New rule effective October 1 applies to applications submitted after that date.
The latest amendments to the Citizenship Act indicate that applicants seeking Finnish citizenship must have lived in the nation for a minimum of eight years as of October 1, 2024.
The Finnish Immigration Services states that, depending on the situation, the mandatory residency period may be shortened. There has also been a modification to the number of days that can be spent abroad.
In the future, a total of 365 days of residence outside of Finland will be accepted for the period of residence, of which a maximum of 90 days may be from the year preceding the citizenship decision. Any stay abroad that exceeds is not counted as part of the residence time.
-Finnish Immigration Services
Because there are already 28,000 applications for citizenship, processing of these applications is taking longer than expected, so the Finnish Immigration Services has reminded applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible.
Authorities report that a record number of applications have been submitted in recent years to get citizenship. Many applications are not filled out completely, according to the same.
Processing times for citizenship applications have also increased because we have received many applications that do not meet the requirements. Make sure you meet all the requirements for citizenship before you apply for citizenship. If your application does not meet the requirements, you may receive a negative decision.
-Finnish Immigration Services
The authorities plan to clear the backlog of citizenship applications by 2027, while the Citizenship Act is expected to have reforms introduced in three stages, with the first two already being implemented.
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