- Three ways to obtain Finnish citizenship
- Obtaining Finnish citizenship by declaration
- Citizenship application
Russia's northern neighbor is hospitable to tourists from abroad, providing all the opportunities for recreation and sports improvement. It's another matter if a foreigner wants to stay in this country, and even more, dreams of becoming a full member of Finnish society. In this case, the problem arises of how to obtain Finnish citizenship, and it can be solved in several ways.
Below we will talk about what methods of obtaining citizenship are common in Finland, how they differ from each other, what mechanisms operate.
Three ways to obtain Finnish citizenship
At present, the Republic of Finland is ready to offer potential applicants for citizenship three ways: automatic assignment; declaration; petition.
The first way to obtain citizenship concerns children, especially newborns. If the child's parents (both mother and father) have Finnish citizenship, then the child will automatically be considered a citizen of Finland. The procedure is different if only one of the parents has citizenship. If the father has such a right, the child is lucky - automatically and he is ranked among the full members of society, however, one more condition is necessary - the parents must be legally married. The child was born in an unregistered relationship, then the place of birth is taken into account.
There are differences in the acquisition of citizenship by a child upon adoption, but they depend on the age of the future Finnish citizen. If a Finnish family adopts a child under 12 years of age, then the automatic procedure for granting citizenship is applied. Adoption of a teenager (over 12 years old) requires parents to write an application for citizenship.
Obtaining Finnish citizenship by declaration
In Finland, there is a second way to obtain citizenship of the country, a more simplified one - by declaration. This method can be used by certain categories of people who are in different ways associated with the country or its citizens. A citizen of a foreign state can get on this list if it is established that his father has Finnish citizenship. It has already been said above that when adopting / adopting children over 12 years old, it is also necessary to submit an application to the relevant authorities.
Young people who have reached the age of 18 also have the right to obtain citizenship upon application, if certain conditions are met: the period of residence in Finland is more than 10 years; the child was born in this country and the period of residence is more than 6 years.
And one more category of people can obtain rights by submitting an application - these are former citizens of Finland who for some reason have lost their citizenship.
Citizenship application
All other categories of people living on the planet can try to become citizens of the Republic of Finland through an application. This path is more complicated than the two previous ones, it requires the fulfillment of a number of conditions, they are similar to those that are used in many countries of the world when replenishing the ranks of citizens of their state.
One of the most important conditions for obtaining Finnish citizenship is residence on the territory of the republic for 6 years (at least), while the last two years must be continuous. The list of other conditions required for the application is the presence of a document that proves the applicant's identity, knowledge of Finnish or Swedish. To check the level of knowledge, an interview is conducted, based on the results of which a conclusion is prepared. An important point is the absence of a criminal record, for this, the relevant documents (certificate) must be attached to the application.
In addition, information about the place of work (position) and the level of monthly income is a prerequisite when submitting documents for acquiring citizenship. It is clear that the Finnish state does not intend to replenish the ranks of its citizens at the expense of parasites, in the interests of the country to increase the number of people at the expense of the able-bodied population. Also, specialists who will consider the set of documents will check whether the applicant is evading child support payments.
The mechanism for acquiring citizenship is quite simple, if all the conditions are met, and there are grounds, then a person writes an application, attaches documents, pays the examination fee, takes a language proficiency test, which includes the oral part, written work, and a test of the perception of the written text.
Since 2003, a new regulation has been in force in the Republic of Finland, according to which dual citizenship is allowed. But the rule applies only if the other party also recognizes the existence of dual citizenship as permissible.
