The law is passed: Parliament adopted the amendments to the Nationality Act on 10 June 2026 and the President confirmed them on 16 June 2026. The changes take effect on 1 January 2027, and the test is required for citizenship applications submitted on or after 1 March 2027. The number of questions, time limit, pass mark and fee have not been published yet; the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has said more information will follow.
You do not need to wait for the official study material to start. The topic areas are known, and most of what the test will ask is stable knowledge: how Finland is governed, what rights everyone has, and how the country became what it is. Here is a plan that works whether your application is months or years away.
1. Check whether the test applies to you
The test is required for applications submitted on or after 1 March 2027 by people aged 18 to 64. If you have passed the Finnish matriculation examination in Finnish or Swedish, or completed a Finnish- or Swedish-language higher education degree in Finland, you can use that instead of the test. Exemptions are possible for health or disability reasons or other very serious reasons.
2. Make sure the other requirements are on track
The test is one condition among several. You also need enough years of residence, satisfactory Finnish or Swedish, an established identity, a clean record and secure means of support. Read the path to Finnish citizenship for the full list.
3. Learn the big topics in order
- The system first. Parliament, the President, the government, municipalities and wellbeing services counties. Everything else makes more sense once you know who decides what.
- Rights and obligations. Fundamental rights in the Constitution, equality and non-discrimination, children's rights, and duties such as taxes and military service.
- History. Swedish rule, the Grand Duchy under Russia, independence in 1917, the wars of 1939–1945, and Finland's path to the EU and NATO.
- Everyday society. Healthcare, education, social security, work life and digital public services.
- Culture and identity. Languages, holidays, nature, everyman's right, and the people Finns are proud of.
4. Practise with questions, not just reading
Answering questions shows quickly what you actually remember. Do short sets of 10 to 15 questions by topic, note what you got wrong, and come back to those topics a few days later. When you are scoring well, try a full timed test.
5. Learn the vocabulary in Finnish or Swedish
The test is not in English. Keep a list of key words in the language you will test in, and read news in simple Finnish or Swedish – Yle Selkouutiset and Yle Klartext are written for exactly that.
6. Switch to the official material when it arrives
Migri will publish the learning material well before the first test. Once it is out, read it carefully: the test is built on it.