Dual Nationality?

ari · Post by **ari** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 1:44 pm

I'm thinking for moving to Finland in a year or three......

I have a Finnish mother and have been told there was a change in the Finnish law in the summer to allow dual nationality.

Would dual nationality be worthwhile prior to moving to Finland?

**Sponsor:**

dusty_bin · Post by **dusty_bin** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 3:24 pm

How old are you?

Do you like being a soldier?

Post by **neil** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 4:24 pm

dusty_bin wrote:Do you like being a soldier?

LOL!

Ari, you might be better off steering clear of it. Best to check the National Service requirement out fully.

ari · Post by **ari** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 6:38 pm

Speaking with the embassy you can apply for exemption from doing military service.

I'm 27......

So back to my orginal question....

dusty_bin · Post by **dusty_bin** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 7:39 pm

Did they tell you about the alternative, if you are exempted?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 7:42 pm

Depends a bit on where you're originally from, but to my knowlegde you need to have lived in Finland for appr. 5-6 years before you can actually apply to a double citizenship.

And as for the military service: if you've done the service in you're home country, you're free of doing it.

dusty_bin · Post by **dusty_bin** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 7:45 pm

What does nationality or citizenship mean for you?

As a man much more intelligent than I once said: 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather, what you can do for your country!'

If your view of nationality and citizenship is what money you can get, then maybe regaining your nationality might be worthwhile. If that were so, then I assume that you would not be seeking to avoid your national service, whether in military or social service... You would be willing to take on the responsibilities as well as the bonuses!

If you are wanting to do so because 'Finnishness' burns bright within your heart then absolutely, you should make application post-haste.

If neither of the above are true, then perhaps, not claiming Finnish nationality might be the way forward.

JasonS · Post by **JasonS** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 9:16 pm

I moved to Espoo from the UK in late June and applied almost straight away(I am eligable for citizenship by declaration as a result of my finnish mum) I still have not heard anything! they said though at the time it might take 4 months.

The finnish govt. is getting 300Euros of my hard earned cash. I dont know of any financial benefits I get from it(wouldn't mind to know if anyone knows of any).

I read somewhere recently that they were expecting thousands of applications - so far only 900 have parted with their cash. The conclusion about why so few was that it was probably too expensive compared to other scandinavian countries!

Jason

jwesthues · Post by **jwesthues** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 9:46 pm

Four month?!? I was told two months. Of course, the two months have come and gone, and I'm still waiting.

Financial benefit? I doubt it. I still did it though. Also, my daughter will get Finnish citizenship via the notification as well.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 9:47 pm

jwesthues wrote:Four month?!? I was told two months. Of course, the two months have come and gone, and I'm still waiting.

Are we talking about a permit here or a double citizenship?
How long have you been in Finland?

JasonS · Post by **JasonS** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 10:32 pm

my dual nationality will be given on the following terms(from http://www.uvi.fi):

Acquisition of Finnish citizenship

A person can acquire Finnish nationality on the following grounds:

birth
marriage of parents (legitimation)
adoption
application for nationality
declaration to the authorities, or
birth in Finland, if the child cannot acquire any other nationality.

Declaration

A foreigner whose identity has been established and who meets the qualifications set out in the Nationality Act will acquire Finnish nationality by making a declaration to the authorities. The declaration procedure is available to:

an offspring of a Finnish citizen and a former Finnish citizen
(various other options also)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 10:53 pm

Ah, ok... That makes sense...

dusty_bin · Post by **dusty_bin** » Tue Oct 28, 2003 11:15 pm

If under thirty years of age, you get to be a soldier! You can get an exemption, that means youdo civil service, but that lasts longer than military service. Many employers, apparently tend to favour those who have done military service. As you are from the UK, a country which has no national service, you can not claim exemption on the basis of having already done it.

As to benefits, as a citizen you can immediately get social security and study benefits that foreigners do not get for several years.

sy · Post by sy » Wed Oct 29, 2003 11:38 am

jwesthues wrote:Four month?!? I was told two months. Of course, the two months have come and gone, and I'm still waiting.

If you APPLY for the citizenship, you have to wait 4 YEARS, and you have to pay 400 euros!

tiinajk · Post by **tiinajk** » Wed Oct 29, 2003 4:03 pm

People are confusing 2 issues here. Ari and others have and are applying for Finnish citizenship by declarations, not citizenship by application. Changes to the citizenship laws this summer means (among other things) that former Finnish citizens and their offspring are able to apply for Finnish citizenship by declaration.

So for people like me who's parent was a former citizen but lost it when they became a citizen of another country, can now reclaim. This is without the requirements of language, time of residence in Finland etc. (But the military service requirement holds for males under the age of 30.)

The window for this declaration is 5 years from June 2003 and processing time varies greatly. I have a cousin in Australia who applied through the Embassy there and already has his citizenship AND passport. I applied in Espoo in July and am still waiting but have been told that I should have my citizenship by the end of the year.

As for if it is worth getting before coming to Finland. If you are a non-EU citizen, then I would say definately!!! If however you are, I don't see what advantage there would be. If you are planning on applying and don't yet live in Finland, might be quicker to do it through the embassy in your home country.

Tiina

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