How to apply for Finnish citizenship: step by step

Quick answers

How do I apply for Finnish citizenship?

Online in the Enter Finland service. If you cannot apply online, fill in a paper form and take it to a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Which attachments do I need?

At least a valid identity document, for example a passport, an account of your language skills and an account of your income. From 1 March 2027, you also need an account of your knowledge of society.

Do I have to visit a Migri service point?

Not always. If you apply for yourself and log in with, for example, Finnish online banking credentials, a visit is usually not needed. If you also apply for a child, visit a service point with the child.

When do I pay the processing fee?

When you make the application. Under the law, processing starts only after the fee has been paid.

You apply for Finnish citizenship to the Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, Migri). Most people apply online in the Enter Finland service. This guide goes through applying step by step. It also explains what the application needs from 1 March 2027.

Kansalaisuuskurssi is an independent course. The information comes from InfoFinland, Migri’s press release and the Nationality Act (kansalaisuuslaki). The sources are at the bottom of the page.

Step 1: check the requirements

Before you apply, check that you meet the requirements for citizenship. They include the period of residence, a clean record, income and language skills. You can find all the requirements in the guide Finnish citizenship requirements.

Under the law, the requirements must be met when the application is decided. Still, do not apply too early. If you do not meet the requirements, you may get a negative decision.

Step 2: collect the attachments

According to InfoFinland, you need at least these documents:

• a valid official identity document, for example a passport
• an account of your language skills, for example a YKI certificate
• an account of your income.

Applications submitted on or after 1 March 2027 also need an account of your knowledge of society (Act 552/2026, section 45). It can be a passed citizenship test or a Finnish- or Swedish-language matriculation examination or higher education degree completed in Finland. Read more in the guide Finnish citizenship test.

If you want to rely on an exception in the law, attach an explanation of it. Migri can also ask for an extract from the criminal record of the countries where you have lived for at least two years (section 46).

Step 3: fill in the application

Fill in the application in Enter Finland and add the attachments. If you have underage children and are their guardian, you can apply for citizenship for them at the same time.

If you cannot apply online, you can use a paper form. Print the form from Migri’s website and fill it in. Book an appointment at a Migri service point and bring the application and the attachments.

Step 4: pay the processing fee

Pay the processing fee (käsittelymaksu) when you make the application. Under section 44 of the Nationality Act, processing of an online application starts only after the fee has been paid. The amount is set by a ministry decree. Check the amount on Migri’s website before you apply.

Step 5: prove your identity if needed

Under the law, the applicant’s identity is checked before the case is decided. According to InfoFinland, an adult applicant usually does not need to visit a service point if they log in to the service with, for example, Finnish online banking credentials.

If the service tells you to come and prove your identity, you have three months to do it. Book an appointment in Migri’s booking service. Bring your identity document and the original attachments.

If you also apply for citizenship for your child, visit a service point with your child to prove your identity.

Step 6: follow your application

Follow your Enter Finland account. If Migri needs additional information (lisäselvitys), you get a notification in the service. Send it by the deadline. Otherwise you may get a negative decision.

Migri, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (suojelupoliisi) and the National Bureau of Investigation (keskusrikospoliisi) can also invite you to give information about your application (section 46).

Processing can take a long time. According to Migri, it received about 46,600 applications in 2023–2025, and many applicants have to wait longer for a decision. Under the law, applications from people with international protection and from stateless people are processed as urgent (section 20 a).

Step 7: the decision

You get a notification when the decision has been made. If the decision is negative, you can appeal to the administrative court (section 41).

Are there other ways to get citizenship?

Some people can get citizenship with a citizenship declaration (kansalaisuusilmoitus). According to InfoFinland, it is faster and cheaper. It applies, for example, to former Finnish citizens, to people aged 18–22 who have lived in Finland for several years, and to Nordic citizens aged 18 or over. For a Nordic citizen there are three conditions. They got their Nordic citizenship in another way than by applying for it (naturalisation). They have lived in Finland for the last five years. They have not been sentenced to a custodial sentence, for example prison, during that time (section 30).

What changes on 1 March 2027?

Applications submitted on or after 1 March 2027 have a new requirement: sufficient knowledge of Finnish society. The requirement applies to people aged 18–64. If your application is already pending on 1 January 2027, the old rules apply to it. Read more in the news item Nationality Act changes on 1 January 2027.

Difficult words

Enter Finland

the online service of the Finnish Immigration Service where you make and follow your application

attachment (liite)

a document you add to the application, for example a language certificate

processing fee (käsittelymaksu)

the fee you pay so that the authority processes your application

identification (tunnistautuminen)

checking your identity, for example at a service point

additional information (lisäselvitys)

information or a document that the authority asks for while it processes your application

administrative court (hallintotuomioistuin)

a court that handles appeals against decisions made by authorities