Hello everyone!
I've been researching my family history and I found out that I have a great grandfather born in the US to a Finnish mother in 1901. She was not naturalized until a few years later. So my great grandfather would have been born a dual citizen.
"Acquisition of foreign citizenship when taking up residence abroad resulted thereafter in the loss of Finnish citizenship (sect. 1)."
What exactly happened when the law passed in 1927 came into force? Was my great grandfather stripped of his Finnish citizenship, or was he "grandfathered" in (pardon the pun) since he was a dual citizen at birth?
Furthermore, since he was over 22 years of age when the law came into effect, would he have been protected from losing his citizenship?
Thank you!
Historical dual citizenship?
Re: Historical dual citizenship?
The relevant law isn't available free online. Later laws at least did make a difference between citizenship acquired because you were simply born in another country and one that had required some sort of active participation or consent.
I can only say that i find it possible that he did lose it at the time, or that he did loose it some later time for example because of applying passport or serving in military or maybe he did not lose it at least before your grandfather or grandmother was born. (this is the only part i see could have real significance today)
The customer service number of migri might be able to help: http://www.migri.fi/our_services/custom ... ce_numbers
I can only say that i find it possible that he did lose it at the time, or that he did loose it some later time for example because of applying passport or serving in military or maybe he did not lose it at least before your grandfather or grandmother was born. (this is the only part i see could have real significance today)
The customer service number of migri might be able to help: http://www.migri.fi/our_services/custom ... ce_numbers
Re: Historical dual citizenship?
Your great-grandfather may have been born a dual citizen, but Finland wasn't a country yet in 1901. Even if he had gained Finnish citizenship and kept it through Finland's independence, your grandparent would've most likely lost it for not maintaining significant ties with Finland. I'm also not sure Finland counts that many generations back, and becoming a citizen because of past family ties has been made more difficult in the last decade, if that's what you were hoping for. Migri.fi probably has everything you need to know. Best of luck, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.