Finland approves citizenship test requirement, set to take effect in 2027

Finland's Parliament has approved a new law introducing a mandatory citizenship test for applicants seeking Finnish nationality, marking a further tightening of the country's immigration and naturalisation rules.

The legislation was passed on Wednesday (10 June) by a vote of 153-21, with 25 MPs absent.

The new requirement is scheduled to take effect at the beginning of 2027. Under the law, all citizenship applicants will be required to pass a standardised test administered in either Finnish or Swedish.

The initiative was developed under Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's National Coalition Party-led government, which began work on designing the test last year as part of broader reforms covering immigration policy, asylum procedures and expedited deportations.

While detailed specifications have yet to be released, the citizenship exam is expected to consist of 20 to 40 multiple-choice questions covering Finnish history, culture, human rights and equality. Applicants will be required to answer about 70% of the questions correctly to pass. The test will be designed by a university-level institution, according to officials.

According to Statistics Finland, more than 14,000 people were granted Finnish citizenship in 2025, marking an all-time high. A total of 14,168 individuals received citizenship, an increase of around 2,600 from 2024. The average age of new citizens was 29, with around 4,200 under the age of 18. The group included 7,511 women and 6,657 men.

By country of origin, the largest groups of new citizens came from Iraq, Russia and Syria. The agency also noted that 92% of recipients retained dual citizenship. At the end of 2024, nearly 198,000 Finnish nationals held dual nationality, with the largest shares linked to Russia, Iraq, Sweden, Somalia and Estonia.

A government memorandum suggests that the introduction of a citizenship test may reduce the number of applications for Finnish nationality. However, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen rejected the suggestion that the policy is intended to limit citizenship uptake.

"Those seeking Finnish citizenship must take active steps to meet the conditions set out in law," she said.

The government said the reform is aimed at strengthening integration and ensuring that new citizens have a clearer understanding of Finnish society, values and civic responsibilities.