The Finnish Parliament has approved changes to the Citizenship Act, introducing stricter requirements for acquiring Finnish citizenship. The new rules enter into force on January 1, 2027, and will apply to applications submitted on or after March 1, 2027.
In the future, acquiring citizenship will require sufficient knowledge of and integration into Finnish society. Applicants can meet the requirement for sufficient knowledge of Finnish society by passing the new citizenship test. Alternatively, sufficient knowledge can be demonstrated by completing the matriculation examination in Finnish or Swedish, or by earning a Finnish- or Swedish-language higher education degree in Finland.
The requirement for sufficient knowledge of Finnish society applies to applicants aged 18–64. Exemptions from the requirement may be granted in some cases for reasons of health or disability, or for other very serious reasons.
The test will cover topics such as key legislation governing life in Finnish society, fundamental and human rights, Finnish history and culture, as well as questions of equality, including equality between genders. You can take the test in Finnish or Swedish.
All applications submitted before March 1, 2027 via the Enter Finland online service or at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service will be processed according to the rules of the current Citizenship Act.
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