Citizenship in Åland

You can obtain Finnish citizenship automatically at birth, by declaration or by application to the Finnish Immigration Service. The Finnish Immigration Service decides on the acquisition, retention or loss of Finnish citizenship, as well as determining citizenship status. 

On the page Finnish citizenship, you can read more about Finnish citizenship, who can make a citizenship application or declaration, and dual citizenship.

Right of domicile is required in order to vote and stand for election to the Parliament of Åland, to own land or to conduct business in Åland. Anyone under the age of 18 with a parent who has right of domicile acquires these rights automatically. This means, for example, that children born with their municipality of residence in Åland, with Finnish citizenship and at least one parent with right of domicile acquire right of domicile at birth. 

To apply for right of domicile, you must always be a Finnish citizen, reside in Åland and have satisfactory knowledge of Swedish. The requirement for how long you must have been resident in Åland varies. The main rule is that you must have been resident in Åland for at least five years since your last move, but it is possible to obtain right of domicile after a shorter period of residence if you have a previous connection to Åland. Right of domicile may be lost if you are registered as being resident elsewhere for more than five years. You are not considered to have moved away while you are studying (applies for a maximum of five years). If you move back to Åland, however, you can apply to have your right of domicile reinstated. 

Read more about right of domicile and how to apply on the Government of Åland's website.

If you were born in Åland or are a Finnish citizen who moved to Åland before the age of 12 and have right of domicile, you are exempt from Finnish military conscription.

Åland is demilitarised and neutral, which means, among other things, that no military forces may be stationed on Åland and that, in the event of war, Åland must be left out of the hostilities. Under the terms of the neutrality, Finland is required to defend Åland against attack. However, demilitarisation is not the reason for exemption from conscription; rather, exemption is primarily a means of protecting the Swedish language. You can read more on the Government of Åland’s website.

On the Info Norden website you can find information about citizenship in the other Nordic countries and who to contact if you have questions.