Remigration

You may get a residence permit if you have been but no longer are a Finnish citizen. It is not necessary for you to have been a Finnish citizen by birth. It is also acceptable that you became a Finnish citizen by application.

You do not need to give a statement on your means of support, although other residence permit applicants usually need to do so.

Apply for a residence permit by submitting an application:

Residence permit application for former Finnish citizens, OLE_EN

You may get a residence permit if at least one of your parents or grandparents is or has been a Finnish citizen by birth.

It does not matter if your grandparent or parent has later lost his or her Finnish citizenship, for example by becoming a citizen of some other country.

You do not need to give a statement on your means of support, although other residence permit applicants usually need to do so.

Apply for a residence permit by submitting an application:

Residence permit application for former Finnish citizens, OLE_EN

You can get a residence permit based on remigration if you are from the area of the former Soviet Union and

• you were an Ingrian evacuee during in World War II in 1943–1944 and you were resettled in Finland and then returned to the Soviet union; or
• you served in the Finnish army during World War II in 1939–1945.

You must have accommodation when you are applying for a residence permit on the basis of remigration. Read more about finding accommodation.

You do not need to give a statement on your means of support, although other residence permit applicants usually need to do so.

Apply for a residence permit by submitting an application:

• Residence permit application for remigration, OLE_IN (Ingrian evacuee)

• Residence permit application for remigration, OLE_IN (Person who served in the Finnish army)

Apply for a residence permit by submitting a paper application.

When you have completed the application form, book an appointment to visit a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad.

Visit the Finnish mission to prove your identity, to have your fingerprints taken and to show the originals of the documents that you have attached to your application. Pay for your application at the Finnish mission.

The processing time of your application depends on the grounds on which you applied for it. You can find the expected processing times on the page Processing times. You may also use the Processing Time Checker to get an estimate on the remaining processing time of your application.

If we notice that something is missing from your application or if we need additional information from you, we will contact you.

Wait for a decision abroad. The Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.

If you need to supplement your application, you can do so in one of the following ways:

• by post
• by email.

Read more on the page Notify us of changes.

You may cancel your application at any time during its processing. Read more on the page Cancelling an application.

You will be informed of the decision by the Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) that you have selected in your application as your service point.

Some decisions will be sent by post with an advice of delivery. Read more about collecting your letter on the page Advice of delivery.

If you are granted a residence permit, you will receive a residence permit card.

If you are not satisfied with the decision, you have the right to appeal against the decision to an Administrative Court. Instructions on how to appeal will be attached to the decision.

The majority of decisions made by the Administrative Courts are subject to a fee. Contact an Administrative Court to find out more about court fees.