Finnish nationality law

<p>Finnish nationality law details the conditions by which an individual is a <a href="/facts/Nationality/pK1x6rjn">national</a> of <a href="/facts/Finland/G5Ak6T91">Finland</a>. The primary law governing these requirements is the Nationality Act, which <a href="/facts/Coming_into_force/toFJzq1z">came into force</a> on 1 June 2003. Finland is a <a href="/facts/Member_state_of_the_European_Union/hsFC1pJH">member state of the European Union</a> (EU) and all Finnish nationals are <a href="/facts/EU_citizens/7TggdEhq">EU citizens</a>. They are entitled to <a href="/facts/Citizens%2527_Rights_Directive/m3CSqN2x">free movement rights</a> in EU and <a href="/facts/European_Free_Trade_Association/m8yeTInz">European Free Trade Association</a> (EFTA) countries and may vote in <a href="/facts/Elections_to_the_European_Parliament/QhPVwX6E">elections to the European Parliament</a>.
</p><p>Any person born to a married Finnish parent is typically a Finnish national at birth, regardless of the place of birth. Children of unmarried couples in which only the father is Finnish must be <a href="/facts/Legitimacy_(family_law)/kjNdlPeC">legitimised</a> for them to acquire Finnish nationality. Foreign nationals may <a href="/facts/Naturalization/xfrTf3WE">naturalise</a> after meeting a minimum residence requirement (usually eight years) and demonstrating proficiency in <a href="/facts/Finnish_language/lBuEIgs0">Finnish</a>, <a href="/facts/Swedish_language/1DkSIXkH">Swedish</a>, <a href="/facts/Finnish_Sign_Language/Azfe5abc">Finnish Sign Language</a>, or <a href="/facts/Finland-Swedish_Sign_Language/sUz7gFI5">Finland-Swedish Sign Language</a>.
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Finnish nationality law open-in-new

Finnish nationality law