Remigration to Finland

Persons who themselves have never been Finnish citizens but whose parent or grandparent is or has been a native Finnish citizen, are considered returnees (paluumuuttaja) of Finnish origin. Former Finnish citizens are also considered returnees.

You can obtain a residence permit in Finland if at least one of your parents or grandparents is or has been a native Finnish citizen. A native Finnish citizen is a person who has received Finnish citizenship at birth.

When applying, you must give a reliable report of your origin, such as your parent’s or grandparent’s original birth certificate and a certificate which proves that you are related. You are not required to present a report on your livelihood.

If you are a former Finnish citizen, you can obtain a residence permit in Finland on this basis. You are not required to be a Finnish citizen by birth, instead, you may have obtained Finnish citizenship by application. You are not required to present a report on your livelihood.

If you are a former Finnish citizen, you can regain your Finnish citizenship by submitting an application for Finnish citizenship or a declaration of Finnish citizenship (kansalaisuusilmoitus). Read more on the InfoFinland web page Finnish citizenship.

You can apply for a residence permit either abroad before arriving in Finland or when already in Finland. When abroad, you can apply for a residence permit at the nearest Finnish Diplomatic Mission. In Finland, you can apply for a permit at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

You must submit your residence permit application in person. Take the originals of the required attachments to the application with you when you go to the mission or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

When applying for a residence permit, you must bring along your passport as proof of identity. When applying for the permit, your fingerprints will be taken for a biometric residence permit card.

Processing of a residence permit application is subject to a fee. You must pay this fee when you submit your application.

If you are granted a residence permit for Finland, you will be automatically registered in the Finnish Population Information System. You will receive a Finnish personal identity code at the same time.

When you have moved to Finland, you must visit the nearest service location of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency to register as a resident. Read more on the InfoFinland page Registering as a resident.