Kansalaisuuskurssi
From 1 January 2027, the Nationality Act has a new condition: sufficient knowledge of Finnish society. You can show it with the citizenship test or with a Finnish- or Swedish-language matriculation examination or higher education degree completed in Finland. The condition applies to applications from 1 March 2027.
On 10 June 2026, the Parliament of Finland (eduskunta) approved the law that introduces a citizenship test (kansalaisuuskoe). The President of the Republic confirmed the law on 16 June 2026. It enters into force on 1 January 2027. The new requirement applies to applications submitted on or after 1 March 2027.
What changes?
The Nationality Act (kansalaisuuslaki, 359/2003) gets a new condition, the knowledge of society requirement (yhteiskuntatietoedellytys). Applicants must have sufficient knowledge of Finnish society. The knowledge is shown in Finnish or Swedish.
Under section 17 b of the law, there are three ways to show it:
- a passed citizenship test
- a Finnish- or Swedish-language matriculation examination (ylioppilastutkinto) completed in Finland
- a Finnish- or Swedish-language higher education degree (korkeakoulututkinto) completed in Finland.
The requirement does not apply to people under 18 or to people who have turned 65. You can get citizenship without it if your health or a disability prevents it in the long term, or if there is another very serious reason.
Under section 45, the application must include an account of your knowledge of society, in the same way as for language skills and income. Because of the transitional provision, this applies to applications submitted on or after 1 March 2027.
Who does the change affect?
The law enters into force on 1 January 2027. Under the transitional provision, the new requirement does not apply to applications made within two months of entry into force. In practice, it applies to applications submitted on or after 1 March 2027.
If your application is already pending on 1 January 2027, the old provisions apply to it.
What is the citizenship test like?
The law gets a new chapter on the citizenship test. Under it:
- the test checks basic knowledge of how society works and of a person’s rights and obligations
- the questions are multiple choice and based on study material that everyone can access
- the questions cover for example key Finnish legislation, fundamental and human rights, equality (yhdenvertaisuus), gender equality (sukupuolten tasa-arvo) and Finnish history and culture
- the test is taken in Finnish or Swedish and electronically, unless there is an obstacle to that
- Migri makes a contract with a university to write the questions and the study material
- there must be enough test sessions in different regions, and often enough
- you can take the test with special arrangements, for example because of illness or disability
- a test fee is charged, and the amount is set by decree.
If your test is failed, you can ask Migri to review the decision (oikaisuvaatimus). There is a fee for handling the request.
Later, Migri said that the University of Helsinki writes the test and that tests will be held at seven locations from spring 2027. Read more in the news item citizenship test at seven locations.
Why was the law changed?
According to the Finnish Government, the citizenship test is the last part of a wider reform of the Nationality Act. The reform makes the conditions for citizenship stricter. The rules on the period of residence, clean record and income have already been changed.
For example:
- From 1 October 2024, the general period of residence has been eight years (Act 474/2024).
- From 17 December 2025, the income requirement has been in a new form: in the last two years, you may have received unemployment benefit or social assistance for a total of three months at most (Act 929/2025).
According to the Government, about half of EU countries require citizenship applicants to show their knowledge of society with a test or in another way. Among the Nordic countries, Denmark and Norway already had a citizenship test.
What does this mean for you?
If you plan to apply for citizenship and you are 18–64, first check whether you can apply before 1 March 2027. If not, you need a passed citizenship test or a suitable qualification. You can find all the requirements in the guide Finnish citizenship requirements.
Kansalaisuuskurssi is an independent course. We are not connected to the Finnish Immigration Service, the Ministry of the Interior or the Parliament.
