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Acquiring Finnish citizenship

A person can automatically acquire Finnish citizenship on the basis of

• birth
• marriage of parents (legitimation),
• adoption, or
• place of birth.

In addition, Finnish citizenship can be acquired

• by application or
• by declaration to the authorities.

Birth

A child acquires Finnish citizenship at birth if

• the child's mother is a Finnish citizen;
• the child's father is a Finnish citizen and the parents are married;
• the child's father is a Finnish citizen, the child is born in Finland out of wedlock, and the father's paternity is established;
• the child's father, who died before the child was born, was a Finnish citizen and was married to the child's mother at the time of his death; or
• the child's father, who died before the birth of the child, was a Finnish citizen and the child was born in Finland out of wedlock and the father's paternity is established

A local register office will enter the child's Finnish citizenship in the Population Information System.

A child acquires Finnish citizenship based on the place of birth if the child is born in Finland and cannot acquire any other citizenship.

Legitimation

A child who is born abroad and whose father is a Finnish citizen will acquire Finnish citizenship when the parents get married. If paternity has been established, the child will acquire Finnish citizenship as of the date of the marriage contract. If paternity is established after this point, the child will acquire Finnish citizenship as of the date on which paternity is established.

A local register office  will enter the child's Finnish citizenship in the Population Information System.

Transfer of Finnish citizenship to a child of a Finnish father

Adoption

A foreign adopted child under 12 years of age will automatically acquire Finnish citizenship if at least one of the adoptive parents is a Finnish citizen and if the adoption is recognised as valid in Finland. A local register office will enter the child's Finnish citizenship in the population register.

An adopted child (aged 12 - 17) will receive Finnish citizenship by declaration.

For further information on entering the citizenship in the Population Information System, please contact the local register office.

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