Citizenship application for a child

1. Make sure the child meets the following requirements:

The child’s identity has been reliably established

• A child’s identity can be established by showing us reliable documents (such as a passport or another identity document) or by giving us reliable information about at least the child’s name, date of birth, citizenship and family ties.
• When we are determining your child’s identity, we will also take into account any information you have given us earlier about his or her identity.

Children aged 14 or younger:

• The child must be living legally in Finland when the application is decided. Legal residence in Finland means that the child has a valid residence permit or some other right of residence in Finland.
• The child does not need to attach a certificate of sufficient language skills.

Children aged 15 to 17:

Children aged 15 to 17 must meet the following requirements:

• The child must have sufficient language skills.
• The child lives in Finland and has lived in Finland for a sufficient period of time.
• The child has the language skills required for applying for Finnish citizenship.
• The child has not committed crimes.

2. Make sure you have all the attachments needed. This will speed up the processing of the application.

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3. Fill in the application and add your documents.

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4. Pay for the application.

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5. Bring the child with you to the appointment for proving his or her identity.

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6. Wait for the decision, the Finnish Immigration Service will contact you if necessary.