Govt moves to tighten Finnish citizenship requirements further

The four-party alliance government led by the Kansallinen Kokoomus (National Coalition Party-NCP) has taken an initiative to further tighten the requirements for acquiring Finnish citizenship.

The government proposal to amend the Citizenship Act was sent out for comments on Wednesday, said Ministry of the Interior in a press release.

The requirements for acquiring Finnish citizenship will be tightened in accordance with the government programme, said the ministry.

Amendments are proposed to the provisions on the establishment of identity, the integrity requirement and the requirement for sufficient financial resources.

The purpose of the legislative amendments is also to place greater emphasis on security-related risks and compliance with the rules of society.

“Finnish citizenship is not something that can be granted automatically. It requires successful integration, work, and compliance with the rules of Finnish society,” said Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen.

The integrity requirement will be made more stringent, which means that committing offences will have a more substantial impact on whether the applicant can be granted citizenship.

The importance of national security as part of the procedure for granting citizenship will also be emphasised.

More attention will be paid to sufficient financial resources as an indicator of integration into Finnish society. This means that persons who do not have any income other than unemployment benefit or social assistance will no longer meet this requirement.

More emphasis will be placed on the applicant's active help in establishing their identity and providing documentary evidence.

The amendments will only apply to those who can be reasonably expected to present their national passport. The amendments will not apply to beneficiaries of international protection.

Amendments also proposed to legislation on loss of citizenship

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

In such situations, the loss of citizenship can become more common in future. For example, a larger number of terrorism-related offences can lead to the loss of citizenship.

The proposal is circulated for comments until January 14, 2025. The government proposal is scheduled to be submitted to Parliament in spring 2025.

Earlier, in July 2024, the parliament passed the government proposal to bring legislative amendments extending the period of residence required for Finnish citizenship to eight years from the existing five years.