;
3. Work in Finland and other European countries without obtaining special permits;
4. Social guarantees, including pension (average €1,700);
5. Free education in public schools considered the best in the world;
6. Higher education at a relatively low cost;
7. Free service in public medical institutions;
8. Possibility of simplified registration of citizenship of another EU country;
9. Granting a citizen the right to vote.

Approximately 10 thousand passports are issued annually by the Finnish authorities to immigrants. Of these, about ¼ are Russians. About 80 thousand residents of the country consider Russian their native language. This is the largest diaspora on Finnish territory.

Among the disadvantages of living in Finland, the northern humid climate and lack of sunny days are most often cited. Also, many note the relatively high income tax, which depends on annual income and ranges from 6 to 32%. Not everyone will like the quiet provincial way of life. However, these disadvantages are more than compensated by social security, good ecology, free medicine and school education.

Residence permit in Finland for business owners planning to obtain citizenship and a second passport

As you understand, taking a job in an existing Finnish business is problematic for a non-European. And not everyone is ready to work as self-employed persons. In this case, there is an opportunity to create your own business and start working in it.

Foreigners have the right to create any company in Finland. But it is important that a person not only owns shares of a local LLC, JSC or other form of enterprise, but also works in it, plus the company’s activities take place on the territory of the country.

Moreover, before obtaining a residence permit, you must sign a contract, but you will be able to officially work only after the Finnish authorities issue a residence card.

The same applies to all other types of business activities mentioned above.

Grounds for obtaining Finnish citizenship

Below are the main options for immigrating to Finland and obtaining Finnish citizenship.

By right of birth - filiation

Children are automatically entitled to Finnish citizenship if the mother, father or both parents are citizens and are married. The place where the child was born does not matter. If the parents did not register the marriage, the child can also obtain citizenship. However, in this case, genetic testing may be required. Finnish citizenship is automatically assigned to children found in the country whose parents have not shown up for six months.

Adopted foreigners receive a Finnish passport. The adoptive parents submit the application jointly. Until the age of 12, this is done without the child’s consent. After 12 years - only with their notarized consent.

If the parents, grandparents of the applicants were ethnic Finns and once lived in the territory of the former USSR, then until recently they could be automatically granted citizenship. More than 40 thousand people took advantage of this. In 2018, the repatriation program in Finland was closed.

Natural naturalization

Finnish citizenship can be obtained by Russians over 18 years of age who have legally resided in the country for 6 years after reaching the age of 15 (4 years for a residence permit and 2 for permanent residence). You must live in Finland permanently for the last 2 years before submitting your application. Let us clarify here that “live permanently” does not mean that you cannot leave the country. Tourist trips or business trips abroad are quite acceptable.

According to the declaration

This method is simplified. The declaration can be submitted by:

• Citizens of any Scandinavian country (Sweden, Norway, Denmark);
• Persons who lost Finnish citizenship after naturalization in another country before 1 June 2003;
• Children under 12 years of age adopted by Finns;
• Young people aged 18 to 22 years with Finnish permanent residence;

The last point is due to the fact that in Finland there is compulsory military conscription, and a person without Finnish citizenship cannot serve in the army.

Family reunification

Finnish citizenship can be granted to relatives of local residents. Family ties must have documentary evidence. Relatives who can move include only spouses of Finnish citizens (including common-law spouses and partners in same-sex marriages), as well as their unmarried children under 18 years of age. Other relatives can also obtain citizenship, but they need to prove their means of subsistence without requesting benefits and benefits from the state.

Finnish relatives of immigrants must sign a guarantee agreement. It assumes that a citizen of the republic takes responsibility for the maintenance of a foreigner.

Marriage with a Finnish citizen

This method is quite simple, and it reduces the time required for naturalization. You need to live with a Finn for at least 3 years in an official union. In this case, the foreign spouse receives a passport if he has held a residence permit for at least 2 years, and then another 2 - permanent residence. The marriage takes place in Finland. The newlyweds will be checked periodically by immigration officials. This measure is necessary to stop fictitious marriages.

Special Merits

Immigration to Finland, followed by registration of citizenship, is possible for people with outstanding abilities, large investors, and people who have made a great contribution to the development and prosperity of the country. The decision to grant citizen status is made personally by the Finnish President.

As a refugee

If a foreigner is persecuted in his home country for various reasons, he can request asylum. It is important to provide convincing documentary evidence of this fact. The papers will be carefully checked by immigration authorities. Finland has a quota system for accepting refugees. Duration requirements: 4 years of continuous residence or 6 years, of which the last 2 years of continuous residence in the country.

It is very difficult for Russians, Ukrainians and other CIS citizens to obtain refugee status in Finland. This is explained by the fact that Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan are not considered dangerous countries for living by Finns. The exception is the Chechen Republic.

Business immigration to Finland

Finland is not one of the countries that grant citizenship in exchange for investment. This method of entry does not provide exclusive opportunities for obtaining citizenship, but it is a starting point for the process. Foreign investors can open a new company or invest in the development of an existing one. This can speed up and ease the process of obtaining permanent residence. Family members also receive the right of residence. An important condition is an income of at least €1000 for each family member.

Purchasing real estate in Finland cannot be an independent basis for obtaining Finnish citizenship.

Education

Students of higher and vocational educational institutions receive permission for short-term (A status) and then long-term residence (P status, more than 3 months). However, it is possible to extend the permit when the student is able to demonstrate his financial solvency and provide evidence of good academic performance. Studying, followed by an internship, can open up prospects for obtaining Suomi citizenship in the future. To do this, after graduation you need to find a job, open a business or marry a Finnish citizen.

There are no separate educational institutions teaching in Russian in Finland. But you can find combined options with Russian classes. It is also not a problem to place your child in a private kindergarten with Russian-speaking staff. State secondary education in the country is free.

Methods of adoption

How to obtain Finnish citizenship? There are several possibilities:

• Whether the person is a Finnish citizen by origin;
• By legitimizing;
• Through adoption;
• Indigenous person by application;
• Indigenous by declaration.

Filiation

This possibility applies to children. A child receives citizenship in the following cases.

1. If his mother is an indigenous Suomi.
2. If his father is considered a citizen of this country and is married to his mother.
3. If he was born out of wedlock, but paternity has been established, and the father is considered a resident of Finland.
4. If the mother who gave birth to him is not a citizen of this country, but before his birth she was married to a Finn who died on the eve of the birth of the baby.

5. A child can acquire citizenship of the country of a thousand lakes even if his Finnish father has died, and the mother is legally a resident of another state and before the birth of the baby she and the father did not legalize their relationship. The baby can become Finnish when paternity is established, and also if he was born in Finland.

Legitimation

If the baby was born outside of Suomi, and the child’s father is Finnish, then the child can receive Finnish citizenship at the moment when the parents legalize their relationship. In this case, the father must acknowledge paternity. If it is established, the child will receive citizenship, and the date when this happens will be the day and month of the marriage. If paternity is established after the conclusion of the marriage contract, the child will become a citizen after the paternity determination procedure.

Acquiring citizenship through adoption

A child who has not yet turned 12 years old can automatically become a full-fledged resident of the country of a thousand lakes under the following conditions:

• if his adoptive parents (or one of them) are natives of this state;
• if the adoption was recognized in Suomi.

Acquiring citizenship by application

A person wishing to become a Finnish citizen must fulfill the following conditions.

1. Have resided continuously in this country for at least 6 years. Or a total of 8 years from the age of 15, but it is mandatory that he has been continuously in Finland for the last 2 years.
2. Have a passport that proves his identity.
3. Know Finnish or Swedish. Language knowledge is determined during an interview.
4. Have no criminal record.

5. Do not shirk your responsibilities and pay full child support for your children.
6. Document where he works and what his monthly income is.

For a person who has been married to a Finnish resident for more than 3 years, the conditions may be slightly relaxed: 4 years of constant residence or 6 years of common residence starting from the age of 15, and it is obligatory that the person has lived in Finland for the last 2 years. Such deadlines also apply to people who have been recognized as refugees or stateless persons.

Citizenship by declaration

This is a simplified method of acquiring the status of a citizen of Suomi. If requests for filing documents are fully complied with, then citizenship of that state is usually recognized. Below are those who can rightfully be granted citizenship by declaration.

1. Individuals who are fully subject to the laws of this country and who have not yet reached the age of 18 years.
2. People aged 18–22 years have the right to acquire Finnish citizenship in this way if they have stayed in the country of a thousand lakes for a decade or 6 years, and also if they are originally from this country, have permanent residence, and have not been sentenced to stay behind bars. .

Video consultation on emigration to Finland from a specialist from a Finnish company.

Requirements for the applicant

The criteria that applicants for Finnish citizenship must meet are fully set out in the Citizenship Act. The last changes to this act were made in 2003.

The candidate can be a citizen of any country in the world or a stateless person and must meet the following criteria:

1. Permission to stay in Finland;
2. Age from 18 years;
3. No problems with the law in Finland;
4. No criminal record for serious crimes in the applicant’s home country;
5. No tax debts, unpaid fines, overdue loans;
6. The income allows the applicant to support himself and his family (if living together) without additional contact with social protection services;
7. Certificated knowledge of Finnish or Swedish (fluent speaking, writing);
8. Successful completion of a medical examination for dangerous infectious and mental diseases.

The following categories of applicants cannot obtain Finnish citizenship:

1. Employees of foreign intelligence services;
2. Military personnel of other states;
3. Persons who have been convicted of committing crimes in their home country over the past 10 years;
4. Persons subject to a criminal offense in their home country, if a similar article exists in Finnish legislation;
5. Persons who are being pursued by Interpol are suspected of terrorism or committing international crimes;
6. Foreign citizens who are maliciously flouting Finnish immigration laws.

How to obtain dual citizenship in Finland?

Since 2003, Finns have allowed people to hold more than one citizenship. This means you get dual citizenship, a second passport. Finland considers people with a second passport and citizenship at the same time, both its own and foreign citizens.

The Finnish passport has been a leader in the passport rankings for many years. In 2021, in the Passport Index, it is located along with other countries on the 1st line with 135 countries for visa-free (or with a visa at the border) visit. Together with Germany, Spain, Switzerland.

This makes a second Finnish passport an attractive investment. But at the same time, citizenship has high requirements, especially in the field of language knowledge.

Obtaining a visa and residence permit

To move to Finland, you need a national visa D. It can be obtained from the country's consular offices abroad.

Russians can contact the consular section of the Finnish Embassy. For residents of the North-West region of Russia there are general consulates in St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk and Murmansk. Applicants must appear in person at the consular office and present a passport, a completed application, two photographs, and evidence of the purpose of entry. After this, you can apply for temporary residence type A for one year. If you have an invitation from an employer or marry a Finnish citizen, it is possible to obtain a type B permit for 4 years.

Without citizenship and protection

Often, those who arrive here with refugee status become citizens of the country of a thousand lakes. In this case, a residence permit is issued on the basis of humanitarian or other protection, as well as to persons who do not have citizenship for reasons beyond their control.

“If certain circumstances occur, such a situation is possible not only for Russians, but also for citizens of any other country in the world,” says Igor Khitrukhin. – In practice, we have met with Russians who wish to obtain refugee status for political or humanitarian reasons. However, at present, as far as we know, the legal grounds for this are, as a rule, insufficient.

The conditions for obtaining citizenship for refugees are the same. He must have lived in Finland continuously for the last 4 years or 6 years after his 15th birthday, of which the last couple of years continuously. And after passing the language exam, submit documents to the police.

Text: Anna Liukko, January 2012; updated August 2015

Rules for obtaining Finnish citizenship for Russians

Let's look at this procedure using the example of assigning citizenship by naturalization.

First, you need to enter the country with a national visa category D. Within a week after entry, you need to submit an application to one of the population registration centers to receive a temporary residence permit (also known as a residence permit). The residence permit is valid for a year and is subject to renewal. After 4 years of living in the state as a temporary resident, you can obtain a permanent residence permit (PR). After another 2 years, you can apply for citizenship.

A mandatory step on the path to obtaining Finnish citizenship is an integration test. It is conducted orally and in writing in Finnish or Swedish. The questions concern the history, laws, and traditions of Finland. Before the exam, you must successfully complete 200 hours of Finnish or Swedish language courses. If the result is unsuccessful, testing can be done again after 3 months. There may be several attempts.

If you don’t speak Finnish or Swedish, you can get by with English for the first time. Among residents of Scandinavian countries, knowledge of the language of international communication is widespread.

An application for citizenship should be submitted to the Population Registration Center at the police station at the place of residence. The application is usually processed within 2-3 weeks. This can also be done through the electronic services service. Persons restoring citizenship by declaration can contact the Finnish diplomatic mission.

Taxes and tax planning in Finland for those receiving a second passport and citizenship

Finland is considered a socially oriented state. Available services are provided by high taxes, in particular income taxes. It is calculated from all income (including global income), benefits and benefits. Everyone who has lived in the country for more than six months pays.

Non-residents pay tax only on income within the country.

A progressive rate applies: the first €16,300 per year is tax-free, and then increases from 6.5% to 31.75% (for income above €100,000).

Pensions over 45,000 are taxed at an additional 6%, and all income is also taxed at the municipal level at a rate of 16.5% to 22.5%. In other words, the rate may increase to 51.25%.

Dividends, depending on the type of company, are taxed at a rate of 25.5% or 7.5% (if the distribution amount is below 150,000, if above – 27%).

Land tax from 0.6% to 1.35%. For residential real estate from 0.32% to 0.75%.

The basic income tax rate is 20%. However, the country does not have the concept of tax residency for companies and usually refers to those companies that are registered under local laws. Foreign companies will not be considered residents.

The VAT rate is 24% with a possible reduction to 10% and 14%. 0% for export sales and in case of sale of aircraft and ships.

Citizenship holders become tax residents by living in Finland for at least 183 days a year.

List of documents

The documents for obtaining Finnish citizenship are as follows:

1. Original and copy of general passport;
2. International passport;
3. Birth certificate;
4. Certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirming no criminal record for serious crimes;
5. Permanent residence card in Finland;
6. Certificates from the Finnish tax service and police;
7. Medical report;
8. Documents relating to marital status;
9. Motivation letter;
10. Brief autobiography;
11. Evidence of permanent income (optional: certificate from work or bank, tax return, sponsorship letter);
12. Certificate of passing an exam in Finnish, Swedish or English.

You will also need a notarized translation of documents into Finnish or Swedish. An application for a child can only be submitted and signed by his parents.

The application review period is from 3 months. The state fee for processing the application is €350, and for the production of a passport is €80 when paid online. Paying in cash increases the cost to €440 and €100 respectively. When receiving a passport, you must go through the oath of allegiance to Finland.

Details of the procedure, package of documents and answers to many questions can be obtained on the website of the Immigration Department https://migri.fi/en.

FAQ - frequently asked questions

Is it possible to buy Finnish citizenship?

It is not possible to purchase a Finnish passport or receive one in exchange for investments. All identification documents are entered into a single database. The reason is not even the purchase of expensive real estate. Homeowners have the right to obtain a Schengen multiple-entry visa with a total period of permitted stay of up to 6 months during the year. Owning real estate will be an advantage when applying for a residence permit and citizenship.

Are there alternative options for moving to Finland for permanent residence?

One of the non-standard options for obtaining permanent residence in Finland is volunteering. It is actively encouraged by local authorities. The second option is to obtain citizenship of another EU country. The most common example is Romania. This country is loyal to issuing passports to immigrants from the former USSR.

Is dual citizenship of Finland and Russia allowed?

There cannot be dual citizenship between Finland and Russia, since the two countries have not concluded a corresponding international agreement. However, both Russians and Finns can have a second citizenship. Citizens of the Russian Federation must notify the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs about this. Dual citizenship is prohibited in Ukraine, so this option is not suitable for Ukrainians.

What documents will be required?

The list of documents when obtaining citizenship in the European Union is standard. It includes:

• internal passport of the country with copies of the main pages;
• current foreign passport and all previous foreign passports, if available;
• birth certificate;
• a certificate of good conduct;
• a document certifying the legal basis for staying in Finland;
• confirmation of the presence of a legal source of income indicating its size;
• a certificate from your tax home country confirming the absence of debts;
• medical certificate;
• police certificate;
• certificate of registration in the country;
• 4 passport photos;
• certificate of divorce, marriage.

Documents are translated into Finnish or Swedish by an accredited translator. Notarization is required.