Eight Years Since October 2024, an Income Test Since December 2025, and a Citizenship Exam From January 2027 That the Consolidated Text Already Prints
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Cuba on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
147 exceptions recorded across 54 countries · none match Cuba to Finland · Becoming a citizen
Finnish naturalisation has been rewritten three times in two years and the Finlex consolidation shows all three at once. Act 474/2024 raised the residence requirement from five years to eight with effect from 1 October 2024. Act 929/2025 added a livelihood condition in force from 17 December 2025: the applicant must give a credible account of what they live on and must not have drawn unemployment benefit or social assistance for more than three months in total over the last two years, with the condition disapplied below 18 and from 65. Act 552/2026 adds a civic-knowledge condition and a whole new chapter 3 a creating a citizenship exam, in force from 1 January 2027 - and the consolidated text prints both the current wording of section 13 and the wording that replaces it, each marked with the date it takes effect. Two shortcuts survive all of this. A citizen of Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark may be naturalised after two years, and a person who meets the language requirement and has close ties to Finland after five.
At a glance
- Residence requirement
- Eight years
Section 13(1)(2) of the Nationality Act, as substituted by Act 474/2024, in force from 1 October 2024.
- Income condition
- No more than three months of unemployment benefit or social assistance in the last two years
Section 17 a(1), added by Act 929/2025, in force from 17 December 2025. The applicant must also give a credible account of the basis of their livelihood.
- Who the income condition spares
- Under 18s and people aged 65 or over
Section 17 a(2). Subsection 3 allows a departure for long-term illness or disability or another very weighty reason.
- Civic knowledge condition
- From 1 January 2027, by passing the citizenship exam or by a Finnish or Swedish-language matriculation or higher education degree taken in Finland
Section 17 b, added by Act 552/2026. The exam itself is the new chapter 3 a.
- Transitional window on the exam
- It does not apply to applications made within two months of 1 January 2027
The entry-into-force provision of Act 552/2026, which disapplies section 13(1)(7) to those applications.
- Nordic citizens
- Two years instead of eight
Section 21 of the Nationality Act, as amended by Act 474/2024. A separate declaration route for Nordic citizens over 18 is in section 30.
- Five-year route
- Close ties to Finland plus the language requirement plus five years' residence
Section 18 a, added by Act 474/2024. It cuts the residence requirement, not the other conditions.
- Young people who grew up here
- Citizenship by declaration between 18 and 22 after ten years' residence in total
Section 28(1), which also requires two uninterrupted years immediately before the declaration and no custodial sentence.
Requirements
- Age 18
- Home and domicile in Finland for the last eight years
- No offence punished other than by a petty fine, and no restraining order
- No substantial neglect of maintenance obligations or public charges
- Secure livelihood, with no more than three months of unemployment benefit or social assistance in the last two years
- Satisfactory spoken and written Finnish or Swedish, or the corresponding sign language
- From 1 January 2027, sufficient knowledge of Finnish society shown in Finnish or Swedish
In detail
A consolidated text that prints the law twice
Finlex's consolidation of the Nationality Act is dated 16 June 2026 and it carries the amendments made by Act 552/2026 on that same day - amendments that do not take effect until 1 January 2027. Rather than hide them, the page prints both: the wording in force now and, beneath each one, the wording that replaces it, each labelled with the date. Section 13(1)(5) and (6) appear twice for that reason and section 13(1)(7), the civic-knowledge condition, appears with a note that it enters into force on 1 January 2027. A reader who takes the first wording they see as the law can be a year early or a year late depending on which paragraph their eye lands on.
The same two reforms in two countries, eighteen months apart
Sweden's record has eight years since 6 June 2026, with a money test and a civics exam. Finland reached eight years on 1 October 2024, added the money test on 17 December 2025, and has legislated the civics exam to start on 1 January 2027. Both countries have landed in the same place by different routes and at different speeds, and the Finnish money test is shaped differently: it is not an income level at all but a cap on how many months of unemployment benefit or social assistance you may have drawn in the last two years.
What a Nordic passport is worth here
Two years rather than eight under section 21, and under section 30 a declaration route for anyone over 18 that bypasses naturalisation altogether. Denmark gives a Swedish citizen two years instead of nine on the parliamentary route plus a declaration route that skips parliament. The two countries have built nearly identical Nordic shortcuts into statutes that otherwise work completely differently - Denmark's naturalisation is an Act of Parliament, Finland's is an administrative decision of the Immigration Service.
Country-level policy
Åland is a province of Finland, inside the European Union and inside the Schengen area, and several of the statutes on these pages stop at its shore. The Health Care Act says in its own scope section that it does not apply in the province, except for a training compensation. Sections 60 and 61 of the Driving Licences Act both exclude Åland from what they say about accepting a foreign licence. And the Self-Government Act adds a status that exists nowhere else in Finland: kotiseutuoikeot, the right of domicile, granted to a Finnish citizen who has moved to the province, has had their actual dwelling and home there without interruption for at least five years, and has a satisfactory command of Swedish. Without it, the restrictions in the Åland Land Acquisition Act (3/75) on acquiring real property in the province apply to you, and provincial law may restrict your right to carry on a trade there - with a carve-out for a business run with no helper other than a spouse or one's own minor children and with no business premises.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Cuba
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«hänen varsinainen asuntonsa ja kotinsa on ja on ollut Suomessa viimeksi kuluneet kahdeksan vuotta»Our translation - not official
his or her home and domicile is and has been in Finland for the last eight years
Raised from five years by Act 474/2024. Sweden reached eight years in June 2026; Finland got there in October 2024.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«hänen toimeentulonsa on turvattu ( toimeentuloedellytys);»Our translation - not official
his or her livelihood is secure (livelihood requirement);
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Toimeentuloedellytys täyttyy, jos hakija antaa luotettavana pidettävän tiedon toimeentulonsa perusteesta ja on viimeksi kuluneiden kahden vuoden aikana turvautunut työttömyysturvalaissa (1290/2002) tarkoitettuun työttömyysetuuteen tai toimeentulotuesta annetussa laissa (1412/1997) tarkoitettuun toimeentulotukeen yhteensä korkeintaan kolmen kuukauden ajan.»Our translation - not official
The livelihood requirement is met if the applicant gives information that can be regarded as reliable about the basis of his or her livelihood and has, over the last two years, had recourse to an unemployment benefit within the meaning of the Unemployment Security Act (1290/2002) or to social assistance within the meaning of the Act on Social Assistance (1412/1997) for no more than three months in total.
Not an amount but a reliance test: the question is how long you drew a benefit, not how much you earn.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Toimeentuloedellytys ei koske alle 18-vuotiasta eikä 65 vuotta täyttänyttä henkilöä.»Our translation - not official
The livelihood requirement does not apply to a person under 18 years of age or to a person who has reached the age of 65.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Yhteiskuntatietoedellytyksen täyttäminen voidaan osoittaa suorittamalla: 1) hyväksytysti kansalaisuuskoe; 2) Suomessa suomen- tai ruotsinkielinen ylioppilastutkinto; tai 3) Suomessa suomen- tai ruotsinkielinen korkeakoulututkinto.»Our translation - not official
Compliance with the civic knowledge requirement may be shown by: 1) passing the citizenship exam; 2) a Finnish or Swedish-language matriculation examination taken in Finland; or 3) a Finnish or Swedish-language higher education degree taken in Finland.
Added by Act 552/2026 and not in force until 1 January 2027. The consolidated text prints it with that date beside it.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Tämä laki tulee voimaan 1 päivänä tammikuuta 2027. Mitä 13 §:n 1 momentin 7 kohdassa säädetään, ei sovelleta sellaisiin hakemuksiin, jotka on tehty kahden kuukauden kuluessa tämän lain voimaantulosta.»Our translation - not official
This Act enters into force on 1 January 2027. What is provided in section 13(1)(7) does not apply to applications made within two months of the entry into force of this Act.
A two-month window in which the civic-knowledge condition does not bite.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Ulkomaalaiselle voidaan myöntää Suomen kansalaisuus 13 §:n 1 momentin 2 kohdassa säädetyn estämättä, jos hän täyttää 13 §:n 1 momentin 6 kohdan mukaisen kielitaitoedellytyksen ja: 1) hänellä on 18 §:n 1 momentin 1 kohdan mukaiset kiinteät siteet Suomeen; ja 2) hänen varsinainen asuntonsa ja kotinsa on ja on ollut Suomessa viimeksi kuluneet viisi vuotta.»Our translation - not official
A foreigner may be granted Finnish citizenship notwithstanding section 13(1)(2) if he or she meets the language requirement under section 13(1)(6) and: 1) he or she has the close ties to Finland referred to in section 18(1)(1); and 2) his or her home and domicile is and has been in Finland for the last five years.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Islannin, Norjan, Ruotsin tai Tanskan kansalaiselle voidaan myöntää Suomen kansalaisuus 13 §:n 1 momentin 2 kohdassa säädetyn estämättä, jos hänen varsinainen asuntonsa ja kotinsa on ja on ollut Suomessa viimeksi kuluneet kaksi vuotta.»Our translation - not official
A citizen of Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark may be granted Finnish citizenship notwithstanding section 13(1)(2) if his or her home and domicile is and has been in Finland for the last two years.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Islannin, Norjan, Ruotsin tai Tanskan 18 vuotta täyttänyt kansalainen saa ilmoituksesta Suomen kansalaisuuden»Our translation - not official
A citizen of Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark who has reached the age of 18 acquires Finnish citizenship by declaration
The Nordic declaration route, which skips the application entirely.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Henkilö, joka on täyttänyt 18 vaan ei 23 vuotta, saa ilmoituksesta Suomen kansalaisuuden, jos hänen varsinainen asuntonsa ja kotinsa on ja on ollut Suomessa yhteensä vähintään 10 vuotta, joista vähintään kaksi vuotta keskeytyksettä ennen ilmoituksen tekemistä, ja jos häntä ei ole tuomittu vankeusrangaistukseen.»Our translation - not official
A person who has reached the age of 18 but not 23 acquires Finnish citizenship by declaration if his or her home and domicile is and has been in Finland for at least 10 years in total, of which at least two years uninterruptedly before making the declaration, and if he or she has not been sentenced to a custodial sentence.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
Practical notes
The citizenship exam itself does not exist yet. Chapter 3 a of the Nationality Act sets out who writes it, who runs it, what the fee section is and what happens on cheating, but it is not in force until 1 January 2027 and no exam content was read.
Section 13(1)(3), the good-conduct requirement, interacts with a waiting period under section 19 a that was not read in detail. The length of the wait after an offence is not stated here.
Dual citizenship is not addressed by any provision read for this record.
Nothing published by the Finnish Immigration Service was read, including the processing times and the application fee.
- consolidatesKansalaisuuslaki, consolidated text of 16 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-16
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
- consolidatesKansalaisuuslaki, consolidated text of 16 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-16
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
- consolidatesKansalaisuuslaki, consolidated text of 16 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-16
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source