The Finnish government has submitted a bill to parliament that would introduce a mandatory citizenship test for applicants for a Finnish passport. The test is intended to assess knowledge of Finnish society, its structure, and key principles, and if approved by parliament, the new rules are scheduled to take effect in early 2027.
As clarified by the Finnish Ministry of the Interior, the exam will be part of a broader reform of the citizenship law, aimed at tightening naturalization requirements and placing greater emphasis on integration, employment, and adherence to the norms of Finnish society. The test will be available in Finnish or Swedish.
The reform continues the current government’s phased approach to tightening migration policy. Finland had previously increased requirements regarding length of residence, income, and compliance with the law for citizenship applicants, and has now decided to add a separate test of civic knowledge.
This discussion is of particular importance for Finland’s labor market and migration environment, as the country remains significantly more dependent on external population inflows than it was just a few years ago. According to Statistics Finland, the country’s population stood at 5,652,881 by the end of 2025, and population growth in recent years has been largely driven by migration. In 2025, 50,060 people arrived in Finland, and net migration stood at 34,852 people, fully offsetting the natural population decline.
Authorities are also noting an increase in the number of new citizens. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, 14,689 people received Finnish citizenship in 2025—a record high. Of these, 13,483 received citizenship upon application, and 1,206 through the notification procedure.
According to official data from Statistics Finland, 5.65 million people resided in Finland at the end of 2025, and the number of residents of foreign origin and foreign citizens continued to grow; specific databases from Statistics Finland provide a breakdown by citizenship and country of origin, and also show that the growth in recent years was largely due to the influx from Ukraine. Official releases from Statistics Finland explicitly noted that in 2023, the largest numbers of people arrived in Finland from Ukraine, Russia, Sri Lanka, and India.
